You didn’t want to observe “The Final Dance” to know that NBA championship groups are sometimes rife with inner drama. For the Denver Nuggets, the wrestle between normal supervisor Calvin Sales space and head coach Mike Malone performed out within the public discussion board from the second the champagne wore off on the workforce’s 2023 championship.
It was at all times going to be unimaginable for the Nuggets to maintain their roster collectively after the title with a frugal proprietor and the brand new monetary restraints from the CBA threatening each workforce. Bruce Brown and Jeff Inexperienced had been the primary rotation items to go, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s departure adopted a 12 months later. Sales space and Malone had other ways of fixing this drawback: Sales space needed to play the younger guys he drafted, whereas Malone had extra belief within the low cost veterans the workforce signed in free company.
The stress between the 2 reportedly suffocated everybody within the group. In the long run, they each misplaced. The Nuggets fired Malone and Sales space on the identical day with simply three video games left within the 2025 common season. It was a stunning transfer within the second, but it surely’s change into clear that it was a choice that gave Denver new life.
The Nuggets are actually off to a different Sport 7 after beating the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, 119-107, in Sport 6 of their second spherical collection within the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night time. Nikola Jokic was good once more with 29 factors, 14 rebounds, and eight assists, however Denver doesn’t get this win with out the younger gamers Sales space drafted stepping up.
Sport 6 will at all times be often known as The Julian Strawther Sport. Strawther took over late within the third quarter with eight factors in 90 seconds as Denver went from tied to up eight to begin the fourth quarter. Strawther had solely performed 34 mixed minutes within the first 5 video games of the collection, and hadn’t been a constant a part of Denver’s rotation since February. He gave the Nuggets the capturing and spacing they wanted, and it legitimately saved the season.
Strawther has felt just like the skeleton key to Denver’s “two timelines” method since they chose him out of Gonzaga with the No. 29 total choose in 2023. The Nuggets wanted extra capturing round Nikola Jokic, and that was one ability Strawther had. He hit 40.8 p.c from three as a junior at Gonzaga, together with one of the vital memorable March Insanity photographs of the last decade along with his brand three to beat UCLA within the Candy 16.
For no matter cause, it by no means actually clicked beneath Malone. Strawther’s shot simply hasn’t been superb as a profession 33.2 p.c NBA three-point shooter. He struggled defensively like most younger offensively-slanted prospects coming into the league, and he didn’t impression the sport a lot as a rebounder or playmaker.
With Strawther floundering, the Nuggets completed dead-last in three-point price (share of subject purpose makes an attempt from three) this season. The Nuggets make them once they take him (37.6 p.c on the 12 months, good for No. 5 within the league), however the quantity is essential, and Strawther was certainly one of their few gamers able to getting them up in a significant method.
Strawther added 4 extra free throws and another three-pointer within the fourth to assist seal the victory. Someplace, Sales space was smiling. The small samples of the playoffs can change every little thing, at the very least from a story perspective.
The Nuggets have confirmed their championship DNA on this collection at the same time as among the depth items have modified. The Thunder gained 68 video games through the common season and posted by far the very best protection within the league — even with their second finest participant Chet Holmgren solely taking part in 32 video games due to a damaged pelvis damage. Denver exhausted itself simply to get right here after surviving a troublesome seven-game collection from the Los Angeles Clippers within the first-round. OKC figured to have a giant benefit coming into this matchup, however the Nuggets have evened the collection by stepping up on protection and executing their crunch-time offense completely.
The Nuggets have the very best lead engine within the NBA in Jokic. On this period of the league, although, depth and match round a famous person really feel extra essential than ever. In Sport 6, Christian Braun and Strawther every had incredible video games to take some stress off Jokic’s shoulders. For the seventh (!) time within the Jokic-Jamal Murray period, the Nuggets are going to a Sport 7, they usually have the heavy championship favourite firmly on the ropes.
Denver has wanted a punch of Strawther’s offensive recreation all season. He lastly delivered within the largest spot of his NBA profession.
