Michael Porter Jr. (24) looked back on this final series.
The Denver Nuggets (hereafter Denver), to which Porter Jr. belongs, won the first championship trophy since its founding by beating the Miami Heat (hereinafter Miami) by 5 points, 94-89, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals held at Ball Arena in Denver, USA on the 13th.
Denver was losing to Miami until the middle of the third quarter, but Porter Jr. appeared like a hero. In the first half, Porter Jr., who showed good form with hustle play such as defensive rebound shooter and offensive rebound participation, recorded an assist by giving Murray an accurate lead pass, and after a defensive rebound, he scored a one-man fast break and pulled-up 3-pointers in a row.
Thanks to Porter Jr.’s great performance, Yokichi and Murray, who gained momentum in the pursuit, took over the fourth quarter. Butler’s great performance allowed a last-minute chase, but Denver eventually won 94-89.
As such, Porter Jr. was a big factor in Denver’s final series 4-1 finish. On this day, Porter Jr. made a big success with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. But it’s also true that he couldn’t say much in the first four games of the series.
Porter Jr. averaged only 8 points in the first 4 games, less than half of his regular season average of 17 points, and had a shooting shooting rate of 29.3% (10.3 attempts) and a 3-point success rate of 13.6% (5.5 attempts).
However, Porter Jr. scored 7 points in the 3rd quarter alone in the 5th game, the second highest score on the team after Jokic.
In an interview conducted after the game, Porter Jr. said, “Even today’s game wasn’t the best day, but I played hard. All I can control is effort. It doesn’t matter if I score 0 points because we won,” he said, revealing that he moved for the team.
Porter Jr. missed the playoffs after undergoing third back surgery and appearing in just nine games during the 21-22 regular season. Porter Jr., who missed his entire rookie season with a back problem, has been haunted by the specter of injury throughout his career. However, he resurrected this season by playing in 62 games and showing a healthy appearance.
“Honestly, I never thought I’d be here,” said Porter Jr., who still can’t believe he won.
Porter Jr., who suffered from sluggish shooting, competed for rebounds to make up for it and led the team to victory twice. He grabbed 13 rebounds in Games 5 and 1 and is averaging 8.4 rebounds in the series. That’s well above the 5.5 he recorded in the regular season.토토사이트
“My jumper was broken in this final,” said Porter Jr. “I haven’t played very well in all playoff series this season. I’m not sure what’s going on with my shooting feel, but it doesn’t matter. I will fix it in the off season. It was good to be able to try a few shots in a clutch situation,” he said, even revealing his determination to face the next season.
Porter Jr.’s performance this season may not be as fulfilling as he says. But after the match he had a big bottle of champagne in his hand, with a big smile on his face.