They gave us what we wanted: The Nuggets back on stage with Maury Povich and a manila envelope. In the case of the 64-year-old Los Angeles Lakers, you are the father.
Denver welcomes the Lakers back to Ball Arena on Saturday as family. Cup your ears from Trinidad to Windsor and you can still hear the “Who’s your daddy?” chant that reverberated throughout Ball Arena on Ring Night back in October.
This came mere months after the Nuggets broomed the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, exorcising a few playoff demons in the process.
It was the exclamation point in a series of wows for the Nuggets last postseason, culminating in their first NBA championship. Of course, much of the talk in the days following Denver’s sweep was about how the Lakers delivered the best performance ever by a team swept — the lamest compliment of all time — and whether or not LeBron James would retire. (Spoiler alert: He didn’t.)
So, my friends, here we are again. Everything is the same, yet different. The Nuggets enter as heavy favorites. The numbers remain striking. Denver boasts an eight-game winning streak against the Lakers. The Nuggets have outscored them by 32 points in clutch time over the last two seasons, per ESPN. When it matters most vs. Los Angeles, the Nuggets play their best.
The reason: Nikola Jokic.
The Joker would prefer we never talk about him or the likelihood he will win his third MVP award in four years. The more attention he receives, the more he defers, which is also what makes him one of the greatest passers of all time, regardless of position.
His desire to live in the shadows remains a juxtaposition to his game. He wants the moment. There is no panic. The Nuggets win late because Jokic is calmer than a lagoon and Jamal Murray has Prestone running through his veins. Jokic drained 3-point rainbow shots against the Lakers last postseason that made Anthony Davis throw his arms up in disbelief.
Jokic is not just reliable. He is inevitable. When considering why the Nuggets will win this series — I am picking Denver in five — it starts with the Joker on multiple levels.
First, who is going to slow him down? Rui Hachimura? Please. He caused a few clumsy possessions last year, but he can’t guard Jokic with help from those guys wearing bearskin hats at Buckingham Palace. If anything, he offers a diversion to prevent Davis from matching up with Jokic head-to-head on every possession.
We can all agree that Jokic will get his. And this series will be another sweep if he wins the matchup with Davis as he did over the final three games of last year’s conference finals. Jokic averaged 25.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 11.0 assists while shooting 36% from beyond the arc. Davis countered with 22.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. It does not seem like a lot until you consider that the four games were decided by an average of six points.
The disparity widened during this past regular season. Jokic delivered 29.3 points, 12 boards and nine assists with Davis at 22.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. Jokic exudes no arrogance and fittingly called the Lakers probably the “toughest” opponent Denver faced during its title run. His respect for them is real. He is hard not like. And even harder to contain.
Coach Michael Malone takes nothing for granted, admitting Denver’s win streak does not mean anything. He’s right. Sort of. The Nuggets own this string of dominance because the most important matchup — Jokic vs. the world — tilts in their favor.
This is not to suggest the Lakers have no chance. I would never say that about a LeBron James team. He is as ageless as Cindy Crawford and has lost only one first-round playoff series in his career. As such, the Lakers are dangerous. They have shown they can compete with the Nuggets. They just have not shown they can beat the Nuggets.
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There is a school of thought that the Lakers are better off facing the Nuggets now. I agree. When your best player is creeping close to 40 years old, fatigue becomes an issue. Los Angeles will be fresher, and they are better than a year ago because of the added offense provided by Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell.
Acknowledging that the Lakers will not solve Jokic, the only way this series gets greasy traces back to Russell. His impact this season has been hard to ignore. He is shooting 41% from 3, same as a year ago. It’s not the number that is going in, but when. He is making big shots. Like at New Orleans in the play-in game.
Will he be a factor? In the Western Conference Finals, he became a liability, unable to guard Murray. He shrank in the spotlight, averaging 6.3 points and 3.5 assists as Murray sank 32.5 points per game. Russell will close this gap, but not significantly.
Whether in April or late May, this is the series we wanted. Lakers vs. Nuggets. For Denver, there will be four more victories. And further proof of paternity.
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