Manu Ginobili had the talent to be the best player in a series, which Porter Jr.
Murray could be that point guard for Denver. The Spurs had Tony Parker, a point guard who eventually became a Finals MVP. The Nuggets have Jokic, who is a two-time MVP himself entering his prime. The Spurs had Tim Duncan, a Hall of Famer who won back-to-back MVPs in the midst of that initial title run.
The first is that both teams were built around a generational big man. Going seven years between titles is unprecedented, but the Nuggets do have some important similarities to the Spurs. The San Antonio Spurs won four championships from 1999-2007, adding a fifth title in 2014 with largely the same core from those previous four. There is only one precedent for a small market team becoming a dynasty. The obvious question ahead for the Nuggets is how many titles they can go on to win, and whether they can become the NBA’s next dynasty. In short, the core group is not going anywhere. and Aaron Gordon struggled in the Finals, but both are long-term pillars in the starting lineup. Jamal Murray recovered from an ACL injury to become a true second star, averaging 26.1 points and 7.1 assists per game in the playoffs while shooting 39.6% from deep. Jokic is locked in on a long-term contract and is now entering his prime at 28.
Jokic was an unlikely candidate to become this type of player as a second-round pick, but he’s now entrenched as the centerpiece of Denver’s roster. The Nuggets have a two-time MVP who missed out on a three-peat but got the Finals MVP in Nikola Jokic. 1 seed in the Western Conference and were marvelous on their Finals run, losing just one home game in the entire postseason. The Denver Nuggets are NBA champions for the first time in franchise history, vanquishing the Miami Heat in the 2023 NBA Finals 4-1 to capture that ring.
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