Brian Windhorst thinks NO ONE is getting close to the Nuggets in the West?! | The Hoop Collective

Brian Windhorst thinks NO ONE is getting close to the Nuggets in the West?! | The Hoop Collective

But the game could have gone either way and I think the Lakers were even ahead um with maybe about five minutes left in the game if at the very least it was it was tied and uh cavius cwell Pope was out for the game games in La um and the Nuggets just

Were like yeah we’re gonna win it now and made like seven or eight consecutive plays at both ends without raising their pulse took the Lakers down to their knees and left them at the side of the road and you know ended up being I think a nine-point game but it really doesn’t

Matter could have been 12 could have been 14 just totally dominated it and it was so reminiscent of last year’s playoff series in the Western Conference Finals where the Lakers like looked like they were in good shape over and over and the Nuggets were like we’re just

Better than you the bronze broom series baby most competitive sweep in NBA history is my man Brian vindy vinor this one was very competitive but it left 0.0 Z doubt about who the better team was and look the Lakers are in ninth place or whatever it’s not like it was in doubt

Going into it but like watching the I mean look in this game Michael Porter Jr Goes 10 of 10 from the field 10 of 10 and you know you’re watching Aaron Gordon who made several uh uh back cut dunks down the stretch of the game including one with you know with like

About a minute to go where the Lakers defended jic like perfectly and it looked to all the world like he was shooting it but no he was setting up Gordon for a dunk and the dagger you say to yourself how can you possibly let Aron Gordon who

Has I haven’t looked this up but something like probably 112 lob dunks from jic this year how can you let him do that how can you let him do it okay what how are you gonna guard yic oneon-one and if you if you send two and

Then you rotate a guy to to Gordon on the back is Michael Porter Jr it’s a math problem I’m watching this going nobody’s touching these boys four out of seven in the west probably not and they was a Lakers lead a two-point lead with less than four minutes remaining okay four

Aaron Gordon hits the go-ahead three which was a by the way right with kyp out and then it’s a h 16 to4 run that starts a 16 to4 run to end the game and obviously Joker’s got his fingerprints all over Jamal Murray who’s one of the great

Clutch shop makers in the league has his fingerprints all over like how do you let Aaron Gordon you know cut for a a lob because Joker’s got 35 points efficiently and you’ve got no answers for how to stop him and he’s lumbering down the lane for what looks like

Another layup and you’re so worried about that that stuff happens and dude Anthony Davis is a top three big man defender in the NBA and there might be people who are upset that I I said top three he’s Elite he has no chance against Joker he couldn’t do anything

With him in the finals couldn’t do anything with him the other night and again we’ve talked about this I don’t see anybody in the league who does have a chance to stop Joker and that’s why I think the only way you beat the Nuggets in the playoffs if they are healthy is

If you outscore them you’re going to have to put some a bunch of points on the board to have a chance to beat the Nuggets because good luck uh stopping them I mean couple things one with Anthony Davis I think actually it it’s way more important for him offensively

To have a good game against joic than defensively you’re not going to stop Joker but what you can do is get him into foul trouble and I just I think Davis is one of the few big men in the league that is capable of doing that but

He just you know he’s got to apply himself way more than 17 points against jic it’s got it’s got to be way more impactful that number two I would say um it with the with the Nuggets now it’s come down to little things I think that

They can find motivation in and have you noticed this season when the Nuggets play the Lakers I think the Nuggets beat the Lakers on opening night which of course they were pretty motivated after hearing Anthony Davis talk about them in the pre-season okay uh then I think they

Played in La again was it Kobe statue night I believe it was Kobe statue night and I’m sure the Nuggets were looking to spoil that night and what happens last night it was about LeBron right 40K baby net definitely gave him his moment and then they spoiled that so I think the

Next time the Lakers play the Nuggets next season it should really be a dull night that is no giveaway or nothing okay and the other thing too I would say is you also saw who was in the house last night it Novak jokovic was in the

