NBA Finals 2023: Hot Takes and Top Storylines Heat vs. Nuggets Game 5
The Denver Nuggets enter Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals on the doorstep of hoops history.
The only thing standing in their path is a Miami Heat team that is a history-making run of its own.
Miami, the first play-in participant to reach the championship round, faces long odds of extending this series. Denver, which had never previously pushed this far in the NBA playoffs, has three double-digit victories in this series and is heading back home, where it has lost just once this postseason.
Of course, that one defeat came against these very Heat in Game 2, so confidence won't be an issue for the visitors.
Do the Nuggets have enough firepower to this ferociously feisty eighth seed to sleep? Or will the Heat rise up in the face of adversity once again?
Nuggets' Role Players Performing on the Big Stage
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The Heat were never going to win this series off star power alone. That's not how you take down a team with two-time MVP Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
But that's not how Miami claimed three series triumphs over higher seeded opponents in the Eastern Conference. That incredible run was fueled in large part by the Heat's advantage in dept and role-player performance. Caleb Martin made a serious push for conference finals MVP honors. Gabe Vincent had a string of three 20-point outbursts. Max Strus averaged an efficient 16 points per night in the second round.
The Heat needed their role players to do the same this series, but it's the Nuggets' supporting cast standing tallest under the bright lights.
Aaron Gordon has been everywhere on defense and making just about anything he throws at the rim (66.7 percent shooting). Christian Braun tallied 15 points on eight shots in Game 3. Bruce Brown scored a massive 21 points in Game 4. Martin, Vincent and Strus meanwhile are a combined 34-of-104 (32.7 percent) and 20-of-63 from distance (31.7) this series.
If the Heat don't have an edge in depth Monday night, this series won't make it out of Denver.
These Heat Have Heart
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It's easy to think the Heat are in serious trouble here. History, for one, hates their chances. Only one team has ever rallied back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. Beyond that, teams are just 2-132 when down 3-1 in a series and only hosting one of the final three games since 1984 (exlcluding the COVID-19 pandemic season), per ESPN's Kevin Pelton.
Still, it's not like this is the first time Miami has faced an enormous obstacle this season. Remember, the Heat needed a late rally just to escape the play-in tournament. They've been without third-leading scorer Tyler Herro (broken hand) since the opening round. They've also been the worst-on-paper team in every series they've played.
None of that has mattered yet. With Jimmy Butler leading the charge, the Heat have made habit out of defying external expectations. It's basically the hallmark of this group.
"Everybody is counting us out," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "We're used to that."
Miami would obviously prefer to not be in this position, but no one has responded better to having their backs against the ropes. The Heat may not win Monday, but they'll fight to the finish line regardless.
A Dynasty in Denver?
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The Nuggets still need a win to cap their first ever championship, and the Heat are so resilient, it's still too early to crown Denver with anything.
If the Nuggets handle business in Ball Arena, though, this could be the spark of the league's next superpower.
Jokić is in the heart of his prime at 28 years old. As scary as this notion is, it's possible we haven't even seen the best of Murray, who turned 26 in February yet. Michael Porter Jr. a foundational piece despite what he's shown (or hasn't) this series, turns 25 later this month. Aaron Gordon will be 28 in September.
All of these players are under contract for at least two more seasons. This is, quite clearly, a championship-level nucleus, and there are no reasons to worry it will crumble any time soon.
If Denver wins this title—whether on Monday or not—it has the chance to be the first of multiple championships for this core. The Nuggets will face challenges in keeping a formidable supporting cast around it, but their recent deal for draft picks shows they're already conscious of that. It also proves this front office thinks it can keep contending for the foreseeable future—as they should.
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