When Warriors lost to the Clippers in game 7, our Coach was Mark Jackson and assistant coach Mike Malone. Clippers coaching staff Doc Rivers and Ty Lue. So could we say that, Mike Malone got his revenge against the Clippers?
Regarding Kawhi and the Clipps, I do think Kawhi is 'that guy', but just like Curry, 'that guy' doesn't win a ring every year. Even the Spurs didn't win a ring every year at their peak. It's tough to win it all and many aspects of the team must come together for it to happen.
Having said that, I loved seeing the Nuggets dismantle them. That is a fun team to watch and when you have a big guy like Jokic who is such a dominant part of their offense, it becomes a clinic watching the screens and passes that get executed so beautifully.
Does this mean that the Nuggets will beat the Lakers? Lakers have a lot of size to deal with Jokic. They also can play lock down defense when they have to. The will of Lebron is also a factor. I wouldn't bet against the Lakers, but I'd love to see Denver take them down. Jamal Murray has been brilliant. How can you not like this team. They've got heart.
My thoughts on Kawhi is how would he do on a Warrior team with the Splash Bros? He just seems like a gun for hire with his withdrawn and aloof personality. I don't think I would take a chance going after him. He has shown no loyalty to any team, so far.
I think that there are a lot of similarities with this Nugget team and the Warriors team that won it in 2015, and that is why I'm not as high on the Lakers in the WCF as some. The Nuggets have a team that's been gelling together for several years and got a taste of some success in the playoffs before getting defeated in the second round last year, just like the Dubs (technically the W's advanced to the second round 2 years before their championship but I think the comparison is still valid). Their superstar (Curry, Jokic) is not considered by the national media to be as good as other top-level players due to their size (too small, too fat) but has gotten better every year to the point that he can lay claim to the best in the NBA due to an elite skillset (shooting for Curry, passing for Jokic). They have talented partners who can take over a game with their shooting (Klay, Jamal) acquired savvy veteran forwards who bring toughness and playoff experience (Iguodala, Millsap), and have a deep supporting cast made up of both cheap, homegrown talent and smart trade acquisitions (not going to list all of these guys).
I know there are many differences too. Mike Malone has been the coach of the Nuggets for the last 5 years, unlike Kerr who was in his first season in 2015. Curry was a league MVP in 2015, whereas Jokic didn't play well enough early in the season to merit serious consideration for the award. The Nuggets are overall a younger team with less total playoff experience. I don't think there's a good comparison for MPJ on the Warriors (Green maybe as far as becoming a core player in 2014-15 but MPJ obviously has a much different game than Draymond). The 2015 Warriors did not have the 3-1 travails that the Nuggets had in their postseason run. However, in spite of all the differences there is something that came through in their wins over the Clips that reminded me a lot of what we saw from the Warriors in that magical postseason. I wouldn't want to root for the team playing them right now, even if that team has Lebron James.
The Nuggets beating the Clippers is one of the most surprising series outcomes I can remember.
Partially, because Kawhi is THAT GUY. He's proven he can deliver in the biggest moments.
It definitely makes you appreciate the Warriors run, and LeBron's as well.
One interesting note on Kawhi that I haven't heard mentioned yet. I'm not gonna say he's overrated. He's earned his stripes. BUT, there was some buzz last year like, "he's not going to be as good outside the Spurs system and Poppovich and then he quieted that obviously by winning a championship. He earned a ton of credit for being an instant championship maker, and it's why so many had the Clippers as the favorite to win it all. People were talking about how another title in LA would really make you think about where he lands amongst the all time greats. Well, now most people think Nurse is the heir to Pop as the best coach in the league. So, the first major flub of Kawhi's career comes the first year he's not playing for the best coach in the league. Just something to think about.
Sep 16, 2020Liked by punk basketball, Daniel Hardee
The mental aspect of sports continues to be underrated.
This year, the Denver Nuggets—especially Jokic and Murray, but the whole team—have proven that they have the grit, the fortitude, the determination to win. They have skills, too, but you can't be in the NBA playoffs without skills. But to win it? You need that X-factor. Call it guts, playoff intensity, whatever. Apparently not enough guys on the Clippers have that. And not just one guy, the team as a cohesive whole.
Take that other LA team: clearly, Rondo has it. Lebron, much as I hate to admit it, still has it. AD, we'll see.
James Harden? Russel Westbrook? The record is pretty clear on this one: HELLLLLL NO.
Also, that determination is something you can lose over time. IMO the 2018-19 Dubs were depleted mentally too. My guess is Livingston retired because he could knew he couldn't muster that level of effort night-in, night-out again. Winning takes it out of you because you have less to prove.
Oh yeah, and you can't discount the importance of continuity in making a good team. Denver's roster has been pretty similar for the last few years. LAC's two best players weren't on the team last year; that makes a huge difference. Then again, LAL has had about as much upheaval in their core players this year, so we'll see if they can overcome that.
Finally: it's fun to play up the differences in how good various teams are, but the reality is, the gap in team quality isn't as big as it seems sometimes. The worst teams in the league still manage to win about ¼ of their games. The best teams lose that many. And playoff series go to 7 about as often as they end in a sweep. (133 game 7's in NBA history; 176 sweeps including 2- and 3-game sweeps under old playoff formats).
It's a challenging, intense game, and all the more reason that consistent winning is so impressive.
When Warriors lost to the Clippers in game 7, our Coach was Mark Jackson and assistant coach Mike Malone. Clippers coaching staff Doc Rivers and Ty Lue. So could we say that, Mike Malone got his revenge against the Clippers?
