Hero
Michael Porter Jr.
Porter didn’t shoot the ball well, going 1-for-6 from the 3-point line. But man, he was aggressive on Monday night. He used his size to drive to the rim and go after rebounds instead of settling for outside shots. Porter, who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, came through in the third quarter. With 6:46 left, Porter dribbled down the floor before finding point guard Jamal Murray for a game-tying 3-pointer. Later in the quarter, Porter drove to the rim, pushing off Miami’s Duncan Robinson for a layup before knocking down a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:31 remaining.
Zero
What was Bam Adebayo thinking?
It didn’t take long for Game 5 to have its Shaqtin’ A Fool moment. With 9:25 to go in the first, Adebayo was in the paint when he decided to throw the ball at the Heat’s bench for a turnover. In his defense, Adebayo probably thought guard Max Strus was camping in the corner for a 3-pointer. But he would’ve been better off going up for the layup since 6-foot-3 Murray was guarding him.
Postcard
Denver celebrates its first title
The moment was glorious. There was a sense that Denver was going to make history when guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope stole the ball before making a pair of free throws at the other end to take a 92-89 lead with 24.7 seconds left. When Jimmy Butler missed the game-tying 3-pointer, causing Ball Arena to shake, you knew the 19,537 people in attendance were going to witness Denver be crowned champions.
You could barely hear yourself think as confetti shot out of all angles of the arena. Fans were seen dancing, while some were holding back tears of joy. Chants of MVP began circulating when Nikola Jokic appeared on the Jumbotron. Denver waited 47 years for this moment. Now that the moment is here, its everything you would’ve imagined and more.
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