NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

June 9, 2023

Bruce Brown

Denver Nuggets

Game 4: Postgame

Denver Nuggets 108, Miami Heat 95

Q. Bruce, you scored 11 of your 21 in the fourth quarter. What are you guys thinking when Joker goes to the bench, and why did it not faze you guys tonight?

BRUCE BROWN: Really just be aggressive. We knew they were going to trap Jamal and try to get the ball out of his hands, so the other four players were going to have to make plays, and then luckily it was just my time in the fourth quarter.

Q. Bruce, you joined the team as one of the best cutters in the league, and the team is also putting the ball in your hands, you're initiating offense, you've grown as a spot-up shooter. Year to year you're always adding something to your game. How does it feel to have all that come together the way it has in the Finals and now you're one win shy of a title?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, it's been great. It just shows the work I've put in each offseason. Remember, when I first came in the league, I couldn't shoot. I wasn't confident shooting the ball at all. I was a mutt guy. They left me wide open and let me shoot. So that took a toll on my confidence, but it put a chip on my shoulder.

So I just got in the gym and worked, and now it's showing on the biggest stage.

Q. You guys spent a lot of time in that second unit with Aaron Gordon playing that small ball 5, doing a lot of different roles for you. You had 27 points tonight. What did you see out of him in his performance on big stage tonight?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, AG was being extremely aggressive. They were switching a smaller defender on him or in transition he had a smaller defender on him. Every time we want him to be aggressive. He will make plays for us. He'll make the right play every time, and tonight was his time to score, and he was hitting threes, so that was huge for us.

Q. Bruce, right at the end of the game you had the ball in an isolation situation and hit the pull-up three. Just want to know, that's been a part of your game that you haven't been able to show as much, but how does it feel to show it in the NBA Finals now?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, so I'd seen -- I was just reading the defense. Jimmy's strength, strong side corner, so if I drove, it was going to be a tough shot. The shot clock was already low.

But yeah, that's been my go-to move if I want a shot off the dribble my whole life. Once I seen him back up a little bit, I went for it.

Q. Bruce, was there an emphasis to kind of run the Heat shooters off the line, and more importantly stay home and not help so much on Jimmy's drives?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, they shoot the ball extremely well, especially Duncan, Strus, Gabe, K-Love and Caleb. So really just try to fan out when Jimmy is under the basket but still give help. But yeah, try to get them off the line.

Q. It seems like you guys have really mastered the cutting around the Jamal and Nikola two-man game. How critical has that been for you guys? Is that something the coaching staff has really harped on in this series?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, if they're going to send two to Jamal and then leave Jok open in the pocket, somebody has to step up. So basically it's a 3-on-2. So someone is going to be open. Usually since we have great shooters on this team, it's someone under the basket. So we just try to capitalize.

Q. What was the most challenging moment in this game for you?

BRUCE BROWN: I would say -- they kept going on runs to end the quarters. They were playing extremely well at the end of the quarters, so we had to fix that.

Q. Can you describe what it's like to do this on the road and silence a crowd on two consecutive NBA Finals games?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, it's great. I don't know if it's happened before or maybe it has. But it's great. We were focused. We were locked in. They won one on our floor, so now we've got to be focused for Game 5.

Q. Bruce, on that, you guys have won five straight road games. Haven't lost on the road in a month. What's been the mentality that you guys have been able to fight through some of this road chaos that makes it tough?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, we've just been extremely focused in practice, walk-throughs, shootarounds. Everybody has been locked in, going kind of game speed, just going through their plays. So we knew exactly what we needed to do, and we locked in.

Q. Those last nine minutes or so where Jokic was in foul trouble and had his fifth foul, how has the team progressed mentally when they know Jokic is going to be on the bench and you guys got to carry the load?

BRUCE BROWN: Yeah, I mean, not a lot of time but we've played without Jok. He sat out a few games earlier in the year, and then we knew they were going to try to get the ball out of Jamal's hands. For me, I knew it was my time to be aggressive and try to make plays, get to the rim. And if I don't have a shot, find my teammate.

Q. Your journey, a second-round and making it to this level. Are you pinching yourself at times that you're on this stage and you're flourishing?

BRUCE BROWN: No. I'm not thinking about it too much. I know coming into the league what I could do. It was just a team had to give me a chance, and Dwane Casey did. I started my rookie year, did very well. So I thank him for that, but now doing it on this stage, it's amazing. I'll think about it when we're done.