Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

That's what I'm talking about! Those Rockets didn't expect that!

Good to know you'll be happy either way... thought you might be going against me on this one

The reason I'm not against you is because of that thief, Bing. Because he has number 34, I feel that he doesn't deserve to go on to the next round.

Someone adjusted some sliders? Good to see J.R. and KD step up, and most importantly, no more high scoring games from that asshole Bing.

Phew! Congrats on completing the historic comeback, that's definitely something special for the tenth year of the Dynasty (of course reaching year ten is special in itself). Very glad to see you moving on to the next round, hope you can take control of that one early and gear up for another title.

Thanks Andrew, it's definitley been a memorable season overall and hopefully I can cap it off with a Championship. Still need to get past another Texas team though before that happens.

Woohoo! Congratulations

Thanks Badger

Wow man, it's awesome. Another title for Nuggets?

I sure hope so; the three-peat hasn't been done since the Bulls since the Lakers didn't even repeat in this game.

That's what I'm talking about! Those Rockets didn't expect that!

They caught me off guard to begin with but luckily they were the ones left reeling at the end.

Good to know you'll be happy either way... thought you might be going against me on this one

The reason I'm not against you is because of that thief, Bing. Because he has number 34, I feel that he doesn't deserve to go on to the next round.

Someone adjusted some sliders? Good to see J.R. and KD step up, and most importantly, no more high scoring games from that asshole Bing.

To be honest, I haven't even looked at the sliders since the beginning of this dynasty. I guess I put a lot of misguided faith in the NBA Live engine with that but yeah, I wouldn't have a clue where to start if I was to mess with them.

I was also pissed off that 34 was taken. I've always had a soft spot for the Texas teams growing up (with the Spurs being my favourite of the three) and was a big fan of the Rockets championship winning teams. They don't make them like Hakeem anymore.

The Playoff Picture: Conference Finals



Previous Round Results

EAST

(1) Washington 4 - 1 Boston (4)
(6) Detroit 4 - 1 Miami (7)

Notes

-Neither side in the ECF had much trouble in the semis, with each only dropping one game. The best team in the league has to go in heavy favourites, but strange things happen in the TNL universe.

WEST

(1) Denver 4 - 3 Houston (4)
(3) San Antonio 4 - 3 Dallas (7)

Notes

-Both teams went through the full 7 games in their respective series'
-In 2010, Denver met San Antonio in the Semi Finals after a 7 game series against Houston. Dejavu?

Nuggets-Wizards in the Finals.

That'd be my pick, too.

Looks like that game 4 win over the Rockets is an instant ESPN Classic. Well done

Nuggets-Wizards in the Finals.

That'd be my pick, too.

I hope it ends up that way. The two best teams during the year, it'd be fitting, but San Antonio are always tough.

Looks like that game 4 win over the Rockets is an instant ESPN Classic. Well done

Thanks X, that whole series was really fun to play. Being the one that has to overcome adversity is a nice change in this dynasty.

Playoffs Preview: Nuggets Vs Spurs



Turn the clock back to the Western Conference Semis in the first season. Denver found themselves up against a dynasty of their own; the Tim Duncan era San Antonio Spurs. While the Nuggets showed a lot of fight, they were defeated in the 6th game of this series after being bullied by the greatest power forward of all time and his supporting cast. This series would also draw the Nuggets' attention to sharp shooter Matt Bonner, who in game 3 hit the winner to put the Spurs in control of the series at 2-1.

The following off-season, the Nuggets acquired Matt Bonner while sending Johan Petro and their second round pick to the Spurs. That season the Nuggets won their first ever championship and Matt Bonner was recognised as the league's best 6th man.

It'd take until the 2018 Western Conference Finals before these two teams played in another playoff series. This time the Spurs were lacking a dominant big man and the Nuggets capitalised, winning the series in 5 games. You could say that this upcoming Western Conference Finals is a tie-breaker for these two teams. Whether it's the regular season or the playoffs, the Nuggets-Spurs games are tightly contested. Let's hope for another great series.

The Teams

Denver Nuggets

The Starters

| Andrew Bogut | Borislav Perko | Kevin Durant | J.R. Smith | Brandon Jennings

The Bench


| Taylor MacKenzie | Robin Lopez | Patrick Mills | Ed Reed | George Power | Chris Andersen | Dennis Da Conceicao |

IR

| Jrue Holiday | Crispin Erwin | Basil Richter |

San Antonio Spurs

The Starters

| Kerry Hofmann | Rudy Gay | Alejandro Carlos | Johnny Gibson | Aaron Brooks |

The Bench

| Jamie Mathieu | Austin Pearson | Quint Miller | Rick Kelly | Quint Cox | Ethan Boctor | Donovan Robertson |

Ethan Boctor is day-to-day recovering from a broken wrist, while Donovan Robertson is out for 2 weeks with a sprained foot.

