After defeating the Los Angeles Lakers the Denver Nuggets will now advance to the Finals for the first time in franchise history.
(sports illustrated image)
This Conference Finals matchup was expected to be a good one, as the teams split the regular season series each winning 2 games.
However, in this series The Nuggets defeated the Lakers in just 4 games to advance to the Finals. After winning the first 3 games, the series was pretty much over, as no team in NBA history has ever come back to win the series after losing the first 3 games.
Not only is this the first time that the Nuggets have made the finals, but it is also the first time that they have ever swept their opponent 4-0 in a playoff series.
Key Players:
Throughout this series, the best players for the Nuggets were definitely Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who both played extremely well.
Jokic Averaged:
27.8 Points
14.5 Rebounds
11.8 Assists
1.3 Steals
50.6% of shots made
Murray Averaged:
32.5 Points
6.3 Rebounds
5.3 Assists
2.8 Steals
52.7% of shots made
Lebron James:
This year Lebron James was seeking his 5th championship in his 20 years, but he and the Lakers could not make it past the Nuggets.
Even though they lost, Lebron still played very well in this series.
He averaged:
27.8 Points
9.5 Rebounds
10 Assists
52% of shots made
After losing the first 3 games, Lebron had a strong game 3, scoring 40 points on 60% shooting, but he missed the game-winning shot, so, unfortunately, the Lakers still did not do enough to win.
After being swept by the Nuggets, Lebron said he has to think about if he wants to continue to play, which means he could be retiring as soon as this offseason.
The Denver Nuggets will now play the winner of the Celtics/Heat series in the NBA Finals.