RD2: #3 Denver Nuggets vs. #2 Phoenix Suns

[Real Deal]

[Real Deal]

This might be the best series yet.  Phoenix and Denver have had three REALLY GOOD games this year, the three times they played.  Two of those games went into OT, which one of those hit 2OT.  I can't imagine any of these being boring.

Phoenix does a lot of things really well on the offensive end.  They make shots, second-best in the league.  They make free throws, second-best.  They pass the ball to get the best shot possible, protect it with minimal turnovers, and because they tend to find the open man, they are rarely getting their shots blocked (first in the league).

Denver?  They come back.  For some unknown reason, the Nuggets seem to play their best basketball when they are down.  Last season, that was the case, and this year, it's no different.  Without Jamal Murray and Will Barton, guys like Michael Porter Jr. have stepped their game up, and Austin Rivers, who was traded six times and waived by the Suns and Thunder during his career, found a starting role on a contender out West.

For the Nuggets, everything operates out of the post.  Once the post entry pass goes to Nikola Jokic, he either forces the double and jump starts the offense, or he utilizes an array of moves to get a good look at the rim.  Do they do anything great?  Not as much as the Suns, but they are first in the league at keeping their opponents off the glass, and they do hit their shots as well.

As for my prediction, I think Denver takes the series in six, knowing that Chris Paul has been having shoulder problems.  Deandre Ayton had it easy against the Lakers; he'll find it tougher to defend Jokic when the time comes.  If CP3 is healthy, I would probably take the Suns in seven, simply because he's incredibly tough to defend, not knowing if he's facilitating or looking to score at any point during the game.

[Cobb]

Of the four teams left in the West, Denver may be the "least" talented of the bunch all while having may have the best player of the four in Jokic. To me, this series boils down to Booker continuing his excellent shooting/scoring and what the answer is to slow down Jokic for the Suns. Jokic had a field day with Portland and Nurkic fouled him out of 3 of the 6 games in the first round.

Really wild to think how Austin Rivers was waived by OKC, proceed to sign a 10-day with Denver, then was retained or the year and has gone on to play at a high level in these playoffs.

[Real Deal]

4 hours ago, Cobb said:

Of the four teams left in the West, Denver may be the "least" talented of the bunch all while having may have the best player of the four in Jokic. To me, this series boils down to Booker continuing his excellent shooting/scoring and what the answer is to slow down Jokic for the Suns. Jokic had a field day with Portland and Nurkic fouled him out of 3 of the 6 games in the first round.

Really wild to think how Austin Rivers was waived by OKC, proceed to sign a 10-day with Denver, then was retained or the year and has gone on to play at a high level in these playoffs.

Yeah, and Jokic averaged 26/14/8 on 31/61 FG (51%) against the Suns this season.  He had trouble shooting the ball (he's typically a 57% shooter), but when you're putting up those kind of numbers scoring, rebounding and passing, you're dominating the opposing team.

I was going to say that Phoenix could attempt to get him into foul trouble with Ayton, but Joker didn't foul out a single game this season, and he had five fouls in only five games.  And that's coming from a big man that's usually aggressive on the offensive end, and not quite known for his defense.  He had five fouls and played 30 minutes against the Suns in their very first game against each other, but he also nearly had a triple-double with 17/9/11, so...

[Cobb]

Suns really firing on all cylinders in Game 1 shooting 54.1% FG, 38.2% 3PT, and 85.0% FT. Don't want to overreact to a Game 1, but Jokic having more turnovers than assists isn't a winning recipe for the Nuggets. Have to imagine he'll turn it around in Game 2 tomorrow.

[Real Deal]

I'm sorry, but what happened with Jokic in a CLOSE-OUT GAME to go to the WCF's was bullshit.  It doesn't matter who I was rooting for or against, no player should've been tossed for that kind of foul.  Jokic went for the ball and a hard foul, hit more ball than anything, even nearly stuck his arms out for Payne as he flopped, and the refs were old Dan Majerle fans or something, because that F2 shouldn't have been called.

Would it have mattered much?  I believe so, in this game, because Denver has come back before.  Would it matter as far as the series is concerned?  No, but so what?  Even if you're not rooting for either team, you want a great series.