In a 2023 NBA Finals rematch, Michael Porter Jr. brought up the Denver Nuggets’ matchup with Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. In a 4-1 victory over the Heat, the Nuggets won the NBA championship. Their decision to play Miami rather than the Boston Celtics likely played a significant role in their championship run, according to Porter Jr.
Porter made the bold claim that facing Miami was much easier than Boston, particularly with Tyler Herro out with an ιnjury to his Heat team.
“We knew we had the matchup versus the Heat,” Porter clarified. “Kinda when they were playing the Celtics, we felt like we matched up a little better with the Heat than the Celtics.”A series against the Celtics would have been challenging. I would have happily played six or seven games. We thought, “Man, we can get those boys up out of here” when we played Miami.
Last year, the Denver Nuggets won the NBA Finals thanks to their incredible play in the 2023 postseason.
After five games in the NBA Finals, they prevailed over the Miami Heat, proving that their dedication and effort had been worthwhile. The finals bаttle against the Heat was everything but simple, despite Michael Porter Jr.’s claims to the contrary.
Both Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler gave their all to ensure that the games remained within striking distance. There was no blowout lead in any of the games, yet the Nuggets still managed to win the series impressively.
Miami played with a lot of spirit and had their bench guys come up to match Denver’s enthusiasm, even though Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were relentless. Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, among others, were instrumental in maintaining the Heat’s optimism.
However, the Nuggets finally won it all, proving that Michael Porter Jr. was correct all along.
