While Miami managed to put up enough resistance to make things interesting, Denver once again showed that they are a better and more talented team. They overcame a seven-point deficit at the half and then survived a late Heat comeback in the fourth quarter to deservingly be crowned the NBA champions for the 2022-23 NBA season.

The Nuggets were led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who once again put up a masterful performance that saw him score a game-leading 28 points to go with 16 rebounds and four assists. His fellow All-Star Jamal Murray struggled with shooting, hitting 6-15 from the field, but still managed to affect the game with his playmaking by dishing eight assists. Michael Porter Jr. pitched in with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Jokic, who was by far the best player in the NBA Finals and this year’s playoffs, was named NBA Finals MVP and received the Larry O’Brien trophy.

After finishing first in the Western Conference, Denver strolled through the postseason. They needed five games to close out the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and then beat the star-studded Phoenix Suns in six games in the semis.

Nuggets’ Conference Finals clash against the LA Lakers was easier than expected, as they swept LeBron James and co. Finally, the Heat did their best to make their life hard in the NBA Finals, but their best simply wasn’t enough.

Now, the Nuggets will enjoy their celebration and rest before trying to do it all over again next season.

“We clearly can do it,” Murray told the reports. “So let’s do it again.”

The post Denver Nuggets Crowned NBA Champions After Beating the Heat in Game 5 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This will be the first trip to the NBA Finals for the Nuggets. They previously lost four Western Conference Finals series, with three of those losses coming against the Lakers.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists triple-double. This was Jokic’s eighth triple-double in the 2023 NBA Playoffs which is the most by any player in a single postseason run in NBA history. The 28-year-old Serbian ended up receiving the Western Conference Finals MVP award, named after Lakers’ legend Magic Johnson, for his stellar performance.

Entering Game 4 with their backs against the wall, the Lakers actually looked like they could extend the series. They led by 15 points at the half and were the better team throughout the first two quarters.

However, the Lakers collapsed in the third quarter, losing their entire lead, and found themselves trailing five points ahead of the final period. The LA team made one final push to stay alive but couldn’t find enough offense to turn things around.

The Lakers’ superstar LeBron James had a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds but had his shot blocked.

The Denver Nuggets will now get some well-deserved rest while they await to see who will come out from the East. The Miami Heat currently hold a 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals.

The post Nuggets Sweep the Lakers, Advance to the NBA Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Despite playing bruised after Al Horford landed on his leg in Game 3, Curry exploded for 43 points to give the Warriors a 107-97 win. He made seven 3-pointers while also finishing the night with 10 rebounds and four assists.

“It means everything knowing the sense of urgency we had to have tonight to win on the road and keep some life in the series, get the home-court advantage back and try to create some momentum our way,” Curry said after the game.

Curry had help from his Splash Brother Klay Thompson, who scored 18 on the night, while Andrew Wiggins added 17 and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Boston was led by Jayson Tatum, who scored 23 points and added 11 rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, while Marcus Smart had 18.

Golden State’s win meant that the series is now tied 2-2 and that the Warriors once again have the home-court advantage. The next game is scheduled for Monday night at Chase Center.

The post Warriors Tie the Celtics Series Thanks to Stephen Curry’s 43 Points appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

After failing to close out the series in their own building in Game 6, the Celtics came out swinging in the Heat’s FTX Arena. Boston raced to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. On the other hand, Miami wasn’t ahead at any point in the game.

“We’ve been responding all year, all season, to adversity,” said shooting guard Jaylen Brown. “Today was the biggest test, not just of the year but of our careers, to mentally come into a Game 7 away after losing on our home court, which was tough, and we got it done.”

Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics, scoring 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists. For his Game 7 performance and impact throughout the series, Tatum was recognized as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and awarded the inaugural Larry Bird Trophy.

Jimmy Butler had another big game for the Heat, scoring 35 points to go with nine boards. However, most of his teammates failed to step up. Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry were the only Miami players in double digits on the night.

