Sports
B/R NBA Staff: Can the Nuggets Rally from Down 3-1 Again to Beat the Clippers?
0 of 5Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressThe Denver Nuggets won’t quit. While the “cardiac kid” narrative is nothing new, the Nuggets, who took down the Los Angeles Clippers 111-98 on Sunday, have wrestled the designation away from anyone else. The first team in NBA history to face four straight seven-game playoff series, Denver trailed by 19 early…
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Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
The Denver Nuggets won't quit.
While the “cardiac kid” narrative is nothing new, the Nuggets, who took down the Los Angeles Clippers 111-98 on Sunday, have wrestled the designation away from anyone else. The first team in NBA history to face four straight seven-game playoff series, Denver trailed by 19 early in the third quarter—in yet another elimination game—before finishing on a 62-30 run to extend the series.
While overcoming a 3-1 series advantage is unusual, there's nothing to suggest these Nuggets can't do it two series in a row.
However, there's no denying the ice in Kawhi Leonard's veins after seeing his game-winning Game 7 shot against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers one season ago. In the following round, the Toronto Raptors faced a 2-0 deficit before rattling off four straight wins. There will be fear behind Kawhi's eyes in a decisive Game 7.
Who will come up biggest in the spotlight and move on to face LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers? Our staff weighs in on what promises to be yet another unforgettable night of NBA basketball.
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Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have evolved beyond the feel-good story of the 2020 NBA playoffs. They've shown an undeniable and unforgiving resilience after trailing by at least 15 points in the third quarter of each of the last two elimination games. Led by Jokic and his sensational playoff averages of 26.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 52.2 percent overall and 46.3 percent from three, the Nuggets are now poised to unseat the arguable favorites and earn a shot against the Los Angeles Lakers.
L.A. has its hands full and could become the second team in these playoffs to slink back into the offseason having blown a 3-1 advantage. This, one series after the Nuggets did the very same thing against the Utah Jazz.
However, it would be foolish to bet against a two-time champion and proven closer in Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is 17-4 in playoff series all-time in which he played at least two games. One of the game's best finishers and possibly the best perimeter defender of all time, Leonard should seize the moment as he has many times in the past and put an end to this feel-good story.
Paul George‘s record in these decisive games is a little less assured. The Clippers' series victory against the Dallas Mavericks aside, George has failed to win a playoff series since the Eastern Conference Finals of 2014. The Clippers will advance, but they'll need Playoff P to rise to the challenge on both ends of the floor.
Prediction: Clippers
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Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
I don't like anything about how the Clippers have played despite having the two best players in the series. Their offense is disjointed, and their role players, particularly Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell, have been liabilities.
Even the games they've won, save for their Game 1 blowout, have been closer than they needed to be, just like some of their games in the first-round series against Dallas. They let teams hang around when they're up big, and it's cost them.
L.A. can win if Kawhi Leonard takes over at both ends of the floor, but Denver is playing with nothing to lose, and we've already seen it come back from down 3-1 before in the bubble.
The Clippers are the more talented team, but there's no question which of these teams has been the more cohesive unit.
Prediction: Nuggets
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Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
The Denver Nuggets seem determined to make playoff basketball as hard on themselves as they can. For the fourth straight series, they're headed to a Game 7.
At this point, it seems silly to say they can't pull off another comeback from a 3-1 deficit, but the Los Angeles Clippers still feel like the safer bet for a single game.
As good as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been, we've seen playoff Kawhi Leonard's peak, and it's led to a pair of NBA championships.
Denver's defense has been a bit better against him than the Dallas Mavericks were, but the last time he was pushed to a Game 7, Leonard came out swinging with 41 points on 39 shots, including an iconic game-winner that sent the Philadelphia 76ers packing last year.
Expect him to display a similar level of aggression Tuesday, even with teammates like Paul George, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell alongside him.
Elimination-game Kawhi will be just enough to get the Clippers into the Western Conference Finals.
Prediction: Clippers
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Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
Denver can't possibly do this…right? Nobody's fallen behind 3-1 in consecutive postseason series and come back to win that second series. No way, no how, is this year's imperfect, at times baffling Nuggets team about to become the first.
Or will it?
The players have to be tired. Erasing two 3-1 deficits takes a lot of work. Jamal Murray was gassed down the stretch of Game 6 against the Clippers. Nikola Jokic looked like he might collapse after going kaboom in crunch time. He's logged at least 39 minutes in each of the past four games. Mike Budenholzer still doesn't even think that's legal.
So yeah, it can't be the Nuggets. They've expended so much energy. Too much energy. The Clippers have Kawhi Leonard. And Paul George. And the bandwidth to play more styles.
And yet…Denver has come this far. At some point, the conversation needs to stop being about what the Clippers are doing—maybe don't mirror Montrezl Harrell's minutes with Jokic's so frequently, Doc, I don't know—and more about what the Nuggets are doing. We're there. We've reached it. This Denver squad has options, particularly if the Clippers are going to try winning games in spurts rather than wire-to-wire efforts. Michael Porter Jr. hits big shots. That's a thing. Ditto for Murray. And did we mention Jokic?
Push comes to shove, the Game 7 prediction has to be the Clippers. It just has to be. They don't look broken so much as detached from the stakes. Game 6 has to be their wake-up call, even though Game 5 was supposed to be their wake-up call. Failing that, the Nuggets have to be exhausted. Sure, they can complete this comeback; in a way, they already have. But that can't be the expectation—which, apparently, is just how they like it.
Prediction: Clippers
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Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press
The Denver Nuggets have been one of the most resilient teams in the bubble, but they'll be facing the most significant challenge yet in closing out this series.
The Los Angeles Clippers have not shown a killer instinct, losing multiple double-digit leads to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. The Clippers' 3-1 series advantage is gone, but in Game 7, they'll get a monster performance from one of the league's top closers in Kawhi Leonard.
That will only be enough if Los Angeles can find a way to deal with Jokic. The Clippers have relied too much on the smaller Montrezl Harrell in a matchup that favors Jokic. Coach Doc Rivers will need a strong showing from young center Ivica Zubac to keep Jokic from stealing the series.
Zubac at 7'0″ is a comparable height, with Harrell standing at just 6'7″. On Sunday, the Clippers outscored the Nuggets by 11 over Zubac’s 29 minutes. In Harrell’s 15, Denver had a 19-point advantage. That’s been a consistent trend throughout the series.
The Clippers should have enough to slow Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, but they'll also need big games from some of their perimeter players beyond Leonard, like Lou Williams and Paul George.
Will the Clippers finally get out of the second round for the first time in franchise history? Mark it down as a shaky, “Yes.”
Prediction: Clippers
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