# 2023 NBA Finals

The 2023 [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals) was the championship series of the 2022-23 NBA season, in which the top-seeded [Denver Nuggets](https://www.edgepedia.org/denver-nuggets) defeated the eighth-seeded [Miami Heat](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-heat) four games to one for the first title in franchise history, played June 1-12, 2023 and televised on ABC.<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/job-done-says-jokic-nuggets-beat-heat-win-first-nba-title-2023-06-13/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/36069090/nba-playoff-schedule-highlights-2023)</sup> Nuggets center Nikola Jokić was named Finals MVP after averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists in the series.<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Result | No. 1 Denver Nuggets beat No. 8 Miami Heat 4-1; Finals MVP Nikola Jokić (30.2 pts / 14.0 reb / 7.2 ast per game)<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup> |
| Games | June 1-12, 2023, on ABC; scores 104-93 DEN, 111-108 MIA, 109-94 DEN, 108-95 DEN, 94-89 DEN<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/36069090/nba-playoff-schedule-highlights-2023)</sup> |
| Franchise first | Denver's first championship in 47 NBA seasons, 56 counting its ABA years<sup>[2](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/job-done-says-jokic-nuggets-beat-heat-win-first-nba-title-2023-06-13/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/06/14/viewing-to-the-2023-nba-finals-drop-6-from-2022/)</sup> |
| Jokić's postseason | Led all players in points (600), rebounds (269), and assists (186), with a record 10 triple-doubles<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup> |
| MVP milestones | Lowest draft pick (41st overall) to win Finals MVP, first Serbian winner, first center since Shaquille O'Neal in 2002<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup> |
| Miami's run | Only the second No. 8 seed, and the first play-in team, to reach the Finals<sup>[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/06/14/viewing-to-the-2023-nba-finals-drop-6-from-2022/)</sup> |
| Viewership | 11.5 million average Nielsen viewers over five games, down 6% from 2022<sup>[6](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/386293/nba-finals-viewing-down-6-national-tv-advertisin.html)</sup> |

## Road to the Finals

**Denver's path.** The Nuggets entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's top seed, beating No. 8 Minnesota in the quarterfinals, No. 4 Phoenix in the semifinals, the seventh-seeded [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers) in the conference finals, and Miami in the Finals. In terms of opponent seeding, that run was unlike any other champion's since the league adopted the 16-team playoff format 40 seasons earlier: Denver became the first champion in that format never to face a top-3 seed.<sup>[7](https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-bc3bc58aef8139b0489afafbac507b2d)</sup>

**Miami's path.** The Heat reached the Finals through the play-in tournament as the East's eighth seed, then eliminated [Milwaukee](https://www.edgepedia.org/milwaukee), New York, and Boston in succession. They became only the second No. 8 seed to reach the Finals and the first play-in participant to do so.<sup>[2](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/job-done-says-jokic-nuggets-beat-heat-win-first-nba-title-2023-06-13/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/06/14/viewing-to-the-2023-nba-finals-drop-6-from-2022/)</sup> Game 7 of their Eastern Conference finals win over Boston averaged 12.0 million viewers.<sup>[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/06/14/viewing-to-the-2023-nba-finals-drop-6-from-2022/)</sup>

## Series summary

| Game | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 1 | Nuggets 104, Heat 93 |
| 2 | June 4 | Heat 111, Nuggets 108 |
| 3 |  | Nuggets 109, Heat 94 |
| 4 |  | Nuggets 108, Heat 95 |
| 5 | June 12 | Nuggets 94, Heat 89 |

Scores and leaders per Basketball-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference).<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup>

**Game 1 and Miami's Game 2 win.** Jokić opened the series with a 27-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in a Denver win.<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup> In Game 2 he scored 41 points with 11 rebounds, but Miami won 111-108, the Heat's only victory of the series.<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup>

**Denver's response.** In Game 3 Jokić produced a 32-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in a 109-94 win, with [Jamal Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamal-murray) adding 34 points.<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup> [Aaron Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-gordon) led Denver with 27 points in the Game 4 win.<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup>

