DENVENGERS ASSEMBLE: Nuggets Playoff Preview With Locked on Nuggets, DNVR

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1:10Godfather of DMVR, we've got Brendan Vote from DMVR, the finest dressed man in all of sports entertainment. We're going to break down wolves, nuggets. What does it mean? How's it going to end? What are the stakes? This is Lockdown Nuggets. You are Lockdown Nuggets, your daily Denver Nuggets podcast, part of the Lockdown podcast network, your team, every day. Welcome Lockdown Nuggets, your daily Denver Nuggets podcast, part of the Lockdown podcast network, your team, every day. Thanks for joining us and making us part of your day being in every day or making us part of your day. Make it is your first listen. Every single day, we appreciate you guys joining us, whether you're getting our podcasts for free, wherever you get podcasts, or at youtube.com, slash Lockdown Nuggets. We're glad to have you guys with us all throughout the week. Also, thanks for every day, your club.

2:11If you sign up for Lockdown Nuggets, that's supercast.com, you're going to get just a ridiculous amount of breakdowns that I've done today on the Nuggets Offense versus the wolves defense, including a fascinating question of exactly how are the wolves going to attack this one? I asked everybody at practice about what they thought everybody had mostly the same answer, but some different ones. You'll find out more about that. If you sign up at Lockdown Nuggets.supercast.com, there's a link in the episode description. On today's show, it's the Avengers Assemble time, Ryan Blackburn is here from Mile High Sports, Swipe is here, from Swipe at Cam, and joining us from DNVR, we are technically because of various ownership things. We're like step siblings, I think is the best way to describe it. We're half siblings, maybe that's the better way. Adam Marez from DNVR, Brennan Vote, who is at every Nuggets game for DNVR. I didn't want to have trying to invite all 700 of their crew on here, because it would make for a very complex screen and trying to navigate, we would be trying to herd cats.

3:12Those guys are here to join us and talk about Nuggets versus wolves. Okay, so first off, I want to kind of start here with a big picture stuff. I want to talk about what's on the line here, because look, we made it to this, what it has been, not the fun, most fun season, I think to cover, it was frustrating at certain points, started off awesome, ended awesome, and the medal was pretty rough. I think for everybody trying to cover this team, Brennan Vote and I spent a lot of times looking over each other on the media row, just shaking our heads, just like a lot this season. I want to start with Adam Marez, Adam, what is on the line for the Nuggets in this first round series versus the wolves? This is like such a big question to lead off with, but I do think there's a lot on the line. This is a tough matchup for Denver. I think that the wolves give Denver a problem, there's no question about it, and I think Denver has some unique challenges coming into this one, but you look at it and say it's kind of a perfect bell weather for just how good this Denver Nuggets team is, because the rounds after this we know are tough and we're going to be tough no matter what.

4:16I think if you can't beat Minnesota, you have to look in the mirror and say how close really are we as this form of a team to putting together a championship contender. Now I happen to think Denver is close, so I think they are going to perform well, but if they don't, I do think you have to look at this and say Oklahoma City is very good and on top and you're chasing them at this point, San Antonio is rising and probably going to be better in the years to come, not worse, and if you didn't even make it to that round or those rounds, then I do think that there is likely to be some kind of, you just have to be honest about how close or how far you are. So I think the series actually does carry stakes and by the way, it carries those same stakes for Minnesota. I think Minnesota has a very similar perspective coming in that a first round loss, even if it is a rivalry game and a tough opponent, you say, yeah, but even if we got past that, we had two or three more tough rounds ahead, so how great can you feel? So I actually think the stakes are high for both teams, even though both teams should feel like they're close to the end goal. Ryan, you and I talked about this and you kind of shocked me because you said that they don't win this series. Big changes are coming. You think big changes are coming if they don't make it out of the series.