DNA


Denver Nuggets | San Antonio Spurs

Keys

Denver Nuggets

J.R. Smith has busted any myths there were about him not being a big game player by averaging over 30 points a game in the 2019 playoffs. For Denver to make it through, a lot will be riding on him. Another big part (both literally and metaphorically) will be Andrew Bogut. Denver are coming against a team that doesn't like to post-up or for that matter, doesn't defend the post that well either. The Spurs are without their defensive enforcer Donovan Robertson, which means that's a potential weakness that Bogut can exploit.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs come into this series banged up. With both Ethan Boctor and Donovan Robertson doubtful to play at all in this series, the Spurs find themselves under-manned with just 10 players fit on their roster. In saying that though, Rudy Gay has been carrying them through this post-season and often finds an extra gear against the Nuggets. He's averaging 24 points and 9 rebounds in the playoffs this year and will have to continue to play at a high level. He has great help though, with all-star Alejandro Carlos, along with guys like Aaron Brooks and Johnny Gibson who can get a hot hand at any time.

A major question mark will be on Kerry Hofmann, who at 6'11 is the biggest guy they have left that's active. The sophomore centre is going to have to play the series of his life to cover for incumbent starter Donovan Robertson.

Between the momentum from the Rockets series, the homecourt advantage and injuries to the Spurs, you'll hopefully be able to gain control of this one early and move on to the Finals. Good luck!

Let the players-stealing-legends'-numbers curse continue! Who's #50 for the Spurs?

I expect you in 5

Between the momentum from the Rockets series, the homecourt advantage and injuries to the Spurs, you'll hopefully be able to gain control of this one early and move on to the Finals. Good luck!

Thanks Andrew, there's definitely a lot of things going my way even before the series begins here.

Let the players-stealing-legends'-numbers curse continue! Who's #50 for the Spurs?

No #50 for the Spurs, but I was thinking of creating an article about generated players who wear legendary numbers. It'd be a nice little research project for me

I expect you in 5

Yeah, if I was reading, I'd be expecting me to drop atleast 1 game as well with the way I'm going.

I thought it was the Red Rocket on the pic, but I guess he would be like 50 or smtg by now.

NBA Playoffs: Denver Vs San Antonio

Game 1: No Game 1 Jitters This Time; Denver Takes Opener



Despite an MVP performance by Rudy Gay, the Spurs were beaten by the Nuggets in the series opener by 102-93. Gay was explosive with 35 points and 10 rebounds. However, he would be upstaged on the offensive end by J.R. Smith, who continued his incredible playoffs campaign with 44 points. He led a Denver field of 4 double-digit scorers, as both Andrew Bogut and Kevin Durant scored 14 each. Bogut completed a double-double with 12 rebounds as well. Mercurial forward George Power also saw his first meaningful effort on the offensive end this post-season with 12 points, including the go-ahead basket in the fourth.

Along with Rudy Gay, All-Star Alejandro Carlos also had a stellar game with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Johnny Gibson was the only other double digit scoring with 15 points. Hitting the boards wasn't a problem for the Spurs, with Kerry Hofmann (11), Alejandro Carlos (11) and Rudy Gay (10) all reaching double figures. However their offensive output was hindered by Aaron Brooks, who failed to make an impact.

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SAN@DEN

DEN: 102 (Smith 44, Bogut 14, Durant 14)
SAN: 93 (Gay 35, Carlos 22, Gibson 15)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Rudy Gay 35 points 10 rebounds 2 blocks 3 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Bogut 12
SAN: Carlos, Hofmann 11

Assists

DEN: Jennings 8
SAN: Carlos 8

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Game 2: Nuggets Humiliate Spurs in Denver



After a tightly contested first game, the Nuggets destroyed the Spurs in the second with a score of 103-77. Three players scored 20 or more for Denver, with super-sub Ed Reed leading the way with 23 points and 7 assists to win the performer of the game. Andrew Bogut dominated stand-in centre Kerry Hofmann with 22 points and 9 rebounds, while J.R. Smith had a quiet night with 20 points. Kevin Durant wasn't far away from being the 4th Denver player with 20 points or more with 18 of his own and Borislav Perko was 1 rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

For the Spurs, Alejandro Carlos remained consistent to his last game, getting a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Rudy Gay also had a double-double, but scored 19 less than his previous outing as he had 16 points and 11 rebounds. While Aaron Brooks struggled, Johnny Gibson took over as the primary ball-handler and registered 10 points and 5 assists. Once again for the Spurs rebounding wasn't a problem, with the same three guys grabbing double figures again. A real development in this game was Denver's post play, as Andrew Bogut made the Spurs interior defense look ordinary on a number of occassions. This led to guys like Ed Reed and J.R. Smith getting open looks and they simply can't allow that.

