There’s a lot going on in the NBA right now.

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports’ daily electronic newsletter. Stay up to date with what’s happening in sports by subscribing here.

The Finals matchup is almost set, the best player in the world is having a historic postseason, one of the greatest of all time is contemplating retirement, and a couple of Canadians are making the headlines. Here’s what you should know:

The Denver Nuggets advanced to their first NBA Finals.

last night 113-111 win it gave Denver an impressive sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference title series and the first NBA Finals berth in franchise history.

The Nuggets’ playoff success isn’t exactly a surprise. They are the No. 1 seed in the West and have the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, who likely would have won his third straight MVP award this season if not for voter fatigue. But many pundits overlooked them and fell for flashier West contenders like Steph Curry’s defending champion Warriors, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker’s Suns and even LeBron James’ seventh-seeded Lakers, who caught fire at the end. it’s from the season. Instead, it’s the brutally efficient Nuggets who are left standing after going a combined 12-3 in their series against Minnesota, Phoenix and the Lakers.

Denver’s opponent for the Finals could be decided tonight as the Miami Heat look to complete a sweep of the defending Eastern champion Boston Celtics. Miami is the lowest-seeded team in the conference and came within one win of elimination in the play-in tournament, but fearless star Jimmy Butler has brought them to the brink of another upset after upsetting top-seeded Milwaukee in the first round.

Jokic is having a postseason for history.

One of the reasons people underestimate the Nuggets is that their MVP doesn’t look like an MVP. Jokic is a 6-foot-11, 284-pound Serbian center with a chunky physique, a serious buzz cut and a stern facial expression. At first glance, he evokes the kind of big heavy man who once roamed the NBA before the statistical revolution launched a thousand 3-pointers a game.

However, inside that bulky body lives the spirit of a base. Jokic isn’t just the best-passing big man in the NBA. He’s the best passer in the league, period. And he can score and rebound with the best of them. In the series clincher last night in Los Angeles, Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists for his eighth triple-double of the playoffs. That broke the record set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1967, and Jokic is now averaging 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists this postseason. There has simply never been a player like him.

Another fellow Canadian is doing great things.

Much like last year, when Andrew Wiggins emerged as the best player on the champion Warriors other than Steph Curry, Jamal Murray is playing a vital role for a title contender alongside Jokic. After a pair of 37-point performances against the Lakers, the 26-year-old point guard from Kitchener, Ontario is averaging 27.7 points and 6.1 assists per game in the playoffs.

Murray is also honing his reputation as a playoff player, first forged in the Disney bubble of 2020, where he had a pair of 50-point games and two games with at least 40 to help Denver reach the final four. Murray’s next two seasons were blighted by a knee injury, but he’s been dynamite in his hard-earned playoff return.

LeBron James says he could go.

Following last night’s loss to Denver, a devastated LeBron told reporters that he “has a lot to think about” regarding his future in basketball. He later clarified, according to ESPN, that he is thinking about retiring.

Perhaps we can chalk this up to LeBron becoming frustrated by the sweep and exhausted by an up-and-down season that saw him become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as the Lakers struggled, only to find his groove late in the season. season. James has been very vocal about his dream of one day playing alongside his oldest son, so it would be an odd decision to walk away just as Bronny is about to enter his first season of college basketball.

The threat of retirement could be a ploy for the Lakers to focus on improving their roster this summer, which would be classic LeBron. On the other hand, James is now 38 years old and has plenty of miles on him after more than 1,400 regular-season games and 10 trips to the Finals. So the tank might finally be empty for one of the most indestructible athletes we’ve ever seen.

Canada’s best basketball player is competing to coach his only NBA team.

According to reports yesterday, Steve Nash met with the Toronto Raptors about their vacant head coaching position. The two-time MVP has limited experience in the role, but he compiled a solid .584 winning percentage in his two-plus seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, where he had the unenviable task of managing cranky stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. .

Meanwhile, Nick Nurse, who was fired by the Raptors last month but remains the head coach of Canada’s men’s national team, is one of three finalists to take over in Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s team had the best record in the league this season before being defeated by Miami in the first round, resulting in Mike Budenholzer being fired. Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin is reportedly a finalist for the Milwaukee and Toronto jobs.