Strike 1: Ask the Denver Nuggets who they’d prefer to tip-off against in the first round of the upcoming NBA playoffs and you won’t get anything close to a straight answer. In their defense, the coaches and players can’t really look at it that way. In the topsy turvy Western Conference the matchups probably won’t be set until the last buzzer sounds in the regular season. They have to play the team that ends up on the other end of the court, plain and simple.
But just getting to a comfortable jumping off point for the playoffs will take a big effort in the season’s final seven games.
The Nuggets are in an interesting spot with seven games to go. They’re third overall, a game and a half behind Houston (whom they play in the last game of the season in H-Town) and just a game ahead of the newly dangerous LA Lakers. Second or third would not be a bad place to end up, considering top-seeded juggernaut Oklahoma City couldn’t be a foe until the Western Conference Finals, presuming Denver gets that far. That’s certainly not a sure thing.
Second place would be best, yes, but only because the Nuggets would get a potential Game 7 at home. But if they finish third, they’ll still have a nice break before going up against the (currently sixth) Golden State Warriors, who Denver has owned in recent years. Is that the best matchup for Denver? We know they want no part of Minnesota (currently in seventh and on track to be part of the play-in tournament) but that could conceivably happen, too.
Is there a best matchup for Denver? Each foe will bring with them a hunger that the Nuggets have simply lacked all season. Can Denver ultimately match that?
First up is those T-Wolves on Tuesday night, going for the four-game season sweep of the Nuggets. Minnesota is battling for playoff positioning right now, and that makes an outfit that Denver already has a hard time with that much more difficult to play. You know they’d love a shot at the Nuggets in the first round.
After the Minnesota game, the Nuggets catch a bit of a break when they face the Wemby-less Spurs on Wednesday, but after that, everyone Denver plays is playing for their postseason lives. That makes them all really dangerous.
And that’s a good thing.
In order, it’s Golden State (currently sixth and trying to stay out of the play-in games), Indiana, currently fourth in the east and trying to stay ahead of hard charging Detroit, Sacramento, sitting in the 10th and final spot and hoping to hang on to reach the play in games, then Memphis, now playing for a new head coach and trying to get back into the top half of the bracket. The final game is in H-Town against a young and confident Rockets team that’s trying to hold off Denver for the second seed and gain that home court advantage.
There’s nothing easy about the Nuggets closing seven-game stretch. And that may be the best thing for a Nuggets team that has been lethargic for stretches this season and who quite honestly needs the shove.
It’s a cliché, but the Nuggets really do control their own fate. Win five or six and you’re pretty certain to maintain the third, or even rise to the second spot.
These players, many of whom already have a championship ring, understand what’s in front of them. You hope they know it’s time to flip the switch. Perhaps they’ve been sort of sandbagging all season, and given what happened last year, you could see why. Conserving energy for the postseason can be a very good thing.
Mostly they have to play harder (especially on the defensive end) for 48 minutes. Play like the season depends on it. Because it sort of does from this point forward.
