Denver Won't Die

How the Nuggets forced a Game 7

Photo by Shubham Panwar on Unsplash

You’re gonna have to bury this team and bury them deep. You can’t shoo them away or deter them.

They don’t get down, and when they do, they kick and claw and come right back at you. You think the light is fading from their eyes, and instead, their hands are at your throat.

I still don’t know how Denver stole Game 1. I’ve rewatched the fourth five times and still don’t know how they did that.

Game 2 was OKC’s best punch.

Game 3 was Denver’s guerrilla warfare game. They just dodged around buildings and in forests, and then outflanked them in crunch time.

Game 4 and 5 were OKC’s wins by attrition. They just had more guys.

Game 6 was Denver’s bet punch. They got:

• A great Jokic game (29-14-8 on 9-of-14 from the field)

• A good Jamal game with the flu (25-8-7 on 9-of-19 from the field, five turnovers)

• Multiple bench contributors (JULIAN STRAWTHER WHO WE WILL COME BACK TO and Payton Watson)

• A game where they leveraged tactical advantage on OKC

THE LONG GAME

Fouls drawn by quarter:

1st: 5

2nd: 9

3rd: 2

4th: 9

After Russell Westbrook’s disaster to end the 1st quarter which sucked the life from the arena, the Thunder took a lead mid-second. But during that stretch, Aaron Gordon, Payton Watson, and Westbrook all drew fouls which got OKC into the bonus.

That meant that when Jokic re-entered, the Thunder had to be careful in guarding him, which let him attack more and opened up the lanes. It also got Jokic to the line for six free throws in that quarter.

All in all, Gordon, Watson, and Westbrook drew eight fouls on the Thunder, Murray drew seven, and Jokic drew eight.

OKC is a foul-heavy team; it’s easily their worst four-factors statistical profile. If you’re going to try and claw the ball away constantly, that’s the risk. With a different whistle, OKC might have come out ahead, but it cost them in this one.

The whistle might be different next game. That may not be a pathway to a win in Game 7. But it was in Game 6, and the Nuggets found it.

IT’S OWN THING

Adelman says all the time that “each game is its own thing.” It’s given him the freedom to change what his approach is from game to game.

Denver’s ability to do just that in these playoffs and in this series has been evident. I’ve long said on Locked on Nuggets that Denver’s best ability was to solve the problem in front of them. They solved the Clippers and they have solved the Thunder enough to force a Game 7.

Honestly, the most impressive thing from this series is that there’s only been one game like Game 2. OKC is so dangerous, goes on such explosive runs, and has so much talent 1-9 that I figured we’d have multiple OKC blowouts and maybe a few tight Denver wins.

But even with OKC winning several close games, those are where the Nuggets want this series. They’ve shifted the terrain to their land, to where they know the creeks and valleys. That’s a credit to them and Adelman.

Game 7 is more its own thing than any other game. Denver doesn’t have to win any of the other games in this series and how they played out. They just have to win this one.

JULIAN STRAWTHER, YOUNG MAN OF THE HOUR

MY TIME HAS COME.

I have held onto this Strawther stock all year. What always confused me was when people didn’t just focus on the poor regular-season defense, but the idea he also wasn’t a good offensive player.

He’s got a mean floater. His shot form suggests he’s going to be a good shooter. And he can dribble. A simple skill that’s pretty important!

It was shocking seeing how after Strawther scored his first two buckets, the Thunder started to get a little scrambled. They don’t have Strawther on the scouting report. You’d see Lu Dort a little uncertain of whether he needed to stay attached or help off.

And when Strawther had the ball, even on possessions where he didn’t score, he was probing. He was confident, looking to make something happen if the Thunder weren’t ready to commit what they needed to.

Folks asked me several times if Malone would have played Strawther in that spot. My response is “60-40 no.” I do think that Julian did the things that Malone has asked young players to do in order to earn minutes. That’s all it ever was with Malone. Do the things you need to, and you play.

But for Malone it likely would have been more about what Russ is owed and who he wants to trust most rather than a binary yes/no on trusting Straw.

Either way, it’s an incredible moment for Julian and it was electric being in the building for it.

AARON GORDON AND THE 2018 PARALLELS

In 2018, the Rockets had them. They had the Warriors. They had finally built the team they needed to get past the KD Warriors and that team was both running on fumes and pretty unhappy behind the scenes.

And then Chris Paul came up with a bad hamstring and that was it.

This feels a little like that.

Gordon has been diagnosed with a hamstring strain, per Shams. He’s going to be listed as questionable for Game 7.¹

I expect him to play, but he’s not going to be able to give much. It’s a brutal end for an incredible postseason for Gordon where he’s been the difference in both series with his rebounding, physicality, and three-point shooting.

They can win. But it’s going to be harder, as if this series has been a cakewalk to begin with.

KEYS TO GAME SEVEN

I hate “Keys to the Game” on the broadcast. It’s always the most obvious stuff, like..

• “Get off to a good start.” As if any team is like, “What we really want to do is go down 20 to start the game. That’s when we’re most comfortable.” ²

• “Control turnovers.” As if any team goes in like, “What we really want to do is give the ball to the other team, preferably in open court.”

… But also the Nuggets really need to control their turnovers. They don’t need to get off to a good start. OKC is likely to hit them hard up front; Denver needs to keep contact at the very least so they can close. They can come back from down double-digits. They can’t come back from down 30. ³

But the turnovers fuel easy buckets for OKC, and Denver’s been better at jamming OKC’s halfcourt offense.

If the Thunder force a lot of liveball turnovers, Denver’s unlikely to be able to generate good enough offense to survive.

This needs to be a Russ game, but that’s a tall order. If Westbrook has his moment, it’s going to be an incredible story and will go a long way to winning. But he’s gassed, that’s evident, and I think that adds to his mistake rate.

From there, Game 7’s are just about who hits shots. The Thunder will get guys open looks. Will they make them? If they don’t, Joker and Jamal can steal this. If they do, Denver’s likely too much behind the eight ball.

That’s sports.

We’ll see what happens in Game 7.

1. If you list him as doubtful and he plays, the league gets itchy. Doubtful is supposed to be a transitionary phase from out to questionable to in. Everyone’s questionable because you can be questionable all day and then be ruled in without the league sending a phone call.

2. Shout out Knicks.

3. I don’t think.