NBA Finals matchup confirmed! A look at Miami and Denver’s Road to the finale
The Miami Heat joined the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals on Monday night, blowing out the Boston Celtics 103-84 in Game 7.
The Heat became the second eighth seed to advance to the NBA Finals after the New York Knicks completed the feat in 1999.
Miami's superstar Jimmy Butler was named the Larry Bird Eastern Conference MVP, scoring 28 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and six assists in the crucial victory.
With Miami's advancement, they meet the Denver Nuggets in Denver on June 1st for game one.
Let's look at both teams' road to the NBA Finals.
In the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets faced the Minnesota Timberwolves, securing a convincing 4-1 victory over the eighth-seed team.
Nikola Jokic averaged 26 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists across the five games, with Jamal Murray leading the series in scoring, averaging 27.2 points a game.
The Miami Heat shocked the basketball world in their opening playoff matchup, beating the one-seed Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
After Milwaukee drew the series level in game two, Jimmy Butler stepped up in the final three games, scoring 30, 56, and 42 points, leading Miami to the next round.
After dismantling the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver faced the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs, led by NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
The Nuggets took an early 2-0 lead in the series before 47 and 36 points from Devin Booker drew the series level. Despite that, with the help of the far more superior Nuggets bench and a 32-point triple-double from Jokic in game six, Denver advanced to the next round.
After their upset in round one, Miami faced the New York Knicks after their victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening series.
Jimmy Butler wasn't fully fit for the series, but The Heat still got the job done, winning the series 4-2 and led by Bam Adebayo and Butler, who led Miami in scoring in the final two crucial games.
The Nuggets faced LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals after LA beat the reigning champion Golden State Warriors in six games.
James, Anthony Davis, and The Lakers were no match for Denver, sweeping them in four games and Nikola Jokic averaging a triple-double in the series (28PPG, 15RPG, 12APG).
Miami had to defy the odds again in the Eastern Conference Finals, facing the Boston Celtics, who were the favorites to come out of the East by a long shot.
The Heat took a commanding 3-0 series lead before Boston did the unthinkable and drew the series level at 3-3. Caleb Martin's 26 points and Butler's 28 were enough to see Miami into the finals for the seventh time since 2000.