5:17Yeah, you kind of define big changes in the way that you want to, but with the way that Denver's salary structure is set up and some of the moves that they've made, some of the moves that they still have to make, you just got to look at the top and you got to look first and foremost, Nikolay Okitch has a super max extension that he could potentially sign in the off season. I think we all think that he will, but it's still on the table and I think that that's one thing that if Denver were to lose in the first round to a rival in this series, you start to look around. And I think, is this how it's supposed to go? Is this what I want to sign up for going forward, especially for a team that has some questions going forward about how sustainable it's going to be? So I think that there's a lot of pressure and I think that this nuggets team and the nuggets front office, the coaching staff, they have to prove a lot to each other in this moment and there's plenty of things that if it does go wrong, if there were things that Denver wasn't able to accomplish here, you start to look around at the rest of the roster at the coaching staff at the front office and think, okay, what is the plan here?

6:17Was the plan good in the first place? Was it just because of injuries that things kind of went wrong or is there something that you have to change? And so that starts at the top and it's probably not Yokeich and Murray, but you probably start looking after that. So I think on the flip side, somebody commented, it was Hurricane in the comments, it's like a first round loss means a lot, a first round win doesn't mean that much. It's probably true, but if the nuggets do get through this series, does it prove anything to you? Does it mean anything? Does it take some of the pressure off of they at least make the second round or is it just like, that is the bare minimum? You have to at least get out of the first round, I don't care who the opponent is. No, I don't even think it's the bare minimum. I think the player seem to be very relaxed about the series, not because in a different respectful way, but just if we're on the floor together, we're going to win and I also feel the same. I don't really, it's not that I don't think Minnesota is going to push to them. I think they will. I think we have a iteration of Minnesota that I have been talking about all year. One that's existed this year and then one that has existed two years ago.

7:17The team they ran into two years ago was maybe the best defense in the league. They had a crazy personnel, you know, from gnaw to cat, to the way Nas was playing that year, to the way Edward was playing that year defensively. I've been telling people, this is just not the same team. On paper, the defense is good. Anthony Edwards is struggling a lot this year defensively, even without the injury. Julie's rano has struggling a lot defensively, even without the injury. They just don't have the same kind of physicality. As much as I love Iodosomo, he figured he does a lot for that team. They just don't have the same kind of defensive pressure that I think Murray will struggle with on a consistent basis. You know, he averaged 31 on them this year, like on a lot of shots, it was 44% from three. But some of this is just going to be how I don't know over large stretches of the game, how the wolves are actually going to be able to defend Denver. Because of personnel Denver has on the floor now. As opposed to two years ago, the Nuggets were playing just in holiday, like important minutes to have a trust in that game. Reggie Jackson, important minutes to have a trust in that game, and then they just started missing everything at the top of that third quarter.

8:19I just feel a little bit differently about this year, just because I've watched both teams the entirety of the year. I just think if you tell me that the Denver Nuggets team is relatively healthy, we'll talk about Peyton Watson, his mentor Jones here in a little bit. I mean, this is for me, one of the three best teams I think in the NBA when they're fully healthy. I think this is the start of a longer run than we've seen previously from them. I'm just in holiday, by the way, who lost in that series was amazing in that particular round. He helped save the middle of that series in so many big ways. Right now that we have enough of a sample size on like Wallace, Tenzer, to really know how they would react to a first round loss. I have a feeling of how I think Stan Kronke would respond to a first round loss, and that concerns me. For you, what do you feel like are the things that are on the table if they don't make it out of this first round? Yeah, I mean, first of all, I think all of these answers and this question is framed this way because the Nuggets should win this series, right? Like that's the place we're all starting from, I think. And if you don't, that's a failure to meet expectations.

9:23I do think if you lose in the first round here, big trades could be on the, could be, you know, big moves could be on the horizon. But I say that because I don't expect them to. To the flip side of the question, sort of like kind of win, prove anything. I would say no, but if they sweep, to me, it's less about, it's more about, there's, I think they should beat the wolves. I think they should win in their second round. I don't know what would happen if they make it to the conference finals against the Thunder, especially if it takes them 14 games to get there. A sweep would be the kind of thing where now I'm starting to get pretty excited about the possibilities down the line. But you just, this, this is the starting point. You have to win this series. And if you don't, I think you probably have some issues that are worthy of, I think looking over, relitigating, I just, you have to win this series if you're the nuggets and you're in this position. And I just, I don't think, I don't think there's any other way to look at it. I have one quick updated perspective on this that kind of ties everything we're saying

