The Denver Nuggets slammed the Phoenix Suns and their dynamic duo of Devin and Durant 125-100 in Game 5 of their series to become the first team to reach the 3rd round of this year’s NBA playoffs. They now await the winner of that blockbuster match-up between the defending champs Golden State Warriors against the equally-illustrious and star-studded Los Angeles Lakers. The winner of the series will claim the NBA’s Western Conference title, and move on to the coveted 2023 NBA Finals.
This will be the first time for Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets to reach the conference finals since 2020 – in the ‘Bubble’ – and they hope that things will be more favorable to them this time. The Nuggets 2021 and 2022 seasons were marred by injuries to key players Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. This time, with both Murray and Porter healthy, and with the team bolstered by veterans Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Bruce Bowen Jr, the team looks much better prepared for the rigors of the playoffs.
Coach Mike Malone believes that the Nuggets’ time has finally come this year. He has built up a team that not only has a solid first five, they have a deep bench built precisely for a long post-season run. It was the lack of depth that ultimately shut the Suns down, and it will be the same problem for the Lakers or the Warriors, whoever survives their epic match-up. This version of the Nuggets are not just more experienced, they are also relatively younger and faster than either one of their would-be opponents. These, plus the homecourt advantage and the higher altitude in Denver, should give them a significant advantage come the Conference Finals.
Coach Malone emphasized that the team was not celebrating yet, as they are not satisfied with just a 2nd round win. The Nuggets are gunning for no less than the NBA title this time, and the rest of the crew – from Jokic to Murray down the line – are focused on preparing for the bigger battles ahead.
The Denver Nuggets have never won an NBA title before. They have reached the Conference Finals 5 times, the last one in the Bubble in 2020. This time, the Nuggets are aiming to go all the way.
Cover photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated. Other pics courtesy of Sporting News, Arizona Sports, The Ringer, The Denver Gazette, Covers.com, Fronteras Desk, DrafKing Nations, Action Network and Sportsnet. For a closer look, just click on the picks.
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Just watched the Lakers annihilate the Warriors and anticipating a great series. Good post, Charly.
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Annihilate. Perfect term, Don! That was total annihilation indeed.
Why do I feel like the Lakers are getting stronger each and every game? It seems that someone is there to step up everytime the opponent adjusts to the new threat, don’t you think?
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Yes, they have expanded their big guns to include more than just LaBron and Davis and are more fun to watch than Denver, but I’m not optimistic that they will move on from the West.
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the way things are moving this post-season, you never can tell. it seems like this is the year of the underdogs.
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