KD? Harden? Who is the Denver Nuggets’ BIGGEST threat in the West? | SportsCenter
NBA how about Kevin Durant last night dropped the 35 piece in the sun’s overtime win over the nuggets in Denver Phoenix also got 28 points from Grayson Allen who stepped up in the absence of Devin Booker yic had 25 and 16 but almost turned it over seven also turned
It over seven times here’s Mike and Tony with much more on tonight’s PTI bonus top all right willbon I know you love Denver in the west but who is the biggest threat to Denver in the west Tony we’re starting to narrow the field but just just a little bit I mean
There’s some teams that can be a threat and mix it up and maybe even get to a Conference Final to face Denver and teams that may be back in the pack right now like say Sacramento or the Suns who of course have this glittering roster but have been less than but Tony I’m
Going go back and I know that Steph Curry and LeBron I’m G leave that mostly because I’m guessing you want to see them but Tony I’m G to go to the Clippers cuz I can’t imagine a team that could be more motivated with two of their players being Southern California
Who have not won and I’m talking first of more than Southern Californians than that but Paul George and James Harden and Russell Westbrook these guys have not won but they’re led by a guy who has won in kawh Leonard and a guy who has
Won in T and I think they have all the elements including just desire if those guys aren’t going to win now then win so I’m going to say the Clippers even over those others and I think there’s going to be a scramble the Western Conference playoffs can be incredible to
Watch yeah so let’s make sure that everybody understands that the biggest threat to Denver are the Boston Celtics I don’t care about the West the Boston Celtics they are the biggest threat um you know I’m going to just basically mimic what you say all the time I’ll look at teams like Minnesota and
Sacramento and Oklahoma City and I’ll say have they suffered enough that they can rise and go through the entire playoffs because we’re presuming this is in a final against Denver right and so you have the Lakers and the Warriors it’s so interesting because they’d be exhausted by the time they got to the
Finals and I’d never heard of this guy shenon because every day we talk about the Lakers and the Warriors so I’m going to stop talking about the Lakers and the Warriors right now um the Clippers yeah maybe not Dallas Dallas is going the wrong way at the wrong time you know
That I’m partial of Phoenix because I look at a guy you talk about is it important to have won okay Durant has won twice I mean he’s won he knows how to do it you get to the finals and and Kevin Durant gives you something that honestly no other
Team has you know that they don’t have dur rant I I think probably Denver is the best um yeah they’re probably the best but I think the Celtics are even better than them and that’s the final I would like to see how about you Tony right now Denver Boston I I there’s no
Way I’m going to pick another team to insert in there and that’s why we’re looking for dark horses now we’re looking for the horse race who in the West in this case can challenge Denver make it really serious there’s a bunch of teams out there but I think both of
We’re getting through and we agree it’s never good when we agree too much that’s it we’re done back to You
Pardon The Interruption’s Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon join SportsCenter’s PTI bonus segment to debate which Western Conference team poses the biggest threat to the reigning champion Denver Nuggets between James Harden & Russell Westbrook with the LA Clippers, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, or even Steph Curry or LeBron James.
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12 Comments
Love malika
After watching last nights loss to the Suns, the Nuggets biggest threat to the Nuggets are Denver themselves.
Both wrong it’s okc they’re young hungry and can definitely win it all this ywar
Westbrook thumbnail 🔥🔥
It’s ALL about health. Basketball is so iffy when it comes to health. If one player even lands wrong the season can be over. That’s so crazy to think about.
How many years do we have to hear about the Clippers? They never win and aren't winning this year.
I just watched an interview with Jamal Mashburn talking to JJ Redick and he talked about the advice Michael Jordan gave him. How MJ can break down every player in the league. Like what’s their tendencies? Do they go left or right?
People don’t give enough credit to what a basketball savant MJ was and probably still is. It’s a bit ironic I say that because he obviously wasn’t much of a GM. But what Mashburn said was so contrasting to how some people feel about MJ as a GM.
The greatest players were also the smartest players as JJ said. It’s not all physical abilities. As MJ told Jamal, you have to think the game within the game.
The Celtics are not much different than my Clippers. You can’t have your best players only be 6’7 or 6’8. Even Kobe had Shaq and Pau next to him. If Heatles never got Bosh and got Carmelo instead, I doubt they win in 2013. You gotta have a BIG even if your best player is not that tall.
Bill Russell
Wilt Chamberlain
Hakeem Olajuwon
Magic still had Kareem
Bird had McHale, Parish, and Walton
Kobe had Shaq and Pau
A team with Shaq or Duncan were reaching the Finals every year from 1999-2007. Celtics had KG who is 6’11.
