In the aftermath of another impressive victory for the Nuggets, head coach Michael Malone explained the approach for his team in this post-season and talked about the confidence that the group has developed as the defending NBA champs.
"There's a confidence that comes with being a champion," said Malone. "That starting group, they've been through a lot of wars. They're battle-tested. Every time we get down, we don't panic, we stay the course and we find a way to get back in the game. It's another game where we were spotted a 20-point lead and we still come back and win."
The Nuggets were facing a lot of scrutiny coming into the last post-season and many experts were eager to see him back up his regular-season dominance with a lengthy playoff run. Needless to say, Jokic has more than delivered on that front, and anyone cannot deny his grip over the West.
The Lakers have held a double-digit lead in each of the first three games, including a 20-point lead in Game 2 down the stretch of the game. Somehow, the Nuggets were able to make a comeback in all three contests and have had an answer for everything the Lakers have thrown at them. All the while, Malone has been taking shots at them from afar.
So far in these playoffs, the Nuggets are better than they've ever been and you can see the confidence they're playing with in this post-season. As one of the most efficient and effective lineups in basketball, the Nuggets' starting five has become almost unbeatable when they've got it going. In this series, they've had full control from the very start and it will take a monstrous effort for any team to beat them four times in a seven-game series.
Will The Denver Nuggets Go Back-To-Back?
No team in NBA history has ever come back from down 0-3 in a series, but that's what the Lakers will have to do if they want to keep their season alive and advance to the next round. The margin for error was always going to be slim for the Lake Show this year, but against the Nuggets, victory requires near perfection, and the Lakers were unable to meet that demand with inconsistent play from the supporting cast (namely D'Angelo Russell, who went scoreless on Thursday).
The truth is, with Nikola Jokic on the team, Denver has become a true dynasty in the West, and the way he elevates guys like Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Kentavoius Caldwell-Pope will ensure they are competitive for years to come.
As for the season at hand, the Nuggets are almost sure to advance to the second round, the only question is whether they can complete the sweep or if the Lakers will somehow manage to extend the series. With Minnesota, and potentially OKC or Dallas lurking in the bracket, the path to the Finals will not be easy and it will be a grind from start to finish.
But if there's anything we've learned over the past two years, it's that the Nuggets are just a way better team than the Lakers right now, and that will not change unless some serious adjustments are made.
More must-reads: