Most NBA teams have telegraphed their intentions pretty clearly in the final days of the regular season, but the Nuggets continue to operate in an odd way. All season long, all we’ve heard is how health is the top priority and how, as long as they are healthy when the playoffs start, that’s all that matters.
But if that’s the case, why were playing guys on back-to-backs down the stretch, pushing hard for a 10-game winning streak, and running their stars heavy minutes all the way until game number 80?
It certainly seemed like they were prioritizing seeding and home-court advantage when they chased down the Lakers and moved into the 3-seed in the West. But then, all of a sudden, it’s as if they had a change of heart and remembered that they are supposed to be prioritizing health.
At the last minute, they called off the dogs and rested everyone on Friday night against the Thunder, who were doing the same. Denver pulled off the win, and now they’re in an extremely awkward spot on the final day of the regular season. Despite having a chance to lock up the three with a win, they’ve chosen to rest.
Jokic chasing 65-game rule is kind of wild
Except for Nikola Jokic. It appears that the Joker will go out and play the mandatory 15 minutes to become eligible for honors like MVP and All-NBA. Why wouldn’t the Joker do this on Friday night, at home, on fan appreciation night? Why do it in the finale, against the Spurs? Why care about it at all if health is truly the top priority?
It’s all very bizarre, and it flew in the face of all the health talk. God forbid anything happens to Jokic in the finale, but even risking it feels like tempting fate a bit when you’ve made it clear you’re not interested in the result. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be devastated if Jokic were ineligible for those awards, but this is supposed to be about winning it all.
Everything may work out in the end
If the Nuggets do lose and the Lakers win against the Jazz, they’d leapfrog the Nuggets, who would fall to the 4-seed. They’d still have homecourt advantage in round one, and arguably a better matchup with the Rockets, as opposed to the Timberwolves.
This also means facing the Thunder in round two instead of the Conference Finals, where they’d likely meet the Spurs, who will be motivated to win on Sunday and push Denver to the OKC side of the bracket. It’s a gauntlet. But it was going to be a gauntlet no matter what. There’s no “easy” path, and there was no way to avoid a path that rolls through both Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
So, at the end of the day, maybe it doesn’t matter. They would have to beat OKC eventually, so perhaps it makes sense to face them sooner, with a team that’s theoretically going to be fresher and healthier. It’s not crazy. It just feels like the path to get here was. Let’s hope everything goes smoothly on Sunday, and we can start focusing on the Nuggets’ first-round matchup.