2023 running NBA playoffs thread

[Roscablo]

Ugly, crappy game and so happy.

 

[TowelWaver]

Well done Nuggets! A great run by a great team.

 

[Roscablo]

If you are an old enough Denver and Colorado resident there was a time when you didn't think we'd ever win anything. In that regard we've kind of been spoiled in a relative sense with the Broncos and Avalanche over the past 27 years.

Still, never thought this one would happen. Really. To me this is the second best behind the Broncos first. It is just so amazing. Dusty in here.

 

[MileHigh]

If you are an old enough Denver and Colorado resident there was a time when you didn't think we'd ever win anything. In that regard we've kind of been spoiled in a relative sense with the Broncos and Avalanche over the past 27 years.

Still, never thought this one would happen. Really. To me this is the second best behind the Broncos first. It is just so amazing. Dusty in here.

Agreed. Great sights downtown. Large, under-control crowds. Very spoiled here. Three parades, three sports in the past seven years.

 

[DanielSimpsonDay]

Jokic might peace out and go home before the parade. The mismatch between his dedication to excelling/competing/winning and the enjoyment he gets from the results is remarkable. He seems to view it all as just a man doing what he's supposed to do. He's the greatest.

 

[swingline]

Stephen A. looked like he had a herpes outbreak going on.

 

[Songbird]

Denver Nuggets, NBA champions.

 

[Della9250]

Denver Nuggets, NBA champions.

Got off this list

Suns
Magic
Nets
Jazz
Pacers
Clippers
Grizzlies
Hornets
Pelicans
Timberwolves

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Jokic might peace out and go home before the parade. The mismatch between his dedication to excelling/competing/winning and the enjoyment he gets from the results is remarkable. He seems to view it all as just a man doing what he's supposed to do. He's the greatest.

Yup. Seems that while many of his colleagues feel they just must bathe in the spotlight and adoration, Jokic merely regards it as part of the job.

Thing is, if that''s true, how long will it take for some idiots in the media and rabid fans to turn on him. Don't get my wrong – I don't think Jokic is wrong and I like the way he goes about his business – but many have the habit of building someone up so that they can knock him down.

BTW, congrats to the Nuggets and their fans. It was good to see so many former players at the arena. Hope the fans in Denver revere this team as much as they have the Broncos and Avs of recent vintage.

 

[Cosmo]

Oddly enough, that dysfunctional Suns team was the only one that managed to sneak two games off the Nuggets. Congrats Denver fans, well deserved. A healthy Murray makes the Nuggets a monster.

 

[Songbird]

From this morning's Pulse e-blast (The Athletic):

Nikola Jokić enters the pantheon

Let the record show the Nuggets' title-clinching win last night was a rock fight of a game. But for an entire fanbase, an entire city — it doesn't matter. History will forget the details, as it should.

What history won't forget: one of the most impressive title runs in recent NBA history. Nikola Jokić was already historically good, but averaging 30.2 points, 14 rebounds and 7.2 assists in the Finals makes you a legend. The same goes for Jamal Murray, who had just 14 points last night but will be remembered for being a borderline superstar in this series.

Denver went 16-4 en route to its first title. Only the 2017 Warriors (16-1) lost fewer games. Jokić & co. went through Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Jimmy Butler. The two-time MVP is the first NBA player to ever lead the playoffs in points, rebounds and assists, as ESPN pointed out last night. Not Jordan, LeBron, Magic or Kareem. Jokić. Mark Puleo has a deeper look at where Jokić fits alongside the greats.

And who's to say this isn't the start of a dynasty? Consider:

• This core, when healthy, has been one of the NBA's best. They blitzed the bubble back in 2020 and made a Western Conference finals appearance. In early 2021, Murray tore his ACL and missed an entire year and a half. The year he returned? Ring.
  
  
• Look at the West. Memphis has to deal with whatever punishment is coming Ja Morant's way. Who knows what the Warriors look like with Bob Myers gone? Phoenix has a new coach and tough roster decisions. LeBron is a year older, and the Lakers must work deftly this offseason to maintain a contending roster.
  
  
• Jokić is just 28. Murray is 26. There's a massive title window available, as John Hollinger noted this week. Denver is already the favorite to repeat.

Back to last night, which will mar what has been an incredible postseason for Butler. The Heat were one quarter away from losing in the Play-In, but made the NBA Finals. Butler largely dragged them here.

Yet it was Butler who managed just eight points through three quarters, and who — with 27.1 seconds left and the Heat down 1 — threw one of the worst passes you'll see, straight to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. On the next possession, he chucked a desperation 3-point attempt off the backboard. It was a sad end to a gutsy season.

No postseason rest for us, though. The NBA Draft is in 11 days.

- - - - -

Nuggets win ONE title after a history of mediocrity, suckitude, and flashes of excellence ... and now DYNASTY!

 

[Hermes]

Imagine if Michael Porter, Jr. figures it out and fully unleashes all the talent he has.

The only thing that could stop them is the new CBA.