Lessons Learned from Denver’s Dominating Win Over Miami

Congratulations to the Denver Nuggets for scoring their first-ever NBA title. After 47 years of waiting and patiently toiling, the Nuggets were finally able to nail down that elusive crown. Kudos to Coach Mike Malone, his coaching staff, and the front office as well for having the dogged determinaton and wisdom to create a team that would have the right mix of players, with the right chemistry, the right attitude to subordinate their individual strengths to form a more powerful collective force. And my compliments to the entire Denver community for the undying support that nurtured this team to move to greater heights.

This team has the potential to be the NBA’s next dynasty. They have a superstar talent in Nikola Jokic; plus a solid, underrated 2nd option in Jamal Murray. They have a solid support cast spearheaded by the bullstrong Aaron Gordon, the veteran Kentavius Caldwell Pope, and the unassuming Michael Porter Jr; plus a host of other key support pieces, all relatively young. And they have most of these key pieces locked in for long contracts. Finally, apart from the exceptional talent, the depth of the role players, the team chemistry and cohesion, they have demonstrated a strong leadership and superior coaching, and a stable and supportive organizational structure. All these ingredients point to a strong case for Denver to sustain a dynasty in the NBA.

And here are just some of my key take-aways and lessons from the recently concluded NBA Finals:

1. The Jokic-Murray 2-man game was virtually unstoppable. The Heat could hardly keep up with the myriad of options that developed for every defensive manuever they tried on the Denver dynamic duo. They are now the gold standard in the 2-man game, easily outclassing the John Stockton-Karl Malone duet. All NBA teams will now try to outdo each other in coming up with a 2-man game-stopper specifically for Jokic and Murray.
2. The importance of developing a capable supporting cast. In game 3 of this tighter-than-it-seemed series, Christian Braun emerged as the new explosive package, totally taking the Heat by surprise. In game 4, when the Heat finally found a golden opportunity with Jokic in foul trouble, there stood both Aaron Gordon and Bruce Brown Jr taking the fight away from the Heat. In game 5, it was a little of KCP, Porter and the rest of the crew who were there with their dynamic duo to cement the win. At the end of the series, it was clear that it was not just the dynamic duo that the Heat had to worry about. This was a total collective effort that blew the Heat house down.
3. Eric Spoelstra’s coaching and the Heat culture are worth emulating. Despite the loss, the Heat can hold their heads high with their accomplishments this post-season. They have that rare honor of being only the second 8th-seed to reach the NBA Finals. They were scrappy undrafted players, with no top-level superstar in the line-up. Yet they were almost able to reach the very top of the NBA’s Mount Everest. It was Coach Eric Spoelstra who came up with the blueprint on how to stop Giannis a few years back. Expect him to device a new blueprint, this time on how to solve the riddle of the Jokic-Murray 2-man game. We have also heard of the supposed Heat culture which has nurtured teamwork to the max. Expect the Heat to be back in the race once again next year. And with another big to man the shaded lane (yes, it’s definitely not Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal that they need most in this team), they should be in the thick of the post-season fight once again.
4. How do you solve a problem like Nikola? Nikola is a generational talent that has to be studied very, very seriously. He has the eyes, the handles and the demeanor of a point guard; the excellent 3-point range of an off-guard; the drive-to-the-basket skillset of a small forward; and the sheer size and power of a burly center. Plus the strategic thinking of a coach! He’s like a combination of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Arvidas Sabonis, plus a tinge of Coach Eric. Hence trying to stop him will be a guessing game, as you don’t know which part of his game he will hit you with.

The Denver Nuggets have finally reached the top of the NBA mountain. After 47 long years. But the competition next season will as usual be fierce and unpredictable. Everything may have fallen into place this year, but that doesn’t guarantee that the road to the top next season will be less rocky. Luck and timing, while not entirely controllable, will play a key role if the Nuggets intend to win a 2nd consecutive title. Acquiring new, relevant players at the right time; keeping the chemisty; and avoiding major injuries will impact the team’s success. All is well for Denver as of now, but they certainly have lots of things to do if they want to rewind this whole thing again next year.

Cover photo courtesy of Panay News. Other pics courtesy of South China Morning Post, Times of Malta, Scroll.in, The Examiner, The Namibian, The US Sun, The Denver Gazette, UPI, GMA Network and CTV News. For a closer look, please click on the pics.