Nuggets that defy expectations confiscate West's second seed and attract spurs in their first playoff race since 2013

[ad_1]
<div _ngcontent-c14 = "" innerhtml = "

When NBA prognosticators unveiled their forecasts for the 2018-19 season for the past season, almost all predicted an improvement in the Denver Nuggets.

But hardly anyone thought that they would be so good.

The Nuggets put an end to one of their most successful seasons as an NBA franchise last night with a dazzling victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. They won their 54th win and won the second seed of the Western Conference, behind the defender. champion of the Golden State Warriors.

A game that seemed like an imminent disaster for the Nuggets turned into a tumultuous race in the final of a final that was in many ways a microcosm of the Denver season, with all the spectrum of strengths and weaknesses of the exposed team as well as the resilience that has come to define their identity.

After playing three and a half quarters facing the slightest competition from a team of wounded Wolves, who did not have the center featured Karl-Anthony Towns and other key players, the Nuggets seemed to wake up from a fog coming back from a 11-point deficit three and a half minutes from the end to allow their Pepsi Center fans to win a thrilling victory and end the regular season. Jamal Murray was able to score three points with 31.5 seconds left to give Denver a one-point advantage, and Nikola Jokic sealed the contract with a win over the next possession.

With the victory the Nuggets finished the season with 54 wins, equaling the second record in the history of their NBA franchise (shared with two other seasons), and giving them their eighth season with 50 or more wins since the ABA's merger with the NBA in 1976. This is also the fourth time Denver finishes as high as the second-seeded in the West. an NBA team.

Prior to the start of the season, the collective confidence of the NBA media had predicted a significant but moderate improvement for the Nuggets, who finished last year with 46 wins and missed the playoffs by a single game for the second season consecutive. Most had Denver finishing in the fifth or sixth seed with a total of victory of about 47 to 50 wins (me too, predicts 50 wins and not lower than the sixth seed). The dominant narrative was that the development of young Nugget players would promote the growth and progress of the team, even if the struggles for defense – an area in which Denver slipped into the last seven NBA in years – interfere with the team's ceiling.

Surprisingly, though, Denver's ascent to the second seed was largely dependent on their strengthened defense. , who jumped from 23rd last year to 10th in the NBA this season. After years spent preaching the virtues of defense, head coach Michael Malone has finally gained full support from his players this season, thanks to the help of defensive captain Paul Millsap in the field. The players have provided a maximum and multiple efforts in a much more consistent manner than in any previous season of the current era, and the results are tangible.

The Nuggets have allowed their opponents to score less than 100 points in 27 games this season, up from 17 last year, and earned the NBA's fourth-quarter top scoring with 101.9 points, up from compared to 15th with a score of 107.8, by NBA.com. In addition, NBA.com has set the point differential of five points or less in the last five minutes of a match.

Denver could hardly have put a more perfect exclamation point on these exploits than in the decisive last-minute victory over Minnesota, which the Nuggets did not hold during the last four minutes of the match. This is a proper digest of the hard core that the young team has discovered in themselves this season, a character who refuses to give up and who gets up almost always after taking a punch.

While they proceed to the playoffs – for the first time in the case of many players, including novice players, Jokic, Murray and Gary Harris – they face a lot of trouble. The more experienced and seasoned San Antonio Spurs, guided by perhaps the greatest coach in NBA history, Gregg Popovich, will have to show determination and maintain their determination.

But if this Nugget team has learned anything this season, it's the art of breaking expectations and blossoming in the face of adversity. So, after being warned, no one should be surprised if Denver continues to transcend the expectations conventional wisdom imposes on them. and reach new heights that few people thought possible.

The playoff schedule of the first round of the Nuggets against San Antonio Spurs is as follows:

G1: SAS to DEN, Saturday April 13 at 22:30. EST, ESPN

G2: SAS to DEN, Tuesday, April 16 at 9 pm EST, NBA TV

G3: DEN to SAS, Thu 18 Apr at 21h EST, NBA TV

G4: DEN at SAS, Saturday, April 20 at 17:30. EST, TNT

* G5: SAS to DEN, Tuesday, April 23

* G6: DEN to SAS, Thu 25 April

* G7: SAS to DEN, Saturday, April 27

*If necessary

& nbsp;

">

When NBA prognosticators unveiled their forecasts for the 2018-19 season for the past season, almost all predicted an improvement in the Denver Nuggets.

