The Miami Heat just lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2023 NBA Finals. The Nuggets hosted the Heat for Game 1 of the seven-game series. They started it off on the right foot and have remained undefeated at home throughout the playoffs so far. With the Nuggets winning the first match, this former NBA star was forced to accept his mistake regarding Nikola Jokic and the rest of the squad. Yet, a 71-year-old Hall of Famer still chose to fire some shots.
The Denver Nuggets took Game 1 against the Miami Heat with a final score of 104-93. And despite a strong performance from Heat?s Bam Adebayo, the Nuggets’ victory compelled the NBA icon to issue a public retraction of his previous statement.
A veteran team member of Nikola Jokic strikes back
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The Denver Nuggets duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic did an amazing job holding off Jimmy Butler and the Heat. Both Nuggets stars went off for 25+point performances, setting the tone of the game from the very start.
Before tip-off took place, Boston Celtics legend Kendrick Perkins claimed that the Miami Heat will be the one coming out on top with a Game 1 victory. Unfortunately for Perkins, the Nuggets roster managed to embarrass him on live TV.
Heat Winning Game 1 tonight!!! Carry the hell on… pic.twitter.com/UxZ6Mg2A19
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 1, 2023
After the final buzzer ended, Perkins tweeted, ?Good Win for the Nuggets I was Wrong.. but the Series is far from over and I believe Spoe will make the necessary adjustments and his team looking different come Game 2. Carry the hell on??
When was the last time u were right, Perk? 😆 https://t.co/R3HOTQOzAu
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) June 2, 2023
This led 71-year-old veteran and former head coach George Karl to reply with, ?When was the last time u were right, Perk??
The Nuggets have not gotten enough recognition
Since the start of the playoffs, the Denver Nuggets have not been getting the recognition they deserve. When the Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns, the whole narrative was around the failure of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
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Michael Malone:
"If anybody is still talking about the Lakers in the NBA Finals, that's on them. They've gone fishing. We're still playing."
(h/t @ClutchPointsApp)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 26, 2023
Even when Denver took down the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets did not get enough respect as things started to revolve around what was next for LeBron James.?
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This led former head coach George Karl to stand up for his guys every now and then. He even went off on former NBA star J.R. Smith when Smith criticized Karl on a podcast. And with his savage reply to Perkins on social media, it looks like Karl may be taking things up a notch after all.