Winning the title is difficult. Keeping your title is an even more complicated mission. It takes a huge amount of effort, in all areas, and the Nuggets just experienced it. The defeat in Game 7 of the conference semi-final against the Wolves left its mark.
Especially since, let's remember, the reigning champions had a 20-point lead in this meeting, before folding, due to generalized exhaustion. “Mentally and physically, they were flushed. They are exhausted. They gave me everything they could.”declared Michael Malone after this setback.
But at this stage of the season, all teams are tired. Why the Nuggets more than the others? “We have already gone for second place in the Western Conference”, replies the coach. “I look at my players, and in the second half of Game 7, they were exhausted. I think everyone saw it. Did I make the players play too much? That must be part of it, yes. »
The Nuggets' major five played too much
To get second place in the West, Michael Malone actually insisted with his five major. Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic have played 958 minutes. No five has played so much for six seasons!
The second is that of Oklahoma City, this season, with 159 minutes fewer. However, with two small details (which are not in reality) to add: a much lower average age and a Thunder team which had not played in the playoffs in 2023…
“I sometimes have to get it out of my head that we are not just trying to win the next match, but to win the title,” recognizes the Denver coach. “If that means resting players more, reducing minutes and matches played, I have to look at the best way to get to the playoffs with the best possible chance. »
For this, we may have to recruit to strengthen the bench. Bruce Brown hasn't really been replaced, when Nikola Jokic doesn't have a solid enough replacement to leave him on the bench too much. Result: the starters were overworked, Jamal Murray in the lead. “When Jamal is in top form, he’s a monster. He was obviously tired at the end of the playoffs.”regrets Calvin Booth, the GM of the Nuggets.
