Things End At 56 (Mr. Lincoln’s life, Joe “D’s” Hitting Streak, Others) And The Denver Nuggets In Their 56th Season, 47th NBA And First NBA Final Round, Win It All –5’ing The Heat, (94-89) (-9) In #5

The Denver Nuggets won their first NBA title in their 47th and 77th NBA season by posting a (94-89) no cover/all tease win at home vs the Miami Heat in game 5.

Nikola Jokic (28 points and mucho “bulling” inside) was named final round MVP, while 40 years after a Malone, (Moses) led a so often denied Sixers’ team to the “promised land,” the Nuggets got there under a coach named Michael Malone.

A Bruce Brown “sneak in”/ follow put Denver ahead to stay (90-89), while he and before that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, each made a pair of free tosses to account for the final points of the not well played tilt. (some equal time, citing Moses and Pope but alas too much “Catholic School” Breen and certainly too much Peyton “all-time get over” Manning. It would have been far better for me, anyway and Nuggets appropriate if such as David Thompson, Alex English and Dan Issel, among others had been seen).

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. joined Jokic, Brown and Pope as double figure Denver scorers.

Miami at one point (11-2) straight up and a big betting plus, lost 7 of their last 9 games, including the last 4 played in Miami.

While nowhere near a great team, the Nuggets are a deserving champion, the Western Conference “1” seed and having compiled a superb (16-4) ‘offs record.

I suppose many more notes to follow. A sample not to be found elsewhere is Miami coach Eric Spoelstra, who did win 2 titles now joins Fred Schaus, the L.A. Lakers first coach, who lost in all 4 of his NBA final round coaching appearances (’62,’63, ’65 and ’66) going (9-16), with the record 4 NBA final round coaching defeats. His teams (8-4) in their wins, went/are (6-16 in their losses.

Unofficially, but with research and a why do it, coaches with “s” “S”tarting surnames fell to (4-17) in NBA final round play.

I have “S”chaus, who was the General Manager for the great ’71-’72 title winning Lakers at, as cited (0-4), Spoelstra, also as cited (2-4), with George Senesky (1-0), Bill Sharman (1-2), and Paul “S”eymour (0-1).

Three coaches went (0-2) in such entities, Gene Shue, Jerry Sloan and Byron Scott (he played on 3 Lakers’ title winners, going (3-1) as a player).

 

Nikola Jokic, a brilliant player, pictured above.