House and I don’t think Joker is going to have a bad game in front of him pretty much a bad game but I think he was motivated to play well in front of you know arguably tennis’s greatest player of all time well and arguably the best Serbian athlete of all

Time and I say arguably um I’m sure I might be leaving some serbians out I can’t claim to be that version the uh their history but Joker’s got a pretty good chance to establish himself at the top of that list man yeah uh you know after I think

It was don’t hold me this 100% but I’m pretty sure it was right after after the ER Gordon dunk there was a shot of the Nuggets bench and Michael Malone had turned and was headed back to the bench clapping he was gonna go sit down almost almost like a red hour Box Cigar

Oh yeah my work is done here guys all right when’s the bus leaving yeah keep talking about the Lakers all we’re g to do is win the West they they have a certain Swagger when it comes to both la teams but the Lakers man that is a team

That they will they never have a shortage of inspiration and motivation to play those guys I think you saw last night Jamal Murray it look you he he loves taking the air out of that building he absolutely does and I think that there was a video afterwards you

Know there’s always a social video from the Nuggets of um Malone kind of giving out the you know the defensive belt of the night for the defensive player but then he goes over the statistics to the guys and he points out guys that play well and obviously point out Michael

Porter Jr 10 for 10 who’s been playing great of late and then Jamal Murray says you know 2411 and six and Jamal Murray acts like he didn’t know his stats especially the 11 assists and he goes and then he starts tapping himself on the back of the shoulder for a good job

So uh they they get up for these I mean look I think they might have gotten a little bored probably and they were a little banged up before the All-Star break and now they’re on a tear and I think you know obviously there was a a I

Think uh Joker had said he texted his teammates or kcp had said Joker had sent a text to them to say get ready we’re let’s get ready this is the stretch run now let’s win it again and they are motivated and fired up to do that yeah

They have won six in a row and yeah they they they stumbled into the break uh probably kind of you know we’re looking forward to Cabo or whatever having lost their last three games they haven’t lost coming out of the break six in a row and

Lo and behold as we pod right right now they’re in a three-way tie for first place in the Western Conference and you talk about searching for motivation hey uh homec court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs when you play in the mile high city is pretty good motivation when when you’re a team

That went undefeated through the West at home last year in the playoffs speaking of cabba where’s Bond temps this weekend I it’s one of those one of those cities where they uh serve Pacifico and you go out on fancy boat rides with the beautiful sunset

I just know Bon is out of the country and listen I’ll say this not Canada I respect this every single picture I’ve seen on his wife’s Instagram of bontemps now he did have a little RJ Richard Jefferson Vibe going with like three or four buttons on button but that’s gross

Man I know he said he said he was he was dressed by wa wait Bon Temps is on vacation right now like a family a family wedding but no no Bon Temps had two Pacifico in hand in every single picture that I saw two okay double you can respect

Yes does it’s it’s good times I don’t know how do you say times in espanol veses veses well is any is anybody willing to take a bet with me do you think he did not watch a minute of Celtics Warriors from wherever he was at

Oh there’s no chance B hey hey look look at this look at those guys look at this guys he’s got it on his phone he was not watching it because we’re going to talk about Tas Warriors in a second but um yeah ‘s like bonds was on vacation as

He’s in as he’s in Vegas um yeah right this is hey this is a little you know this is a one day trip it’s just a one day trip all right I got you you didn’t cancel on us so I appreciate that um so look guys I I got hotel reservations in

Denver for the finals I’m not just saying that figuratively I got them okay and I do this every year about January I put I pick my my teams you know I know the finals dates I don’t want to have to worry about booking the the uh the the

The rooms when everybody else trying to book them I gota you know when the finals get set I got I’m working like 20 hours a [Applause] Day

On The Hoop Collective, Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon and Ohm Youngmisuk talk through how the Denver Nuggets look like an NBA Title team again.

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