10:23together that I think the nuggets are the nuggets because they, when they are connected, they become this team that is significantly better than the sum of their parts. And in 2020, when they got caught fire and made the run, they were able to stay in that rhythm. They found it and they just stated it to where it felt like the impossible was possible. This was especially true in 2023, where I think in the second round is when they found that rhythm. The Minnesota one was a slog, but by the time they got to Phoenix, they found this rhythm that they never lost the rest of the playoff route. They just were there. And in 24 and 25, that was inconsistent. There were games where they found that rhythm and looked awesome. Denver's best punch in both of those years was like, okay, there they are, but they'd follow it up with a game where it wasn't that. And that's why they had blowout losses to Minnesota, blowout losses to Oklahoma City, blowout losses to the Clippers. And so the, I think that one of the questions that this year will answer is, can Denver fall back into that rhythm? I think we all think they can because we saw it in this 12 game winning streak and in particular in the back to back games of San Antonio and Portland, we saw that ceiling.

11:26And it was like, okay, it seems like they were able to hit a switch where they can be at every time. But that's the big question. If this series, if they lose, and they lose because there are nights where it all comes together and there are nights that it's not, I just think that you lose the benefit of the doubt that the team can fall into that rhythm whenever they want. Because they haven't the last two years, and if they don't this year, it's three years in a row that you say they have this ceiling, but they just can't live there. They only visit it. But on the flip side, if you win the series because you fall into that rhythm and you make a run in this class because you fall into that rhythm, it's, we believe we can reach that ceiling when we're not injured or shorthanded or any of these other things. And I think guys, it's not just belief in the core in a vacuum where the league is trending, right? You have the funder and the spurs who seem to be deeper and younger and more athletic. And nuggets are not particularly athletic. Moreover, they're from this place of, they've already won, they're trying to navigate their cap sheet. They think they don't really have the option to just start some really successful tank right now, right? And then be back in the race in three, four years.

12:26So it just feels like some of these other Western conference contenders and the way the league is trending. If the nuggets can't get out of this round, then yeah, I think there are real concerns about where they belong in the NBA kind of power escape going forward. Having said all of that, I frame it this way because I think that they will. Well, we'll see. We've talked about kind of like the downside here of like what's on the line, but what are the actual matchups that the nuggets need to win in order to advance in the series? We'll get into that. Plus, I'm going to grow out of Mara's on exactly his reporting on Peyton Watson. That's coming up on Lockdown Nuggets. All right, folks, if you've ever opened up your bank account and thought, where did all my money go? You're not alone. Keep keeping track of those subscriptions, spending and bills can be overwhelming fast. That's where Rocket Money comes in, helping you take control of your finances all in one place. I've used Rocket Money and I will swear by it, I've changed banks recently. In terms of being able to understand how everything goes in the subscriptions I was paying

13:29for and categorizing my spending and understanding where all those dollars were going, I was spending too much money. I was spending more than I thought I should. I could set budgets, get alerts, stay on top of my upcoming bills, and I can really easily cancel subscriptions through the platform all in one place. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel unwanted subscriptions, monitor spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join at RocketMoney.com slash Lockdown. That's RocketMoney.com slash Lockdown. We're also brought to you today by Game Time. There's nothing like being in an NBA arena, folks. The crowd, the energy, the moments, getting tickets though, that part hasn't always been so simple, but that's why Game Time has become the go-to app for scoring tickets fast without the hassle. Put the advantage back where it belongs with the fans. You pull up that Game Time app, pick an upcoming NBA game, hey, I'm about Game 1 or Game

14:302 or these first round playoffs, and you can have tickets locked within minutes. You'll love seeing the all in price up fronts with no surprise fees at checkout, being able to see that view from your seat before buying those tickets makes the decision easy. You can even get those great last-minute options too with NBA tickets showing up at solid prices. Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Game Time, download the Game Time app create and account use code Lockdown for $20 off your first purchase. That's code LOCKEDON for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today and remember, it's gametime.co, not.com. We'll be right back on Lockdown Nuggets. Back here in Lockdown Nuggets. Thanks for joining us on this special Denver Avengers episode. Great read, Ryan. Way to go, buddy. You nailed it. All right. And you're ready for my guys and do it right for the first time. It's crazy.

