NBA FINALS - PART 5

And here we are. The first time this season where we could see an NBA Champion. And the end of the season. I hate this, but at the same time I love it. And, we could be crowning a new franchise for the first time as the Denver Nuggets look to close out the Finals in Game 5 at home.

In Game 4 it was all about the team. Not only Jamal Murray and the Joker. It was a pure team effort as Aaron Gordon had a game high 27 points and Bruce Brown scored 11 in the fourth.

But this wouldn't be near a close out situation if it wasn't for Jokic. He's just too skilled and good, and the Nuggets are too big and too deep for the Heat. Until the Finals, I didn't know that the Nuggets were this good, even during the Conference Finals there was always that feeling that the Lakers could break out one really good game by James-Davis and storm back. But not in the Finals.

With the two straight double digit wins on the road, they proved that they are the best team in the NBA this year. And I know the Heat came in as an 8th seed and this wouldn't been the same against maybe the Bucks or 76ers. But that doesn't matter now, because the reality is, the Nuggets are up 3-1 and with this whole altitude bullshit it could easily be over in a couple of hours.

But, it's far from over. Jimmy Butler ain't no punk and he is not gonna go in to Ball Arena with the mindset that it's 48 minutes of waiting for the confetti to drop. He's going in there to make history and force a Game 6 in Miami, and then go back to Colorado and beat them on the road. And if it wasn't for the Cavs in 2016 I would say it's not happening but we learned anything can happen, and Jimmy Butler is one of those players that could do it.

But if he doesn't get the job done this year, what does this mean to his legacy? Nothing if you ask me. It's not the fact that he loses two Finals in four seasons. It's the fact that he took this 8th seed to the Finals, with injuries and undrafted roleplayers. It's the fact that he did what he did in the Bubble. It's the fact that we still can't count the Heat out because they have HIM.

And what would this mean to Jokic's legacy? A lot. He wouldn't get a knock for those two MVP's that he won while not advancing to the Finals. He would cement his status as the best Nuggets player of all time. And that's hard for me to write, cause of my love for Carmelo. It doesn't mean that Melo shouldn't get his jersey retired, because there's other teams that retired one number for multiple players. And if Denver chose to retire Melos number, that has nothing to do with Jokic playing in number 15, it only means no one should be allowed to wear it after Jokic is done. But back to Jokic.

This would also mean that he's one of the best players in the league, Top 3 status. Maybe he's the best, I can't really decide, it's hard to ignore the greatness of Giannis. But if Denver wins, and Jokic is still only 28, they should be able to make this contention status last for at least 4 years. Remember Murray is only 26, and if they win it all this year, they should be able to attract good FA's to sign. Just like Milwaukee's been last couple of years. And that's the legacy Jokic will create with a title. The impact for years to come, that he turned an unsuccessful franchise around and made them relevant while he was in his prime.

We will soon find out.