Denver Nuggets Getty 2023 NBA Champions Jamal Murray
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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

THE NBA CHAMPION DENVER NUGGETS

As the Nuggets rose from the NBA's glut of mediocrity to playoff contender, there were questions. Big, overarching questions.

Could Nikola Jokic, a plodding, athletically limited big man -- even with two MVP trophies and a historically elite offensive game -- really be the fulcrum of a title winner?

Could Jamal Murray, a streaky-shooting, score-first, defense-last point guard coming off a torn ACL, be a championship-caliber second star?

Could they find the right supporting pieces to accentuate the strengths of those two players and mask their weaknesses?

Could Michael Malone, previously dumped in the middle of his second season in Sacramento, elevate Denver from a promising young group to the league's best team?

The answer to those each of those questions is "yes," and emphatically so. Denver is atop the NBA mountain for the first time after winning an absolute rock fight of a Game 5, 94-89, over the Heat.

This is as much a story of reaching the top as it is of what it took to get there -- a true triumph of player development, determination and roster-building.

  • Jokic, drafted 41st overall in 2014, is the lowest-drafted player to win Finals MVP. Our Brad Botkin says he's the best value pick ever.
  • Murray tore his ACL in April 2021 and missed all of last season. He was understandably emotional after the final buzzer.
  • It was fitting that two offseason acquisitions -- Brown and Caldwell-Pope -- combined for the final six points. Add in 2021 trade acquisition Aaron Gordon and former first-rounder Michael Porter Jr. (who missed his entire first season with a back issue), and you get an outstanding, versatile top six players.
  • Rookie Christian Braun, who had several key moments, became the fifth player to win an NBA and NCAA title in back-to-back years.
  • Jeff Green rounded out the rotation and, in stark juxtaposition to Braun, won his first title after 15 seasons and 11 teams.

Another thing to keep in mind: Denver could bring most -- if not all -- of that group back. This could be just the start, says our James Herbert. In fact, the Nuggets are already 2024 title favorites.

But let's not go down that road just yet. Because in this moment, after 47 NBA seasons of ups and downs, the Nuggets are, at last, champions. They should have no critics left to answer, opines our Bill Reiter.

  • Reiter: "Nothing levels narratives and sets the truth in stone like a championship. And now, as champions, several facts -- some already true, others perhaps transformed by that strange magic of the Larry O'Brien Trophy -- will harden into widely-held beliefs."  

Honorable mentions

And not such a good morning for...

Miami Heat Getty Bam Adebayo Jimmy Butler
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THE MIAMI HEAT

The Heat finally went cold. After a run of terrific shooting, otherworldly Butler performances and "how do they keep doing this?" wins, Miami simply ran out of gas, ran out of answers and ran into a team it could not beat.

This game, though, was absolutely there for the taking. After a brutal three-plus quarters, Jimmy Butler caught fire with 13 points in a span of under three minutes. Then came an unsightly turnover and a bricked 3-pointer to seal Miami's fate. Ultimately, a team that barely made the playoffs due to an awful offense found incredible shooting touch for three rounds and then reverted to its regular-season self. The late-game offense epitomized that, writes our Jack Maloney.

Miami now enters an offseason full of questions, writes our Sam Quinn.

  • Quinn: "If this postseason proved anything, it's that the Heat can never really be ruled out of making a deep playoff run. They just came three games away from the championship, after all. But there isn't a clear path back to this spot, much less beyond it, for a Heat team that will have to spend an offseason grappling with the limitations of age, health and dollars on a roster that was flawed to begin with. They have a long way to go if they plan to close the three-game gap between themselves and the Larry O'Brien Trophy."

There's nothing for the Heat to be ashamed of. They became just the second No. 8 seed to make the NBA Finals. They were tougher, smarter and ultimately better than all but one team this postseason, and, unfortunately for them, that team was the one they met in the Finals.

Not so honorable mentions

Saquon Barkley to skip minicamp, consider holdout 🏈

Saquon Barkley Getty New York Giants
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The Giants are one of 21 teams holding their minicamp this week, but they'll be doing it without their biggest star. Saquon Barkley is skipping minicamp as he's yet to sign his franchise tender, and he's considering holding out if things don't head in a more positive direction.

  • The Giants franchise tagged Barkley, 26, (just over $10 million for 2023) in March, around the same time Daniel Jones got a four-year, $160 million deal.
  • Barkley said that there's "no rush" to get a deal done. The deadline for tagged players to agree to a contract extension is July 17. If there's no deal by that date, they can either sign the tag or hold out.
  • Barkley added "it's all about respect," when it comes to potentially holding out.

The Giants certainly should respect what Barkley did for them in 2022: 1,650 yards from scrimmage -- seventh in the league -- a Pro Bowl selection and third in Comeback Player of the Year voting. But respecting and paying are two different things. As we've seen with Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott and plenty of others, giving running backs a big second contract is risky business.

Here are more headlines from around the NFL:

U.S. Open groups, tee times, odds, top storylines, more ⛳

Brooks Koepka Getty 2023 U.S. Open
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With the golf world still trying to understand the stunning partnership between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour, the world's best are all in one place again as Los Angeles Country Club hosts the 123rd U.S. Open.

With the merger as a fascinating backdrop, we have plenty of intriguing groups for the first two days, including a Brooks Koepka/Hideki Matsuyama/Rory McIlroy threesome that includes one of LIV Golf's biggest advocates (Koepka) and its most outspoken critic (McIlroy). They tee off at 4:54 p.m. ET Thursday.

Here are some other notable groups:

  • 11:13 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Scottie Scheffler
  • 11:13 a.m. — Tony Finau, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay
  • 11:24 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm

Koepka is one of the top storylines of the tournament, and he has quite the opportunity ahead of him, writes our Kyle Porter.

  • Porter: "If Brooks wins this week, he will have reached Phil Mickelson's career major total (six) at an age (33 years, 1 month) at which Mickelson still had not won his first. This is extraordinary, and it might actually happen. Koepka won his fifth at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill last month, and he comes in with an astonishingly good U.S. Open record. From 2017-21, Koepka beat or tied 616 of a possible 620 opponents at U.S. Opens."

Koepka has the third-shortest odds to win, behind a couple of familiar faces.

Here's what else to know as U.S. Open week continues to pick up steam:

What we're watching Tuesday 📺

⚾ Yankees at Mets, 7:10 p.m. on TBS
🏒 Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Dream at Liberty, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Storm at Mercury, 10 p.m. on CBS Sports Network