Nikola Jokic was looking for a way to describe the special atmosphere the Nuggets had in Game Three. It’s often great on its own. In this series against the Lakers, Jamal Murray certainly was. But Saturday was the Denver version of basketball that tickled the fancy of the world’s favorite point center.
the traffic. trust. Buckets from all angles. The compact ball that got them into the Western Conference class.
“I just like it because then you can see everyone moving,” he told reporters after the match. “I think it’s difficult to protect when passing the ball. … It is, I think, as I say, we are like poison.
“No poison.”
The word he was searching for was infectious. In fact, infection is a great way to describe the Nuggets’ performance in their 119-108 win over the Lakers in Game 3. And that’s what shone through when they dominated the Western Conference Finals.
But Venom might actually be the perfect word given the methodical way they destroy their opponents. They have an essence to them and it kills any idea of their own inferiority. Throughout the season, the Nuggets were ignored, with most deeming their continued edge untrustworthy. But what happened in Los Angeles was an aha moment, when a basketball nation realized Denver undoubtedly deserved it.
In hindsight, it should have known long ago. But the star is a great drug, and the NBA is raving. It is very easy to intoxicate one’s greatness.
But the Nuggets, man — as in The Heat — are a refreshing reminder. These tournaments are won by well-built, interconnected teams. This depth and alchemy is a sparkle treat. Triumphant seasons are always full of silly stories about unexpected moments and unknown stars.
Denver and Miami are heading into the NBA Finals because they are the best collegiate combos. Anti-super teams. The roster of stars sent home on the way to that match – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown – is proof that big talent isn’t enough.
The stars are definitely a requirement. No one shone brighter than Jokic and Jimmy Butler. Joki is drilled among the all-time greats, no matter what happens the rest of the way. But the teams prove that behind them, the spirit of the unit they lead, and the plans and adjustments of their coaches. Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Ja Morant went home early because they couldn’t overcome the shortcomings of their group.
The Lakers got this far because they learned their lesson and remade their team. Lured by supernatural drugs, they got Russell Westbrook before flirting with swapping him for Kyrie Irving. But they’re in the West Finals because they’ve instead taken a more holistic approach. The results are great considering it was renewed three months ago. But their season is about to end, because Denver is a better outfit.
These nuggets look the best a team In the league in the truest sense of the word. They have all the ingredients. They have arguably the best player in the league, and a superstar in Murray. They have complementary players who know their roles and enjoy fulfilling them. They have size, variety, experience, hunger, faith and sacrifice.
“We’re No. 1 in the West for a reason,” Kentavius Caldwell-Pope said in the postgame press after 17 points and two steals in just over 34 minutes. “I thought from the jump we could win the championship. That was everyone’s mentality. We knew how we could sit together and play together. … We’re the underdogs. We don’t get enough credit for what we do. Like I said, we’re No. 1 in the West for a reason.” What. It’s not being talked about much, we take it personally. We just use that energy, and keep proving everybody wrong.”
Arguably two of Game 3’s most important stretches, and arguably the Lakers’ most frustrating, were backed by the non-star Nuggets. They were the bridge between Murray’s explosive first half and the dominant near Joki. It was a display of excellence that Denver displayed all season but mostly missed.
The first came with 7:24 remaining in the third quarter. Jokic was whistled for his fourth foul. It seems, on every replay, that a suspicious call has been reported from across the court. The kind of misfortune that can magnify suspicion, it makes the team feel like the evening is against them. Murray had 30 in the first half, but after Anthony Davis split the free throws after Jokic’s fourth foul, the Lakers trailed only 68-64.
This was a danger zone for Denver. The Grizzlies and Warriors on this particular floor both came under similar pressure. For all the Hollywood glamor and environmental glamour, Crypto.com has grown into a fearsome movie for adversaries. In these encounters, the supporting cast stumble upon themselves like the participants in horror flicks. These little bits were evidence of carnage though. The sizable removal of general manager Calvin Booth, the continued zeal of head coach Michael Malone, prepared them for this. They were prepared in a way we should have known they would be.
In a moment of sheer defiance, Bruce Brown sprinted all the way to the rim before firing the ball back to Michael Porter Jr. for a three-pointer. This will be the subject of the second half. Whenever the Lakers make a push, get some momentum or gain an advantage, the deeper Denver makes it.
When Austin Reavis tied the game at 71 with a 3-pointer at the 5:25 mark, the Nuggets responded with the Browns getting an offensive rebound and returning it again. Caldwell Pope followed it up with a steal that quickly broke up Brown. The lead is back to four.
Davis turned inside, pulled the Lakers within two, then blocked a runner by Murray. But Aaron Gordon outlasted three Lakers for the offensive rebound. He kicked it to Jeff Green, who made an extra pass to Porter Jr. for the 3. Denver’s lead was brought back to 5.
