Nikola Jokić reminds us why he keeps winning MVPs as the Nuggets remind us they’re still champs

DENVER — There’s a traditional scene within the traditional film “The Nice White Hype” that serves as the right metaphor for what the Denver Nuggets are doing to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Damon Wayans’ character, a boxer, will get hit with an overhand proper by his challenger. He stumbles in opposition to the ropes, seems to be aghast, collects himself and recites one of the best line of the movie.

“Are you attempting to embarrass me on TV?!”

After which Wayans, as James “The Grim Reaper” Roper, beats up his opponent.

Within the first two video games of this sequence, Minnesota threw the overhand proper and knocked the Denver Nuggets woozy. Many thought the Nuggets have been executed. Alas, all these first two video games did was anger them. The Nuggets regarded on the Timberwolves, realized the Wolves have been a real and worthy challenger, woke themselves up and the sequence has been a massacre since.

On the night time he accepted his third NBA MVP in entrance of the Ball Area crowd, Jokić turned in a efficiency for the ages. It’s virtually humorous to suppose presently final week most puzzled whether or not Jokić must settle for his award in a go well with and tie reasonably than in his uniform with the possibility the Nuggets can be out of the playoffs by then.

After Tuesday night time’s 112-97 win in Sport 5 over Minnesota earlier than a frenzied sellout crowd, the Nuggets have come all the way in which again from an 0-2 sequence deficit to take a 3-2 lead. A victory over Minnesota on Thursday may ship Denver again to the Western Convention finals.

Jokić’s numbers have been ridiculous: 40 factors on 22 pictures from the sector. The Timberwolves tried every thing they might to gradual him down. They used Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Cities, Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson as main defenders. They trapped him. They performed him straight up. They tried to stunt at him. Nothing labored.

The Nuggets, in the meantime, have been taking part in that James Roper function for 3 video games. On offense, they’ve dismantled Minnesota’s protection. On protection, they’ve shut off the Timberwolves’ water.

“Clearly, all of us noticed what occurred in Sport 2,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone mentioned. “I assumed we collectively weren’t taking part in just like the reigning NBA champions. I feel we weren’t taking part in with our common swagger. We weren’t taking part in with confidence. We weren’t taking part in with any aggression. I feel it’s a must to give Minnesota numerous credit score, as a result of they’d quite a bit to do with that.

“I assumed Sport 2 was an incredible reminder of us needing to get again to who we would have liked to be offensively and defensively.”

The previous three video games stand out as a result of the Nuggets have made it look simple. They’ve performed progressively higher every sport, even with the 27-point win in Sport 3 being their largest margin of victory. However the context of this comeback makes what Denver is doing virtually astounding. The Nuggets regarded overmatched, each bodily and mentally, within the first two video games of this sequence, shedding each at dwelling. They headed to Minnesota with a 2-0 sequence deficit and on the floor, the possibilities of the Nuggets climbing out of that gap have been slim.

Throughout the previous week, Malone pointed to the Nuggets climbing out of 3-1 sequence holes in opposition to the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers in 2020. Whereas true, these rallies additionally include context as they got here within the COVID bubble. The Nuggets didn’t should win any true street video games. In opposition to the Jazz, Denver was with out beginning taking pictures guard Gary Harris for the primary 5 video games of that sequence. When he returned, the Nuggets had somebody who may defend then-Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. That helped change the sequence.

In opposition to the Clippers, the Nuggets have been galvanized by LA’s Marcus Morris attempting to mess with Paul Millsap. That rally was much more gorgeous (Denver was a greater group than the Jazz), however the Nuggets nonetheless didn’t should win a real street sport.

These comebacks shed a bit gentle onto what Denver is doing now to an excellent opponent. The Timberwolves have probably the greatest defenses the league has seen in a decade; the Nuggets have shredded it within the final three video games. The Timberwolves’ offense was nice in opposition to the Phoenix Suns; the Nuggets have discovered a option to render Minnesota ineffective.

Extra importantly, the Nuggets have defended with vigor. They’ve gotten to virtually each free ball. They’ve discovered the place pictures are coming from they usually have defeated the full-court stress that had outlined Minnesota’s protection within the first two video games.

“It took numerous effort to get again into this sequence, nevertheless it was an effort that our guys have been dedicated to,” Malone mentioned. “I feel that effort was an enormous a part of why we received tonight. We had 30 assists, so that claims quite a bit about how nicely we moved the basketball. We obtained out in transition and obtained simple buckets there. We’re clearly not happy. This was an incredible win in entrance of an incredible crowd.

“However now we’ve to go as much as Minnesota and attempt to shut it out, and that’s all the time the hardest sport.”

Final week, Jokić mentioned he may use a clone of himself to take care of Minnesota’s depth on the inside. On Tuesday night time, Jokić placed on a memorable and mesmerizing shotmaking clinic in a very powerful sport of this sequence.

“Tonight was a superb night time for me, and it’s an evening that I feel I’m going to recollect my complete life,” Jokić mentioned. “Standing there, feeling the love from the gang. This was an evening that I received’t overlook.”

“Every time Nikola will get it going like that, it’s a must to take a step again and permit him to dictate the way in which the sport goes to go,” Jamal Murray mentioned. “He had 40. He missed seven pictures on the Defensive Participant of the 12 months (Gobert), and it felt like he had 50.”

The Nuggets group that has proven up for the final three video games has to as soon as once more be thought-about the title favourite if Jokić sustains this stage of play and others choose up the slack when their second and third choices have mediocre video games. Murray wasn’t nice on Tuesday night time and it hardly mattered. Michael Porter Jr. performed one his worst video games of the postseason and it hardly mattered. Of their stead, Aaron Gordon was as soon as once more a monster, scoring 18 factors whereas grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out 5 assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 16 huge factors and Christian Braun made a big influence off the bench.

That is what the Nuggets do when they’re at their greatest. They’re outlined by their high quality depth and talent to search out performances in hidden and even unlikely locations. In the event that they do shut the sequence on Thursday night time, it is going to be clear that the primary two video games of the sequence was a surprising overhand proper to knock them in opposition to the ropes.

(Photograph of Nikola Jokić: AAron Ontiveroz / The Denver Put up through Getty Pictures)