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SAN@DEN

DEN: 103 (Reed 23, Bogut 22, Smith 20)
SAN: 77 (Carlos 21, Gay 16, Gibson 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ed Reed 23 points 1 rebound 7 assists 3 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Bogut, Perko 9
SAN: Gay 11

Assists

DEN: Reed 7
SAN: Gibson 5

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Game 3: Denver 1 Away From Finals



Denver recorded another blowout, this time belting the Spurs at home by 97-78. Even though J.R. Smith was the player of the game with 26 points to go with a filled stat-sheet, the real nail in the coffin for the Spurs was a man by the name of Kevin Durant. While he's had some underwhelming games in the playoffs this year, he has shown an ability to score at will in select games. He had 33 points, 19 of which came in the 3rd quarter has he went 8-10 from the field, including 3-5 from beyond the arc. Andrew Bogut once again had another solid double-double effort with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Alejandro Carlos kept up his 20+ pattern in the series by scoring 24 to lead the Spurs in scoring. Rudy Gay got his 3rd double-double of the series with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Aaron Brooks decided to show up and score 15 points, while Johnny Gibson scored 12.

The Denver Nuggets are now one game away from being the best in the West once again.

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DEN@SAN

DEN: 97 (Durant 33, Smith 26, Bogut 11)
SAN: 78 (Carlos 24, Gay 18, Brooks 15)

Sprite Performer of the Game: J.R. Smith 26 points 4 rebounds 2 assists 3 blocks 2 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 15
SAN: Gay 14

Assists

DEN: Perko 5
SAN: Brooks 6

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Game 4: Denver to Attempt Three-peat: Spurs Swept



Denver overcame a spirited San Antonio to win the 4th game by 81-70. The Nuggets were on the backfoot early, as Rudy Gay scored 19 in the first quarter. He ended up with 22 on the night. Aaron Brooks had his best performance of the series with 17. Even though his performance was down from his first 3 games, Alejandro Carlos tallied another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Johnny Gibson rounded out the team effort with 10 points.

Despite all that production from the Spurs, the telling quarter was the 4th, as Denver went on a 17-0 run to end the series in the dominant way in which they played it. The Nuggets were once again led by J.R. Smith who scored 27, but the real impact player was Andrew Bogut. He was the performer of the game as he flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 13 rebounds and an incredible 8 blocked shots. He also led the team in assists with 4. Kevin Durant and Ed Reed both had modest games with 10 points each, but in the end they weren't required as much as previously.

Denver extended their current win streak to 8 and will now meet the winner of the Wizards-Pistons series. The Wizards currently lead 3-0.

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DEN@SAN

DEN: 81 (Smith 27, Bogut 12, Durant 10)
SAN: 70 (Gay 22, Brooks 17, Carlos 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Andrew Bogut 12 points 13 rebounds 4 assists 8 blocks 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Bogut 13
SAN: Carlos, Hofmann 10

Assists

DEN: Bogut 4
SAN: Gibson 4

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Click here to view the slideshow of the series

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Next up will be the results from the Conference Finals. I was also thinking of putting up a top playoff plays article for the lead up to the NBA Finals. The three-peat is so close...

I thought it was the Red Rocket on the pic, but I guess he would be like 50 or smtg by now.

Your initial thought was correct; it is in fact the Red Rocket. In the lead up to all the playoff series' this year, I've been posting retrospective pics since it's the 10th year and nostalgia has basically been the theme of the season. Also I've been putting in shots of players who played for Denver on the opposing side.

Yeah! I smell a three peat!

That was a pretty easy series; kinda makes me think the Rockets are superior to the Spurs in this universe.

Good to finally see Durant step up and score, he seriously looked like the RL Durant in Game 3. Looking forward to that article, and of course, the three-peat.

Well, tough to see the Spurs sweeped Durant and Smith are forming a great duo.

You certainly weren't taking any chances in that series, tremendous effort to come out of the gate strong and avoid a repeat of the second round, instead picking up the sweep. I'll be interested to see who you'll be meeting in the Finals, whether or not the Wizards indeed make it through or whether another historic comeback will take place.

Yeah! I smell a three peat!

Let's hope so! Year 10 has been a relatively long one so far.

That was a pretty easy series; kinda makes me think the Rockets are superior to the Spurs in this universe.

Good to finally see Durant step up and score, he seriously looked like the RL Durant in Game 3. Looking forward to that article, and of course, the three-peat.

You wouldn't be wrong in that assumption; the Spurs had very little interior defense.

Well, tough to see the Spurs sweeped Durant and Smith are forming a great duo.

