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There’s a kill-or-be-killed, lose-and-you’re-gone shootout in the NBA’s wild Western Conference. The defending champions Denver Nuggets have been dragged into a mad and messy maulfest by a disrespecting young team from the Minnesota Timberwolves, with their 2nd round playoff series heading for a climactic Game 7.
The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of winning its first-ever NBA title! With 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic and his able partner, Jamal Murray, leading the way, the Nuggets are just 1 win away from the coveted crown. The Heat will have to find a solution to the Nuggets’ seemingly unstoppable 2-man game if they are to survive to fight another day.
In the battle between the well-rested against the well-tested, the fresh-as-daisies Denver Nuggets mowed down the fresh-from-mayhem Miami Heat to take Game 1 of this year’s NBA Finals 104-93. The Nuggets were coming from a 9-day lull in the cage wars as they upended the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 for the Western Conference title way back in May 22. The Heat, on the other hand, had to go through a wringer, having barely survived their physically, mentally and psychologically-draining duel with the equally tough-as-nails Boston Celtics 4-3 to win the Eastern Conference title.
This year’s playoff has been a total blast. Betting odds have gone awry, top teams have been disrespected. As the Chinese saying goes: we live in interesting times. Indeed, in this season’s basketball wars, it is moment-to-moment for all the surviving teams; with health, team chemistry and coaching creativity now playing major roles in the crucial days 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 to grab the NBA crown.
Overall, the key factors that will matter most in these last few games in the regular season will be: how the new players (Durant, Irving, Westbrook, etc) integrate into their new teams’ systems; how the injuries (Lebron, Durant, Zion, Towns, etc) affect their teams’ standings at the end of the season; and how other issues (Morant, Wiggins) pan out. We have here a long list of outstanding players. But do they fit in? Will they bring out the best out of the rest of the crew? Are they healthy enough – physically and mentally – for the rigors of the playoffs?
Color My World 