The 2023 NBA Finals has the Denver Nuggets making their debut in the Championship round while the Miami Heat who have plenty experience in the NBA Finals made it this season from the Play-In Tournament to the NBA Finals as an 8 seed. The Miami Heat are the second 8 seed to make it to the NBA Finals since the New York Knicks during the 1998-99 season. In case anyone is wondering the lowest seeded team to win the NBA Finals is the 94-95 Rockets who were a 6 seed.
The Denver Nuggets were the top team in the Western Conference with a record of 53-29 while the Miami Heat finished up 44-38 as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat lost their first game in the Play-In Tournament to the Atlanta Hawks but bounced back and beat the Chicago Bulls in the next game. The Heat beat the top seeded Bucks in 5 games then beating the 5th seed NY Knicks in 6 games and 2nd seeded Boston Celtics in 7 games where they were up 3-0 but did win game 7 in Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals. Meanwhile the Nuggets beat the 8th seeded Timberwolves in 5 games, then 4th seeded Phoenix Suns in 6 games and the 7th seeded Lakers in a 4 game sweep in the Western Conference Finals.
I had somewhat of a feeling the Nuggets would get to the NBA Finals but as for the Miami Heat I thought the Milwaukee Bucks would take care of them in the first round. Nikola Jokić is averaging a triple double in these NBA Playoffs for the Nuggets while Jimmy Butler has been incredible for the Miami Heat. Yes the Miami Heat are an 8th seed but never count them out because of Erik Spoelstra who turns a lot of these unknown players into very good players. The Heat have these unknown players like Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus who are playing so well when they are needed to. Meanwhile the Nuggets have really good players with the likes of Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. What a job Michael Malone has done as the Nuggets head coach. The Nuggets with a healthy Murray and Porter Jr can show how scary they can be. While I think the Nuggets have the better team led by Jokić who I think will be a matchup nightmare for the Miami Heat I hope we have an NBA Finals that goes to at least 6 games.