Butler, Jokic lead Heat, Nuggets to NBA Finals after unconventional paths

DENVER (AP) —Nikola Jokic wasn’t supposed to be here. Neither was Jimmy Butler,for that matter.

Jokic wasdrafted behind 40 other players in 2014. Butler was drafted behind29 others in 2011. Jokic grew up in Serbia, not even thinking aboutthe NBA. Butler didn’t have the easiest upbringing in Texas, thenwent the junior college route at the start of his journey towardthe pros.

Yet here theyare in the NBA Finals.

One of themwill become a champion for the first time, with Jokic leading theDenver Nuggets and Butler leading the Miami Heat in a matchup thatstarts Thursday night in Denver, with the Nuggets heavily favoredto win it all.

“This isgoing to be the hardest game of our life, and we know that,” Jokicsaid. “We are prepared for that. We are prepared for that. So, Ithink there is no favorite. Definitely, I think we are notfavorites in this series. I think they’re not either. I think it’sjust the finals.”

The Nuggets —in the finals for the first time — had by far the easier road tothe title round. They climbed atop the Western Conference standingsin mid-December and never fell from that perch, then lived up tothat No. 1 seed by going 12-3 in the West playoffs.

Miami — aseven-time finalist now, seeking a fourth title — had about therockiest path to the Rocky Mountains that a team could have. TheHeat had to rally in a play-in elimination game just to make theplayoffs, knocked out No. 1 overall seed Milwaukee in Round 1,rival New York in Round 2 and then just had to go win a Game 7 inBoston, after nearly wasting a 3-0 lead, to vanquish last season’sloss to the Celtics in the East finals.

“This is aspecial group,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “This group hasbeen able to overcome a lot of different things, handle a lot ofadversity, setbacks, things that have not gone the way we wantedthem to go. And instead of having that collapse our spirit, itallowed us to develop some fortitude and grit collectively, andgive us something to rally around, which was each other.”

At 44-38 thisseason, Miami would tie the worst regular-season record ever by anNBA champion. The Washington Bullets had that record and won the1978 title. There were 10 teams that finished this season withbetter records than Miami — nine of them are no longer playing —and 589 teams in NBA history that had better regular seasons thanthe 2022-23 Heat yet still didn’t win a title.

They areimprobable finalists. Their leader took an improbable path, too.But after stints with Chicago, Philadelphia and Minnesota didn’talways go as planned, Butler is now in the finals with Miami for asecond time in four years.

“I would liketo say that I’m never rattled. I’m very calm,” Butler said. “I’mvery consistent in everything that I do, whether it’s before thegame, after the game, during the game, and I think when my guyslook at me like that, they follow suit in every single way. I lovethat about them because they’re never shook. No matter what.”

It’s notabout Jokic vs. Butler; both have big-time players around them aswell, namely Jamal Murray for Denver and Bam Adebayo for Miami.Jokic and Butler are the two leading scorers left in theseplayoffs; Jokic is averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3assists, while Butler is averaging 28.5 per game — including aplayoff-high 56 to help oust the Bucks.

Jokic is atwo-time MVP, was in the conversation for a third in a row thisyear, has seen about every defense imaginable and rarely blinks atany of them. Play off him, he’ll shoot and score. Play tight, he’llset up someone for an easier shot. He’s as close to fundamentalperfection as there might be in the league right now. Not bad for aguy who got drafted while the broadcast was airing a Taco Bellcommercial — true story — and never thought he’d make the NBA whenhe arrived in the U.S.

“With Nikola,it’s never about looking backward. It’s always about lookingforward and challenging himself to become the best player that hecan be,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Early on, being thebest player he could be was not necessarily about a skill set. Itwas about maturing, growing up, handling adversity, dealing withthe referees, getting into the best shape of his life, losingweight. I think once that all happened, that kind of coincided withour rise.”

The team thatplays at the highest altitude in the NBA — 5,280 feet above sealevel — has risen to its highest level yet. Jokic is four wins fromhis first ring. Butler is four wins from the ring he has beentalking about getting all year, even when Miami’s record didn’texactly suggest the Heat would be here.

But here theyare. The West finals MVP in Jokic. The East finals MVP in Butler.The prize they want most is just four wins away.

“In a lot ofways, what they have done is unprecedented,” Miami forward KevinLove said. “Obviously, they operate in different ways to get thejob done. But still, all things considered, I think they’re twovery underappreciated stars and superstars in this league.”