The Nuggets beat the Heat, 94-89, on Monday night in Denver to win their first NBA championship and silence their doubters forever.

Why it matters: The title ends Denver's 47-season wait for NBA glory. Add in their ABA years and the Nuggets played 56 seasons before winning it all.

• Now, they're the second Denver team to win a championship in as many years, joining the Avalanche, who last year hoisted the Stanley Cup.
• The list of NBA teams without a championship has been trimmed to 11: Clippers, Grizzlies, Hornets, Jazz, Magic, Nets, Pacers, Pelicans, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves.

The backdrop: The Nuggets were great during the regular season (fourth-best record in the league at 53-29) and flat-out dominant in the postseason, going 16-4 and losing just one of their final 11 games.

• Over the last 30 years, only the 2017 Warriors (16-1), 2001 Lakers (15-1), 1999 Spurs (15-2) and 1996 Bulls (15-3) had better playoff records.
• Denver lost just once at home during the playoffs, and three of their four Finals victories were by double digits.

⭐️ The star: Nikola Jokić was named Finals MVP after a remarkable series and playoffs that saw him become the first NBA player to ever lead all players in postseason points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190).

• The 28-year-old is a unicorn in every sense, from his on-court play to his off-court lifestyle: He has no social media and relatively few endorsement deals.
• He's also just a great human being: Jokić didn't start celebrating on Monday night until he sought out and shook the hand of every last Heat bench player.

What he's saying: "If you want to be a success, you need a couple years," Jokić said postgame. "You need to be bad, then you need to be good. Then when you're good you need to fail. And then when you fail, you're going to figure it out."

Quite the list: The Serbian superstar is one of just 11 NBA players with two MVPs and a Finals MVP, joining Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry and Tim Duncan.

The big picture: This is the first time in over 40 years — and just the sixth time ever — that the NBA will crown five different champions in five seasons (Nuggets, Warriors, Bucks, Lakers, Raptors).

• That suggests we've transitioned away from the dynasty era that defined the NBA for much of the 1990s and this century (think: Bulls, Lakers, Heat, Warriors).
• Yes, but: The Nuggets could bring us right back. With arguably the best player on the planet, a second superstar in Jamal Murray, and a deep supporting cast, Denver may just be getting started.

The last word: "I got news for everybody out there," Nuggets coach Michael Malone shouted as confetti swirled around him. "We're not satisfied with one! We want more! We want more!"

Notes:

• Champs at last: Ish Smith has played for a record 13 NBA teams. Jeff Green has played for 12 teams. They both just got their first ring.
• West is best: Since the end of the Bulls' dynasty in 1998, Western Conference teams are 17-8 in NBA Finals.
• Tweet of the night: "It must suck to be a Serbian dude nicknamed Joker who didn't win a championship this week." (@PabloTorre)
• Stan's on fire: Stan Kroenke-owned teams have won four championships in the past year and a half (Rams, Mammoth, Avalanche, Nuggets).

Go deeper:

• Read: The Nuggets have reached the NBA's summit (The Ringer)
• Watch: Nike's tribute to Nikola (Twitter)

Stanford and Tennessee won on Monday to secure the final two spots in the College World Series, which begins this Friday in Omaha, writes Axios' Jeff Tracy.

State of play: The eight-team field comprises five former champions (🏆), the top two national seeds and one of the lowest seeds to ever make the CWS.

• 🏆 No. 1 Wake Forest (52-10): The Demon Deacons are back for the first time since winning the 1955 title and are looking to join Miami in 1999 as the only No. 1 seeds to win it all since the tournament expanded to 64 teams (in 1999).
• 🏆 No. 2 Florida (50-15): The 2017 champions are making their 13th CWS appearance after sweeping No. 15 South Carolina in the super regionals — sweet revenge after the Gators lost all three regular-season games to the Gamecocks.
• 🏆 No. 5 LSU ( 48-15): The Tigers are the most successful program in the field. Their six titles — most recently in 2009 — are tied for the second-most ever behind USC's 12.
• 🏆 No. 7 Virginia (50-13): The 2015 champions are making their sixth appearance, all since 2009.
• 🏆 No. 8 Stanford (44-18): The two-time champs (1987-88) are making their third straight appearance after a heroic effort in Game 2 from LHP Quinn Mathews (16 strikeouts in a 156-pitch (!) complete game) and a wild walk-off win in Game 3.
• Oral Roberts (51-12): The Golden Eagles, back for the first time since 1978, are just the third regional No. 4 seed to ever make the CWS, joining 2008 Fresno State and 2012 Stony Brook.
• TCU (42-22): The Horned Frogs have won 11 straight games to reach their sixth CWS.
• Tennessee (43-20): The Vols are making their sixth appearance after shutting out Southern Miss in Monday's decisive Game 3.

How it works: The teams are split in two brackets, with each playing a mini double-elimination tournament to determine who advances to the best-of-three CWS Final.

• Bracket 1: Wake Forest, LSU, Stanford, Tennessee
• Bracket 2: Florida, Virginia, Oral Roberts, TCU

Manchester City celebrated their first Champions League title on Monday with a parade through Manchester, two days after beating Inter Milan, 1-0, to claim the elusive treble, Jeff writes.

The big picture: City are just the eighth club — and second from England — to win the continental treble, claiming titles in their domestic league and cup, plus the Champions League.

