May 29 update: After potentially becoming the first NBA team to blow a 3-0 lead, the Miami Heat pulled off the upset to defeat the Boston Celtics in Game 7 and advance to the NBA Finals against the Nuggets.
May 27 update: If it seemed like the Nuggets clinched their spot in the Finals months ago, that’s because the Celtics have mounted a nice comeback to level the Eastern Conference Finals at 3-3. If Boston wins Game 7 Monday at home, it will be the first team in playoff history to successfully complete a comeback from a 3-0 deficit. The Nuggets could now truly play either team in the Finals. Game 1 of the Finals will be in Boston if the Celtics win. It will be in Denver if the Heat win.
The Denver Nuggets have swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. The Nuggets have done well to advance to the Finals after grabbing the No. 1 seed in the West, and are healthy at the right time for what seems like the first time in the Nikola Jokic era.
The Nuggets will play the Miami Heat in the title series officially. The Heat are up 3-0 on the Celtics and no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs. It’s only a matter of time before we see the Heat punch their ticket to the Finals.
In defeating the Lakers, the Nuggets also broke a losing streak against their SoCal rivals in conference finals series. Denver had lost three conference finals series in a row to Los Angeles prior to this encounter, falling in 1985, 2009 and 2020.