The Denver Nuggets were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs in a particularly painful manner this season.
After going down 0-2 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals, the Nuggets rallied to win three games in a row. Sure, they got smoked in Game 6, but then the Nuggets held a 20 point lead in Game 7, only to be outscored 60-32 down the stretch and get sent home for the summer.
The Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they would face the Dallas Mavericks, a mere stepping stone on the way to the title.
But that series has not gone according to plan at all.
The Mavericks are now up 3-0 as Luka Doncic has completely dominated the Wolves, and done what Nikola Jokic and company couldn’t quite finish.
And it has been fun for Nuggets fans to watch.
After seeing young Anthony Edwards being compared to Michael Jordan, it has been enjoyable to see him brought back down to earth. Dallas has held Ant to just 22 points per game, and exploited his lack of focus defensively.
After being abused by Karl Anthony-Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid, Nuggets Nation has been giggling at their struggles against Dallas.
Mile High Basketball fans have revelled in watching Doncic destroy Minnesota in crunch time, just as Jokic did a year ago.
That’s the good news.
The bad news is that the Nuggets were apparently not as close to a title as we had originally believed.
We thought the Nuggets just had to survive the Wolves and go win their title.
The truth is that the lack of rim protectors, the lack of a quality bench, and the lack of toughness from this team means they are not quite so close to another title.
The Nuggets played soft against Minnesota. They settled for jump shots instead of forcing their way into the paint. They gave up layups and dunks in transition because they didn’t hustle back on defense. They allowed offensive rebounds in crucial moments because they didn’t battle for them.
While they still came close to eliminating the Wolves, these flaws would have proved fatal against both Dallas and what will likely be the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Enjoy the beating that the Mavericks are giving Minnesota. Cheer for Luka and company to send them home for the summer.
Also know that the Nuggets have some problems that must be addressed, because they are wasting prime years for Jokic, the three time league Most Valuable Player.
The Nuggets front office needs to step up and get this roster some more depth, and head coach Mike Malone must get every ounce out of his roster.
The current Nuggets aren’t quite as close as we thought.
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