Braun’s Nuggets hope to clinch NBA title at home Monday: ‘It’d mean the world to us’
The Denver Nuggets, who lead the Miami Heat three games to one in the 2023 NBA Finals, have an opportunity to clinch the franchise’s first world championship at home on Monday night before 21,000 fans in Ball Arena — fans eager to celebrate the momentous occasion.
“Obviously it’s a big opportunity and you can’t miss out on opportunities like this, so to close it out at home in front of our fans would mean a lot to us, and we know it would mean a lot to them,” key Nuggets reserve Christian Braun said at Sunday’s media availability in Denver.
“This is an opportunity. We’re not going to let them down. We’re going to come out here and play our game and enjoy the moment,” Braun, a 6-foot-6 rookie guard out of the University of Kansas, added.
Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. Monday with a live telecast on ABC. If Denver wins, Braun becomes the fifth player in history (along with Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson) to claim NCAA and NBA titles in back-to-back years. Braun was a starter on KU’s 2022 NCAA championship squad.
If Denver loses, there’s a Game 6 opportunity to clinch Thursday in Miami.
“It’s just another game. You have to approach it like we have approached all the games in the playoffs,” Braun said Sunday. “That’s the crazy part about the Finals. I think that there’s so many games that everybody has the same routine, and you’ve just got to approach it like that.”
Braun in the playoffs has cashed 10 of 13 shots overall, grabbed seven rebounds and had five steals while guarding Heat standout Jimmy Butler at times. Overall in 18 Nuggets’ playoff games in 2022-23, he’s averaged 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds while being called on 12.4 minutes a game.
“I mean it would mean the world to us and to them (Nuggets fans),” Braun said, asked several questions Sunday about possibly finishing the series Monday. “I think that’s one of the biggest parts about this is we get to come home — obviously we dropped Game Two (in Denver), but we get to come home and play in front of our fans and have a chance to close it out.
“Any closeout games are really big opportunities, and just to be able to do it in Denver would mean the world to us. We’re going to come out with the same approach, the same hungry mentality. That’s the biggest part, just don’t have a letdown game. Just come out and be humble, be hungry, and finish the job.”
Braun on Sunday praised fellow reserve Bruce Brown, who took his turn as spark off the bench in a Game 4 Denver win in Miami.
Brown, a 6-4 guard, scored 21 points in 30 minutes. Braun scored one point in 15 minutes in a 108-95 road victory that enabled Denver to return home with a commanding three-to-one series lead.
“He’s great. You couldn’t have found a guy that fits more perfectly alongside the guys we have,” Braun said of Brown. “He came in here (from Brooklyn Nets), he sits down and plays defense every single night, all 82 regular-season games, and he’s been one of the best defenders in the playoffs.
“He obviously loves Denver. Just a good, fun dude to be around and he fits perfectly with our roster. We’re grateful for him and what he’s done for us and he’s taught me a lot along the process. We’re grateful for B.B., and we’ve got one more game hopefully where he plays really well like he did last game.”
Braun — he had 15 points in 19 minutes in the Nuggets’ Game Three finals win at Miami — has been a popular interview of late.
Asked how he’s handling the media attention, he said Sunday: “I think I don’t have it too bad. I think a lot of people want to talk to Nikola (Jokic) and Jamal (Murray), obviously. You’ve got to be grateful for this, obviously. Just to be in this position and have people that want to talk to you and want to hear from you is obviously a blessing. I don’t have it too bad, and I’m just fortunate to be here and grateful to be in this position.”
He said he’ll be focused, not nervous, on Monday.
“You’ve got to stay humble and be ready for the opportunity,” he said. “You don’t get many chances to close out the NBA Finals in five games, so that’s the goal. That’s what we’re focused on. We’re going to come here, we’re going to play really hard, give great effort, and we know the fans will show up and do what they’ve done all year. We’re going to come out here and try to close it out.”
Former Missouri Tiger Michael Porter Jr. is confident the Nuggets will be ready on the big stage Monday.
“I think this (Miami) team is different than the other teams we’ve faced (in playoffs),” Porter said Sunday. “They’re relentless. They’re going to come in full force. We ended up actually blowing Phoenix out in Phoenix (125-100 in clinching Game Six of Western Conference semis in Phoenix) but we know tomorrow is not going to be like that.
“But one thing about this team is we just have a game-by-game mentality, so we’re viewing it as we’re down 3-1, we’re not up 3-1 right now. We’ve got to win tomorrow. That’s our mindset, and that’s pretty much how we’ve done all playoffs and these elimination games.”
