Many NBA fans may not like it, but the Denver Nuggets are on their way to becoming the next NBA dynasty and Nikola Jokic is cementing his place as one of the greatest players in history. Midway through their first round match up with the Lakers, up 3-1, it’s difficult to see how any team wins four games versus Denver in a playoff series. During the regular season, Denver’s longest losing streak was 3 games and it only happened twice. They are the epitome of consistency and have a head coach in Mike Malone who can adapt in-game and knows how to win. Denver will more than likely represent the West in the NBA finals and regardless of who they face from the East, the Larry O’Brien trophy may be staying in the Mile High City.
At the forefront of Denver’s success is the best duo in the NBA right now, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. Murray had some injury concerns during the regular season but was able to come back just in time for the playoffs and if last year is anything to go by, Murray will enhance his game for playoff basketball. Murray averages 17.5 PPG, 4.5 APG and 3.7 RPG during the regular season as a Nugget, but in the playoffs, he turns into a different player averaging 24.8 PPG, 6.3 APG and 5.0 RPG. Murray is the definition of a playoff riser, and if you need more evidence, just watch his game-winner over Anthony Davis to win game 2 earlier this week. Jokic is comfortably the best player in the NBA right now and realistically should be on his way to winning three back-to-back MVPs if it wasn’t for last year's injustice. He, like Murray, averages more points, rebounds and assists in the playoffs and becomes impossible to guard as a point-center. The media may be bored of Jokic's domination, but they should get used to seeing Denver in the WCFs for years to come.
Outside of Murray and Jokic, Denver has an elite rotation of scorers and defenders and were one of the only teams to maintain their starting lineup from the previous season. Michael Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun and Peyton Watson all play pivotal roles for this squad. Porter Jr and Gordon are currently averaging over 18.0 PPG each in this year’s playoffs which is incredible output alongside Jokic and Murray. KCP provides the perfect blend of 3 and D and Jackson is an experienced point guard who can fill up the box score when Murray is resting. Perhaps the most exciting part of this year’s rotation is the increased roles for Braun and Watson. Both bring relentless energy on both ends and saw their minutes increase during the regular season as they earned Malone’s trust. They will play a pivotal role throughout the postseason as they fill in the minutes when Gordon, Porter Jr and KCP rest. Denver’s rotation only has one significant change from last year with the departure of Bruce Brown, but with Braun and Watson, it can be argued they are in an even better position.
When Denver closes out LA and advances, they will face Minnesota in the conference semifinals after they swept Phoenix last night. The Timberwolves will look to disrupt Denver with their size and defensive intensity which may mean increased minutes for Deandre Jordan as Towns, Gobert and Naz Reid play significant minutes. Minnesota will be Denver’s biggest challenge in the West and we can expect the series to go 6 or 7 games. The Timberwolves breezed past Phoenix but Denver will be a completely different challenge and one that will be too much to overcome. Denver has been here before and from what we have seen this season it seems highly unlikely that a team can beat them over a 7-game series. Edwards has proven he is a superstar in the NBA but will be faced with a significantly more challenging defensive presence. OKC will be the likely conference finals opponent, a matchup that Denver will take advantage of facing a young, inexperienced team. Whether it’s Boston, New York, Milwaukee or anyone else from the East, Denver should be able to dispatch them over a series. Boston presents the biggest challenge with their stacked roster but it comes back to the same point, teams can pick up a game or two during the series but winning four games against this team is a steep task.
Some NBA fans may not like it, but the reality is that Jokic has been the best player in the NBA over the last few seasons and the Denver Nuggets are a dynasty in waiting. If they win back-to-back championships this year, we will be on our way to witnessing another Western Conference dynasty take control of the NBA and potentially rival the Golden State Warriors for the greatest dynasty in the modern era.
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