The Nuggets had never been to the N.B.A. finals, but they showed they belonged with a comeback win in Game 5.
It took 56 years and 38 playoff appearances for the basketball team nestled in the high plains just east of the Rocky Mountains to finally reach the peak of its sport.
It took an unheralded center from Serbia who turned into the most formidable player in the game and a Canadian point guard who found himself again after a long and arduous recovery from a career-threatening knee injury. It took patience, collaboration and a discipline born of trying, failing and learning how to keep climbing just a bit higher.
The Denver Nuggets are N.B.A. champions.
They clinched the first title in franchise history Monday night on their home court at Ball Arena, 5,280 feet above sea level — the highest altitude at which any N.B.A. championship has been won. Led by center Nikola Jokic and point guard Jamal Murray, and bolstered by the rest of an indefatigable eight-man rotation, the Nuggets beat the Miami Heat with a 94-89 victory in Game 5.
Jokic was named the most valuable player of the finals.
“I got news for everybody out there,” Nuggets Coach Michael Malone said, as the crowd erupted. “We’re not satisfied with one! We want more! We want more!”
The clinching game was neither pretty nor easy. Through the first three quarters, Denver struggled to make 3-point shots and convert free throws; the Nuggets turned the ball over carelessly. The Heat had a 7-point lead at halftime, and led by a point after the third quarter.
But in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets found the resolve to take the title. With about 10 minutes 59 seconds remaining, Murray hit a 3-pointer — only the Nuggets’ third of the game — to give the Nuggets a 4-point lead. Murray pranced down the court as the Heat called a timeout. It was Denver’s largest lead since the first quarter.
Later, Murray struck again. This time, Aaron Gordon blocked Heat guard Kyle Lowry’s jumper, leading to a transition basket for Murray to give the Nuggets a 5-point lead.
And with less than 30 seconds remaining, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stole a pass from Jimmy Butler toward Max Strus and made both free throws to give Denver a 3-point lead.
The Nuggets depart a dubious club. There are now only 10 teams in the league that have never won an N.B.A. championship. Five have made it to the finals and lost, including the Phoenix Suns, who have come up short three times, most recently in 2021.
