![]() ![]() “The guy has won at every level, and here he is in the NBA Finals. "All year long the one thing I’ve talked about with Christian is that he’s a winner,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. Like on the court, he's been in the right place at the right time his whole life. I’ve been a part of some really good teams with really good coaches and really good players.” “It’s not necessarily an individual accomplishment. “Getting shut down, we feel like we were definitely held back from something,” said Braun, who helped Kansas win the national title two years later when he had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the Jayhawks’ 72-69 win over North Carolina in the national championship. Braun is two wins away from an incredible fifth championship in seven years.Īnd one of those years without a title came in 2020, when the pandemic shuttered sports and society at a time the Jayhawks were entering the NCAA tournament as the nation's No. Most rookies who cap their college careers with championships have to bide their time in the pros until it's, well, their time. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled again.īraun's remarkable resume includes three state championships at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas, and a national title with the Jayhawks last year. With Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray making history with the first dual triple-double in the NBA Finals, Braun scored 15 points in 19 minutes on a night starters Michael Porter Jr. He’s in the right place at the right time, and he’s been doing that all year.”īraun has a chance to become just the fifth player in NBA history to win an NBA title a year after winning the NCAA championship, joining Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson.īraun gave the Nuggets a much-needed lift in Denver’s Game 3 rout of the Heat. I say that because he’s always in the right spot. “That’s a rare rookie right here,” Aaron Gordon said. The 21st pick in the draft last summer, Braun has made the most of his minutes off the bench, sinking 10 of 12 shots, grabbing a half dozen rebounds and collecting four steals against the Miami Heat while giving teammates an extended breather. They trust me, and they put me in the right spots, and all I’ve got to do is lay a ball in and get a steal.DENVER - Denver Nuggets rookie Christian Braun is showing that the NBA Finals is not too big of a stage for him. ![]() “They don’t expect much from me on the offensive end, but expect me to go out there and give effort on defense, rebound, whatever it is, try to get extra possession for those guys to score. “I can’t really fail if I go out there and play hard,” said Braun. ![]() Braun, who played all 40 minutes in Kansas’ national championship win over North Carolina, downplayed the difficulty of his role as a rookie. The Nuggets are two wins away from making Braun the fifth player in basketball history to win the NBA Finals in the immediate year after winning the national title in college. He’s in the right place at the right time on the biggest stage, and now you guys are getting to see it.” READ MORE: Former Jayhawk, BVNW alum looking to join historic group in NBA Finals He’s in the right place at the right time, and he’s been doing that all year, he’s been doing that from day one, and nothing changes. I say that because he’s always been in the right spot. “He’s a very rare rookie,” Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon said. It was all a part of a 7-for-8 shooting performance for the Burlington, Kansas, native.Ĭhristian Braun scores 15 points (7-8 FG) off the bench as Denver wins Game 3!ĭEN/MIA Game 4: Friday, 8:30 PM ET on ABC /UrY4Al1Znc- NBA June 8, 2023īraun’s performance drew the admiration of his teammates and coaches after he followed up a 6-point, 3-rebound, 3-steal Game 2 with an even better Game 3. Even when he makes a mistake, it’s an aggressive mistake, so you cannot be mad at him.”Ī third-quarter stretch saw Braun cut to the rim for a layup, then moments later dart in front of a Heat pass to steal the ball and soar in for a thunderous dunk to give the Nuggets an 82-63 lead. “He’s a winner, and he won us the game, with energy, just the focus, the mindset. “I told him, you won us the game,” Jokic said of Braun after the two-time MVP put together a 32-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist performance, the first 30-20-10 game in NBA Finals history. The 6-foot-6 guard scored 15 points in Denver’s 109-94 win over the Miami Heat, helping the Nuggets take a 2-1 lead in the 2023 NBA Finals. MIAMI (KCTV) - In the midst of a historic Game 3 performance from the Denver Nuggets star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, a second-half spurt of play from rookie guard Christian Braun helped the Western Conference champions take control of the series.īraun, a national champion at Kansas and high school star at Overland Park’s Blue Valley Northwest High School, turned in his highest-scoring performance in the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday night. ![]()
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