
“ It’s a different feeling when you play the NBA champions. » Michael Porter Jr. speaks knowledgeably. Just a year ago, he and the Nuggets won their second game of the season against the Warriors, then the reigning champions.
“ You know if you can beat them, you’re on par with the best teams “, continues Nuggets wingerwhose team, reigning champion, now finds itself in a situation of being chased: “ So the guys are going to come here and want to beat us to prove that they are one of the best teams too. We have to accept it and realize that even teams that don’t seem threatening to us will try to beat us. »
Among the “threatening” teams, there are the Lakers, expected this evening at the Ball Arena for the opening night of the 2023/24 season. A match, marked by the presentation of the rings to the Nuggets, with a special flavor since the two teams faced each other in the last conference final. With the result that we know: a “sweep” in favor of the future NBA champions.
The reunion between the two teams is highly anticipated on the Lakers side. Anthony Davis spoke earlier this month of a context “ very motivating ” marked by ” the little sentences that ran throughout the summer » : «It’s just that there have been a lot of statements, things around the Lakers. So we were like, ‘OK, we get it, you win.’ But with LeBron, we talked about it, and we said we couldn’t wait to play them again. »
A “weird” match
To which Mike Malone replied, a bit mockingly: “ They talk about us ? When was the conference final, four months ago? If they still think about us, that’s their problem. » The same Mike Malone had several times joked about the possible retirement of LeBron James, the mention of this subject by the “King” to a few journalists having put the victory of his Nuggets in the background…
Asked earlier this week whether he had believed that the Lakers player was going to retire this summer, he responded with a single word: “ No. »
So many statements that would not have reached the ears of Michael Porter Jr. ” I’m not sure what was said in the offseason. I did not hear anything “, Nikola Jokic’s teammate stands out. “ It’s yours (journalists) to focus on that. I just play basketball and have fun “, formulated Jamal Murray in the same tone.
Like their coach, the notion of rivalry does not seem relevant. However, Michael Porter Jr. really wants to play this meeting. “ For nothing in the world » even he would miss it, formulates the winger who had to skip the preseason due to a sprained ankle, suffered during training camp.
“ We are very enthusiastic. It’s going to be pretty surreal, it’s going to be a weird game day overall », recognizes MPJ, particularly in relation to the ring ceremony.