NBA: Nuggets Strike Gold
Back in 1976, the National Basketball Association made peace with its rival the American Basketball Association by joining forces, adding the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and the New York (later New Jersey, now Brooklyn) Nets. Of those teams, only the Spurs have won an NBA title, and they did it five times in a period between 1999 and 2014.
Until now. The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games to win their first NBA championship Monday in Denver, a 94-89 win. Nikola Jokic, who scored 28 points in the final game, was the Finals' Most Valuable Player.
The Nuggets were leading the Western Conference all season with their dominant play, then defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns in the first two rounds of the playoffs. But it took defeating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference final for America to take notice of this team from the Rockies.
The Heat, behind the play of Jimmy Butler, made bigger headlines in defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But they ran out of gas in the Finals.
Now let's see if the Nuggets can avoid being a one-shot Rocky Mountain wonder.
NHL: Stanley Cup in Vegas, Baby!
The Vegas Golden Knights began play in the National Hockey League in 2017-18, and nearly became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup in its first season, losing to the Washington Capitals.
Six seasons later, the Knights have brought the Cup to the Las Vegas Strip. They blew out the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 Tuesday in Las Vegas after a mostly competitive series. Jonathan Marchessault of the Knights won the Conn Smythe trophy for being the playoff MVP.
The Knights were at or near the top of the Western Conference all season, the defeated the Winnipeg Jets, Seattle Kraken (in their second season) and Dallas Stars to get to the finals.
The Panthers made more noise in the Eastern Conference after just barely squeaking in, defeating the Boston Bruins (who had set an NHL record for most regular season points), Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.
Unlike the Nuggets, the Golden Knights have been competitive from the very start. Do not be surprised if the Stanley Cup extends its residency in Sin City.
