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Post by duh88 on May 2, 2023 2:12:47 GMT -5
Gonna be interesting to see what happens with Paul. That's a huge loss for them if he strained it. There's no way he'll be effective again in this series with a strained groin. He tried to really take the game over in the 3rd and he had their offense starting to click, but you push it that hard at 38 and somethings gonna pop. The way he grabbed it - that looked like something significant. |
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Post by nuggetshipster on May 2, 2023 2:14:28 GMT -5
Are we the new blessed team?
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Post by LotharBraunBrownBryant on May 2, 2023 2:33:48 GMT -5
youtu.be/5eHJIpj8fl8?t=348You can see the moment CP3 hurts himself here (timestamp about 5:48). I say "hurts himself" because what happens is KCP sees CP0 is looking away after BB's shot, runs in for the offensive rebound, and Paul tries to box out by kicking his leg out and then jumping for the rebound and landing awkwardly.
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Post by duh88 on May 2, 2023 3:43:25 GMT -5
youtu.be/5eHJIpj8fl8?t=348You can see the moment CP3 hurts himself here (timestamp about 5:48). I say "hurts himself" because what happens is KCP sees CP0 is looking away after BB's shot, runs in for the offensive rebound, and Paul tries to box out by kicking his leg out and then jumping for the rebound and landing awkwardly. Curious - who was that moron trying to kick in this instance? KCP is on his shoulder - did he think KCP was behind him? |
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Post by duh88 on May 2, 2023 3:52:46 GMT -5
We held them to 14 points in the 4th quarter!!!
This was a funny game. We came out so damn nervous and so damn afraid of our own shadow. It is like - I think beating the snot out of PHX two nights ago is what caused our guys to realize that we can take it all this year. I think they came out so damn nervous tonight because they finally feel like the favorite.
It's remarkable that we had such poor games from Murray and MPJ, and yet still beat them by double-digits - suns couldn't even get to 90.
Close them out at PHX. We just need either Murray or MPJ to have a great game - as I've been saying, the Suns just can't keep up if that happens.
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Post by freakns on May 2, 2023 8:17:20 GMT -5
this was such a big win, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
Phoenix got out 100% ready and energized. Truthfully, I didn't think they had it in themselves. Kudos to them for proving me wrong. Also, let's be honest. Devin Booker is freaking beast and legit superstar. He is, without shadow of a doubt, top 10 player in NBA. We may hate it, but it is like that. He is on Jokic's level. Also, KD, that was masterful defense. Again, not something I thought he is capable of, and not because of his skill, but he simply wasn't with a team long enough. He played what he likes the most, some sort of free safety. And lastly, Ayton had excellent game. He gave his all. All those things can not be denied.
That being said, all that roaming around and closing out on defense took some out of KD. We need to remember, he was out for half of the season and his conditioning isn't 100%. And when your legs starts to feel it, your shots just doesn't fall in. Same thing that happened last year in that Boston series. Celtics make him work so much, and he was active on defense, at the end, his shots just didn't fall. We can only hope it continues like that cause we know what KD can do, even when he is spending energy on defense.
Same thing happened to Jamal. Its not like he forgot how to shoot. Phoenix started this game by throwing everything at him, including kitchen sink. And thats the biggest reason why his shots didn't fall. His legs betrayed him, which is to be expected after effort he give in game 1 and how much he had to work in game 2 on both sides. But what I liked from him, he stayed focused, he was engaged on defense and lastly, he still shoot but didn't push. It resulted in 6 out of 10 points in 4th and 2 man game closing it off. Three games off will give him necessary rest and I expect him to show up big in game 3.
Speaking of game 3, if CP3 isn't ready, this is perfect chance for a break. We need to remember, every win we get is going to be harder then last one. That's how playoffs works. In Phoenix, as usual, we can expect their bench to be much better and hitting some shots. That's why Nuggets needs to be fully locked in. Continue with same intensity they've shown in game 1 and 2. Hit them with everything you have and hope 3s will start fallin'. I do think they will. Also, outrun them. Remember, we are younger and faster, use it.
