Why the Denver Nuggets are headed for a repeat

A dramatic U-turn in the Western Conference semifinals has the Denver Nuggets back on track for an NBA championship repeat. 

Facing a 2-0 deficit to Minnesota and emerging man-child Anthony Edwards, the Nuggets evened the series in convincing fashion with two wins on the road to set up a best-of-three fight to return to the conference finals.  

“Never underestimate the heart of a champion. They were quick to write us off. But these guys, we won a championship a year ago. You know what I mean?” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of the Game 4 mindset after dropping the first two games in Denver. “This team has been tested time and time again, and we’ve found a way to solve whatever has been thrown at us.” 

Even with Edwards throwing 44 points at Denver to extend him playoff dominance, the Nuggets found scoring in Game 4 from Aaron Gordon. He scored 27 points and only missed one of 12 shot attempts. 

“He was our best player tonight,” said Nikola Jokic after looking more like himself than he did in the home losses last week. 
Jokic scored 35 points with seven rebounds and seven assists and played more like the dancing bear he was in Denver’s nearly unstoppable run through the playoffs last season. Malone’s strategic shifts to apply pressure to the Timberwolves by demanding Rudy Gobert contribute in new ways stands as the adjustment of the series thus far. 
It wasn’t Gordon’s dunk champion hops but his versatility that put the Nuggets back in the passing lane in the series. He was an outlet ball-handler against Minnesota’s aggressive backcourt pressure defense and forced Gobert to run and chase – not camp in the paint and beat back shots.  

There are few counter maneuvers available to Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. Gobert looked so far out of his comfort zone guarding Jokic that he was turned into a highlight reel victim. He was out of place on offense to the extent he helped hush a comeback bid late in Game 4 when he was whistled for a traveling violation trying to shake Jokic with a reverse pivot under the rim.
Speed and physical play, getting downhill and crushing Denver’s token pressure with pick-and-roll sets anchored by Edwards, helped the Timberwolves to the 2-0 lead.
Malone insists Denver knows the series isn’t over, and told his players the same. 
“We have to go back to Denver and protect our home court. We have already lost two games there. We can’t afford to lose a third,” Malone said. 
The Timberwolves get another chance to test the champs on Tuesday night.  

And they stand as the only true challenge to the Nuggets left in the playoffs. 
The moments of frailty over the opening two games in the series might create doubt about how Denver would handle Oklahoma City, the downhill aggression of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams and versatility of Chet Holmgren. It’s a fair concern, considering the Thunder went 3-1 in the season series.  

SGA beat the Nuggets with a game-winning turnaround jumper in December and had a 40-point game that caused Jokic to describe him as “a problem.” 

But it was after the same game Jamal Murray succinctly captured the Nuggets’ mindset in the current series and the expected date ahead with the Thunder in the conference finals. 

“We’re a great team. We normally figure it out.”