15:30Mares, you reported on DMVR this week that Peyton Watson essentially is not going to be around for at least a while here that you don't expect him back. Yesterday, Adelman said that both he and Spencer Jones practiced non-contact full, not full because they didn't produce Peyton contact, but they didn't practice and they did everything you could do non-contact. He said he was hopeful for the have them available for game one. I don't know what the advantage is. I never know why they do this where it's like he might be available. He better prepare for him. You don't expect him around until when, Adam. Yeah. So this is again, the team is not going to confirm any of this stuff. This is why they're being so coy about it. So you should take this less as he will not play. I'm telling you that my read on the situation that I feel strong enough to at least say on these podcasts is that I don't expect him to play especially early in the series. And I am pessimistic that he even joins late in the series.

16:32I look at Peyton Watson and say I think it's far more likely that he's available for the second round. We'll see how it plays out. But to your point, we are 48 hours away from game one a little bit less than that. And if we're still not participating in contact, I think you can kind of read the writings on the wall there a little bit. But yes, I expect him, you know, it's a tough blow for Denver. He had the initial injury. He took extra long rehabbing it because there was a setback in it, comes back and plays a handful of games and then re-injures it. I think that this rehab is going to be take a little bit of time and I do not expect him for game one or any of the first initial games and at best, I would say more in the back half of the series. All right. Swipe is the resident Peyton Watson hype machine. I want to know how you feel like that's going to impact this series in particular. How much do they need him? Can they get by without him? What is the impact of Peyton Watson's available Swipe? Yeah, I mean, I think you have athletes, the problem is they haven't had access to athletes for a large swaths of the season and that changes things for them.

17:32You know, I told, you know, Brendan and Adam, I would say consistently that I think the nugget that they would have lost their guards this year as opposed to their wings, I think they would have been a even better team because their defensive infrastructure is built around their size athleticism and length. And Peyton Watson not being there changes the dynamic not just defensively because he's obviously a great rim protector for a wing. He takes the Anthony Edwards matchups. He takes the Jaden Daniels matchups but offensively whether he needs to play to four and he needs to be that when they're running that horn set and cut off the back door for Yoke is to be, you know, a pressure on the rim. He's an additional pull up shooter, even though Matt doesn't love that's a part of his game. He's not shooting super well from it yet, but he's an option. He's someone who can hit quarter threes at a pretty high clip for this team shooting above 40% on both, like not having another offensive outlet like that. And then when you do go to the non Yoke, it's minutes in the playoffs at the top of the second quarter and the top of the fourth quarter. It's great that they have Cam Johnson and Jamal Murray in them out there. But having Peyton Watson to also throw in those units, that would make a marketed difference in how team tough to defend Denver and also diversity.

18:33They would have in their coverages. So that's a big loss because he does a lot of things for this team and a lot of things for this roster. So they can overcome it because they've had to learn how to overcome that all season. But they absolutely would be a much better team in the best version of themselves includes Peyton Watson. So they will feel that. Brennan, is this as simple as if Peyton can't go. This puts more pressure on Christian. Is that kind of the synthesis here? It puts more pressure on Christian. It puts more pressure on Spencer, I think, as well. Like if you're trying not to run Aaron Gordon into the ground here in the first series, I think Peyton Watson, you know, is an important potential option. So Spencer Jones, if they do want to go small, is it just Aaron Gordon at the five right away? Round one, you know, or are you trying to get away with Spencer? And obviously Peyton could have factored into that equation as well. He does put a lot more pressure on Christian though to your point, because I think Peyton is that guy. If you said we're lacking shooting here, we're lacking spacing, but we're afraid to just

19:36go to Tim because of what it might do to us defensively, Peyton's our sweet spot or at least on paper, at least in theory. And so when you don't have that, I feel like it becomes that much harder to say, well, would close with someone else. It could still be Tim in this series, but it does put more pressure on Christian. It's just one less guy that could join that starting lineup and I think fix some of the spacing issues. All right. Ryan, I want to ask you this. What do you think is the most important matchup in this series? What's the most important matchup that you're going to find throughout the course of the series is going to decide it? Is it Anthony Edwards versus Rudy Gobert in terms of passing through the short roll? That one to me, I think, makes a degree of difference in this one, especially for Denver. Are you talking about not having Peyton Watson if they don't have him at all for this series? It's a lot of pressure on Christian Brown, which means, okay, how do you try to accommodate that? Well, you blitz. You blitz. You try to get the ball out of his hands. You help him. You put two on the ball and you try to rotate extra help in his general direction so that

