With the NBA finals starting June 2, the Conference Final matches, beginning on May 17, are wrapping up. 

In the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets competed with the Los Angeles Lakers while the Miami Heat played the Boston Celtics in the East. The third round displayed key performances from both starting and bench players. 

The Nuggets series ended in only four games, leaving many fans disappointed. 

“The Nuggets sweeping the Lakers came as a surprise because Lebron James and Anthony Davis failed to perform like a superstar,” William Park (9), a Lebron fan, said. “Even though the loss can be attributed to the Lakers’ poor performance, the Nuggets also impressed me. Jokic almost averaged a triple-double, impacting all aspects of the game.”

A key role player on the Nuggets was Aaron Gordon. As a power forward, Gordon finished with 22 points in the closing game four, while defending well. 

In the final game, Lebron played his superstar role, finishing with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Despite this performance, the Lakers were overshadowed by the Nuggets, failing to secure a single victory in the series. 

In the Heat-Celtics matchup, analysts heavily favored the Celtics, arguing that the Heat only have a three percent chance of victory. However, the first three games were a complete victory for the Heat. 

Jimmy Butler, the Heat’s star forward, had impressive performances, scoring 35 points in game one. 

Along with Butler, Gabe Vincent, Heat’s guard, had impactful games. To extend Heat’s lead in game three, Vincent had 29 points. 

After game three, public opinion suggested a Heat series victory, but the Celtics came back, winning the following three games. 

 “The series seemed over until the Celtics took game four, five, and six,” Andrew Kim (10), JV basketball player, said. “In game six Derick White’s last-second put-back layup shocked me. The Celtics players, while being inconsistent, showed strong performances. Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart gave full efforts on offense and defense.”

Game seven of this series is scheduled for May 29. This game has been much anticipated as no team has ever come back down from a 3-0 lead in NBA history.