It’s no secret that the Nuggets are going to have their work cut out for them in their second-round playoff series against the Thunder. OKC has been the best team in the league for just about the entire season, dominating in an absolutely loaded Western Conference to the tune of a 68-14 regular season record, winning the conference by 16 games.
They’ve been a juggernaut this season, compiling one of the best defenses the league has seen along with a diverse offense, led by the likely MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. OKC also boasts one of the deepest teams in the NBA, with an entire bench unit of guys who could start for most teams around the league.
And if that wasn’t enough, the Thunder employ one of the best coaches in the league in Mark Daigneault, the reigning NBA Coach of the Year. There’s a reason they’ve been favored to win the conference all season, and they have the best odds to win it all; that’s all well deserved.
All 9 ESPN experts pick Thunder to beat Nuggets in round 2
So it makes sense for experts and prognosticators to be high on the Thunder, but this feels over the top. ESPN released their series previews and predictions, and sure enough, it was a clean sweep with all nine experts picking the Thunder to win, and not a single member of their panel picking the Nuggets.
If there is a silver lining here, it’s that at least four of the experts picked the series to last 7 games, and none of them had the series going fewer than 6 games. Given the circumstances, it’s hardly crazy, but it’s still disrespectful for a team that just won the title in 2023 and still boasts the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic.
Thunder still need to earn playoff battle scars
OKC was a regular-season juggernaut and secured the top seed in the West for the second straight season. They are rightfully the heavy favorites in this series and beyond. But still, they have yet to prove their mettle in the playoffs. Last season, they lost in the second round to the fifth-seeded Mavericks in 6 games, despite being favored, and that was their first playoff series with real expectations.
Sure, that experience will help them out this season, but they still aren’t as battle-tested as most teams that break through and win a title. They are still a very young team, and they’ve yet to battle a contender in the playoffs and come out victorious.
So, while they’ve earned the right to be favored, and everyone expects them to roll in this series, David Adelman is surely hyping up his team and drilling into them that “nobody believes in us” attitude and motivation.
It’s going to be an uphill battle for Denver, and they’ll require a herculean effort from their entire rotation. But if they are able to focus, and draw some inspiration from being such heavy underdogs, tehy may be able to rally and use their experience to shock the world and pull off an upset for the ages.