Does the Blazers comeback prove the Nuggets are contenders again?

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DNVR Denver Nuggets Podcast 5 min 2 speakers 7 chapters transcribed 5 months ago
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What were the significant moments in the Nuggets' comeback win against the Blazers?

Adam Mares 0:00
Let's go to the other game I want to talk about real quick, which is the Nuggets getting a comeback win over the Blazers. Listen to this, Waz. 137-132, game went to overtime. Two straight games, Denver goes to overtime. Denver got outscored by 39 points from the three-point line. The Blazers set a franchise record, not a season record, a franchise record 25 made threes on 48% shooting. They outscored Denver from the free throw line, and yet Denver still gets the win. And it's because their offense right now in the fourth quarter, two games in a row, does not miss. They were down, I think, 18 points in the fourth. And when it came down to clutch time, Denver scored every time down court. It goes to overtime every single time down.
Adam Mares 0:42
I haven't believed in Denver all year. I believed in them a lot coming in. It's been a weird one. Injuries.

How does Aaron Gordon's health affect the Nuggets' championship potential?

Adam Mares 0:47
You've been texting me telling me to act like a man, basically. That's what you're saying. I get a text. I'm like, all right, man. Chill. But... The reason is because in the clutch this year, and some of it's been injury, this is what Denver is. They just, when it's time to go, they go. And Denver has hit the Nas button a couple times in the middle of the year, and it didn't fire. And so I'm like, I don't know, maybe something's up. But here we are at the end of the year, and when it comes to clutch time right now, I just am like, they're going to score every time. So if they're within six points, game's over.
Big Wos 1:15
Yeah, again, Denver's offense to me is just metronome-like. And, you know, it's crazy because... All this MVP chatter and, you know, obviously I think Shea's the MVP.

What does Denver's clutch performance reveal about their offense?

Big Wos 1:28
I think the Wemby thing was a bit overstated. Just a little bit. Not crazy, but just a little overstated. But the reality is, Adam, before Jokic, somebody crashed into his freaking leg. He was having the best offensive season in the history of our lives. In the history of the sport. Y'all can go look that up. This guy was having... for two and a half months, the best offensive season ever in NBA history. That's what he was doing. And then he got hurt. And I think when he came back, he just wasn't as good. Again, the level being the stratosphere, right? And so I think he's coming back to being closer to that, though, now. Whereas, like,

How do injuries impact the Nuggets' overall performance this season?

Big Wos 2:17
I think they were playing Utah, man. Utah turned Jokic over into double digits. And I was like, come on, man. What the hell is going on out here? Because, you know, and I watched you guys on All-NBA talk about the Spurs game where it's like they're playing either the best or the second best defense in the NBA. Jokic has zero turnovers. So that's what I mean, like. Look, I like Will Hardy. I like Utah's pieces. They should never turn Nikola Jokic over 10 times. That's not a thing. And so, yeah, I'll never stop believing in the Nuggets offense. Like, that's just, to me, it's just a fact of life. They're going to be excellent against whoever the opponent is. To me, it's the defense, man.

What is the significance of Jokic's offensive season in NBA history?

Big Wos 2:59
Can you be, like, adequate? We're not asking you to be world beaters. Be adequate. And we've seen it in moments. They can dial it up to be adequate enough. It just felt like, you know, for a month and change stretch with Jokic where guys were just attacking him. And it was just like he just clearly was not going to put extra effort into whatever. It's just like, all right, man, I'm going to concede a shot. And y'all figure it out.
Adam Mares 3:26
Yeah. To me, it comes down to Aaron Gordon's health. And he's still on a minute restriction. When you throw Jokic, Murray, and Aaron Gordon on the court together, right now they're a plus 20 net rating on the season. On a pretty good sample size. And I'm just looking at that, and I'm like, that's the Nuggets.

How do the Nuggets compare to other top teams in the league?

Adam Mares 3:42
Those three just haven't been together as much as usually, and that's really the difference. But when they are together... All boxes are checked. Like, you could put almost any other spare parts around it, but all boxes are checked. AG had three clutch threes last night in the game. His best comp to me is Andre Iguodala. Not because they play the same style.

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