But hardly anyone thought that they would be so good.

The Nuggets put an end to one of their most successful seasons as an NBA franchise last night with a dazzling victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. They won their 54th win and won the second seed of the Western Conference, behind the defender. champion of the Golden State Warriors.

A game that seemed like an imminent disaster for the Nuggets turned into a tumultuous race in the final of a final that was in many ways a microcosm of the Denver season, with all the spectrum of strengths and weaknesses of the exposed team as well as the resilience that has come to define their identity.

After playing three and a half quarters facing the slightest competition from a team of wounded Wolves, who did not have the center featured Karl-Anthony Towns and other key players, the Nuggets seemed to wake up from a fog coming back from a 11-point deficit three and a half minutes from the end to allow their Pepsi Center fans to win a thrilling victory and end the regular season. Jamal Murray was able to score three points with 31.5 seconds left to give Denver a one-point advantage, and Nikola Jokic sealed the contract with a win over the next possession.

With the victory the Nuggets finished the season with 54 wins, equaling the second record in the history of their NBA franchise (shared with two other seasons), and giving them their eighth season with 50 or more wins since the ABA's merger with the NBA in 1976. This is also the fourth time Denver finishes as high as the second-seeded in the West. an NBA team.

Prior to the start of the season, the collective confidence of the NBA media had predicted a significant but moderate improvement for the Nuggets, who finished last year with 46 wins and missed the playoffs by a single game for the second season consecutive. Most had Denver finishing in the fifth or sixth seed with a total of victories of about 47 to 50 wins (me too, I had predicted 50 wins and not less than the sixth seed). The dominant narrative was that the development of young Nugget players would promote the growth and progress of the team, even if the struggles for defense – an area in which Denver slipped into the last seven NBA in years – interfere with the team's ceiling.

Surprisingly, though, Denver's ascent to the second seed was largely dependent on their strengthened defense. , who jumped from 23rd last year to 10th in the NBA this season. After years spent preaching the virtues of defense, head coach Michael Malone has finally gained full support from his players this season, thanks to the help of defensive captain Paul Millsap in the field. The players have provided a maximum and multiple efforts in a much more consistent manner than in any previous season of the current era, and the results are tangible.

The Nuggets have allowed their opponents to score less than 100 points in 27 games this season, up from 17 last year, and earned the NBA's fourth-quarter top scoring with 101.9 points, up from compared to 15th with a score of 107.8, by NBA.com. In addition, NBA.com has set the point differential of five points or less in the last five minutes of a match.

Denver could hardly have put a more perfect exclamation point on these exploits than in the decisive last-minute victory over Minnesota, which the Nuggets did not hold during the last four minutes of the match. This is a proper digest of the hard core that the young team has discovered in themselves this season, a character who refuses to give up and who gets up almost always after taking a punch.

As they make the playoffs – for the first time in the case of many players, including Jokic, Murray and Gary Harris – they will face a much more experienced and agile team, San Antonio Spurs, guided by possibly to be the greatest coach in the history of the NBA. Gregg Popovich, they will have to keep their mark of resolution, because they are tested like never before.

But if this Nugget team has learned anything this season, it's the art of breaking expectations and blossoming in the face of adversity. So, after being warned, no one should be surprised if Denver continues to transcend the expectations conventional wisdom imposes on them. and reach new heights that few people thought possible.

The playoff schedule of the first round of the Nuggets against San Antonio Spurs is as follows:

G1: SAS to DEN, Saturday April 13 at 22:30. EST, ESPN

G2: SAS to DEN, Tuesday, April 16 at 9 pm EST, NBA TV

G3: DEN to SAS, Thu 18 Apr at 21h EST, NBA TV

G4: DEN at SAS, Saturday, April 20 at 17:30. EST, TNT

* G5: SAS to DEN, Tuesday, April 23

* G6: DEN to SAS, Thu 25 April

* G7: SAS to DEN, Saturday, April 27

*If necessary