The Denver Nuggets have finally managed to achieve what the franchise has been longing for 47 years. Grabbing a 94-89 Game 5 win against the Miami Heat, Nikola Jokic and co. are the 2023 NBA champions. Even though they were the #1-seeded team in the West, it wasn’t an easy route to the Finals for the Colorado side. After eliminating the Wolves in the first round, they had a tough battle against the Devin Booker and Kevin Durant-led Phoenix Suns, before sweeping the LeBron James-led Lakers to clinch a spot in the Finals. Even though the Heat lost the series in 5 games, they did give Mike Malone’s boys a run for their money. However, popular NBA analyst Skip Bayless claims that the Lakers would’ve beaten Jimmy Butler and Co. in a Finals contest, somewhat discounting the Denver side’s dominance in the series.
Advertisement
The Lakers and the Miami Heat did face each other in the 2020 NBA Finals at the Orlando Bubble. With Bron averaging 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game, the LA side would go on to conclude the series in six games and win their 17th franchise title. Of course, with both sides’ rosters looking significantly different now, there’s no guarantee that the rematch would end with a similar outcome.
Skip Bayless believes that LeBron James and co. would’ve defeated the Heat in the Finals
Bayless had backed the Florida side to win the 2023 title prior to the Finals. Despite showing faith in the Eastern Conference champs, the FS1 analyst has been criticizing the team all series long.
Meanwhile, after the conclusion of Game 5, the UNDISPUTED host seemed to dampen the Denver Nuggets’ victory with an unnecessary take on his Twitter. The 71-year-old claimed that Darvin Ham’s boys would’ve also managed to overcome the Heat if they were in the Finals.
“The Lakers obviously would’ve beaten the Heat.”
The Lakers obviously would’ve beaten the Heat.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 13, 2023
LeBron and AD are the only two players that remain on the LAL roster from that 2020 championship campaign. The All-Star duo had received immense help from KCP, Rajon Rondo, Kyle Kuzma and others in the squad. To be fair, the role players on the Purple & Gold this season also had great postseason performances. Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura would combine for 43 PPG in the playoffs.
On the other hand, while Jimmy Butler was the Heat’s leader in 2020 as well, the likes of Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder, Kendrick Nunn, and Kelly Olynyk had exceptional outings. Whereas, undrafted guards Caleb Martin, Max Strus, and Gabe Vincent have contributed massively this season, but haven’t been consistent. In addition, an important member of the bubble squad, Tyler Herro, has missed almost all the games in this year’s playoffs due to injury.
With both team’s average point differential being almost the same, the Heat were at least able to snatch one victory in their matchup against the Nuggets, unlike the Lakers. Despite the former Chicago Tribune columnist’s tweet being unnecessary, a LAL-Heat series would’ve been much more exciting.
Where does Nikola Jokic rank on the all-time centers list?
Jokic has often been criticized for not making a deep playoff run with his team. Many in the NBA community even believe that part of the reason why he didn’t win the MVP this season was because of his prior postseason failures.
However, the Joker has now proved all his naysayers wrong by winning the 2023 title. Adding a championship and a Finals MVP to the trophy cabinet that already contains two league MVPs, Jokic will now boost up on a lot of fans’ all-time lists.
As claimed by several analysts, winning the title would result in the Serbian making it to the top 10 all-time centers list. While numerous fans have been making a top 5 case for the European superstar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Bill Russell do deserve those five spots much more.
