Fastbreak Podcast: Ben Stinar, Tom Brew Break Down NBA Finals, Pick Winner(s)
In this story:
The NBA Finals are finally here, starting on Thursday night in Denver. We have a matchup of the Denver Nuggets, the No. 1 seed in the West, and the Miami Heat, the No, 8 seed in the Eastern Conference that's had an amazing run through the playoffs.
Fastbreak on FanNation publisher Tom Brew and senior writer Ben Stiner sat down on Wednesday to break it all down. They talked Nuggets, and talked Heat. They broke down the superstars on each team, Denver's Nikola Jokic and Miami's Jimmy Butler.
And, most importantly, they made their picks on how is going to win the series. It's a wildly entertaining conversation because the two basketball writers are on opposite sides on this one.
Please give the 19-minute video podcast a watch. There's a lot of great information there. Here are the highlights:
Ben Stinar on the Nuggets
"A lot of us knew what Jokic could do, but man those role players have stepped up. Aaron Gordon has guarded everybody, and when he guards Jimmy Butler, that's going to be fun to watch. A lot of West Coast teams, there was always that cliche that they just run up the points. But the Nuggets, they just lock down on defense.''
Tom Brew on the Nuggets
"This is Nikola Jokic's time to shine on a national stage. 'If you doubt me, let me show you.' Their ability to close out games has been impressive. They are underrated defensively, especially down the stretch in games, and Jokic and Murray have been incredible, too. They are absolutely a one-two superstar punch. Jokic is an MVP for a reason.''
Ben Stinar on the Heat
"The role players, they can keep this up. Those undrafted players, like Spoelstra says, is let's move on from this narrative. It's not that they're lucky with what they're doing, they are expected to produce, and they are doing it. I'm excited to see how it plays out with Tyler Herro. I don't even know how they stop a guy like Jokic. He's super athletic, he's super smart. The one thing that's really fun to watch is Bam Adebayo, who's been called the best defensive center. That Jokic-Adebayo battle will be intense, especially when you mix in the Eric Spoelstra game-planning. The Spoelstra-Jokic matchup might be the best story line.
Tom Brew on the Heat
"They've beaten the No. 1 seeded Bucks, they beat the No. 2 seeded Celtics, they beat the Knicks, and this has not been a fluke. They've been that good. They've done very well without Tyler Herro, and maybe they get him back. You can never have too many good players on your roster in the Finals. And Bam just has to stay out of foul trouble. He has to be on the floor when Jokic is on the floor. If you try to double Jokic a lot, you're going to get burned somehow. Game 2 isn't until Sunday and that might help the Heat to get all the cooks in the kitchen and make adjustments in those two days.''
Ben Stinar's (Surprising) Finals Pick
"It's Jimmy year. I got Miami. My gut just tells me Jimmy Butler has been here, he knows what it's like to lose in the finals. I think he gets his this year and Jokic gets one in the next two or three years. I don't know if it's six games or seven or what, but I think the Heat get it done.
Tom Brew's (More Reasonable) Finals Pick
Hey' I'm writing the story, so I get to use the adjectives in the headlines. Jimmy Butler's run has been amazing, but the Nuggets, even as a No. 1 seed, are something of an underdog. They've never won an NBA title, never played in the Finals, haven't lost at home all year in the playoffs. I think it's the Nuggets and, surprisingly, I think it's going to be easy. I think it's Nuggets in five.
Watch the full podcast here
Complete 2023 NBA Finals Schedule
- GAME 1: Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets, Thursday (June 1), 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: ABC
- GAME 2: Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets, Sunday (June 4), 8 p.m. ET. TV: ABC
- GAME 3: Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, Wednesday (June 7), 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: ABC
- GAME 4: Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, Friday (June 9), 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: ABC
- GAME 5 (if neccesary): Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets, Monday (June 12), 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: ABC
- GAME 6 (if neccesary): Denver Nuggets at Miami Heat, Thursday (June 15), 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: ABC
- GAME 7 (if necessary): Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets, Sunday (June 18), 8 p.m. ET. TV: ABC