The post Celtics Take Care of the Heat to Clinch NBA Finals Appearance appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Most NBA fans know the Cinderella story that transpired that season. Nowitzki and his band of brothers were never expected to get far in the playoffs, let alone make it to the championship round. The Heat, on the other hand, were led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh—and were the heavily anticipated favorites to win it all from the very start.

What folks don’t know is that Nowitzki apparently got a little bit ticked off at the Miami Heat’s Big Three. While normally perceived as a calm, kindly fellow, the news that he had some beef with them is actually kind of refreshing.

According to his fellow Dallas teammate that championship season JJ Barea, Nowitzki couldn’t stand their opponents. Barea revealed as much in JJ Redick’s podcast: “[Nowitzki] was not going to let us lose. The way he prepared the whole year for it. He hated Miami. He hated LeBron, Wade, Bosh. He’s never going to say that, but he couldn’t stand it.”

The post JJ Barea Reveals Dirk Nowitzki “Hated Miami” in 2011 NBA Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Super Bowl

As the biggest sporting and television event in the United States, the Super Bowl was always going to make this list, but what makes this year’s game so historic was the Chiefs’ epic win that came after a 50-year championship drought.

The Olympics Postponement

More sporting events than we can count were canceled or held at empty stadiums throughout 2020. One delay that got everyone talking was the postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, now scheduled to take place in the summer of 2021. It wasn’t exactly a highlight of the year—but people will forever be talking about it.

The Lakers’ Playoff Bubble Dominance

The Lakers faced a tough year: not just from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the unexpected passing of Laker legend Kobe Bryant. In his honor, they dedicated the season to him and won themselves another NBA Championship.

The Dodgers Winning The World Series

This year’s World Series was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t stop the Los Angeles Dodgers from coming out victorious for the first time since 1988. Oh yeah, and they did it in the same month that the Lakers won their title, making it an all-around victory for Los Angeles.

Naomi Osaka’s US Open Win

Naomi Osaka became the reigning champion of the US Open for the second time this year. Her performance at this tournament was truly impressive, and certainly was a shining moment of 2020.

The post 5 Historic Sports Moments That Shaped 2020 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Bouncing back from a narrow 108-111 defeat in Game 5, LeBron James’ first loss in a closeout opportunity in his Finals’ career, the Lakers dominated the proceedings in Game 6 on both an offensive and defensive front.

The Lakers’ 28-point lead at halftime was the second largest lead of its nature in NBA history, after the Boston Celtics’ 30-point lead over the Lakers back in the in Game 1 of the 1985 NBA Finals.

As a result of his critical role in lifted the Lakers to the 2020 NBA Championship, LeBron James has been named as this year’s NBA Finals MVP, winning this title for a fourth time. Averaging a mind-blowing 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists across the six games, James becomes the first-ever player to be awarded the Finals MVP crown for three different teams.

With the 2020 NBA Championship marking their 17th title in history, the Lakers are now tied with the Boston Celtics for the most NBA titles in the league’s history.

The post Lakers Defeat Heat to Win First NBA Championship in 10 Years appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The first disputed incident occurred when there were 46.7 seconds left on the clock. In this instance, Markieff Morris was charged with hitting Miami’s Jimmy Butler’s arm, causing the Heat star to miss his shot and bump into a video board behind the baseline. Following this foul, Butler converted both of his free throws.

The second disputed play, which occurred with 16.8 seconds left on the clock, saw Anthony Davis penalized for jumping into Jimmy Butler and consequently initiating contact. This yet again resulted in the Heat receiving a pair of free throws, both of which Butler scored.

Intriguingly, there were two other calls that the NBA did find the referees to be guilty of missing, however, both of which should have been awarded in favor of the Lakers. Ultimately, neither of these calls made much difference, as the Miami Heat put just enough daylight between themselves and the Lakers to hold on for an agonizingly close 108-111 victory.

