SI:AM | NBA Conference Finals Could End in Sweeps As Heat, Nuggets Take 3–0 Leads

Plus, Brooks Koepka etches his name in the history books.

Good morning, I’m Josh Rosenblat. The NBA and NHL conference finals couldn’t be more different right now. The hardwood has provided snoozers, while all four NHL conference final games have gone to OT (though the Golden Knights and Panthers both hold 2–0 leads).

In today’s SI:AM:

🔥 Heat dominate (again)

⚒️ Nuggets prove how good they are

🖐️ Brooks’s return to the biggest stage

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Get out the brooms?

After an electric set of conference semifinal series, all of which went to at least Game 6, the NBA’s conference finals could end up being duds. Following emphatic wins this weekend, the Nuggets have a chance to close out the Lakers tonight (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), and the Heat could finish off the Celtics tomorrow—both in sweeps.

We’ll start out West, where Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray have thoroughly outplayed Anthony Davis and LeBron James through three games. The adjustment the Lakers made toward the end of Game 1 by having smaller defenders (notably James and Rui Hachimura) defend Jokić might have slowed down his scoring, but the two-time MVP is still dictating games as the fulcrum of the Nuggets’ potent offense. And Murray, his partner in a stunningly good two-man game, has dominated for stretches in this series by making tough shot after tough shot.

In Saturday night’s Game 3, with the Lakers desperate to avoid a vaunted 3–0 deficit, it was Denver who took the game to L.A. During the third quarter in particular, with Murray going through a cold spell and Jokić on the bench with foul trouble, the Lakers failed to gain much ground. The fourth quarter, which the Nuggets won by 9, was yet another example of Denver being able to counter whatever has been thrown at them, Chris Herring writes.

And just in case that wasn’t impressive enough, there also was the deciding quarter, where the Nuggets stepped on the gas pedal upon returning to full strength. The vaunted Lakers defense had only so many thumbs to plug the dike Saturday.

So, what’s left for the Lakers to tap into? We could see even less of D’Angelo Russell tonight, who’s been ice cold for the entire series. About his 1-for-8 shooting performance in Game 3, Herring writes that the guard “should have been hot-glued to the bench.” Coach Darvin Ham has seen more success playing a bigger lineup with Hachimura, James and Davis all on the court at the same time, along with Dennis Schröder or Lonnie Walker IV in Russell’s place. The Lakers are, though, getting strong performances from the fifth member of that lineup: Austin Reaves. The second-year guard has been the team’s most consistent offensive role player through three games, hitting 56.5% of his threes on nearly eight attempts per game.

The Nuggets, on the other hand, have not only seen their stars raise their games, but they’ve had contributors up and down the roster. Former Laker Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has knocked down 45% of his threes in the series, while Michael Porter Jr. has shot even better (47.8%) from distance. Bruce Brown has come off the bench as an aggressive scorer and defender in each game so far. If these role players keep it up, it could be curtains for LeBron & Co.

It won’t be a big surprise if Denver, the top seed in the West, ended up in the NBA Finals. But in the East, the eighth-seeded Heat are dominating the No. 2 Celtics in a fashion no one could have predicted. After toughing out two wins on the road in Boston, Miami came home and blew out the Celtics, 128–102, in a game that was never close.

For Boston, the conclusion coming out this Game 3 is pretty simple, according to Rohan Nadkarni:

In reality, the Celtics are on the ropes, and what was supposed to be a season of redemption has turned into one of questions.

Instead, it’s been the Heat that have found redemption after last season’s Game 7 loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, and Boston is left wondering about what its future could look like. Dropping this lackluster performance in a desperate spot brings everyone and everything into play. Coach Joe Mazulla, whose interim tag was removed and was given a contract extension during the season, has had no schematic answers for Miami’s offense. Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were -23 and -25, respectively, in their minutes last night, complete no-shows in what was essentially a must-win game. Nadkarni adds:

Every aspect in which this Celtics team thrived during the regular season has been rendered utterly meaningless by the Heat. Miami has not only been better, Miami has absolutely bullied Boston.

The hot shooting that helped Miami overcome the Bucks and Knicks in the past two series has continued against Boston. Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus have combined to shoot 48.6% from deep in the series. Jimmy Butler has faced little resistance going to the rim, and Bam Adebayo has been a force as a rebounder and screener, and in the offensive paint. It just might be who the Heat are at this point: the best team in the East.

