Nuggets basketball
The Consistency of Champions: How the Denver Nuggets Learned to Win and Never Looked Back
NBASaturday, 09 March 2024 at 01:00
Denver Nuggets' title last year was an incredible one, but it feels like it was a bit underrated. They never missed an opportunity to close their series after the first round against the Timberwolves, which ended up being a gentlemens sweep. After that, Denver won when it was needed to, clearing all doubts and achieving the first championship in Nuggets history. Despite losing important players like Bruce Brown in the summer, the team managed to navigate through this season, quietly but firmly, winning. Now, they are just one win away from securing the top of their Conference.
The young guy
The team found in Peyton Watson a great replacement for both Bruce Brown and Jeff Green's departures. Watson is bigger, more athletic, a great defender and with a lot of potential on offense. Yesterday it showed. Peyton was huge on defense, having to deal with the best duo in the present NBA, Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown.
However, there's another duo that's been giving problems to their rivals for a while now, Nikola Jokic & Jamal Murray.
Joker & Jamal
Jokic is obviously Denver's best weapon, perhaps the world's best player, at least offensively. The Joker can cook any defender one-on-one, you need to throw at least two guys at him; his post moves are excellent, he clears the boards, he can shoot the ball efficiently and has a great touch near the basket. About his passing, he's the best in the NBA, simple as that. Did we mention he's clutch as well? Every time the money is on the line for Denver, the Joker delivers.
Now what about the combination of that power with a secondary weapon as Murray, who can go off anytime and scores consistantly with a variety of moves. Murray's dribbling skills and speed are off the charts, and when those two guys combine in that 2-man-game, there's no formula for stopping them.
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Jamal also loves the big stages, improving in the playoffs drastically all his major stats. Last season the canadian star averaged 20 points, 6.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds, but come playoff time he emerged with 26 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists, improving his shooting splits as well.
Cold blooded role players
The reigning champions have yet another simple but deadly play that has no answer right now. Jokic attacking the basket, collapsing defense and going for the alley-oop with Aaron Gordon. They repeat that play over and over and it never gets old. Gordon has found his place in the league and he's the perfect guy to occupy the dunker spot.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is cold blooded too, and a reliable perimeter defender. Michael Porter Jr is a fantastic shooter, with a hot hand a big frame that makes him very difficult to guard if he decides to attack the basket.
The bench players understand their role to perfection, bringing energy and determination, not being affraid of the moment.
Overall the work of Michael Malone and his coaching staff has been amazing as well, putting all the pieces together, developing chemistry and building an identity for this team.
The Nuggets are here to stay, they are unworried about doing more than they have to, and aware of exactly what each moment needs. They never needed a game 7 in their championship run. If anything they've gotten better now, they've learned how to win, they have nothing left to prove, it's the rest of the NBA teams who must do something to stop them.
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