On paper, they're even: Minnesota with its top-ranked defense and average offense, Denver with its surgical offense and solid defense. Here are the matchups, schemes and counters that will determine what should be an epic Western Conference battle.
for it not to have. The teams have been eyeing each other all season, coaches spending idle hours scheming up counters.
If there is an agreed upon starting point for this era of Nuggets basketball, it is probably Dec. 15, 2016 -- known locally as"Jokmas," the day Malone anointed Jokic Denver's starting center. But the Nuggets' seriousness as potential contenders really crystallized on the last day of the following seasonOn the team's flight back to Denver, Jokic walked from row to row thanking every staff member -- and promising the team would improve.
Towns slowed down, got control of his limbs, paused for a half-second to find the right plan of attack. Edwards has other options. He can hunt Murray by running pick-and-rolls with Minnesota's point guards, either drawing Murray on a switch or baiting the Nuggets into trapping him. He can run the two-man game with Towns, though the Nuggets have often switched that -- slotting Gordon onto Edwards and Caldwell-Pope on Towns, daring the Wolves to break their offense and post Towns up.
Gobert screens once, cuts to the paint, then jogs back out for a second screen. That rescreen is crucial. It forces Jokic to work -- to change direction again and again. It chips away at his energy. On the second pick, he sometimes lingers in the paint -- gifting Edwards that runway. The direct Jokic assignment then falls to Towns. He can't stop Jokic one-on-one. No one can. But Gobert is the rare help defender big enough to form a last line of defense and invade Jokic's pet passing lanes. He can slough away from Gordon to prevent entry passes when the Wolves front Jokic:Jokic can back Anderson into the basket stanchion, but Gobert looms as a shot-blocker. He's also threatening any pass to Gordon.
Overusing the Murray-Gordon two-man game shifts the offense away from Jokic. The Nuggets don't want that. But there are ways for Jokic to be a threat -- and maybe even end up with the ball -- on those possessions. They can set cross screens under the rim for Jokica Murray-Gordon pick-and-roll, so that he pops into post position as Murray turns the corner.
Jokic's floater-slash-runner might be the most important shot in basketball right now. It is in theory a shot defenses are supposed to concede; the Wolves by design allowed the second most midrange shots in the league.
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