• 🇪🇸 Barcelona: 2009, 2015
• 🇩🇪 Bayern Munich: 2013, 2020
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Celtic: 1967
• 🇳🇱 Ajax: 1972
• 🇳🇱 PSV Eindhoven: 1988
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester United: 1999
• 🇮🇹 Inter Milan: 2010
• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City: 2023

More to come on Manchester City’s historic season — and their fascinating link to the NBA champion Nuggets — in tomorrow's newsletter.

⚽️ Mbappé wants out: A week after Lionel Messi's move to Miami, Kylian Mbappé has informed PSG that he won't renew his contract next summer. That could force the club to consider selling his rights now to avoid losing him for nothing next June.

🥎 Blockbuster transfer: Two-time All-American pitcher Jordy Bahl, who led Oklahoma to its historic three-peat, is transferring to Nebraska to "return home." The rising junior grew up less than an hour from Nebraska's campus.

⚾️ Reverse boycott: Athletics fans are staging a "Reverse Boycott" tonight at the Coliseum when the A's host the Rays — whom they beat Monday to extend their win streak to six! — as they fight to keep their team in Oakland.

🍿 Winning Time, S2: HBO's "Winning Time" will return for a second season in August. It picks up right after the 1980 finals and dives deeper into Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's era-defining rivalry.

Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. are their league's respective leading vote-getters in the first All-Star ballot update, released on Monday by MLB, Jeff writes.

American League:

• C: Adley Rutschman, BAL (460,496 votes); Jonah Heim, TEX (320,028)
• 1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR (545,976); Yandy Díaz, TB (533,179)
• 2B: Marcus Semien, TEX (707,712); José Altuve, HOU (363,013)
• 3B: Matt Chapman, TOR (475,322); Josh Jung, TEX (470,836)
• SS: Bo Bichette, TOR (775,221); Corey Seager, TEX (376,659)
• OF: Aaron Judge, NYY (844,965); Mike Trout, LAA (598,918); Yordan Alvarez, HOU (571,986); Randy Arozarena, TB (532,489); Kevin Kiermaier, TOR (322,341); Adolis García, TEX (300,968)
• DH: Ohtani, LAA (924,182); Brandon Belt, TOR (205,659)

National League:

• C: Sean Murphy, ATL (603,501); Will Smith, LAD (419,587)
• 1B: Freddie Freeman, LAD (775,503); Pete Alonso, NYM (377,749)
• 2B: Luis Arráez, MIA (509,092); Ozzie Albies, ATL (376,726)
• 3B: Nolan Arenado, STL (410,122); Austin Riley, ATL (368,044)
• SS: Orlando Arcia, ATL (406,509); Francisco Lindor, NYM (302,051)
• OF: Acuña, ATL (1,086,537); Mookie Betts, LAD (676,491); Lourdes Gurriel Jr., ARI (367,348); Juan Soto, SD (339,009); Corbin Carroll, ARI (232,565); Fernando Tatis Jr., SD (207,474)
• DH: J.D. Martinez, LAD (412,373); Bryce Harper, PHI (380,345)

How it works: The two league leaders at the end of Phase 1 (through June 22) will earn automatic starting spots. The top two at every other position (and top six in the outfield) move on to Phase 2 of voting to determine the rest of the starters. Pitchers are selected by managers.

🗳️ Vote here.

SEATTLE — Sue Bird watches her No. 10 jersey rise into the rafters during Sunday's emotional retirement ceremony.

PARIS — Japanese teenager Tokito Oda, 17, won Saturday's French Open wheelchair final to become the youngest male Grand Slam champion in any discipline.

PHOENIX — J.T. Realmuto hit for the cycle — the first Phillie to do so since 2004 and the first catcher to do so since 2011 — on a wild night in the desert.

SCARPERIA, Italy — The Frecce Tricolori (Italian Air Force) fly over the circuit ahead of the MotoGP Italian Grand Prix.

The Golden Knights host the Panthers tonight (8pm ET, TNT) with a chance to clinch their first Stanley Cup in just their sixth season.

• Why it matters: That would be the fastest an NHL expansion team has won the Stanley Cup in the modern era (since 1967), breaking the Flyers' record by one season (champs in 1974).
• The other side: Florida — looking to become just the second team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Stanley Cup Final — could be without star winger Matthew Tkachuk (injury).

More to watch:

• ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Mets (7:10pm, TBS) … Subway Series, baby!
• 🏀 WNBA: Mystics at Fever (7pm, Twitter); Dream at Liberty (8pm, CBSSN); Storm at Mercury (10pm, CBSSN)

Could you outrun a horse over 22 miles? An annual race in Wales attempts to answer that question, and for the second straight year, it was a resounding "Yes," Jeff writes.

Driving the news: Daniel Connolly won the 42nd annual man vs. horse marathon on Saturday, becoming the fourth human winner in the event's history.

• He finished the mountainous course in 2:24:38, beating the fastest horse by nearly 10 minutes.
• The event was founded in 1980 after pubgoers got into a debate about whether a man or horse would win a race.

Shane McClanahan is the first MLB pitcher to 10 wins this season, putting him on track to become the third Rays pitcher to lead the AL in wins.

• Question: Who were the first two?
• Hint: Both in the 2010s, and both won the Cy Young that season.

Answer at the bottom.

Source: Giphy

Back in April, Travis Kelce's first pitch at the Guardians game went horribly wrong. He made up for it on Monday, delivering a perfect strike.