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If you weren't aware of the first-round context, the first two games of the Denver Nuggets' and L.A. Clippers' epic playoff battle would've made you think both teams were playing championship-caliber basketball. And that's the thing. After the Clippers knotted the series up at 1-1 on Monday night behind a legendary Kawhi Leonard performance, it feels like Nuggets vs. Clippers is an inherently dead-even heavyweight battle between two teams who seem like legitimate players for the 2025 NBA title.
For every matchup problem the Nuggets can present with Nikola Jokic, it feels like the Clippers have an answer. For every matchup problem the Clippers can present with Leonard, it feels like the Nuggets have an answer.
When you have that sort of mix, you have the perfect concoction of elite playoff basketball between two experienced teams ready to trade emotional haymaker after emotional haymaker:
The growing potential problem here for the Nuggets and Clippers is that the winner of this series will still have basketball to play beyond this round. And it sure feels like the 68-win juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder will be waiting for them on the other side with an ample rest advantage. Gulp.
The more that both teams here can't truly separate from each other, turning every individual game into an all-out emotional battle that drives everyone to a state of static fatigue, the less they'll likely have in the tank against the NBA title favorite ready to fire on all cylinders. Now, to be fair, the Thunder would be heavily favored over both squads regardless. They had one of the greatest NBA regular seasons of all time for a reason. But there's a big difference between getting some quality rest and the opportunity to play at meaningful full strength against a dominant team versus having to go full tilt and empty the tank before then, only to watch said team tear you apart because you are effectively sleepwalking on the court.
There's a reason top-seeded teams like the Thunder are often more prepared to make deep runs in NBA history: they're getting a lot of cumulative rest over the course of the playoffs. Meanwhile, all the teams in the middle (like Denver and L.A.) wear themselves out before they really get the ball rolling.
The Nuggets and Clippers have played just two games, and they haven't even shifted to playing in Los Angeles yet. But it sure seems like this series might be doing the distance in the worst way possible for the eventual winner. At the moment, L.A. is a -5 favorite over the Nuggets for Thursday night's Game 3.
That feels pretty generous for a series that has teetered on a mere handful of game-deciding plays across the board:
It's worth noting how NBA teams have recently fared after winning an emotional, extended playoff series.
In 2024, the Cleveland Cavaliers eked by the Orlando Magic in seven games in the first round. With a rash of injuries (most notably to Donovan Mitchell), Cleveland was torn apart in five games by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the second round. In the second round, the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Nuggets in a seven-game battle of wills. They then basically had nothing left for the Mavericks in a five-game laugher of a Western Conference Finals loss. Most interestingly, in another No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed first-round series, the Dallas Mavericks were able to overcome the Clippers in six games. They parlayed that initial success into, ironically, a six-game upset of the top-seeded Thunder in the next round.
That last series will be the hope and the blueprint for the winner of Nuggets vs. Clippers.
Because while the Thunder likely cruise to an easy series victory over the woeful Memphis Grizzlies, the Nuggets and Clippers might be iron sharpening iron. Both squads' elite play against one another could make them more battle-tested for the necessary crucible of these playoffs, in turn making them more prepared to punch an untested (and uncontested) Thunder team in the mouth. This, dearest readers, is a classic example of why we play the games. You gotta let it play out.
Nonetheless, it'll probably be much more advantageous for the Nuggets and Clippers if this burgeoning instant classic playoff series doesn't actually go six or seven grueling games. Every extra minute they play is another potential strike against them and another possible feather in the cap for the Thunder.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Winner of epic Nuggets vs. Clippers battle needs to advance ASAP to avoid fatigue
Continue reading...
For every matchup problem the Nuggets can present with Nikola Jokic, it feels like the Clippers have an answer. For every matchup problem the Clippers can present with Leonard, it feels like the Nuggets have an answer.
When you have that sort of mix, you have the perfect concoction of elite playoff basketball between two experienced teams ready to trade emotional haymaker after emotional haymaker:
The growing potential problem here for the Nuggets and Clippers is that the winner of this series will still have basketball to play beyond this round. And it sure feels like the 68-win juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder will be waiting for them on the other side with an ample rest advantage. Gulp.
The more that both teams here can't truly separate from each other, turning every individual game into an all-out emotional battle that drives everyone to a state of static fatigue, the less they'll likely have in the tank against the NBA title favorite ready to fire on all cylinders. Now, to be fair, the Thunder would be heavily favored over both squads regardless. They had one of the greatest NBA regular seasons of all time for a reason. But there's a big difference between getting some quality rest and the opportunity to play at meaningful full strength against a dominant team versus having to go full tilt and empty the tank before then, only to watch said team tear you apart because you are effectively sleepwalking on the court.
There's a reason top-seeded teams like the Thunder are often more prepared to make deep runs in NBA history: they're getting a lot of cumulative rest over the course of the playoffs. Meanwhile, all the teams in the middle (like Denver and L.A.) wear themselves out before they really get the ball rolling.
The Nuggets and Clippers have played just two games, and they haven't even shifted to playing in Los Angeles yet. But it sure seems like this series might be doing the distance in the worst way possible for the eventual winner. At the moment, L.A. is a -5 favorite over the Nuggets for Thursday night's Game 3.
That feels pretty generous for a series that has teetered on a mere handful of game-deciding plays across the board:
It's worth noting how NBA teams have recently fared after winning an emotional, extended playoff series.
In 2024, the Cleveland Cavaliers eked by the Orlando Magic in seven games in the first round. With a rash of injuries (most notably to Donovan Mitchell), Cleveland was torn apart in five games by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the second round. In the second round, the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Nuggets in a seven-game battle of wills. They then basically had nothing left for the Mavericks in a five-game laugher of a Western Conference Finals loss. Most interestingly, in another No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed first-round series, the Dallas Mavericks were able to overcome the Clippers in six games. They parlayed that initial success into, ironically, a six-game upset of the top-seeded Thunder in the next round.
That last series will be the hope and the blueprint for the winner of Nuggets vs. Clippers.
Because while the Thunder likely cruise to an easy series victory over the woeful Memphis Grizzlies, the Nuggets and Clippers might be iron sharpening iron. Both squads' elite play against one another could make them more battle-tested for the necessary crucible of these playoffs, in turn making them more prepared to punch an untested (and uncontested) Thunder team in the mouth. This, dearest readers, is a classic example of why we play the games. You gotta let it play out.
Nonetheless, it'll probably be much more advantageous for the Nuggets and Clippers if this burgeoning instant classic playoff series doesn't actually go six or seven grueling games. Every extra minute they play is another potential strike against them and another possible feather in the cap for the Thunder.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Winner of epic Nuggets vs. Clippers battle needs to advance ASAP to avoid fatigue
Continue reading...
