2023-06-13 10:24:03
After 47 years of existence, the Denver Nuggets have finally won their first NBA title in history after a success last night in Game 5 of the Finals against the tough Miami Heat (94-89). All smiles and happy to become the second French-speaking African assistant coach to win the Larry O’Brien trophy, Boniface Ndong looks back on the match, and on the success of the team and stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
From our correspondent in New York,
RFI: The Nuggets won their first title in history, how do you feel?
Boniface Ndong: I’m super happy. We are champions! It’s an incredible feeling! We managed to conclude this series and finally bring back a title to Denver, which had been waiting for it for so long. We have the feeling of a job well done, of a job well done and we are all very happy with this marvelous accomplishment. It was a huge job, everyone was fully involved, and today, we are reaping the fruits of our labor. All that hard work pays off, and we’re going to savor this title as it should.
Personally, you are only the second African and French-speaking assistant coach to be NBA champion. What does this represent for you?
It’s an incredible fact, and I’m thinking of my country, because I carry Senegal in my heart and I’m proud to represent my country and make my compatriots proud. This NBA title is a big chance, it’s a huge satisfaction, and I know that getting there is very, very difficult, but I express my gratitude to the Nuggets and to the organization that allowed me to realize this dream. Congolese Patrick Mutombo, who was champion with the Toronto Raptors in 2016, made history, and we are also doing this for the whole continent, and showing our fellow Africans that anything is possible. I am proud to be an NBA champion, coming from Senegal, to be an NBA champion for Africa. We try to contribute to the history of African basketball in the best possible way.
To come back to game number 5, we felt the Nuggets tense, who played a little under pressure for long minutes…
Yes, we missed a lot of shots, a lot of three-point shots too, and it’s true that there was a little tension, pressure in the air because we wanted to win and finally end this series. When you get closer to the title, the emotions are at their highest, and you have to know how to manage them, even if it has not been easy. The role of executives, like Nikola Jokic who gave a big rant during a timeout, and veterans, like DeAndre Jordan on the bench, was important, because we were able to pull ourselves together and tighten the screw in defense in the final minutes. During the last minutes, such a tense duel is played on the management of emotions, and on this point, we were better than Miami.
Miami did not let go before the last 3 minutes, and the two teams engaged in a mano to mano of rare intensity. What was key in terms of play in the final minutes?
Our defense was flawless in the final minutes, and we forced Miami to make mistakes and take some tough shots. He only scores 89 points, which is very low for an NBA team, even more so in a Finals match, which means that we did a lot of work to protect our part of the field. The players had the fangs, and we fought everything in the battle to conclude the series and finally celebrate this first title.
The atmosphere in the room was crazy, noisy and we felt an unprecedented fervor for the team. How did you experience this atmosphere and this public support?
They’ve been awesome, and we’ve got the whole city behind us, the whole Denver side supporting us. You know, it’s not a big city, and we’ve never won a title, but they’ve always been there, our room is always full, and our fans are super loud. This is also one of the reasons why it is very difficult to come and fight at home! We have an exceptional atmosphere, the people and the State of Colorado are fully behind the team and we also owe them a lot. This title is also thanks to them, and for them. The parade will be gigantic, the whole city will be in the street, it will be spectacular!
Nikola Jokic, author of incredible playoffs and finals, continues with a new personal distinction with the title of MVP of the series…
He was monumental, he released performances that we had not seen since Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain and other Hakeem Olajuwon. Score more than 30 points on average, with more than 12 rebounds and ten assists, it’s just extraordinary. He once again made everyone agree, he justifies the two MVP titles he had for two years in a row, he dominated the series head and shoulders, a real boss. I’m very happy for him and putting out such a level of performance during the NBA finals is the hallmark of legends, very, very great champions.
The Nuggets had one of the best regular seasons in their history, and concluded with their first title. But even a few weeks back, the opinions weren’t exactly enthusiastic or very convinced about the possibility of seeing the Nuggets win a title. Does this give a special flavor to this title?
We believed in ourselves, we put ourselves in a favorable situation and we used this energy, this lack of media exposure or media recognition to continue working. We didn’t attract too much attention, we made our merry way, and here we are on the roof of the NBA (laughs). I think that makes things clear, and that even if the forecasts were only too rarely in our favor, we succeeded in our bet and we won the title, and that, no one can ever take that away from us. . We have our name on the list of NBA champions for eternity.
#Senegalese #Boniface #Ndong #victory #Denvers #incredible #feeling