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The Denver Nuggets made it to the NBA Finals by blowing teams out with elite offense. Against the Heat, they powered their wins with collaborative defense.
Despite posting an archaic 97.9 Offensive Rating (for reference, that would have been dead-last in the 1996-97 season), the Denver Nuggets were able to stave off the Miami Heat en route to their first title in NBA history.
How did they do this? Simple. By forcing the Heat to post an even lower Offensive Rating (93.7) than them.
But how is that possible? How is the team that finished the regular season tied for 15th in Defensive Rating able to do that? How can a team that was supposed to be built around their offense win because of their defense?
Game 5 was just one of those nights for the Nuggets. For one reason or another, they just could not find the bottom of the basket. As a team, they shot 17.9 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-28) and 56.5 percent from the free throw line (13-of-23). That’s historic levels of rough.
Since the Basketball Gods weren’t doing them any favors, the Nuggets had to lean on the less glamorous end of the court to take them to the promised land. Despite not touting an ensemble cast of defenders with elite reputations, the Nuggets under head coach Michael Malone is a gritty, well-coached bunch.