Credit: Twitter
The 2022-23 NBA season was full of surprises and exciting basketball action as Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets won their maiden NBA title in franchise history after defeating Jimmy Butler-led Miami Heat in the NBA Finals 2023. Ahead of their finals matchup, the Nuggets faced LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and won the series 4-0, which was least expected from the Lakers which have players like Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, and others.
However, the Serbian international, Nikola Jokic was named the NBA Finals MVP and ended the 2023 post-season with an average of 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists. In five postseason appearances from 2018 to 2023, the 6-foot-11 Serb has an average playoff stats of 27.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.
During the "Run Your Race Podcast," Nuggets forward Bruce Brown revealed what his team was expecting out of the Lakers in the WCF and what they got. He said, "I knew we were going to get Game 3... I thought they would get Game 4 just off of their down 3-0 and they're going to play way harder, but Bron ran out of gas. Like he had 30 in the first half... he was going to have to score 60. He was done... He was burnt out. "
Watch the video here:
Both the Lakers and Nuggets are having a busy summer trade window just like other NBA franchises. While the Lakers have re-signed Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura, their new signings include Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, and Jaxson Hayes. On the other hand, Denver have re-signed Reggie Jackson while their new trades include Jalen Pickett, Justin Holiday, Hunter Tyson, and Julian Strawther on a rookie scale contract.
