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Nuggets Fans on Twitter Predict Gentleman's Sweep After Heat Turned Down in Game 4

The Nugs continue to defy the doubters.
June 10, 2023
Was Jamal Murray sending Nuggets fans a secret message about winning the NBA finals in five during his post-game interview last night? We'd like to think so.
Was Jamal Murray sending Nuggets fans a secret message about winning the NBA finals in five during his post-game interview last night? We'd like to think so. NBA via YouTube
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Sports fans are notoriously superstitious — except when they're not. And after the Denver Nuggets pummeled the Miami Heat 108-95 on June 10, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the NBA finals, plenty of Mile High City basketball boosters on Twitter tempted fate by predicting that the squad will wrap up its first championship with game five Monday evening — completing what's known colloquially as a gentleman's sweep.

Such declarations make those of us who've watched various representatives of the Denver franchise fall short for decades understandably nervous. But Twitter's confidence crew has one important thing working in their favor: overwhelming evidence that the Nuggets are simply better than the Heat.

The ratings-driven folks at ESPN, who would have preferred pretty much any other team than Denver to reach this stage, continue to shower the Nuggets with disrespect; once again, NBA Game Time commentators Michael Wilbon, Jalen Rose and Stephen A. Smith picked Miami to win on Friday and even the series. And a number of events along the way certainly offered the Heat hope.

When Nikola Jokic, Denver's center (and centerpiece), rolled his ankle during what appeared to be a routine play, Jimmy Butler and his Miami brethren probably had to resist the urge to rub their hands together in glee — and even though Jokic returned, he wound up in foul trouble aided by ridiculous theatrics (Bam Adebayo deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Flopper). As a result, Jokic notched a subpar (for him) 23 points. Moreover, Jamal Murray, who'd joined Jokic in history with a thirty-point triple double in game three, recorded just fifteen points on five-for-seventeen shooting.

Then again, Murray served up twelve assists without committing a single turnover and was instrumental in helping Aaron Gordon explode for 27 points, each one more frustrating to the Heat than the last. Moreover, Michael Porter Jr. wasn't quite as inconsequential as in previous faceoffs, putting in eleven points, and inspirational leader Bruce Brown matched MPJ's total in the fourth quarter alone en route to 21.

True, Miami got within five points during the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets always seemed in control.

The Heat's defensive strategy is no joke. Indeed, Denver, which wants to run relentlessly and pile up transition buckets, has been forced to play at Miami's pace via grind-it-out, possession-by-possession battles every 24 seconds or so. But that only makes the Nuggets' achievement more impressive. Even without being able to dictate the tempo, they're still dominating.

That's no guarantee that the finals will be finished in five games, though. A sixth or even a seventh basketbrawl are well within the realm of possibility, and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, proved that a team can dig out of a 1-3 hole. But at this moment, the Nuggets give no indication that they're ready to fold — and the Denver faithful on Twitter have noticed.

Count down our picks for the twenty most memorable post-game tweets below:

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
Contact: Michael Roberts
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