Nuggets aim to win maiden NBA Finals, Heat fight for 4th title

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) - The Denver Nuggets aim to win in their maiden NBA Finals, while the Miami Heat will fight for their fourth title as the finals series begin on Thursday.

Nikola Jokic, who was named as the MVP of the regular season in 2021 and 2022, and Jamal Murray, who attracted attention with his recent performance, has been carrying the Nuggets throughout the 2023 playoffs.

Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists, while Murray scored 27.7 points, made 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game, playing key roles in rallying the Nuggets to their first NBA Finals.

The Nuggets, having the home court advantage, will host the first two games of the series, and their win percentage in the regular season is higher than the Heat.

The Heat became the second team in NBA history to reach the finals as an 8th seed in the playoffs, the first team was the New York Knicks back in 1999.

They are also the first play-in team to reach the Finals.

The Miami Heat rely on their bench and three-pointers, as they have highest three-point hit percentage of the playoffs with 39%. The team scored the most points from behind the three-point line after the Boston Celtics (281) with 236 made threes.

The Heat is missing its key shooter, Tyler Herro, who is unlikely to return from the injury in this NBA Finals.

The Miami-based franchise also have a 34.8 points per game contribution from their bench players.

Their All-Star forward Jimmy Butler, who averaged 28.5 points, 7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.1 steals in playoffs, will be the most important weapon in the upcoming clash.

Meanwhile, the team's Turkish center Omer Yurtseven will the fourth Turkish basketball player in history to participate in the NBA Finals. Mehmet Okur appeared in the Finals in 2004, Hidayet Turkoglu in 2009 and Cedi Osman in 2018.

The Nuggets have won the last six matches between the two sides.

- NBA Finals:

Game 1: Denver Nuggets - Miami Heat (Thursday, June 1)

Game 2: Denver Nuggets - Miami Heat (Sunday, June 4)

Game 3: Miami Heat - Denver Nuggets (Wednesday June 7)

Game 4: Miami Heat - Denver Nuggets (Friday, June 9)

Game 5 (if necessary): Denver Nuggets - Miami Heat (Monday, June 12)

Game 6 (if necessary): Miami Heat - Denver Nuggets (Thursday, June 15)

Game 7 (if necessary): Denver Nuggets - Miami Heat (Sunday, June 18)