The post NBA Dismisses Lakers’ Complaints Regarding Game 5 Refereeing Decisions appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While it was Jimmy Butler who rose from the ashes to produce an MVP-worthy 73-point (points + assists) contribution to Heat’s Game 3 win, Herro also played a pivotal role in the victory, scoring 17 points of his own and capping off his performance with a fine three-pointer.

The up-and-coming guard first burst generated a media frenzy in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, when his career-high 37-point frenzy elevated the Heat to a 112-109 victory over the Boston Celtics. This resulted in Herro having the second-highest number of points in a playoff game for someone aged 20 or younger, behind Magic Johnson.

From there, he gained the confidence to score 11 points in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against the Celtics, thus securing the Heat’s spot in this year’s NBA Finals.

When asked about his in-game mentality, Herro had the following to say, “My confidence is just, that’s just who I am. You can’t survive in this league if you don’t have confidence.”

The post Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro Confident Ahead of Game 4 Clash appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Butler has become only the third player in history to have 40+ point triple-double in the NBA Finals, after Jerry West in 1969 and Lakers rival LeBron James in 2015.

Prior to the start of the game, pundits expected Jimmy Butler’s job on the night to be incredibly challenging, particularly since both Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic were ruled out of the game through injury. Ultimately, Butler shocked onlookers with his consistently stellar performance throughout the clash.

Butler performed admirably from both a defensive and offensive position. He shot 14-for-20 (70%) and 12-for-14 (85.7%) from the line, while also managing to make two blocks and execute two steals. Including both points and assists, Butler had a hand in 73 of the Heat’s 115 points.

In addition to his aforementioned accomplishment, Butler also became the first player ever to out-score, out-assist, and out-rebound LeBron James in a Finals game.

Following their Game 3 victory, the heat will come up against the LA Lakers once again in Game 4 on Wednesday.

The post Jimmy Butler Makes NBA Finals History appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While Miami managed to put up enough resistance to make things interesting, Denver once again showed that they are a better and more talented team. They overcame a seven-point deficit at the half and then survived a late Heat comeback in the fourth quarter to deservingly be crowned the NBA champions for the 2022-23 NBA season.

The Nuggets were led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who once again put up a masterful performance that saw him score a game-leading 28 points to go with 16 rebounds and four assists. His fellow All-Star Jamal Murray struggled with shooting, hitting 6-15 from the field, but still managed to affect the game with his playmaking by dishing eight assists. Michael Porter Jr. pitched in with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Jokic, who was by far the best player in the NBA Finals and this year’s playoffs, was named NBA Finals MVP and received the Larry O’Brien trophy.

After finishing first in the Western Conference, Denver strolled through the postseason. They needed five games to close out the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round and then beat the star-studded Phoenix Suns in six games in the semis.

Nuggets’ Conference Finals clash against the LA Lakers was easier than expected, as they swept LeBron James and co. Finally, the Heat did their best to make their life hard in the NBA Finals, but their best simply wasn’t enough.

Now, the Nuggets will enjoy their celebration and rest before trying to do it all over again next season.

“We clearly can do it,” Murray told the reports. “So let’s do it again.”

The post Denver Nuggets Crowned NBA Champions After Beating the Heat in Game 5 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This will be the first trip to the NBA Finals for the Nuggets. They previously lost four Western Conference Finals series, with three of those losses coming against the Lakers.

Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists triple-double. This was Jokic’s eighth triple-double in the 2023 NBA Playoffs which is the most by any player in a single postseason run in NBA history. The 28-year-old Serbian ended up receiving the Western Conference Finals MVP award, named after Lakers’ legend Magic Johnson, for his stellar performance.

Entering Game 4 with their backs against the wall, the Lakers actually looked like they could extend the series. They led by 15 points at the half and were the better team throughout the first two quarters.

However, the Lakers collapsed in the third quarter, losing their entire lead, and found themselves trailing five points ahead of the final period. The LA team made one final push to stay alive but couldn’t find enough offense to turn things around.