Brooks is back

Since Brooks Koepka left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in June 2022, the most many golf fans may have seen of him was likely in his appearance in Netflix’s Full Swing docuseries, which showcased the mindset of a once-great golfer questioning everything. Koepka, though, had all the answers in his winning performance at the ’23 PGA Championship.

The win not only cemented Koepka’s return to the very top of the sport, but it also inked his name alongside legends of the game, Michael Rosenberg writes. By conquering the field at the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club, Koepka earned his third Wanamaker Trophy and fifth major overall, putting him in rarefied air.

Five majors puts a player in a different category. Good players can win one. Really good ones can win two if they get a little lucky or certain majors tend to suit them well. Three is a sign of a player who does everything extremely well and (usually) of greatness over a long period of time. Four is historically elite.

But

five

? Five majors says something about a player that goes beyond how he hits the 14 clubs in his bag. Five is a window into his head and heart. A player who wins five majors has the rarest combination of mental toughness and emotional stability, and Koepka might be the best example in golf history of that.

Koepka entered yesterday’s final round with a one-stroke lead over Viktor Hovland and Corey Connors, a similar position to the one he was in at this year’s Masters tournament, when he held a two-shot lead after 54 holes. But while Koekpa couldn’t maintain his play en route to a final round 75 at August National, he vowed he’d take better advantage of this chance.

He came out on fire with birdies on three of his first four holes. The drama lasted until the decisive 16th hole. Hovland launched a shot from a fairway bunker into its front lip, where it embedded in the notorious Oak Hill rough. While the Norwegian carded a double bogey, Koepka birdied, putting him in full control. He finished with a three-under-par 67 and was nine under for the tournament, good enough to hold off Hovland and Scottie Scheffler, who finished in a tie for second at seven under.

The best of Sports Illustrated

Neil Leifer/Sports Illustrated

• NFL legend Jim Brown died last week. Tim Layden, Conor Orr and Michael Rosenberg each wrote about Brown’s impact on and off the field. SI also compiled a series of notable stories covering Brown from the SI Vault.
• The WNBA’s new era could be centered on what’s going on in Brooklyn, with Breanna Stewart and the Liberty looking as strong as expected, Clare Brennan writes.
• Manchester City clinched its fifth Premier League title in six years this weekend, cementing an era of dominance, Marcus Krum writes.
• Aside from Koekpa, the 2023 PGA Championship will in many ways be remembered for the performance of club pro Michael Block, writes Gabrielle Herzig.

The top five...

… things I saw yesterday:

5. This sweet spin and slam from Bam Adebayo (and the smooth slo-mo view).

4. Adebayo’s alley-oop poster, featuring Grant Williams.

3. Gold Glove–winning Marlins first baseman Yuli Gurriel’s barehanded, behind-the-back flip from one knee to get the out.

2. The highlights from Breanna Stewart’s 45-point performance in her first home game with the Liberty.

1. Michael Block, the PGA teaching professional who finished in a tie for 15th at one-over-par, dunking an ace at the 151-yard 15th hole.

SIQ

On this day in 2003, which LPGA star began play in a PGA Tour tournament when she entered the Colonial in Fort Worth?

• Michelle Wie
• Annika Sörenstam
• Lorena Ochoa
• Natalie Gulbis

Friday’s SIQ: Last week’s PGA Championship was held at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. The last time the tournament was held there, in 2013, who won the tournament and shot a course-record 63 in the second round?

• Jim Furyk
• Dustin Johnson
• Jason Dufner
• Rory McIlroy

Answer: Jason Dufner. On the same day that he shot his course record 63 (seven under), Webb Simpson tied the old course record with a 64. The record had previously been held by Ben Hogan (in 1942) and Curtis Strange (in ’89).

Dufner’s 63 followed a first-round 68, and he entered the weekend with a two-stroke lead over Jim Furyk and two others at nine under. Furyk’s 68 on Saturday, paired with Dufner’s 71, gave Furyk a one-stroke lead heading into the final round. But Furyk shot 71 on Sunday, while Dufner’s final-round 68 gave him a two-stroke victory.

This is the sixth men’s major hosted at Oak Hill, following the 1956, ’68 and ’89 U.S. Opens, as well as the ’80, 2003 and ’13 PGA Championships. —Dan Gartland