**The Game 5 clinch.** Denver shot 1-for-15 from three-point range in the first half, the worst such shooting half in Finals history for a team attempting at least 10 threes, and trailed 51-44 at halftime.<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/job-done-says-jokic-nuggets-beat-heat-win-first-nba-title-2023-06-13/)</sup> Jokić then scored 10 fourth-quarter points on 5-of-6 shooting and finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds in a 94-89 win before 19,537 fans at [Ball Arena](https://www.edgepedia.org/ball-arena).<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup>

## Star performances and tactics

**Jokić as a passing center.** Jokić averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists across the 2023 postseason, after finishing runner-up to [Joel Embiid](https://www.edgepedia.org/joel-embiid) for the regular-season MVP.<sup>[8](https://www.nba.com/news/nuggets-gear-up-for-title-defense-guard-against-complacency)</sup> His value against Miami's defense came from size and vision: the middle of the floor is the soft spot in a 2-3 zone, and Jokić's 7-foot frame let him throw over the top of smaller Heat defenders to cutters and shooters.<sup>[9](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-nuggets-are-confident-they-can-crack-the-heats-famous-zone-defense-and-the-evidence-says-theyre-right/)</sup> Denver ranked second in the league in zone offense during the regular season at 1.156 points per possession, and that figure rose to 1.385 in the playoffs; the Nuggets faced only 231 total possessions of zone defense all season because they scored against it so efficiently.<sup>[9](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-nuggets-are-confident-they-can-crack-the-heats-famous-zone-defense-and-the-evidence-says-theyre-right/)</sup>

**Murray and the supporting cast.** Jamal Murray averaged 26.1 points and 7.1 assists in the postseason, giving Denver a second primary playmaker alongside Jokić.<sup>[8](https://www.nba.com/news/nuggets-gear-up-for-title-defense-guard-against-complacency)</sup> Aaron Gordon's 27 points led the Nuggets in Game 4.<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup>

**Denver's defense.** The Nuggets improved their playoff paint defense from 53 points allowed per 100 possessions to 48.3, and Jokić defended an average of 8.6 shots inside 6 feet while holding opponents to a field-goal percentage 10% below expectation. Denver finished the playoffs 10th in adjusted defensive rating, the third-largest improvement of any team since the start of the postseason.<sup>[10](https://theanalyst.com/articles/how-the-denver-nuggets-championship-dream-became-a-reality)</sup> The defense held Eastern Conference finals MVP Jimmy Butler to 21.6 points on 41.3% shooting in the Finals.<sup>[10](https://theanalyst.com/articles/how-the-denver-nuggets-championship-dream-became-a-reality)</sup>

## By the numbers

**Jokić's totals.** He became the first player in NBA history to lead a single postseason in total points (600), total rebounds (269), and total assists (186), and set a record with 10 triple-doubles in one playoff run. Basketball-Reference's tabulation credits him with 190 assists for the same playoffs; NBA.com's figure is 186.<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup> He also led the playoffs in win shares (5.0).<sup>[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)</sup>

**Viewership and advertising.** Game-by-game Nielsen ratings were 6.0, 6.0, 6.0, 5.4, and 7.0, with viewership of 11.58 million, 11.91 million, 11.24 million, 10.41 million, and 13.08 million; the clinching Game 5 was the most-watched game of the series.<sup>[11](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/nba-finals-ratings-viewership-history/)</sup> The series averaged 11.5 million viewers, down 6% from 2022, and generated an estimated $112.3 million in national TV advertising across 421 commercial airings on ABC, yielding 4.7 billion impressions.<sup>[6](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/386293/nba-finals-viewing-down-6-national-tv-advertisin.html)</sup> For comparison, Game 6 of the 1998 Bulls-Jazz Finals remains the highest-rated (22.3) and most-watched (35.89 million) NBA game on record, and the 1998 series the highest-rated Finals on average at 18.7 and 29.0 million.<sup>[11](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/nba-finals-ratings-viewership-history/)</sup> Comscore's household measure put Game 2 highest at a 12.7 average live household rating, and the series averaged 32.0 in the Denver market versus 23.3 in Miami, with Game 5 peaking at 36.2 on Denver's KMGH against 22.0 on Miami's WPLG.<sup>[12](https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/2023-NBA-Finals-Local-National-TV-Recap)</sup>

