Breaking Down the Key Factors That Could Determine the NBA Finals 2023

  The NBA Finals is one of the most highly anticipated playoff series each season. Two teams with stellar regular-season records compete to claim glory as champions. Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets both possess the skillsets to make an impressionful statement in this series, thanks to their hard work and resilience during the playoffs. Here are a few key factors that could determine who emerges victorious. Health The NBA Finals is one of the most pivotal series in all of basketball, and stakes have never been higher than they are this year. Unlike most sports leagues, the NBA employs a Best of 7 format for its championship series - this allows more games to be played and makes home court advantage more significant than in five-game series; home court advantage can be determined by seedings, regular season records and playoff performance of teams involved. The 2023 NBA playoffs have been an unpredictable journey so far. One notable storyline of note in these playoffs involves the Golden State Warriors being eliminated in four straight by Los Angeles Lakers after an unexpected first round sweep by Los Angeles Lakers in round one. Other than these notable storiesline in the 2023 playoffs, numerous other notable storylines have surfaced throughout this NBA season. Giannis Antetokounmpo's return from two games out with a bruised back was an impressive one, scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a 2-1 series lead over Miami Heat despite Tyler Herro leaving due to broken hand in second quarter. But even for Heat, there was cause for alarm as Tyler Herro left with broken hand injury that eventually required medical intervention and eventually lead to him leaving game with injury in second quarter. The Lakers took a commanding early lead against the Suns before being held to only one point late in game 1. LeBron James finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds while Rui Hachimura contributed 20 off the bench. Dillon Brooks was ejected early in the second quarter after throwing a punch that hit Ja Morant directly in his groin area, leading him to receive an early ejection penalty. The Nuggets took control of Game 3 against the Timberwolves to take a 3-0 advantage and win it with ease, led by Nikola Jokic's seventh career playoff triple-double and Michael Porter Jr.'s career-best 25 points and seven rebounds. Their victory marked the first time any No. 6 seed had managed three consecutive road victories against No. 3 seeds during playoff history; Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox helped their Kings stave off elimination with combined 28 points scored during Game 7. For Golden State's Stephen Curry contributed 29 points while Klay Thompson added 22 in total for them. Offense At a championship level, offense is key in deciding who emerges victorious from playoff series. One key to Denver Nuggets victory has been their prolific offense which can switch gears on any given possession; Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray can alter games quickly with their combined playmaking abilities, making preparation difficult for them. The Philadelphia 76ers managed to overcome a three-game deficit against the Celtics with an outstanding performance in Game 4. James Harden recorded 42 points on 16-of-23 shooting and scored six of Philadelphia's initial seven triples; Jokic notched 20 points and 10 rebounds while Tyree Maxey and Duncan Robinson provided support with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting from their bench units. Boston rallied back and forced Game 7 despite this setback, taking an early one-point lead off a Jayson Tatum jumper with 20 seconds remaining in regulation, but an unsportsmanlike foul on Gabe Vincent gave Miami an opportunity to tie. Caleb Martin proved pivotal as they hit two open 3-pointers while driving hard on closeouts to create turnovers and score quickly in transition. The Miami Heat's ability to score in transition will be the cornerstone of their offensive strategy in the Finals. They must sprint back on defense quickly after every live ball turnover against Boston and capitalize on Denver's failure to stop their transition attack (ranked fourth by Cleaning The Glass this season) by capitalizing on it and scoring at least 60 points each game of the NBA Finals 2023; otherwise it is likely to become a high-scoring series that ends up going all the way back down to Game 7. Defense Within all the drama and intrigue surrounding the Lakers-Heat series, it can be easy to lose track of one of its central components: defense. The Heat have thrived this playoffs by forcing defenses to play Whac-A-Mole on offense. No other team passes more, while they generate clean second-shot opportunities better, and no single player stands out as their top scoring threat. Keying directly on Butler can net you 40; double teaming him will leave Robinson open for triples; while switching your best perimeter defender onto Dragic will guarantee him plenty of points. But this team also boasts defensive talent, with players capable of matching up against virtually every opposing lineup. Rondo, Caruso and Green can effectively guard the paint; Ja Morant is an exceptional shot blocker who can force his way into scoring positions; even reserve big men such as Howard McGee Davis can contribute significantly. Miami's defense is versatile enough to cover for occasional miscues as well. Miami leaned heavily on zone defense in the conference finals against Boston to block dribble penetration and keep them off foul line, and it paid dividends as Boston scored just 171 points on 177 possessions against it - significantly lower than their season average of 112.8 per 100 possessions against it. The NBA playoffs feature a fixed bracket with no reseeding, and each round consists of best-of-seven series. If a series ties at 3-3, home court advantage will be awarded to the higher seed based on regular-season head-to-head record then intra conference record (if still tied). On Wednesday night's first game 7 of 2023's playoffs Stephen Curry led Golden State to victory by scoring 31 points and dishing out 12 assists; Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis contributed 21 points each for Sacramento but were ultimately no matchup as Stephen Curry led Golden State ahead to take commanding victory; now lead this series 3-0 before taking their next contest Saturday in Denver! Coaching Coaches play an invaluable role in their team's success. A great coach could be instrumental in getting their team to the playoffs or winning championships; however, coaching itself is a challenging art that requires multiple disciplines and skillsets to master effectively. Luckily there are numerous experienced coaches out there who can lead your squad towards victory; therefore if you want to take your basketball playing to new levels it may be beneficial to find one who will guide them there. While it is certainly possible for teams to achieve success in the NBA without having a top-flight coach, achieving title contention without one is almost unthinkable. A coach's influence can have a major effect on winning percentage and even determine who takes home the championship at Finals 2023. In the first round of NBA playoffs, games are best-of-seven series with home court advantage going to the higher seed and any ties broken by regular season record, head-to-head record and intraconference record. Winners advance to conference finals where they'll face either their number two or three seed from another conference. In years past, it was quite typical for number one seeds to fall early in the playoffs, but that has changed. Since 2012-13, all three number ones (Warriors, Lakers and Celtics) have all made the Finals--proof that this system works and that top teams in each conference deserve recognition as champions. There's no denying the Heat have more experience when it comes to competing in the NBA Finals than the Nuggets do. Their coaching staff, led by Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra, have seen 25 percent of Finals games played altogether since 1996; also, this year's team features core members that have previously reached the Finals such as Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro who all have already seen action there. For the Nuggets, this marks their first shot at reaching the Finals since winning their 2021 series against Miami Heat in seven games. Now is their opportunity to prove they belong at the top and that they can compete against some of the league's elite.