Only MJ’s Bulls became a dynasty without an all-star big man. They figured it out without needing one. They did defeat the Cavs with Daugherty and Knicks with Ewing all those years. Then avenged Shaq’s Magic in 1996. The 1998 Pacers were a taller team than those Bulls and the Bulls still found a way to beat them in 7. The Davis boys and Smits were a huge frontcourt. Jalen Rose was 6’8 and Reggie Miller was 6’7.
1. Jokic 6’11
2. Giannis 6’11
3. Embiid 7’1
4. AD 6’10
Suns have 6’11 KD
Spurs have Wemby.
TWolves have Towns and Gobert.
Clippers really need to re-evaluate their lineup. Hard to win a ring if your best player isn’t an elite big or you lack one. No rush to re-sign Paul George and James Harden until they can show us they can perform well in the playoffs. Right now, three of our stars are still born losers. Two of them are skilled but ringless.
In the 2020s, every champion had an elite big except the 2022 Warriors who only had to handle a small team like Boston. Lakers had AD and Dwight. Bucks have Giannis. Nuggets have arguably the best player in the NBA. The last 5 MVP winners were 6’11 or taller.
2019: Giannis
2020: Giannis
2021: Jokic
2022: Jokic
2023: Embiid
It’s Joker’s world and we’re all living in it. He’s going to win at least 3 or 4 rings when it’s all said and done. True, he isn’t athletic and doesn’t play D that well. But like Shaq, he’s also too unstoppable. He won his 1st ring without needing to create or join a superteam similar to Giannis in 2021.
Jokic got drafted by Denver and he won them a title without trying to act like LeBaby crying for Anthony Davis to help him and getting coaches fired. Or asking his friends to help him or giving up every 1st round draft pick to trade. Without being like KD winning prostitute rings in Golden State.
It was Year 8 for Shaq, Giannis, and Jokic when they won their first. I believe Denver has more championships to come. Jokic is way more skilled than Shaq. His game is prettier than Shaq’s but Skip Bayless doesn’t like Jokic for some reason but thinks Shaq is the 3rd greatest player ever. Uh huh. Being slow and unathletic like Jokic might also help prolong his career.
It was a fluke win by Phoenix similar to my Clippers winning in Minnesota or the Lakers beating us because LeBron caught a hot hand. I’m not concerned for Denver. They’re going to destroy everyone by late next month.
In the West, it’s Denver and then everyone else. In the East, it’s Boston vs. Miami vs. Milwaukee. Ignore the other five teams in the East. I see Boston vs. Miami ECF again. Milwaukee is playing great lately but I still don’t trust Doc Rivers in the playoffs no different than I don’t trust Paul George, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, D’Angelo Russell, and Anthony Davis’ health or strength in stopping Nikola Jokic.
We’re returning to the era when the bigs rule. Clippers, Celtics, and Heat will never win a championship if their top 2 best players are all 6’8 or shorter unless they face each other or another smaller team like Phoenix and Golden State.
You know why I don’t believe my Clippers will ever win a championship with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden? Because they don’t care about their legacy. They don’t have that same DESIRE and WILL TO WIN like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James have. They don’t have that same WORK ETHIC.
If you want to win rings, you want to be the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. You need to want it 100% all day, everyday. I don’t see that with Kawhi, PG, and Harden. They get paid well and that’s it. It’s no different than Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. I never saw it in them that they so badly wanted to win a ring. There’s no fire under that belly to want to always win. They had weaker, beta personalities.
Sorry, Clippers. You’re already running out of steam. Nice new logo but this franchise will never win a championship with a small team like that, weak leadership, and not the same desire as MJ and Kobe in always trying to win it all. Playing basketball like their lives depended on it because they cared about their legacies and how they’ll be remembered.
The only players who don’t need to have the same will power as MJ and Kobe but who can still win rings are elite players who are 6’10 or taller. Like Shaq can get away being lazy because he was so big, strong, and unstoppable. Or Jokic who has no desire to be in the spotlight, no social media, and cares more about his horse racing. He doesn’t have to work as hard as Kobe because was born big.
Size matters in the NBA. Clippers needs to get the memo. Lakers won all those championships because they always had an all-star big man and not because Magic and Kobe were so fun to watch.
Looks like Kevin Durant is one of the select few in the modern-day NBA that has figured out The Joker 👀
It’s gonna be Lakers Vs Bucks
I’ll say the clippers and suns are the biggest threats to the nuggets
why the media acting like its hardens team