By Joel Perez 
The Nuggets, going into the playoffs, were seen as slight underdogs in the series versus the
Clippers—even with what many, including myself, believe to be the best player in the NBA:
Nikola Jokic.
To be fair, they did let go of the winningest coach in Denver Nuggets history, Michael Malone,
just days before the regular season ended, along with general manager Calvin Booth—who
reportedly didn’t see eye to eye with Malone on roster construction. Booth wanted to go young,
while Malone clearly preferred experienced players to keep chasing championships for as long
as Jokic is on the roster.
Although this Nuggets roster has a ways to go to truly compete for another title, they’ve still got
their core group—Jokic, of course, along with Jamal Murray, who showed in the Clippers series
that he’s more than capable of carrying the offensive load in short stints, and even across a
couple of games if needed. Jamal is a premier playoff performer and has proven that time and
time again. His downside is similar to Jimmy Butler’s—he doesn’t always look fully engaged
during the regular season, but he flips the switch when the games really start to matter.
Aaron Gordon was incredibly impressive throughout that Clippers series, even delivering one of
the most unique and stunning game-winners in NBA history—a putback slam at the buzzer off a
Jokic game-winning attempt that went a bit far left, almost resembling a pass in hindsight.
Michael Porter Jr. hasn’t lived up to expectations and could end up being a prime trade chip this
offseason. The Nuggets have cap-strung themselves into a tough situation where improving the
roster without sacrificing one of their core guys feels nearly impossible.
Fortunately, they added Russell Westbrook in the offseason. While he’s been inconsistent, he’s
had a real impact in key moments—including Game 7, where he delivered 16 points, 5 assists,
and 5 rebounds.
As for what’s coming next… it’s going to be a brutal test. This Oklahoma City Thunder roster is
stacked at every position. They’ve got two premier bigs in Chet Holmgren and Isaiah
Hartenstein, both capable of guarding Jokic in spurts. Hartenstein may take on the primary role
defensively, as they’ll likely want Chet focused more on offense and rim protection than chasing
Jokic around all game.
Jokic will still find ways to contribute offensively, no matter the matchup, but having two
7-footers flanking him will complicate things. The Thunder will look to neutralize Jokic and, I
imagine, have Lu Dort pick up Jamal Murray full-court.
OKC has built this team with Denver in mind. And we haven’t even gotten to their two best
players—this season’s likely MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who dismantled the Grizzlies with
ease, and first-time All-Star Jalen Williams (JDub), who continues to dominate on both ends.
JDub averaged 23 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds, along with 1.5 steals per game in the first
round.
As I mentioned earlier, the Thunder are as well-equipped as any team in the league. They
finished with the best regular season record at 68-14 and followed it up with a convincing
first-round sweep. This team has been spectacular—and that includes bench guys like Alex
Caruso and Cason Wallace. At times, it feels like they can guard every position. We saw Caruso
take on Jaren Jackson Jr. in the Grizzlies series and, despite the size difference, hold his own
and make JJJ a non-factor at times.
This series will ultimately come down to the two MVP candidates—Shai and Jokic—duking it out
and making the plays that matter most down the stretch. Both have a legitimate case as the
league’s best player. Shai has a perfectly built team around him with young stars like JDub and
Chet, plus crafty, elite role players like Hartenstein, Dort, Wallace, Caruso, and even Isaiah Joe,
who can light it up from three in a heartbeat. Meanwhile, Jokic has carried one of the league’s
most inconsistent teams to the third seed—despite internal turmoil, a late-season coaching
change, and a supporting cast that’s been underwhelming at times. (Let’s not forget his 60-point
triple-double in a loss to Minnesota on April 1st.)
Despite having very different seasons, both stars have led their squads to this same
moment—battling for a trip to the Western Conference Finals. The MVP award will be
announced this week on Inside the NBA, but that trophy won’t feel as meaningful if the winner
doesn’t move on
We’ll see how it all plays out—but I couldn’t be more excited for a series like this.
With all that said, I’m picking the OKC Thunder to win the series in 6 games, finishing it off in
Denver.
Kevin Gonzalez