Denver Nuggets: Nuggets would have done better in the WCF
The Denver Nuggets would have been a more formidable opponent for the Golden State Warriors than the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Golden State Warriors are on the verge of sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Denver Nuggets would have done far better against the Golden State Warriors than the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals for a number of a reason.
First, the Warriors would have no answer for Nikola Jokic. The Joker is also a far more dynamic player than Damian Lillard. Even without scoring, the Joker can significantly impact the game.There are plenty of players on the Warriors’ roster that can guard Damian Lillard. This includes Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, Jordan Bell, Shaun Livingston, and Quinn Cook. However, with Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins out due to injury, the Warriors have no player that can guard Jokic.
Secondly, the Nuggets are the second best offensive rebounding team in the NBA. The Trail Blazers have not been effective at rebounding the ball without Jusuf Nurkic. Also, Enes Kanter appears injured and has not played well since the Oklahoma City Thunder series. The Nuggets would have done a better job controlling the boards against the Warriors. Rebounding remains a critical weakness of the Warriors without KD and DeMarcus Cousins on their roster.
The Nuggets would have likely done better in the paint against the Denver Nuggets. With DeMarcus Cousins injured the Golden State Warriors have no center other than Andrew Bogut. The Blazers with Jusuf Nurkic not playing are not able to exploit the Warriors near the basket.
Thirdly, the Warriors with Stephen Curry have never played the Nuggets in a playoff series. The Warriors would have no game plan against the Nuggets. This creates an X-factor not present while playing the Trail Blazers.
Fourthly, the Nuggets are a far deeper and younger team than the Trail Blazers. With the Warriors hollowing out their bench, the Warriors would not have enough players to cover all of the different matchups the Nuggets could have played in the Western Conference Finals.
The Trail Blazers’ offense is led by Lillard and CJ McCollum. If he either player is stopped offensively or is injured, the Trail Blazers are a very easy team to beat. With Lillard allegedly injured in the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors are on the verge of sweeping the Trail Blazers. However, stopping Jokic and Murray is not enough to beat the Nuggets. The Nuggets have many players that can generate offense.
Lastly, the Trail Blazers are notoriously bad against the Warriors in the playoffs. Going into the series, the Trail Blazers were 8-1 against the Warriors. The Warriors know how to beat the Trail Blazers in a seven game series. And the Trail Blazers have shown they have no answer for Thompson or Curry. The Warriors have a mental edge over the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Pepsi Center is also a tough place to win in for any road team. During the regular season, the Nuggets were the best home team in the NBA. The Nuggets would have definitely won some home games against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Losing game 7 against the Trail Blazers may have been the best thing for the Nuggets. However, if the Nuggets would have made it to the WCF, they would have been a tougher opponent for the injured Warriors.