There was no suspense in this Game 6 between Denver and Phoenix. Mike Malone’s men crushed their opponents on the score (125-100). For this, they were obviously able to count on a radiant Nikola Jokicauthor of a new triple-double with 32 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.
Dominating throughout the series, the Serb allows his people to complete this conference semi-final in six games, and thus reach the Western Conference final.
“We knew what to expect” said Nikola Jokic about the hostile environment in Phoenix. “We had the same state of mind as if we were at home. It was just about being aggressive, getting them moving, giving them a hard time, making them take tough shots, and I think we did that.”.
KCP in factor X
NBA champion with the Lakers in 2020, who eliminated the Nuggets duo Murray / Jokic in the conference final, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is arguably one of the Nuggets side’s most valuable offseason additions. When the Suns tied at 2-2, he guaranteed his team would win this series. Actions followed words on Game 6, as the latter was a big part of Denver’s qualification.
With the score at 27-26, the Nuggets went on a 17-0 run to end the first quarter 44-26. During these first 12 minutes, KCP scored 17 points, to almost kill the game.
“Being around these guys every day in training shows me that they have confidence in themselves” said Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “The confidence is there. Game 4 commentary was just a matter of leadership. It’s about going out there and showing them.”.
Go further
If they will play their fifth conference final, the Nuggets have never reached the NBA Finals in their history. A new chance is now available to them against the Lakers, 2020 champions, or the Warriors, defending champions. Two opponents against whom the Colorado franchise has failed in the recent past.
“I hope it will be different” explains Nikola Jokic. “We lost to the Lakers in the bubble. Last year we had injuries against Golden State. It’s not the Finals, but I’m just talking about the teams we lost to. We have a great opportunity to do something.”.
Nuggets coach Mike Malone pushes his players to think big. For him, this qualification for the conference final is just one more step towards the ultimate goal: winning the title.
“We weren’t happy to get through the first round, we’re not happy now either” ensures the coach. “We’re not celebrating, we’re not popping champagne, and we’re not throwing water in our faces because our goal wasn’t to reach the Western Conference Finals. I keep saying our goal is to win the title, so we still have a lot of work to do.”.