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Post by passtheballquick on May 2, 2023 10:46:06 GMT -5
Jamal and MPJ went 5 of 22. That is 22%FG from 2 max players that were solely paid for their ofense and scoring. To make it even worse, it was against a team that literally had one solid defender and he was guarding Jokic. This floor man is concerning. I could see one of the 2 having a down game, but both of them in the same game is something that I hope, it doesn't happen again
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Post by Ring on May 2, 2023 10:52:53 GMT -5
Jamal and MPJ went 5 of 22. That is 22%FG from 2 max players that were solely paid for their ofense and scoring. To make it even worse, it was against a team that literally had one solid defender and he was guarding Jokic. This floor man is concerning. I could see one of the 2 having a down game, but both of them in the same game is something that I hope, it doesn't happen again 100% true which is the most nuts thing about the win. The good thing about Jamal is he woke up in the last 6 minutes. Had 6 points and 4 assists in the 4Q and was obliterating the Suns in the 2 man game. MPJ I never kill for his inefficiency because it typically happens when he's not involved offensively. He took like 3 "bad" shots last night. The bigger issue is the Nuggets have a 6'10 41% 3 point shooter and have no idea how to run actions to get him open shots. Also thought Okogie did a great job on Murray defensively. He was much more physical than he was in Game 1. Murray can't go 0-9 from 3. 2 were grenades but that's why he sucked. 3-6 from 2. If he even shoots 33% from 3 we're talking about a 19/4/8 game on 40/33 shooting. Still a bad game but one that is the floor for a typical star. Almost all of his 3s were opened, but he rushed them. |
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Post by nuggetshipster on May 2, 2023 11:13:52 GMT -5
Jamal and MPJ went 5 of 22. That is 22%FG from 2 max players that were solely paid for their ofense and scoring. To make it even worse, it was against a team that literally had one solid defender and he was guarding Jokic. This floor man is concerning. I could see one of the 2 having a down game, but both of them in the same game is something that I hope, it doesn't happen again how can you say they literally have one good defender when they just held the #1 seed to one of their worst quarters of the season. and that the only good defender is the only guy that got torched its like what happens on the floor doesnt matter, just reputation agree that we need to expect and demand better from MPJ and especially Murray. shocking bad when jokic was sitting in the 4th |
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Post by scooter on May 2, 2023 11:50:56 GMT -5
This was a funny game. We came out so damn nervous and so damn afraid of our own shadow. It is like - I think beating the snot out of PHX two nights ago is what caused our guys to realize that we can take it all this year. I think they came out so damn nervous tonight because they finally feel like the favorite. I think Murray was fouled 10 times in the first quarter. I don’t know if it was because of the particular officiating crew, but Monty Williams put in a game plan that assumed the refs would not call fouls 50 feet from the basket from the opening possession. They did eventually call it tighter, but the refs were hesitant to call “smaller” fouls early in the game and the Suns tired Murray out by bodying him the entire way up the court. It required Williams to play all of his guys — which eventually did not work — but the “Murray strategy” worked w/r/t Murray. I’m not convinced Murray’s ineffectiveness was because he was too nervous. We know his conditioning isn’t ideal, and the Suns had a game plan to make him too tired to be an effective scorer. KCP is an off ball player, so the Nuggets are short on ball handling guards, which led to BB playing alongside Murray in the 4th. At some point in the playoffs, the Nuggets may very well need to play Jackson or Smith. For playoff basketball, when tight defense limits the number of passes you can safely throw, you need enough ball handling on the court at all times. |
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Post by passtheballquick on May 2, 2023 12:23:59 GMT -5
Jamal and MPJ went 5 of 22. That is 22%FG from 2 max players that were solely paid for their ofense and scoring. To make it even worse, it was against a team that literally had one solid defender and he was guarding Jokic. This floor man is concerning. I could see one of the 2 having a down game, but both of them in the same game is something that I hope, it doesn't happen again how can you say they literally have one good defender when they just held the #1 seed to one of their worst quarters of the season. and that the only good defender is the only guy that got torched its like what happens on the floor doesnt matter, just reputation agree that we need to expect and demand better from MPJ and especially Murray. shocking bad when jokic was sitting in the 4th It's easy to hold our ofense below 100 when 2 starters, who are just paid for their ofence give you 15 points combined in 63+ minutes spent on the floor and at the same time take more shots (mostly wide open) than the rest of the team combined excluding Jokic. Based on reputation you make your game plan |
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Post by scooter on May 2, 2023 12:29:39 GMT -5