The Lakers’ superstar LeBron James had a chance to send the game to overtime in the final seconds but had his shot blocked.

The Denver Nuggets will now get some well-deserved rest while they await to see who will come out from the East. The Miami Heat currently hold a 3-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals.

The post Nuggets Sweep the Lakers, Advance to the NBA Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Despite playing bruised after Al Horford landed on his leg in Game 3, Curry exploded for 43 points to give the Warriors a 107-97 win. He made seven 3-pointers while also finishing the night with 10 rebounds and four assists.

“It means everything knowing the sense of urgency we had to have tonight to win on the road and keep some life in the series, get the home-court advantage back and try to create some momentum our way,” Curry said after the game.

Curry had help from his Splash Brother Klay Thompson, who scored 18 on the night, while Andrew Wiggins added 17 and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Boston was led by Jayson Tatum, who scored 23 points and added 11 rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points, while Marcus Smart had 18.

Golden State’s win meant that the series is now tied 2-2 and that the Warriors once again have the home-court advantage. The next game is scheduled for Monday night at Chase Center.

The post Warriors Tie the Celtics Series Thanks to Stephen Curry’s 43 Points appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

After failing to close out the series in their own building in Game 6, the Celtics came out swinging in the Heat’s FTX Arena. Boston raced to a 15-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. On the other hand, Miami wasn’t ahead at any point in the game.

“We’ve been responding all year, all season, to adversity,” said shooting guard Jaylen Brown. “Today was the biggest test, not just of the year but of our careers, to mentally come into a Game 7 away after losing on our home court, which was tough, and we got it done.”

Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics, scoring 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists. For his Game 7 performance and impact throughout the series, Tatum was recognized as the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and awarded the inaugural Larry Bird Trophy.

Jimmy Butler had another big game for the Heat, scoring 35 points to go with nine boards. However, most of his teammates failed to step up. Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry were the only Miami players in double digits on the night.

The post Celtics Take Care of the Heat to Clinch NBA Finals Appearance appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Most NBA fans know the Cinderella story that transpired that season. Nowitzki and his band of brothers were never expected to get far in the playoffs, let alone make it to the championship round. The Heat, on the other hand, were led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh—and were the heavily anticipated favorites to win it all from the very start.

What folks don’t know is that Nowitzki apparently got a little bit ticked off at the Miami Heat’s Big Three. While normally perceived as a calm, kindly fellow, the news that he had some beef with them is actually kind of refreshing.

According to his fellow Dallas teammate that championship season JJ Barea, Nowitzki couldn’t stand their opponents. Barea revealed as much in JJ Redick’s podcast: “[Nowitzki] was not going to let us lose. The way he prepared the whole year for it. He hated Miami. He hated LeBron, Wade, Bosh. He’s never going to say that, but he couldn’t stand it.”

The post JJ Barea Reveals Dirk Nowitzki “Hated Miami” in 2011 NBA Finals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Super Bowl

As the biggest sporting and television event in the United States, the Super Bowl was always going to make this list, but what makes this year’s game so historic was the Chiefs’ epic win that came after a 50-year championship drought.

The Olympics Postponement

More sporting events than we can count were canceled or held at empty stadiums throughout 2020. One delay that got everyone talking was the postponement of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, now scheduled to take place in the summer of 2021. It wasn’t exactly a highlight of the year—but people will forever be talking about it.

The Lakers’ Playoff Bubble Dominance

The Lakers faced a tough year: not just from the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the unexpected passing of Laker legend Kobe Bryant. In his honor, they dedicated the season to him and won themselves another NBA Championship.

The Dodgers Winning The World Series

This year’s World Series was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t stop the Los Angeles Dodgers from coming out victorious for the first time since 1988. Oh yeah, and they did it in the same month that the Lakers won their title, making it an all-around victory for Los Angeles.