Yeah, even I was a bit conflicted with it... but I wasn't going to let what happened against Houston happen again... the season would go for far too long if I kept getting 7 games like that every series. It's kind of funny because I think I have a Chris Bosh sort of situation with Kevin Durant; he's kind of the third guy behind Smith and Reed at the moment.

You certainly weren't taking any chances in that series, tremendous effort to come out of the gate strong and avoid a repeat of the second round, instead picking up the sweep. I'll be interested to see who you'll be meeting in the Finals, whether or not the Wizards indeed make it through or whether another historic comeback will take place.

I knew they lacked sized in the front court and teams with makeshift power forwards can be easily exploited if you plan it right. Rudy Gay got his points, but he also took a lot of his shots from the perimeter, so that eliminated most offensive rebounds for him.

TNL Top 5
Road to the Finals

With Denver now the Western Conference Champions, here are the plays that helped them get there:

#5: Air Australia

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Bogut gets the pin-point pass off Ed Reed and dunks after the slip.

#4: Ed Threed... Lays it in

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There's more to the Rookie's game than nailing threes, as he shows off his finesse.

#3: Powering Ahead

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Off the break, George Power gets the layup that would put Denver ahead in the first game.

#2: Perko Vs Memphis

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The Kazahkstan Kid had an excellent series against the Memphis Grizzlies

#1: Mile High Earl in Game 7

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J.R. Smith scored 48 in Game 7 to create NBA history.

Nice selection.

NBA Finals Preview: Nuggets Vs Wizards



The Beast from the East versus The Best from the West: the way the NBA Finals should be and the way it's going to be in 2019. Denver and Washington are the cream of the crop. While they have no history in the playoffs, you only have to look back as far as last season to see how these two teams have profoundly impacted each other.

Denver sent Taj Gibson and Sam Conners to Washington in exchange for second round pick George Power. As Power went on to win the Rookie of the Year quite comprehensively, the pundits would be forgiven if they thought the Nuggets robbed the Wizards. Such an assessment would be hasty though as the alleged foot-note of the trade Sam Conners would outshine Taj Gibson to become the starting power forward for the Wizards, while George Power regressed in his sophomore season. It could very well have been the trade that turned Washington into the title contender it now is.

No matter how this series goes, it'll impact the future of both teams greatly. Washington have the chance to end one era and start their very own if they win the playoffs. If Denver get the Larry O'Brien trophy, it will continue on a dynasty and send Chris "Birdman" Andersen out on the right note. If Washington lose, one of their three big free agents (Zach Pearson, Sam Conners, Duncan O'Farrell) could leave the team for greener pastures and set the course back another couple of years. A loss to Denver could very well see a rebuilding process of their own.

A rivalry will be created as two teams with everything to play for will compete for the NBA Championship.

Road to the Finals

Denver Nuggets

RD1: Defeated Memphis 4-1
RD2: Defeated Houston 4-3
WCF: Defeated San Antonio 4-0

Record: 12-4

Washington Wizards

RD1: Defeated Orlando 4-0
RD2: Defeated Boston 4-0
ECF: Defeated Detroit 4-2

Record: 12-2

The Teams

Denver Nuggets

The Starters

| Andrew Bogut | Borislav Perko | Kevin Durant | J.R. Smith | Brandon Jennings

The Bench


| Taylor MacKenzie | Robin Lopez | Patrick Mills | Ed Reed | George Power | Chris Andersen | Dennis Da Conceicao |

IR

| Jrue Holiday | Crispin Erwin | Basil Richter |

Washington Wizards

The Starters

| Zach Pearson | Sam Conners | Duncan O'Farrell | Jared Butler | Reuben Walker |

The Bench

| Steven Hunt | Barnaby North | Cody Campbell | Andray Blatche | Taj Gibson | Liam Leopold | Ken Bennett |

IR

| Kenneth MacMahon | James Johnson | Ollie Tuttle |

DNA


Denver Nuggets | Washington Wizards

Keys

Denver Nuggets

A high octane game will be key if the Nuggets are to win this one, as they are unlikely to beat Washington's twin towers in the post. J.R. Smith will have to keep scoring in bunches, while Ed Reed and Kevin Durant have to continue to compliment him. The emphasis on Andrew Bogut will be very much on the defensive end. He cannot let the 7'6" Zach Pearson dominant him on the glass, otherwise it could all be over very quickly.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards have a size advantage... and a big one at that. Centre Zach Pearson (7'6") and Power Forward Sam Conners (7'0") can provide plenty of problems for any opposition. Even though Duncan O'Farrell is their leading scorer, the Wizards shouldn't fall into the trap of being the spot-up shooting team their DNA analysis says they are. Initially they should use their size advantage to dominate the paint, because from there O'Farrell will get his shots and perenial All-Star Reuben Walker will be able to run the show.

Good luck on the Finals! Predicting a 4-1 series in favor of you.