The Denver Nuggets were oh so close... or were they?
A week after witnessing the Nuggets humbled by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver fans are now watching four teams with a lot of youth and little championship experience duke it out in the Conference Finals.
For some, it's easy to wonder if Denver and Oklahoma's second-round series was the "real" NBA Finals. After all, Denver has the best player in the NBA, and the Thunder are a historically dominant team with this year's MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
So what if Denver had beaten Oklahoma City? Would they have been the overwhelming favorites to hoist their second title in three years? While it may seem like that should be the case, especially had they beaten a 68-win team, last night proved that this line of thinking is nothing but fool's gold.
Minnesota's monster performance proves they would've also beaten Denver
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After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals, a lot of people prematurely assumed that the one-seed Thunder would roll to the NBA Finals, and that the Minnesota Timberwolves were dead. Big mistake.
Minnesota demolished Oklahoma City in Game 3 by a whopping 42 points and held Gilgeous-Alexander to only 14 points. The Thunder remain in control of the series, and I still like their chances even if Minnesota takes Game 4.
But while watching the dynamic Anthony Edwards slither to the rim with ease while the Timberwolves' role players drained three-point shots and played hellacious defense, I came to the following conclusion: Had they advanced, Denver wasn't beating this Minnesota team, and you can't tell me otherwise.
Coming off back-to-back seven-game series, Denver would've been running on fumes against a rested Timberwolves team that is more athletic, more spry, and healthier. And, oh yeah, Minnesota has their number. Dating back to last year's playoffs, the Timberwolves have won 6 in a row against Denver, including miraculously winning a game where Jokic had a 61-point triple-double. There are a lot of reasons why the matchups wouldn't have been kind for a battered Nuggets squad.
Aaron Gordon had the postseason of his life, hitting clutch shot after clutch shot, and he continually showed how valuable he is to this team. But Mr. Nugget, who valiantly risked his body in Game 7 by playing through a Grade 2 hamstring strain, wouldn't have stood a chance against the Timberwolves' wrecking ball, Julius Randle. Randle would've abused the injured Gordon, and Denver doesn't have another player on the roster with the size and speed to stop him.
Additionally, the Timberwolves have repeatedly proven to be a horrendous matchup for Michael Porter Jr., who has struggled in the past against their rugged defense and size. Now, imagine an injured Porter trying to grab rebounds with one arm against Randle, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert.
Jamal Murray would have gotten hounded by Jaden McDaniels, Neil Alexander Walker, and Ant, and Minnesota would have exploited Denver's lack of off-the-dribble shot creation outside of Murray and Nikola Jokic, just as OKC did. Jokic, who would be dealing with Minnesota's trio of bigs while getting spammed with double and triple teams, has also had a tough time with the T-Wolves in the past.
The final nail in the coffin would be Denver's horrendous depth. Minnesota's bench boasts the likes of Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, which blows Denver's inferior rotation of Russell Westbrook, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther out of the water.
This wasn't Denver's year
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Considering the late-season firings of Michael Malone and Calvin Booth, brutal injury luck, and their flawed roster construction, it wouldn't have been surprising to see Denver lose in the play-in as the regular season came to a close. Luckily, David Adelman pressed all the right buttons and was able to squeeze all the remaining juice out of Denver's season.
Adelman's job as the interim was admirable, and he earned the full-time job by upsetting a more complete Clippers team and pushing the historically great Thunder to the brink.
Still, don't be fooled. The hungry Minnesota Timberwolves would've been licking their lips to feast on a Nuggets team that would've been nothing more than injured, exhausted prey.