There’s still plenty of time left in the 2024-25 NBA regular season, but ESPN’s Brian Windhorst already has hotels booked in a trio of cities for June’s NBA Finals: Boston, Oklahoma City and Cleveland.
Of course, the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder have been three of the best teams in the league this season. The Thunder and Cavaliers are in a tie for the best record in the NBA right now at 44-10, and the Celtics are next at 39-16.
Windhorst also claims he’s “on the verge” of looking at booking a hotel in a fourth city: Denver. The Denver Nuggets have been on a tear recently, as their current winning streak of eight games is the longest such streak in the NBA right now.
“The Finals dates are in stone,” Windhorst said. “You can figure them out. And so the other playoffs, you’re not sure, but the Finals dates, I know when they are. So, when I make hotel reservations during the Finals, it’s like me — ’cause they’re cancellable — but it’s me basically saying I’m taking the time — ’cause it takes a little bit of time — that’s my own personal way of saying, ‘You can make it.’
“I’ve got them in three cities. I’ve got them in Boston. I’ve got them in Cleveland. And I’ve got them in Oklahoma City. And I’m on the verge of looking at Denver.
The play of star big man Nikola Jokic has been key to the Nuggets stacking up wins lately. He’s been one of the better players in the NBA for a long time now, but he might just be enjoying his most productive season to date.
Through 49 games played, he’s averaging a triple-double of 29.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. He’s never averaged a triple-double in a season, and only two players in league history — Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson — have accomplished such a feat.
Furthermore, Nuggets shooting guard Christian Braun has experienced a meteoric rise in his third season in the league. He’s averaging career-highs in many categories and has gone for 15.0 points per game while shooting an incredibly efficient 57.8 percent from the field.
Players like Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and others have also left their fingerprints on Denver’s season.
The Nuggets have proven in recent years that they can carry over their regular-season success into the playoffs. Denver ended the 2022-23 campaign as the top seed in the West and then proceeded to cruise through the 2023 NBA Playoffs en route to its first championship in franchise history.
While the Nuggets don’t have a record that compares to Cleveland’s or Oklahoma City’s, they project to be a team to keep an eye on in the coming months as the race for the 2025 NBA title heats up. Windhorst may decide to make a fourth booking soon.
