5 Things With James Scott: Five Reasons the Nuggets Will Defend Their Title

After a first round gentlemen sweep of the Los Angles Lakers, the Nuggets set their sites on the 3-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves who are on a roll coming off a first round sweep against the Phoenix Suns. This highly anticipated series between the young newcomers in the T-Wolves and the reigning champs will start  in Denver on Saturday and maybe it is looking too far down the line, but these are the five reasons the Nuggets are going to not only win this series, but the NBA Finals.

1. Jokic

I don’t think this one needs much explanation. Nikola Jokic is going to win his third MVP in four years and is the best player in the world. Even on off-nights, such as the one he had in game 5 against the Lakers, he will drop a near 20 point triple double. Despite the fact that Rudy Gobert is a Defensive Player of the Year Candidate, Jokic has already been known to dominate the Timberwolves center. Jokic is arguably the most reliable player in the NBA and everybody knows he will give the Nuggets exactly what they need to win this series and those after it.

2. Playoff Jamal Murray

In Round 1, Jamal Murray became the first person in NBA history to hit two game-winning shots with under five seconds on the clock in the same series. He has proven time and again that he is one of the clutchest players in the league. The best thing about Jamal Murray is that no matter how bad of a game he is having, everyone knows he will make the shot that counts. Take Game 2 against LA for example, Jamal Murray was shooting an abysmal 7 of 22 from the field with a minute on the clock. However, with the game on the line, he scored six straight points for the Nuggets including two difficult jumpers, one of which was at the buzzer, to win the game. When coach Michael Malone keeps his faith in Jamal Murray, he will always deliver.

3. The Role Players

We have already talked about the two stars, however many people don’t realize the Nuggets have built the perfect team around them. Players like Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. (MPJ) maximize Jokic’s ability and have stepped up when they need to over the past two years. MPJ had a phenomenal series against LA shooting nearly 49% from three and hitting a huge one in both Game 2 and Game 5. Aaron Gordon also saved the Nuggets with two huge offensive rebounds this series in tight games. The first was in game 2 and it led to MPJ’s three to give the Nuggets the lead in the final minutes. The second was in game 5 and it led to a massive Jamal Murray three. I haven’t even mentioned the contributions the Nuggets have gotten this season from players such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Peyton Watson, and Christian Braun.

4. Experience

I mentioned how this upcoming series against the Minnesota Timberwolves will be a tight one. However, the one issue the Timberwolves have, is a lack of experience. The same thing can be said for the one-seeded Thunder who the Nuggets would likely face if they beat the T-Wolves. Both of those two teams have stars who have barely played in the playoffs. However, the Nuggets have plenty of experience. The entire starting five of the Nuggets and most of their bench played key roles in their championship last year. For Jokic, this will be his sixth playoff run and for Porter and Murray, it is their fourth. Almost the entire team has one previous championship and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has two. This team knows what it takes to win, and that is something a lot of other contenders do not.

5. Coaching

Many people often forget and underestimate how good of a coach Michael Malone is. Chances are that he will break the all time record for most wins by a Nuggets head coach next season. For nearly nine years, he has coached this team and he has created a winning culture. He knows how to get the best out of his players and he will out-coach almost all other coaches the Nuggets face on this playoff run.