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Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon blew a wide-open dunk in the third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Gordon, who is mostly known for his dunks, missed a sitter that would have tied the game at 62.
With around five minutes left in the third quarter, Nikola Jokic noticed that Gordon had a mismatch with Kyle Lowry so he threw an outlet pass to his teammate. Gordon tried an easy slam but missed it.
It could have also been called a foul on Lowry, who made contact with Gordon's legs during the dunk attempt. However, the referees didn't blow a foul and the game went on. The Miami Heat had a one-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
Here's the video of Gordon's missed dunk:
Aaron Gordon wins first NBA championship
Aaron Gordon finished the game with just seven points and four rebounds. Gordon was in foul trouble for most of the game, but made several huge defensive and hustle plays in the fourth quarter.
As the buzzer sounded in Game 5 on Monday, Gordon has finally won his first NBA championship. He went from a player with star potential for the Orlando Magic to a role player for the Nuggets.
It took a lot of sacrifices for Gordon to achieve his goal with the Nuggets. He had to change his game to perfectly complement Nikola Jokic. He became one of the best cutters in the league and deservedly earned a nice long-term deal with Denver last summer.
In his postgame interview, Gordon described what he felt after the final buzzer.
"It's straight joy, emotion, validation and just excitement," Gordon said. "Bruce (Brown) was talking earlier about how he was putting the work in. ... For it to all pay off and all comedown and be with the team. All the guys that you love, it's just emotional. Honestly, it's crazy."
How did the Nuggets acquire Aaron Gordon?
Aaron Gordon spent six and a half seasons with the Orlando Magic after they drafted him at No. 4 in 2014. Gordon spent the first two seasons of his career off the bench before his breakout campaign in 2016.
The Denver Nuggets acquired him via trade midway through the 2020-21 season. The Nuggets traded Gary Harris, R.J Hampton and a future first-round selection. It took about a year for Gordon to settle in Denver but it was worth it. He provided the much-need boost on both sides of the floor.
