Stellar defense leads Nuggets to first NBA title

Denver was 15th this season in defensive rating, though they did give up the eighth-fewest points in the league. But in the Finals, the Nuggets locked down the Heat, holding Miami to under 96 points in all four of their victories.

Nikola Jokic was criticized for his defense all year, in part because of the strange, intense MVP debate this season. The advanced stats see Jokic as a good defender, but the eye test doesn’t support it. However, this series demonstrated how Jokic’s long arms, his strength in the lane and his quick hands can truly disrupt an opponent’s offense.

They also got surprisingly good defense from Jamal Murray, who held up even when teams like the Heat and Lakers tried to target him individually.

But perhaps the biggest reason Denver came through on the defensive end was due to sharp personnel moves. The first move was acquiring Aaron Gordon two years ago, and he absolutely stifled Miami both inside and on the perimeter.

This summer, they traded for wing defender Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and signed the underrated Bruce Brown, who ended up closing out many playoff games. He also snagged the Finals-winning rebound with 15 seconds left.

As a team, the Nuggets outrebounded the Heat, 57-44. That’s how they won a game where they shot just 17.9% from three-point range.

Bad three-point shooting, 14 turnovers and only 94 points — and yet the Nuggets won it — with defense. What a world.