## How it compares with other Finals

A five-game Finals is one of the less common series lengths: of the first 76 Finals, 30 ended in six games, 19 went seven, 18 ended in five, and only nine were sweeps.<sup>[13](https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-dc9178ef5f9e696810a505246943a641)</sup> Miami's task after falling behind 3-1 was historically steep: of the 36 teams that had trailed 3-1 in an NBA Finals, only the 2016 [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland-cavaliers) had come back to win the title.<sup>[2](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/job-done-says-jokic-nuggets-beat-heat-win-first-nba-title-2023-06-13/)</sup> Denver's opponent-seeding path, which included no top-3 seed, had no precedent among champions in the 16-team format.<sup>[7](https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-bc3bc58aef8139b0489afafbac507b2d)</sup>

## Aftermath and legacy

The title ended a 47-year wait for Denver, which joined the NBA 47 seasons earlier and had also never won an ABA championship, making the drought 56 seasons in all.<sup>[2](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/job-done-says-jokic-nuggets-beat-heat-win-first-nba-title-2023-06-13/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/06/14/viewing-to-the-2023-nba-finals-drop-6-from-2022/)</sup> For Jokić, the Finals MVP made him the lowest draft pick (41st overall) ever to win the award, the first Serbian winner, and the first center to win it since [Shaquille O'Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaquille-oneal) in 2002.<sup>[5](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)</sup>

**Roster changes.** Denver lost sixth man Bruce Brown, who signed a two-year, $45 million contract with the [Indiana Pacers](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-pacers) in free agency, and also lost the veteran leadership of Jeff Green and [Ish Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/ish-smith), with [Christian Braun](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-braun) and Reggie Jackson expected to take larger roles. The starting five was retained intact entering 2023-24, which the team described as the best in the NBA.<sup>[8](https://www.nba.com/news/nuggets-gear-up-for-title-defense-guard-against-complacency)</sup>

**Format context.** All four rounds of the 2023 playoffs used the best-of-seven format in place since 2003, with no reseeding after each round, and the Finals opened June 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.<sup>[3](https://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/36069090/nba-playoff-schedule-highlights-2023)</sup>

## References

1. [2023 NBA Finals - Heat vs. Nuggets, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/2023-nba-finals-heat-vs-nuggets.html)
2. [Job done, says Jokic, as Nuggets beat Heat to win first NBA title, Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/sports/basketball/job-done-says-jokic-nuggets-beat-heat-win-first-nba-title-2023-06-13/)
3. [NBA Finals 2023: Schedule, how to watch, scores, more, ESPN](https://www.espn.co.uk/nba/story/_/id/36069090/nba-playoff-schedule-highlights-2023)
4. [Viewing To The 2023 NBA Finals Drop 6% From 2022, Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/06/14/viewing-to-the-2023-nba-finals-drop-6-from-2022/)
5. [Nikola Jokic adds NBA championship, Finals MVP to impressive resume, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/finals-mvp-resume-nikola-jokic-2023)
6. [NBA Finals Viewing Down 6%, National TV Advertising At $112M, MediaPost](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/386293/nba-finals-viewing-down-6-national-tv-advertisin.html)
7. [Nuggets become first NBA champion in this format to not face a top-3 seed, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-bc3bc58aef8139b0489afafbac507b2d)
8. [Nuggets gear up for title defense, guard against complacency, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/nuggets-gear-up-for-title-defense-guard-against-complacency)
9. [The Nuggets are confident they can crack the Heat's famous zone defense, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/the-nuggets-are-confident-they-can-crack-the-heats-famous-zone-defense-and-the-evidence-says-theyre-right/)
10. [How the Denver Nuggets' Championship Dream Became a Reality, The Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/how-the-denver-nuggets-championship-dream-became-a-reality)
11. [NBA Finals Ratings History (1988-Present), Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/nba-finals-ratings-viewership-history/)
12. [2023 NBA Finals: Local & National TV Recap, Comscore](https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/2023-NBA-Finals-Local-National-TV-Recap)
13. [History says the NBA Finals will end in 6 games, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-dc9178ef5f9e696810a505246943a641)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records › NBA seasons and team seasons › NBA playoffs*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license