Nuggets finish Heat in 5 games to win first NBA championship - ESPN

DENVER — In the biggest game in Denver Nuggets history, veteran center DeAndre Jordan had a second-half message for star point guard Jamal Murray during a timeout.

«Go win this game,» Jordan was heard saying on the broadcast. «Twelve minutes, bro, and you in history.

»Immortal."

Murray, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets heeded the call for history, doing what they have done this entire magical postseason and adapting to any obstacle or defensive wrinkle thrown their way.

After opening Monday night's Game 5 of the NBA Finals missing an abysmal 20 of their first 22 3-point attempts, the Nuggets came up with championship-winning plays in the final minutes to bring home the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in the franchise's 47 years in the league.

From Jokic's basket inside with 2:24 left to Bruce Brown's putback with 1:31 to go to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's steal off a Jimmy Butler pass with 27.1 seconds left, the Nuggets made big play after big play in a hard-fought 94-89 win over the Miami Heat at an overjoyed Ball Arena.

«All the hard work, all the sacrifice, all the dedication, all culminated with us winning a championship,» Denver coach Michael Malone said on the championship podium. «But I got news for everybody out there: We're not satisfied with one. We want more. We want more.»

Jokic completed an unstoppable postseason by scoring 19 of his 28 points in the second half to go with 16 rebounds and four assists and won Finals MVP honors. He immediately went to shake hands with Heat players after the buzzer sounded.

«They are a great team.… An amazing team that I respect a lot,» Jokic said of the Heat. «It was an ugly game; we couldn't make shots. But in the end, we figured it out, how to defend. They scored [89]