For the Denver Nuggetsbe finalists of the Western Conference of the nba does not mean something extraordinary to celebrate. However, being in this instance again represents another opportunity to achieve his biggest dream: qualifying for the Finals for the first time and fighting for a league title in 56 years of life.
The first obstacle in that odyssey are los angeles lakers with everything and LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell. Starting this Tuesday, they will play the Western Conference finals against them, so they will have to overcome them to be able to aspire to their first qualification to an NBA Finals, being one of the six teams that has never achieved it.
“We understand how much talent we have on the roster and I think this team has shown they can beat anyone. With a two-time MVP in their ranks, I think this team has worked very hard to get to this point. This is not luck or chance, we are healthy, which is important, but we are a very good team,” said Michael Malone, the head coach of the Nuggetsprior to the conference finals.
In more than half a century of life, Denver has won 12 titles in its division, 10 of them under the NBA format, but it has never been able to be champion of its conference or, therefore, of the league. But this season Malone’s team points to Nikola Jokic, winner of the 2021 and 2022 MVP award, to be the benchmark that can reverse that story.
Interestingly, the last three conference finals played by the Nuggets they lost them all against lakers: in 1985 they fell 4-1, in 2009 4-2 and the most recent, in 2020, again 4-1, this being the season in which LeBron James and his team were crowned in the middle of a health bubble due to the height of the pandemic.
Before that curse against the lakersthe Nuggets they had lost other conference finals against the Seattle Supersonics in 1978 (4-2) and, even further back, they fell in the ABA format finals against the Nets in 1976 (4-2). The past is clearly stacked against him, but a new opportunity is in his hands starting Tuesday.
And it is that in addition to the results specifically in conference finals, Denver has never beaten Los Angeles in a playoff series. In their seven antecedents, the Lakers have 25 victories to 8 for the Nuggets.
However, this series will be the first time that Nuggets have home-field advantage against lakers since 1979, when it was a best-of-three first-round matchup. The Nuggets are also the top seed for the first time in history and are the favorites to win not only these finals, but the NBA title.
One of the strongest arguments for that context of the Nuggets It’s Nikola Jokic. The Serbian excelled with 29 triple-doubles in the regular season that were by far the most in the league, more than double the 14 recorded by Sacramento Kings power forward Domantas Sabonis. The Nuggets were 27-2 in those games.
In addition, Malone’s team adds to its ranks players of experience and quality such as Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., who have helped Jokic have a universe of possibilities around him to leave out the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves within the first two rounds of the 2023 playoffs.
Precisely before the sunsJokic averaged a triple-double (34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 10.3 assists) in the six games and also shot almost 60% from the ground, a remarkable performance with which his team topped without major surprises. the conference semifinal series by an aggregate of 4-2.
The Serbian has also reached 300 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in a postseason for the third time in his career in the current playoffs. No other Denver Nuggets player had accomplished such a feat, according to data from ESPN. That is why it becomes the main card to face an experienced like LeBron James, winner of four titles of the nba and four MVP awards in the Finals.
The series between Nuggets and lakers will open in Denver this Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. (from central Mexico), while Game 2 will be on Thursday at the same time and venue (the Pepsi Center). Games 3 and 4 will move to Los Angeles for Saturday and Monday, respectively, and if it reaches Game 7 the series would return to Denver on May 28.
Western Conference Finals 2023
Denver Nuggets vs. los angeles lakers
(Central Mexico hours)
in denver
Tuesday May 16
6:30 p.m.
in denver
Thursday May 18
6:30 p.m.
In Los Angeles
Saturday May 20
6:30 p.m.
In Los Angeles
Monday May 22
6:30 p.m.
in denver
Wednesday May 24
6:30 p.m.
In Los Angeles
Friday May 26
6:30 p.m.
in denver
Sunday May 28
6:30 p.m.