Naomi Osaka’s US Open Win

Naomi Osaka became the reigning champion of the US Open for the second time this year. Her performance at this tournament was truly impressive, and certainly was a shining moment of 2020.

The post 5 Historic Sports Moments That Shaped 2020 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Bouncing back from a narrow 108-111 defeat in Game 5, LeBron James’ first loss in a closeout opportunity in his Finals’ career, the Lakers dominated the proceedings in Game 6 on both an offensive and defensive front.

The Lakers’ 28-point lead at halftime was the second largest lead of its nature in NBA history, after the Boston Celtics’ 30-point lead over the Lakers back in the in Game 1 of the 1985 NBA Finals.

As a result of his critical role in lifted the Lakers to the 2020 NBA Championship, LeBron James has been named as this year’s NBA Finals MVP, winning this title for a fourth time. Averaging a mind-blowing 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists across the six games, James becomes the first-ever player to be awarded the Finals MVP crown for three different teams.

With the 2020 NBA Championship marking their 17th title in history, the Lakers are now tied with the Boston Celtics for the most NBA titles in the league’s history.

The post Lakers Defeat Heat to Win First NBA Championship in 10 Years appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The first disputed incident occurred when there were 46.7 seconds left on the clock. In this instance, Markieff Morris was charged with hitting Miami’s Jimmy Butler’s arm, causing the Heat star to miss his shot and bump into a video board behind the baseline. Following this foul, Butler converted both of his free throws.

The second disputed play, which occurred with 16.8 seconds left on the clock, saw Anthony Davis penalized for jumping into Jimmy Butler and consequently initiating contact. This yet again resulted in the Heat receiving a pair of free throws, both of which Butler scored.

Intriguingly, there were two other calls that the NBA did find the referees to be guilty of missing, however, both of which should have been awarded in favor of the Lakers. Ultimately, neither of these calls made much difference, as the Miami Heat put just enough daylight between themselves and the Lakers to hold on for an agonizingly close 108-111 victory.

The post NBA Dismisses Lakers’ Complaints Regarding Game 5 Refereeing Decisions appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

While it was Jimmy Butler who rose from the ashes to produce an MVP-worthy 73-point (points + assists) contribution to Heat’s Game 3 win, Herro also played a pivotal role in the victory, scoring 17 points of his own and capping off his performance with a fine three-pointer.

The up-and-coming guard first burst generated a media frenzy in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, when his career-high 37-point frenzy elevated the Heat to a 112-109 victory over the Boston Celtics. This resulted in Herro having the second-highest number of points in a playoff game for someone aged 20 or younger, behind Magic Johnson.

From there, he gained the confidence to score 11 points in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against the Celtics, thus securing the Heat’s spot in this year’s NBA Finals.

When asked about his in-game mentality, Herro had the following to say, “My confidence is just, that’s just who I am. You can’t survive in this league if you don’t have confidence.”

The post Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro Confident Ahead of Game 4 Clash appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Butler has become only the third player in history to have 40+ point triple-double in the NBA Finals, after Jerry West in 1969 and Lakers rival LeBron James in 2015.

Prior to the start of the game, pundits expected Jimmy Butler’s job on the night to be incredibly challenging, particularly since both Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic were ruled out of the game through injury. Ultimately, Butler shocked onlookers with his consistently stellar performance throughout the clash.

Butler performed admirably from both a defensive and offensive position. He shot 14-for-20 (70%) and 12-for-14 (85.7%) from the line, while also managing to make two blocks and execute two steals. Including both points and assists, Butler had a hand in 73 of the Heat’s 115 points.

In addition to his aforementioned accomplishment, Butler also became the first player ever to out-score, out-assist, and out-rebound LeBron James in a Finals game.

Following their Game 3 victory, the heat will come up against the LA Lakers once again in Game 4 on Wednesday.

The post Jimmy Butler Makes NBA Finals History appeared first on yoursportspot.com.