The Denver Nuggets were celebrating in style after winning the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
The Nuggets claimed a 94-89 win in Game Five of the Finals at Ball Arena on Monday night. Nikola Jokic was the star for Michael Malone’s team to win their first championship in franchise history.
Game Four had seen the Nuggets win in Miami to hold a 3-1 lead in the series, meaning the Heat faced an elimination game for the third time in their playoff run. Despite winning previous elimination games against the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics, the Nuggets proved too much for Erik Spoelstra’s team.
Jokic recorded 151 points with 70 rebounds and 36 assists across the five games in the series against the Heat. His performances saw him named the NBA Finals MVP, after missing out on the regular season award to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid last month.
After the Nuggets claimed their victory, videos began emerging on social media of the team celebrating. One video posted by the NBA’s Twitter account featured Jokic and teammate Jamal Murray in the locker room, with the Serbian throwing himself and Murray into a pool.
Murray was appearing to be holding a bottle of Champagne whilst he was thrown into the pool. The Canadian then began encouraging his other teammate to join him and Jokic in the pool, with at least one obliging.
More videos emerged from inside the Nuggets locker room, with Jokic a popular figure. Another video showed the 28-year-old being joined by his two brothers, as they celebrated with the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the Bill Russell Trophy.
Players wore ski goggles to protect their eyes as they sprayed champagne, whilst Jokic embraced head coach Michael Malone as the pair reflected on their achievements. Jamal Murray, meanwhile, was tearful on the podium and shared a moment with Stan Kroenke thanking him for his patience when he missed over a year with an ACL injury before returning to win a ring.
Jokic was asked after the win how he felt the game panned out. Both teams struggled with their scoring at various stages of the contest, with the Nuggets going 38-84 at 45.2 percent in field goals compared to 33-96 at 34.4 percent for the Heat.
"It was ugly and we couldn't make shots. But at the end, we figured it out," said Jokic. "I am just happy we won the game."
When asked how it felt to be part of the team that won the first NBA Championship for the Nuggets, Jokic said: "It's good. It's good. The job is done. We can go home now."
The Nuggets will continue their celebrations before enjoying a brief off-season going into the summer months.
Next season is due to begin in October, when Jokic and co will be looking to defend their title at the first opportunity.
