DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets parade Thursday through downtown Denver to celebrate their first NBA title.
Rain is falling in the forecast but nothing can dampen the celebratory mood as swarms of fans line the streets in a celebration that culminates in Civic Center Park. This has been a long time in the making. It took 47 seasons in the NBA for the franchise to finally make Denver the home of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Nuggets capped off a stellar season after defeating the Miami Heat in the Finals Monday night in Game 5. The Nuggets finished 16-4 in the playoffs, which was tied for the second-best mark by an NBA champion since the first round. It expanded to the Best of Seven in 2003. San Antonio was also 16-4 in 2007, and Golden State went 16-1 in 2017.
Coming out of a historic playoff game, Jokic became the first player to lead the league in total points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190) in the postseason. The two-time NBA MVP has added more hardware to his resume as well, nabbing Finals MVP.
With the season now officially over, Jokic will soon be returning home to Sombor, Serbia, to spend time with his family and get back to his other passion – horse racing. He’s hoping to make it back in time for a harness race on Sunday.
This is the second consecutive month of June that the city holds a military parade. The Colorado Avalanche were the guest of honor last year after lifting the Stanley Cup.
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