Nikola Jokic would not be denied.

Not against the Heat’s vaunted defense, not against any remaining naysayers and not from spearheading the Nuggets’ first championship in franchise history.

A 56-year wait, including 47 years since entering the NBA, ended on Monday night. Jokic, once an obscure secondround pick, made sure of it. An ugly defensive battle turned beautiful for the champion Nuggets.

They knocked off the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Monday’s Game 5 to win the NBA Finals 4-1. Jokic poured in 28 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. His soft touch around the rim was unstoppable.

After the team stormed the court for the trophy presentation, a raucous “M-V-P” chant boomed throughout the lower bowl.

“We’re not satisfied with one,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone roared from the podium. An adoring Nuggets nation roared even louder.

Michael Porter Jr. added 16 and snatched 13 rebounds. Jamal Murray had 14 points.

Porter joked he could’ve scored two points, or even zero points, and it wouldn’t have mattered. He’s now an NBA champion.

“Can’t nobody tell me nothing,” Porter beamed.

Their defense, in the clutch, was tenacious. The Nuggets allowed only 18 points in the fourth quarter, swarming and swallowing any comeback attempt Miami tried. Aaron Gordon snuffed a Kyle Lowry jumper, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope jumped the passing lanes. Bruce Brown hounded and pounded the glass, including a clutch offensive rebound and putback with 1:30 remaining.

Jimmy Butler paced the Heat with 21, and Bam Adebayo added 20, but neither was particularly efficient. Jokic, on both ends, would not be denied.

“We believe in each other,” Jokic said from the postgame podium.

Those who bemoaned Denver’s path to a championship were grasping at straws. The Nuggets played — and steamrolled — their competition. Monday’s historic win gave them an unimpeachable playoff record of 16-4, including 10-1 in their last 11 games. It wasn’t their choice to face two No. 8 seeds (Timberwolves and Heat), a No. 7-seeded Lakers squad that was teeming with talent or a No. 4-seed Suns team that many pundits picked to advance anyway.

The beauty of a title is that they never have to apologize. As they say, banners hang forever.

Yes, the Nuggets were an offensive juggernaut, but their overlooked defense was equally important on their championship march. Entering Monday night’s clincher, they ranked fifth overall defensively among all playoff teams. When history looks back on their championship, it shouldn’t dismiss how suffocating their defense was, especially in the second half.

“I learned a lot about myself,” Murray said with tears welling in his eyes after the game, having returned this season from an ACL tear.

The energy changed in the third quarter. Knowing what was at stake, the Nuggets started hunting. Jokic became more assertive and sought to impose his physical edge on Miami’s paint. So did Porter and Gordon. It was an acknowledgment that the first half wasn’t close to adequate.

They ripped off a 16-9 run to start the second half that was capped with a Murray corner 3-pointer. It lit a delirious fuse under Ball Arena. From there, each possession felt like combat, with resistance and physicality intruding on all aesthetically pleasing aspects of the game. That is until Porter’s beautiful 3-point stroke arrived to Chopper Circle.

Porter drained a transition 3-pointer from the left wing that elicited a roar unlike any other basket until that moment. To that point, Denver was just 2 for 22 from 3, and he was 0 of 4. His basket felt like it lifted the weight of the world off the Nuggets’ shoulders. Down 71-70 heading into the fourth, the Nuggets had closed the gap and a championship was as close as it had ever been.

As David Thompson took the ceremonial first shot on Monday night, Malone was sure to pay homage to the foundational pieces that helped get them to the doorstep.

“I am thankful for Doug Moe and the guys that — players and coaches that were here in the past that have never gotten this far but I know are so proud of what we’ve achieved to this point,” Malone said. “So guys like … Dan Issel, Alex English, David Thompson, you can go on and on about naming all the guys that have worn this jersey or coached this team and done a hell of a job in doing so.”

He didn’t mention them, but Dikembe Mutombo and Carmelo Anthony deserved credit, too, for their indelible imprints on the franchise.

Heading into Monday’s potential closeout game, Malone told his team to envision a 3-1 deficit instead of a 3-1 edge. He wanted to tap into their desperation, urgency and hunger. He didn’t want them thinking anything had been accomplished.

“Our guys have shown just great focus and discipline throughout the entirety of these playoffs,” he said. “I think it’s 19 playoff games we’ve played, and from the lead-in week to the first round against Minnesota and throughout, and today, in our shootaround, our guys have been really locked in, focused. … As I told our team, right when we beat the Lakers, this is going to be the hardest thing that we have ever done.”

Even still, Malone did his best to keep the mood light.

Asked if he slept on Sunday night, Malone played one of his favorite hits.

“I slept like a baby,” he said. “I got up every two hours and cried.”

The Nuggets looked tense and uneasy in the first half, a stark contrast to how they’d played at home all season long. Within their 51-44 halftime deficit were 10 turnovers, including some unseemly and uncharacteristic mistakes from Jokic.

From the perimeter, they looked even more uncomfortable. Denver shot just 1 for 15 from the 3-point line in the first half. The lone make came from Jokic, who entered halftime with nine points and eight rebounds. The cold shooting seemed contagious, even from the foul line.

Foul trouble kept the Nuggets’ rotations in disarray. Gordon played just seven first-half minutes with three fouls. But Porter was among the bright spots. His incessant activity on the glass made up for his lack of 3-point shooting. Unsure of his jumper, Porter attacked the hoop with size and aggression.

He even threaded a couple dimes in transition.

To its credit, Miami seized on Denver’s lack of size. Adebayo pummeled the paint for 18 first-half points. His physicality, on a night when history was on the line, was an indictment on Denver’s resolve. For at least a half, Miami was the aggressor, intent on sending the series back to South Beach.

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