MPJ I never kill for his inefficiency because it typically happens when he's not involved offensively. He took like 3 "bad" shots last night. The bigger issue is the Nuggets have a 6'10 41% 3 point shooter and have no idea how to run actions to get him open shots. He has very slow feet and as a result its easy for defenders with this level of playoff effort to stick to him like glue. And unlike Durant (and other good scorers), he doesn’t have the handle to create space for himself in iso situations, and doesn’t have the handle, court awareness and passing ability to reliably hit open teammates when he is too covered up to get off a decent shot. How much time should the Nuggets be running off the clock in an effort to get Porter open and in what percentage of possessions should they be running those actions? Porter’s skill set is still really narrow compared to other players on the court (counting both teams) in a series against a team with the Suns’ quality (3 first team all-NBA players). His handle is the worst among the Nuggets’ starters. Torrey Craig shot 40% from three this season — are the Suns dumb for not running sets designed to get him open for threes? I get it that Porter is a more talented scorer than Craig but Porter’s weaknesses are still really glaring at this level. Porter will get hotter in one of the upcoming games, but if he’s not hitting shots (he has 1 made three in 54 minutes so far this series), you can’t expect Jokic to be sacrificing his offense for the sake of Porter’s. |
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Post by scooter on May 2, 2023 12:56:31 GMT -5
BTW, my take on Porter is not a referendum on his character. Its largely a referendum on his physical limitations as a result of the nerve damage he so obviously has as a result of his back surgeries, and that’s a referendum on I don’t know what Nuggets’ management was thinking in giving that size of contract extension to a player who is the first NBA player I have ever seen wearing a “drop foot brace” in games. The brace is not a “pain limitation” thing or a “limit additional or future injury” thing like tape to bolster the strength of inherently weak joints like ankles or Jokic’s wrist with whatever injury he is dealing with. It’s a form of prosthetic device to compensate for a lack of function. Porter has permanent damage to one or more of the nerves that control his foot and — lacking full control over the movement of his foot — is wearing a device to help him lift and move his foot when he needs to lift and move his foot. There are basically zero elite athletes who wear such devices because you cannot be an elite athlete if you don’t have full control over your feet, and for the life of me I cannot understand why team management thought it should max him out after only 2 semi-healthy seasons, knowing he had this permanent injury.
Porter would be really good to have making $18 mil/year. He’d be great for what he brings, and if the Nuggets felt they needed to change something up by trading him, they could get value for him. But the contract makes the latter impossible, so for now he’s a player whose limitations get him benched sometimes. I’m not a doctor and yet I know enough about the spine and spinal nerves to know what that drop foot brace indicates in a post-back surgery patient. My best guess is that ownership (which didn’t understand it) wanted to get him signed after getting burned by the likes of Iggy and Grant, and Tim Connelly was too soft spoken to tell the Kroenkes forcefully enough to slow their roll (just like he went along with new TWolves’ ownership’s interest in trading for Gobert).
End of rant.
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Post by Ring on May 2, 2023 13:05:46 GMT -5
MPJ I never kill for his inefficiency because it typically happens when he's not involved offensively. He took like 3 "bad" shots last night. The bigger issue is the Nuggets have a 6'10 41% 3 point shooter and have no idea how to run actions to get him open shots. He has very slow feet and as a result its easy for defenders with this level of playoff effort to stick to him like glue. And unlike Durant (and other good scorers), he doesn’t have the handle to create space for himself in iso situations, and doesn’t have the handle, court awareness and passing ability to reliably hit open teammates when he is too covered up to get off a decent shot. How much time should the Nuggets be running off the clock in an effort to get Porter open and in what percentage of possessions should they be running those actions? Porter’s skill set is still really narrow compared to other players on the court (counting both teams) in a series against a team with the Suns’ quality (3 first team all-NBA players). His handle is the worst among the Nuggets’ starters. Torrey Craig shot 40% from three this season — are the Suns dumb for not running sets designed to get him open for threes? I get it that Porter is a more talented scorer than Craig but Porter’s weaknesses are still really glaring at this level. Porter will get hotter in one of the upcoming games, but if he’s not hitting shots (he has 1 made three in 54 minutes so far this series), you can’t expect Jokic to be sacrificing his offense for the sake of Porter’s. When the offense is stuck in the mud and can't get anything going (has happened multiple times in the playoffs) just give him the ball or run DHOs for him. The Suns don't have to run sets for Craig because they have CP3, Booker, KD and Ayton who all get pretty high quality looks throughout the game. Can Klay Thompson put the ball on the floor? Can he dribble? I'm not going to pretend like MPJ is as good as Klay is off the ball but a lot of that is because Klays role is to do that and MPJs is to space the floor and prevent teams from doubling Jokic. |
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Post by Ring on May 2, 2023 13:10:06 GMT -5
