Why it's actually a good thing that the Nuggets are underdogs vs the Clippers

When the odds for the Denver Nuggets’ first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers first opened, the Nuggets were slight favorites. But ever since then, the odds have flipped dramatically, and now the Clippers are favored to win the series. 

These two teams are entering the playoffs on two very different trajectories. The Clippers are scorching, having won 18 of their final 21 games, including a dramatic overtime win over the Warriors in the last game of the season to clinch the five seed. 

In their last 21 games, the Nuggets went 11-10, a stretch that included ownership hitting the reset button, as they dumped Calvin Booth and Michael Malone with three games to go in the regular season. 

Most Nuggets fans are still holding a sliver of hope. They did win their last three games of the regular season after firing Malone, and David Adelman appears to be a competent leader at the helm for a Nuggets team that sorely needed a new voice in the locker room.

Jamal Murray, their ultimate X-factor and ceiling raiser, also appears to be healthy (ish) and ready for the playoffs. And as we all know, they still have Nikola Jokic, the best player on planet earth. Even if the deck is stacked against them, it always feels like the Nuggets have a chance with the Joker.

Still, a lot of national media pundits are choosing the red-hot Clippers to advance, and doubting the 2023 Champs. 

With the two teams' recent trajectories entering postseason play, the public hammering bets on the Clippers, and the National Media all choosing the Clippers, is it fair to write off the Nuggets? Do they have a chance? I, for one, say yes.

The Nuggets have historically thrived as underdogs in the Jokic era

The Denver Nuggets have always been underdogs. Before Nikola Jokic got to Denver, the Nuggets were a historical afterthought. A football city that happened to have a basketball team. Sure, they had pockets of success, but they have always been an overlooked franchise.

When the Nuggets selected Nikola Jokic in the second round of the 2014 draft, he was famously drafted during a Taco Bell commercial. Now, he’s one of the best players in NBA history.

In Jokic’s 10 years as a Denver Nugget, he’s helped the Nuggets not only win but also instill a culture of resilience. During Jokic’s career, the Nuggets have been in a lot of situations with their backs against the wall, where not a lot of people expected them to win. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

In the first round of the 2019 NBA playoffs (and the first ever Jokic playoff run), the Nuggets found themselves in a number of precarious situations throughout their first taste of NBA Playoff basketball.. Denver dropped game one at home to the veteran San Antonio Spurs, and in game two, the Nuggets were down by 19 with a little under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Most young teams probably would’ve folded and gone down 2-0 in that same scenario. Not the Nuggets. Jamal Murray famously exploded for a 21-point barrage in the fourth quarter, and the Nuggets ended up winning the game and eventually the series. The game wasn’t only the first playoff win of Jokic and Murray’s careers, but it showed that both guys have guts, and neither would back down in the face of adversity.

In the famed 2020 Bubble, the Nuggets became the first team to ever come back from two 3-1 deficits in the same playoffs. While I wouldn’t trade the 2023 title for anything, this to me is still the most impressive and unbelievable team accomplishment the Nuggets have achieved with Jokic and Murray. 

The Nuggets trailed by 15 points in the third quarter of game five vs Utah in the first round. How many teams would’ve mentally given up, down 3-1 in that spot? The answer: Most teams, but not the Nuggets. 

They also trailed by 15 points in the exact same situation in Game 5 versus the Clippers in the next round. Another 15-point deficit in a series they trailed 3-1? Against a way more talented team? Impossible, right? Not for the Nuggets! 

Heck, people forget that the Nuggets were somehow overlooked during their 2023 title run. While it is obvious in hindsight that the Nuggets were the best team that season, at the time, a lot of people thought they’d lose to the Phoenix Suns in round two and to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals. Of course, with Jokic, a healthy Jamal Murray, and an extremely balanced roster, we all know what happened.

Are the Nuggets happy to be overlooked?

While the only three remaining players from those first two Jokic playoff teams are Jokic (duh), Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. (Who didn’t play a single minute in the 2018-2019 season due to injury), they are three of Denver’s current top four players. The resilience they developed together during those early runs is invaluable, and it helped them win the title in 2023. 

Last year, the Nuggets were reigning champs, and for the first time in their franchise’s history, Vegas, the National Media, and most fans all saw Denver as the favorite. In the challenging spot of being the hunted, they folded, and a team that only 22 months ago was talking about a dynasty is now a shell of itself.

Since their title, the Nuggets have lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, blown a 20-point Game 7 lead at home to Minnesota in last year’s playoffs, lost KCP, and now, lost their long-tenured coach who had been here for all of it. It makes sense that most people have the Clippers winning. Those guys are really good, and healthy Kawhi Leonard is one of the best players in NBA history. They have James Harden playing a role he's thriving in, and Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell are awesome. Still, I think the Nuggets aren't getting enough respect.

On some draft sites, the Nuggets' title odds are as low as 40-1 to win the title. They are officially underdogs again. But maybe, considering their history, that will play into Denver’s hands. 

Despite the progress shown under Adelman, it’s fair to doubt these Nuggets. But beware, they know what’s being said about them. Jamal Murray had a certain look in his eye in a press conference this week, and seemed to be a little ticked off (but not surprised) at the Nuggets' lack of respect. 

Yes, the Nuggets are back to being the hunters and are no longer on top. But maybe, considering their history, that will play into Denver’s hands. They'd better hope so, because they have two options: Shock everyone as the underdogs, or lose early and watch their core get blown up this offseason. So underdogs, what's it going to be??