Remember Joki was benched in bad trouble. Murray, after scoring 53 points along a three-quarter stretch, drew Steve Curry’s defense in the third quarter. Lakers coach Darvin Hamm had troublesome guard Dennis Schroeder face Murray everywhere he went, taking his eyes open on the perimeter and making him drive toward Davis. Murray went scoreless on five shots in the third quarter.
But this was not the end of Denver. Quite the opposite. This was the part in the heartwarming sports movie where inspirational violins sound as they rise to face adversity. Caldwell pop hits back-to-back harsh Jumping on Lonnie Walker IV, the Nuggets put seven. It wouldn’t hit the headlines, but it was more serious. In a season marked by the Nuggets’ struggles when Jokić sits out, “the others” have their chest out.
LeBron James hit three straight times to erase the Denver cushion. But they entered the fourth quarter with a lead. With the MVP sitting still, and their star chasing, the Nuggets have armed the Lakers hard. Denver survived and entered the fourth quarter leading.
“I mean, I never doubted my team,” Jokic told reporters. “I know they can. You see it in the third quarter…. We’ve got some really good players who can go forward at the right moment, and that’s what we did.”
It was the West Coast version of what we saw in Game 2 in the East Finals. Some of the most important moments as Miami played two games in Boston were putting together the pieces around Butler and Bam Adebayo. Caleb Martin has been cooking up the Celtics, keeping Miami tied. Duncan Robinson was ahead of all of the Celtics in the fourth quarter. It was Gabe Vincent who hit the flying dagger.
Game 3 for the Nuggets was as much about the support staff as it was about the stars. The most home runs the Lakers have allowed in these playoffs was 111, and that was in overtime against Memphis in the first round. The Warriors have never topped the 101st in this building.
But on Saturday night, they couldn’t stop the Nuggets. Denver hit from many areas. Porter Jr. scored 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes. Bruce Brown scored 15 points and five assists off the bench. Game 3 marked the third time in 14 playoff games the Nuggets totaled 30 assists. This was the first time that four players had at least five.
“I think it was the shots at the right time by the players in their innings,” said LeBron James. “The KCPs and Michael Porter Jrs. And Bruce Browns. Even Jeff (Green) hit a big shot in time today when we were kind of running around. I think it was the supporting cast who kind of shot that footage at the right time which allowed them to get the edge.”
That big shot by Jeff Green came in the crucial second. The Lakers led by one point after Rui Hachimura hit two free throws with 7:48 left in the game. This was another moment designed specifically to break Denver. Davis came back into the game, LeBron was rolling, and Schroeder was back pressing Murray all over. This was when the Lakers closed, it was time for them to come back in the series.
The Lakers defense, when it has its sights on a superstar, is pretty good at keeping him out. They have the pieces to focus on containing a dominant player and still have enough resistance to make it a worthwhile strategy. It worked wonders in the mid-season revival. So, going again, the Lakers endorsed anyone’s plan, except for the plan.
Jokic started to take over. Grab a clipboard and draw an outline of the Nuggets. He scored seven points in two minutes as he and Murray turned into a two-game game. There was no question of where Denver would go now, with just under eight minutes left in the game. When Joki went to work on Hachimura in the paint, Davis came up with the double team.
It wasn’t just a problem for Denver. Jokic kicked it to Brown, who pushed it into a corner where Green stood alone, given up by Davis. Green buried the third pointer to give the Nuggets the lead back.
The Lakers’ Walker tried to answer, but his 3 missed, sending the Nuggets to go. Porter got the ball on the left wing, Davis lost with a fake pump, and stepped in for a pull jump. Instead, he whipped the ball to the Browns at right corner for a 3-pointer. Lakers timeout.
The count went back to five, but the message delivered was larger. The nuggets weren’t going to wobble. Bringing out their stars wasn’t enough. They were built for this, and built for the long haul. They spend a season building a close friendship, fortified by notions of disrespect and insignificance. While the basketball world was exploding in debates about stars, legends, and legacies, the Nuggets were busy crafting a trophy-worthy squad. This was the fruit of their labor.
“Everyone realizes when we need something, we need a spark,” Murray told reporters. “It could be Joker, it could be me, it could be Bruce, Jeff on the bench. Whether it’s a stalking block or a charge or something. Everyone has something they can go in and influence the game with. And I thought tonight was Another example of everyone stepping up the right way.”
Green and Brown’s three-pointers started their campaign 13-0 to eliminate the Lakers, but all but their season-ending 11 were scored or made by Brown. Joki and Murray finished the job, scoring 15 of the Nuggets’ final 20 points. But they were only in a position to do so due to the completion of their unit. Yes, they have the superstars, but it’s beyond them that they’re so special. In the era of super teams, the Nuggets are on the cusp of the Finals because they have a great team.
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(Top photo: Keith Birmingham/Getty Images)