By Daniel Paiz

Ball Arena was a building full of radiance, pulsating with the energy, excitement, and 47 years of hope personified as Game 1 of the NBA Finals got underway in Denver, Colorado. The Denver Nuggets set the pace and win a historic Game 1 at home 104-93, their first-ever NBA Finals game and first-ever home game in the title round. Nikola Jokic posted his 15th playoff career triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds; he’s now the second player in NBA history to notch a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut (Jason Kidd in 2002 was the first).

Jamal Murray added 26 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Aaron Gordon contributed 16 points and six rebounds. Gordon was dominant in the first quarter in the paint. Bruce Brown chipped in 10 points and five assists off the bench.

Miami looked like the team with a long layoff, as Bam Adebayo was the lone Heat player who looked ready with his 26 points and 13 rebounds. Gabe Vincent added 19 points and five assists, and Jimmy Butler disappeared for stretches before finishing with 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Haywood Highsmith also added some much-needed bench help with 18 points.

Game 1 Recap

Denver fed the ball to Aaron Gordon early in the first quarter, as he kept getting mismatches in the paint and kept muscling his way to the hoop for buckets. Miami seems to have no answer defensively for this mismatch, though they are hitting a decent number of shots; lead changes abound in the first quarter. This building is electric, as every time something beneficial happens to Denver, there’s a roar of approval.

Murray and Porter Jr. are starting to get going as the first quarter winds down. When it comes to Adebayo he is shooting at will from between the free throw and three-point line (which I call no man’s land as the defense tends to freeze when an opponent is located there). Denver leads 29-20 after the first, thanks in part at the end to Jokic getting a last-minute steal and boosting the lead to nine.

Around the 7:18 mark of quarter two Porter Jr has hit a three, slammed a dunk through Miami’s defense, and Denver maintains a 39-31 lead. The Heat are getting occasional buckets from Vincent, Highsmith, and Butler while Adebayo continues to knock shots down. Christian Braun has forced a steal, dove for the loose ball while unsuccessfully trying to save it, and really took a charge that was erroneously called a block. Braun is clearly ready to show his hustle can be of some help, and his teammates and Nuggets faithful alike are loving it. Denver’s ball movement is leading to points, and their defense is disrupting Miami’s shots and clearly upending their offense. A 59-42 halftime lead for has this building vibrating.

Another Aaron Gordon appearance with a monster jam and Murray is still hitting. Despite three consecutive buckets from Miami, the lead is still double digits for the home team. 71-55 at the 6:12 mark of the third has Jokic hitting a big three and the place erupting, while Miami seems to have no answers.

Pushing it to 79-60 at the 2:51 mark of the third happens as a result of three-pointers landing for Denver, and four of Denver’s starting five being in double digits. Butler and Caleb Martin have hit a few shots, reminding fans that they too are in this game. 84-63 is what Nuggets fans care about, as Bruce Brown is now scoring and Denver’s defense is keeping up the pressure.

Miami remembers that they are fairly good at full court presses and zone defense and installs these methods to eight consecutive points and cuts the lead to 84-71 at the 10:02 mark of the fourth. Denver head coach Michael Malone is fuming. Rebounding also seems to have been placed on the backburner for the home team. This regrouping seems to help, as at the 7:16 mark Denver gets it back to 90-74. The Nuggets appear to have broken the zone defense and are starting to get stops of their own.

Miami isn’t going away, making it 92-80 with 4:41 remaining, getting easy buckets around the rim while Denver struggles to make something happen on either end of the floor. Denver gets a few more buckets, burns some clock while doing so, and holds on for a 104-93 win.

Keys for Game 2

The Denver Nuggets mostly did what they needed to do in order to win Game 1. Jokic notched another triple double. Murray and Porter Jr. each contributed a double-double. Gordon impressed his physicality early, and the bench support of Braun, Brown, and Green was helpful. Taking better care of the ball will give Miami fewer chances. Also, the Nuggets have to break the zone defense and not allow Miami to get back into the game. Rebounding has to be a bigger second-half focus, as Denver only had two more rebounds than Miami. They need to dominate the glass to create more fast-break opportunities.

The fourth quarter was a lesson for the Heat because when they implemented a full-court press, and utilized the zone defense, Denver lost momentum. The Nuggets have to remember that the ball moves faster than the defense, and if they get the zone moving, it can fracture and create opportunities. They figured that out enough times in the fourth that Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra sent Miami back to man defense; they’ll need to repeat that in Game 2.

Miami either didn’t do enough to prepare for the altitude, or they didn’t give themselves a chance to relish the series win over Boston. I say that as someone who saw firsthand that the Heat looked out of sorts as the first quarter ticked away. Other than Bam Adebayo, the other players didn’t really fulfill their usual roles.

One could blame having to up their effort level against the Nuggets, but Butler, Martin, and others were ghosts for portions of this game. Butler especially provided little offensive support. Max Strus and Duncan Robinson combined for three points. Kyle Lowry had 11 points, but beyond Lowry and Highsmith there was no bench support. Expect that to be different in Game 2 on Sunday.

Post credits scene

Attending the first-ever Denver Nuggets NBA Finals game was something I hadn’t thought would happen, and it was an evening of pure joy. I can tell you I texted several friends tonight that I probably looked like a little kid cheesing and smiling it up, because seeing this unfold was surreal. The entire venue felt like this is Denver’s moment to earn that Larry O’Brien trophy.

It might seem silly, to have so much attention on a game where there’s an orange ball bounced around and thrown at two hoops on opposing ends. But it might just be due to the state of things right now. Having some kind of outlet where the outcome largely doesn’t directly change our lives, but it impacts our happiness. Our resilience. Our compassion and empathy. Some people find their joy in reading books. Others climb the highest mountains, and still others paint their best visions of said mountains.

All this to say that witnessing history like this is a joyous and memorable experience. One more thing off of the bucket list, and one more thing to reflect on when life hands down lows opposite to this high. Here’s to three more wins, and a city and team ending 47 years without a title.