Nuggets postseason expectations, concerns for Boston & Ja Morant’s possible return | Hoop Collective
Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry and Andscape’s Marc J. Spears to discuss if the Nuggets’ clutch numbers in the regular season will translate to the postseason, if they trust Denver in the playoffs, if Ja Morant will return this season, if Boston Celtics fans should be concerned yet and what the New York Knicks can do this season.
0:00 Intro
1:30 Can the Nuggets’ clutch stats translate to the playoffs?
22:30 Can the Kings win in the playoffs?
27:00 What can we expect in Memphis?
34:30 Are the Celtics’ struggles concerning going forward?
45:00 Thunder draft history
#ESPN #NBA
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29 Comments
Go ahead and keep finding new ways to doubt the Nuggets. Just be ready to be wearing egg on your face next year.
I'm def picking the nuggets over the clips but once again no chip for you
The denver hate is crazy acting like the team haven’t been healthy for two years top tier delusion
Ja Morant probably gonna get suspended for 50 games.
Huge blow for a guy that could have been the face of the league post-LeBron.
So the clippers decided to go up 3-1…then DECIDED to drop three in a row? Ummmm, then they are more fucked up than the last 14 games they have lost to the nuggets since that time than I thought.
Agreed…the defense will be key…..it's WCF as a minimum
It was briefly mentioned but I'm glad it was. Us nuggets fans haven't been able to watch our own team on Altitude in years!! NBA TV also blackouts these games too. This is ridiculous and embarrassing that it hasn't been settled
These guys are on the outside looking in the Denver community, I'll speak as someone from the inside. They are correct when they say we need to make the finals. We do. No doubt. But us fans are not expecting to be disappointed. We know this is the best team we've ever had. Our expectation is, at worst, a finals appearance. I don't question our ability to defend star players, match clutch shots, win on the road or at home, or whatever it is. This is the team to do it and other teams do not want to face us. I don't care what the players say, they want to avoid us
Lazy analysis by the crew here, comparing them to Utah last year is shameful.
“ I don’t believe they can make it, but if they don’t we gotta call them out” lol
Nuggets have had good teams but never this good.
Spears not counting the bubble gtfoh that’s exactly how people discount the Lakers!!! Everyone had to deal with the pandemic stfu about the bubble!
I definitely think the Nuggets will make the WCF, but I don't see them as a NBA Finals team. The Suns have too much fire power for the Nuggets. Denver can not beat the Suns, Bucks, or Sixers. Denver isn't winning anything this season
This show suuuuucks when McMahon or Bon Temps isn't on it
U forgot Barrett and Kuzma even tho they both shown improvement but still "empty"
During the “Thunder Draft History” portion of the video, you’re playing highlights of JAYLIN Williams but the person who you’re actually talking about the entire time is JALEN Williams 🤦🏾♂️ cmon ESPN
Lazy, disappointing 'analysis' as usual from a clearly biased Windhorst who rarely watches the Nuggets. Yeah, the Nuggets are Utah. Wow. OK. Jesus. The clutch defense isn't the story here. Nugs played 13 of their first 18 games on the road while trying to integrate new players as well as Murray and MPJ. They were terrible defensively, ranking 28th in very early December. Since then they've been I believe a top 5 defense and have risen to #12. That's a 3 month sample size that will translate into the playoffs. They also have for the first time in 3 years high level perimeter defenders in KCP and Bruce Brown who can actually get over screens and stay with the Curry's and Dame's of the world. That will also translate
For a smaller market team in a cold-weather city, conditions have to line up perfectly for them to win a title. For me, Denver needs Murray and/or Porter Jr. to become legit all-stars and they haven't and won't. Murray was great in the bubble and they made a lot of noise. He hasn't reached that level since. When PHX fell off with Booker out, I thought Denver had a chance to win the west. Then, as is often the case in the NBA, the rich got richer, the warm-weather desirable market won out and the Suns magically acquired another MVP candidate. The Nuggets built carefully and smartly over the last few years and overnight got passed up because players can choose their destinations now and players don't like snow. Nuggets lose in the 2nd round to the PHX All-Stars.
As far as playoff success with Jokic, well, individually he's dominated in the post season. Easy to look up but why bother with facts when you can throw out lazy cliches and comparisons? As for the team, in 2019 in their first playoff run as a bunch of 23 year olds they came within a couple of minutes of the WCF, losing in a second round game 7. The next year they made the WCF. The last two years were destroyed by catastrophic season ending injuries which of course Windhorst doesn't mention in his piece.The Nuggets started Facu Campazzo and Austin Rivers as their playoff back court in 2021. Enough said. This is the Jokic era Nuggets 3rd healthy playoff run with a still young team with an extended window. Don't be lazy. Give context.
I don’t understand why no one bring up that the Kings have the best offensive rating of all time when they talk about them. We stay getting disrespected
That’s all I want… the kings to make the playoffs… I don’t care if it it’s one n out. Just end the drought. We gotta plenty time to make the finals. Let’s just get over the first hurdle
Expectations = Nuggets will be swept again in the playoffs in the first or second round. They will lose to either Phoenix, Dallas, Golden State, maybe even Kawhi and the Clippers will sweep them.
Jokic is massively overrated and the playoffs reveal he is just fat Westbrook when the VORP stats disappear. In a playoff series he's not a top 10 player even.
Giannis #1, Tatum #2, Embiid #3, Curry #4, Doncic #5, Kawhi #6, Harden #7, Kyrie #8, Dame #9, Lebron #10. No NBA player or media member or GM would choose Jokic over Giannis.
Jokic was literally last picked in the All Star game. The media is totally smoking something obsessed with him for his horses or some weird reason. The West is the easier conference…and besides the Suns and Warriors no true contender.
Rudy Gobert won 3 DPOY but later got exposed. Waiting to see Jokic too
Scott Foster. MVP for the nuggets
The Sacramento kings right now have a better shot at taking down the nuggets over the clippers and grizzlies
How come you do not mention, that Denver has actual home court advantage due to altitude. Usually, visiting teams have issues with fatigue at the end. So if it is a tight game and intensity is high, altitude helps Denver.
ESPN bros attempt to talk about the Nuggets….ends up being nonsensical rambling about how they will talk about the Nuggets if they win the whole thing cause they will be forced to. Got it.
Foster called the 5 seconds inbound violation againts Philly*** and kept giving giannis fts throughout the 4th to keep the Bucks in the game!
Spears looking out the window at the beginning had me rolling 😂