The 2023 NBA Finals are now set, with the top seed in the West, the Denver Nuggets, set to take on the eighth seed from the East, the Miami Heat.
The Heat have done ever so well to get this far and stunned the Boston Celtics in Game 7 to book their ticket to the Finals. They’d be supremely confident heading into this matchup, but their recent record against the Nuggets is actually pretty terrible.
2018-19 NBA Season: Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets: 99-103 (L)
2018-19 NBA Season: Miami Heat @ Denver Nuggets: 103-87 (L)
2019-20 NBA Season: Miami Heat @ Denver Nuggets: 109-89 (L)
2019-20 NBA Season: Miami Heat @ Denver Nuggets: 105-125 (W)
2020-21 NBA Season: Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets: 82-109 (L)
2020-21 NBA Season: Miami Heat @ Denver Nuggets: 123-106 (L)
2021-22 NBA Season: Miami Heat @ Denver Nuggets: 113-96 (L)
2021-22 NBA Season: Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets: 111-120 (L)
2022-23 NBA Season: Miami Heat @ Denver Nuggets: 124-119 (L)
2022-23 NBA Season: Miami Heat vs. Denver Nuggets: 108-112 (L)
That’s just one win in 10 games, with the Heat surprisingly losing all four home games. The one thing to note, though, is that both games this season were rather close, with the Nuggets winning by five at home and by four on the road. So, while the record is lopsided, the games shouldn’t be if their regular season meetings in 2022-23 are anything to go by.
The overall head-to-head record for the regular season now stands at 38-34 in favor of Denver, as per Land Of Basketball. This will be the first time these teams face off in the playoffs, as it is the first trip to the Finals for the Nuggets. The Heat, meanwhile, are headed to the Finals for the seventh time in franchise history and for the second time in four years.
Can The Heat Flip The Script?
For the Heat, this postseason has been all about defying the odds. They were supposed to get manhandled by the Milwaukee Bucks but beat them in five games. They were then given almost no chance against the Celtics but got past them too. The Nuggets will be their most difficult challenge yet, though and it is going to take some special performances from the likes of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Caleb Martin to get the better of them.
One of the keys to success will be to keep hitting those threes at a great clip, as they shot 43.4% as a team for the series against the Celtics. If those threes keep falling and they find a way to slow down Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray even a little bit, then the Heat would have a good chance in this series. Both of the things mentioned, though, are a lot easier said than done.
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