Regarding Kawhi and the Clipps, I do think Kawhi is 'that guy', but just like Curry, 'that guy' doesn't win a ring every year. Even the Spurs didn't win a ring every year at their peak. It's tough to win it all and many aspects of the team must come together for it to happen.
Having said that, I loved seeing the Nuggets dismantle them. That is a fun team to watch and when you have a big guy like Jokic who is such a dominant part of their offense, it becomes a clinic watching the screens and passes that get executed so beautifully.
Does this mean that the Nuggets will beat the Lakers? Lakers have a lot of size to deal with Jokic. They also can play lock down defense when they have to. The will of Lebron is also a factor. I wouldn't bet against the Lakers, but I'd love to see Denver take them down. Jamal Murray has been brilliant. How can you not like this team. They've got heart.
My thoughts on Kawhi is how would he do on a Warrior team with the Splash Bros? He just seems like a gun for hire with his withdrawn and aloof personality. I don't think I would take a chance going after him. He has shown no loyalty to any team, so far.
I think that there are a lot of similarities with this Nugget team and the Warriors team that won it in 2015, and that is why I'm not as high on the Lakers in the WCF as some. The Nuggets have a team that's been gelling together for several years and got a taste of some success in the playoffs before getting defeated in the second round last year, just like the Dubs (technically the W's advanced to the second round 2 years before their championship but I think the comparison is still valid). Their superstar (Curry, Jokic) is not considered by the national media to be as good as other top-level players due to their size (too small, too fat) but has gotten better every year to the point that he can lay claim to the best in the NBA due to an elite skillset (shooting for Curry, passing for Jokic). They have talented partners who can take over a game with their shooting (Klay, Jamal) acquired savvy veteran forwards who bring toughness and playoff experience (Iguodala, Millsap), and have a deep supporting cast made up of both cheap, homegrown talent and smart trade acquisitions (not going to list all of these guys).
I know there are many differences too. Mike Malone has been the coach of the Nuggets for the last 5 years, unlike Kerr who was in his first season in 2015. Curry was a league MVP in 2015, whereas Jokic didn't play well enough early in the season to merit serious consideration for the award. The Nuggets are overall a younger team with less total playoff experience. I don't think there's a good comparison for MPJ on the Warriors (Green maybe as far as becoming a core player in 2014-15 but MPJ obviously has a much different game than Draymond). The 2015 Warriors did not have the 3-1 travails that the Nuggets had in their postseason run. However, in spite of all the differences there is something that came through in their wins over the Clips that reminded me a lot of what we saw from the Warriors in that magical postseason. I wouldn't want to root for the team playing them right now, even if that team has Lebron James.
The Nuggets beating the Clippers is one of the most surprising series outcomes I can remember.
Partially, because Kawhi is THAT GUY. He's proven he can deliver in the biggest moments.
It definitely makes you appreciate the Warriors run, and LeBron's as well.
One interesting note on Kawhi that I haven't heard mentioned yet. I'm not gonna say he's overrated. He's earned his stripes. BUT, there was some buzz last year like, "he's not going to be as good outside the Spurs system and Poppovich and then he quieted that obviously by winning a championship. He earned a ton of credit for being an instant championship maker, and it's why so many had the Clippers as the favorite to win it all. People were talking about how another title in LA would really make you think about where he lands amongst the all time greats. Well, now most people think Nurse is the heir to Pop as the best coach in the league. So, the first major flub of Kawhi's career comes the first year he's not playing for the best coach in the league. Just something to think about.
The mental aspect of sports continues to be underrated.
This year, the Denver Nuggets—especially Jokic and Murray, but the whole team—have proven that they have the grit, the fortitude, the determination to win. They have skills, too, but you can't be in the NBA playoffs without skills. But to win it? You need that X-factor. Call it guts, playoff intensity, whatever. Apparently not enough guys on the Clippers have that. And not just one guy, the team as a cohesive whole.
Take that other LA team: clearly, Rondo has it. Lebron, much as I hate to admit it, still has it. AD, we'll see.
James Harden? Russel Westbrook? The record is pretty clear on this one: HELLLLLL NO.
Also, that determination is something you can lose over time. IMO the 2018-19 Dubs were depleted mentally too. My guess is Livingston retired because he could knew he couldn't muster that level of effort night-in, night-out again. Winning takes it out of you because you have less to prove.
Oh yeah, and you can't discount the importance of continuity in making a good team. Denver's roster has been pretty similar for the last few years. LAC's two best players weren't on the team last year; that makes a huge difference. Then again, LAL has had about as much upheaval in their core players this year, so we'll see if they can overcome that.
Finally: it's fun to play up the differences in how good various teams are, but the reality is, the gap in team quality isn't as big as it seems sometimes. The worst teams in the league still manage to win about ¼ of their games. The best teams lose that many. And playoff series go to 7 about as often as they end in a sweep. (133 game 7's in NBA history; 176 sweeps including 2- and 3-game sweeps under old playoff formats).
It's a challenging, intense game, and all the more reason that consistent winning is so impressive.
Total fan service.
But since I'm a total fan, it works brilliantly. Loved every word. Well done, Daniel!
Curry and KD dancing is my mood right now.
Clippers needed to learn that championships aren’t won on paper.
The Lakers should not take the Nuggets lightly.
Daniel, Excellently put. But I think this should be a video like the "Harden's Rockets must be hungry after..." one. 👍
This is the finest headline in the illustrious history of this website. It has everything I like in it!
Thanks. I was already enjoying these results entirely too much before reading this article.