BTW, my take on Porter is not a referendum on his character. Its largely a referendum on his physical limitations as a result of the nerve damage he so obviously has as a result of his back surgeries, and that’s a referendum on I don’t know what Nuggets’ management was thinking in giving that size of contract extension to a player who is the first NBA player I have ever seen wearing a “drop foot brace” in games. The brace is not a “pain limitation” thing or a “limit additional or future injury” thing like tape to bolster the strength of inherently weak joints like ankles or Jokic’s wrist with whatever injury his is dealing with. It’s a form of prosthetic device to compensate for a lack of function. Porter has permanent damage to one or more of the nerves that control his foot and — lacking full control over the movement of his foot — is wearing a device to help him lift and move his foot when he needs to lift and move his foot. There are basically zero elite athletes who wear such devices because you cannot be an elite athlete if you don’t have full control over your feet, and for the life of me I cannot understand why team management thought it should max him out after only 2 semi-healthy seasons, knowing he had this permanent injury. Porter would be really good to have making $18 mil/year. He’d be great for what he brings, and if the Nuggets felt they needed to change something up by trading him, they could get value for him. But the contract makes the latter impossible, so for now he’s a player whose limitations get him benched sometimes. I’m not a doctor and yet I know enough about the spine and spinal nerves to know what that drop foot brace indicates in a post-back surgery patient. My best guess is that ownership (which didn’t understand it) wanted to get him signed after getting burned by the likes of Iggy and Grant, and Tim Connelly was too soft spoken to tell the Kroenkes forcefully enough to slow their roll (just like he went along with new TWolves’ ownership’s interest in trading for Gobert). End of rant. Never going to defend the contract but I don't think the foot thing has much impact on his game. MPJ never had to develop any of his game because he was more athletic than everyone in HS and then basically went straight to the NBA. He went to a team where he wasn't allowed to explore any of his game. He's always had the exact same role. If he was on a s**t team he wouldn't be the defender he is now but he'd absolutely be a much better and more polished scorer. |
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Post by funky on May 2, 2023 13:37:35 GMT -5
Booker is NOT on Jokic's level, freak.
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Post by nuggetshipster on May 2, 2023 13:46:48 GMT -5
MPJ I never kill for his inefficiency because it typically happens when he's not involved offensively. He took like 3 "bad" shots last night. The bigger issue is the Nuggets have a 6'10 41% 3 point shooter and have no idea how to run actions to get him open shots. He has very slow feet and as a result its easy for defenders with this level of playoff effort to stick to him like glue. And unlike Durant (and other good scorers), he doesn’t have the handle to create space for himself in iso situations, and doesn’t have the handle, court awareness and passing ability to reliably hit open teammates when he is too covered up to get off a decent shot. How much time should the Nuggets be running off the clock in an effort to get Porter open and in what percentage of possessions should they be running those actions? Porter’s skill set is still really narrow compared to other players on the court (counting both teams) in a series against a team with the Suns’ quality (3 first team all-NBA players). His handle is the worst among the Nuggets’ starters. Torrey Craig shot 40% from three this season — are the Suns dumb for not running sets designed to get him open for threes? I get it that Porter is a more talented scorer than Craig but Porter’s weaknesses are still really glaring at this level. Porter will get hotter in one of the upcoming games, but if he’s not hitting shots (he has 1 made three in 54 minutes so far this series), you can’t expect Jokic to be sacrificing his offense for the sake of Porter’s. having players that opposing defenders need to stick to like glue is huge for the team |
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Post by famicommander on May 2, 2023 13:47:11 GMT -5
Booker is NOT on Jokic's level, freak. Nobody is. He's a generational talent. He is on a level by himself. |
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Post by nuggetshipster on May 2, 2023 13:49:12 GMT -5
And MPJ have always played like he does, i dont buy its because of nerve damage in his back. Did this happen before or after his last back surgery? Because Nuggets wouldnt max someone in that condition and MPJ looked just as awkward pre injury
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Post by Ring on May 2, 2023 14:13:47 GMT -5
He has very slow feet and as a result its easy for defenders with this level of playoff effort to stick to him like glue. And unlike Durant (and other good scorers), he doesn’t have the handle to create space for himself in iso situations, and doesn’t have the handle, court awareness and passing ability to reliably hit open teammates when he is too covered up to get off a decent shot. How much time should the Nuggets be running off the clock in an effort to get Porter open and in what percentage of possessions should they be running those actions? Porter’s skill set is still really narrow compared to other players on the court (counting both teams) in a series against a team with the Suns’ quality (3 first team all-NBA players). His handle is the worst among the Nuggets’ starters. Torrey Craig shot 40% from three this season — are the Suns dumb for not running sets designed to get him open for threes? I get it that Porter is a more talented scorer than Craig but Porter’s weaknesses are still really glaring at this level. Porter will get hotter in one of the upcoming games, but if he’s not hitting shots (he has 1 made three in 54 minutes so far this series), you can’t expect Jokic to be sacrificing his offense for the sake of Porter’s. having players that opposing defenders need to stick to like glue is huge for the team +1 |
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