NBA Legend Paul Pierce Defends Nuggets' Championship Chances

Will the Nuggets come out of the West?

It has been challenging to evaluate the Nuggets this season because of all the injuries they have endured, as they have only gone about ten games with their lineup at full strength, and none since early November. However, that is part of the reason why Pierce believes in them.

"They are a team that hasn't necessarily been healthy all year, but still in the top four," Pierce said. "They still haven't been healthy. Peyton Watson goes down, Braun comes back. They haven't had the full look. Gordon is still out."

Of course, the easy pick to come out of the West is the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Nuggets took OKC to seven games in last year's playoffs and have only gotten better since then.

In the offseason, the Nuggets added Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas. On top of the incredible additions, guys like Peyton Watson, Jamal Murray, and Spencer Jones have all improved. While all eyes are on Jokic, this is an entirely different team than the Thunder saw in last year's playoffs, and there are many reasons to believe that Denver would have their number if they met again this postseason.

While the two Western Conference powerhouses are set to meet on Friday, neither team is healthy, so the result will not tell the whole story of a potential playoff preview.

Is the defense a concern?

While Pierce made a strong case for the Nuggets, podcast co-hosts Danny Green and Big Wos both rebutted by bringing up their defense. As it stands, the Nuggets have the NBA's top-ranked offense, but they have the 20th-ranked defense. Will that come back to bite them in the playoffs?

On paper, of course a bad defense will be costly in the postseason. However, is their defense as bad as it seems?

When fully healthy, the Nuggets not only had a top-two offense in the league, but they also had the third-ranked defense. Sure, they have had their defensive lapses throughout the season, but for the majority of it, they have been missing multiple key defenders. The bigger concern for this team is their health, because as long as they can get everyone on the floor together, the defense should not be worrisome.