The success of the Nuggets is a testament to the patience of trust
May 7, 2019, 6:50 AM
Thoughts on a franchise-altering weekend in Portland:
> The Nuggets Game 4 win will be remembered for how they responded to the four-overtime gut punch loss in Game 3. Michael Malone left his team alone. Denver’s head coach let them get away from basketball. He didn’t feel the need to obsess over the film. What would that do? His players knew what had gone wrong and the coach (correctly) understood rest and clearing their heads would be more beneficial than another mind-numbing, do-and-don’t session.
> That decision was a testament to the relationship between Malone and his players. He knows and trusts them. They know and trust him. The credit goes to the players. Detroit Pistons’ Bad Boys coach Chuck Daly once famously said the goal of any good coach is to get his players’ permission to coach them. These young Nuggets have grown up with Malone. They’ve been in this together, since this core was put together. He knows what buttons to push. How he handled the fallout from Game 3 was crucial. It turns out, he knew his team and it was handled perfectly.
> Nikola Jokic has been terrific in this series and throughout the playoffs. But the play of Jamal Murray has been crucial. Here’s why. If the Nuggets are indeed in the process of building a future championship team, history tells us they will need two future Hall of Famers on their roster. It’s not a stretch to say Jokic is on that path. But, who joins him? Murray is the next best option. His game is very good, but it can be inconsistent. His back-to-back, 30-plus point games – featuring cold blooded free throw shooting down the stretch of Game 4, all while battling thru a charlie horse – is the kind of stuff early in a career that could portend to something very special.
> Speaking of free throw shooting, I loved hearing Murray tell the story of how his father would blindfold him and yell at him while he was practicing free throws growing up. Again, the stuff of legend. Or the stuff that will get Child Services called out.
> Good to see Will Barton and Paul Millsap have their moments in Game 4. Each have drawn the ire of Nuggets’ fans. Barton has not lived up to his monster contract. His tendency to constantly believe in his ability to shoot himself out of any slump can drive you crazy. But the man does not lack for confidence. That can be useful in the meat grinder that is the NBA Playoffs, when many players shrink in the moment. Millsap has overall been a disappointment considering the great fanfare that went with his free-agent signing, and the Nuggets would be crazy to pick up his option for next season, but he is still a good pro and it was good to see his experience matter in Game 4.
> Thank goodness for Enes Kanter. Every long playoff series needs a villain and Kanter is right out of WWE central casting.
> I thought the Nuggets were the better, deeper team going into the series. After they won Game 1, I thought they would win the series in five games. The surprising Game 2 loss threw a wrench in that. However, order has been restored. Denver will still win this series. Either in six or a relatively tension-free Game 7.
