Wheeling, W. Va. - On Monday, the Denver Nuggets won the organization's first-ever NBA championship when they defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 in the Ball Center in Denver, Colorado. Although not on the winning side, Miami Heat player, and former Wheeling Men's Basketball player, Haywood Highsmith was making his debut in the NBA Finals. Across the five-game series, Highsmith would play 35 minutes of action, making him the first Cardinal to appear in a championship game of any of the four major sports leagues, MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL, in school history.
The Heat's run to the NBA Finals wouldn't come easy, as they had to not only go through the three normal rounds of the NBA Playoffs, but they would also have to win the play-in tournament to get into the NBA Playoff field. They dropped the opener of the tournament to the Atlanta Hawks 116-105 but bounced back with a 102-91 win to earn the #8 seed in the field. Things weren't about to get any easier, as they would face the #1 seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. However, Highsmith and the Heat were unfazed as they picked up a 3-1 series win to head to the NBA Quarterfinals.
They would have similar success against the #5 seeded New York Knicks, winning that series 3-1 as well, to earn a meeting with the #2 seeded Boston Celtics. Like they had throughout the playoffs, the Heat once again got out to a 3-1 series lead, but Boston would not go down quietly, they battled back to even the series at 3-3, before the Heat closed things out in game seven with a 103-84 win to make it to the NBA Finals. However, their magic would run out as they dropped the series to the Denver Nuggets 4-1 to finish as runners-up in the NBA. While not the outcome they wanted, it was a big opportunity for Highsmith to shine on the national stage.
He had been a big piece off the bench for the Heat throughout the playoffs, and he continued to sub in for big minutes in the NBA Finals. In total, he saw 35 minutes of action and put up 18 points and four rebounds while shooting and impressive 70% from the floor (7-10) and 50% from beyond the arc (2-4). His biggest showing of the Finals came in that first game, where he played 23 of his 35 minutes and scored all 18 of his points while grabbing two of his four rebounds. It was a strong NBA Final debut for the 27-year-old as he continues to solidify his spot on the Heat for years to come.
Highsmith got his first taste of the NBA playoffs a year ago as the Heat made it to the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the Boston Celtics. He appeared in eight games during that run, and more than doubled that this season with 18 games played in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. He totaled 60 points in those 18 games, averaging 3.3 points per game and averaging 1.3 rebounds per game. He is entering the final year of his three-year contract, which he signed back in 2021, and will become a Restricted Free Agent following the 2023-2024 season.
We congratulate Highsmith on his success on the court and thank him for his strong representation of the Wheeling University Community.