20:37he's not on an island that entire time. And so Anthony Edwards, then, how does he have to respond to that? Well, he could try to break that coverage and dribble around Yokech or around whoever the big is in that situation. It's going to be Denver having to be connected on the weak side and rotate quickly in a lot of those situations. Another area where they could really benefit from having Peyton Watson as a quick Twitch athlete, somebody who could cover on the weak side there a little bit. But it's Cam Johnson. It's Aaron Gordon. It's Jamal Murray in a lot of those situations having to rotate behind and play that defensive coverage and try to minimize as many open opportunities that the teals are going to have as possible because that's the thing is like Minnesota knows what they're going to face with this coverage. They know what they're going to see and they know that Yokech is going to be at the level and try to get some steals. And if Ant can get that ball to Rudy on a consistent basis or whoever is in the short role, then he's going to have some opportunities and it's going to be daring him and others

21:37to make plays. Well, one of the regrets, five of sorry. Well, sorry. It sounds a lot like we're saying that we have to protect Christian Brown as much as possible and yet we're going to match up. And I think some of this is like, I mean, that's what Christian's here for. I think some of this is like the biggest match up is like, well, Christian, you know, your job, obviously, and your role on this team is to be the stopper at the POA level. And so if they're having to over commit defensively because you're just not holding up at all on your end to a degree, I think that's important. And that it's not about some of this is also about saving the rest of the roster. Like if they're over helping on Ant, some of the issues they're going to run into are some of the weak side rotations on a three point line on the other end or the back cuts on the other end. So they absolutely need to, they will play at the level. But like Christian also has to have like the ability to be able to be competent enough at the POA defender. That's a major little bit counter points like how many other guys outside of Christian even have the ability to put token coverage on Anthony Edwards in this matchup if Peyton Watson is not available.

22:38I mean, can you get that as soon as you have to help him through that process, especially if this goes long and is a seven game matchup, this is also though. This is also like saying go bears job is to stop Yokech and it's like sure, but he can't. So that's and it's fine because Yokech can't be stopped by anyone individual and go bears top three in defensive player of the year. Christian Brown, I do agree that he needs to guard him sometimes one on one. He needs to do a good job. But I do not think it's realistic to think the expectation is that he can stop Anthony Edwards. I don't think he needs to stop and you don't think he needs to have an impact on Ant as a totality of the whole hang on, hang on vote, but I don't even think Peyton can do that. So I was just going to say like one of the reasons why I took my answer to offense in terms of spacing is just I expect if it's one on one with Ant over the course of four quarters and seven games, you're going to get worked at times. I think it's more about timely switchups and coverages to Ryan's point, what you're able to get away with in the clutch. Do you feel comfortable doubling him and Swiper makes some good points about how this team

23:40does have issues with over helping and not trusting each other. But to me, I'm, it's not that you just let Ant score 60 points. I just don't think one, I don't think the nuggets have a guy, including Peyton, where you go, now we feel great about guarding at one point. I, I get to the point of just like I'm at, you're going to be shocked Swiper. I'm more worried about Yokech and drop versus him. So it's like if they're going to involve him in screen actions, you've got to blitz him. If it's ISO, then for sure, Christian's just got to do the job and you just live with whatever the results are, like, you just got to live with the results. I don't even know like what a bad outcome is because it's like, man, Christian got completely blown by. Oh, man, Christian made a great contest and made both of them. Like if it's ISO, like Adam's kind of talking about, he's, he's going to cook. Yeah. If Denver gets to that, if Denver gets to that point, though, where they have to start doubling in ISO. Yeah. Yeah. Double. They did this last year. I don't think they'll do it this year under Dudley, but they did this so much last year of just like, we're just going to bring this double team on this guy aggressively and leave

24:41open all of these guys. I, I, they got to avoid that. I think more. I actually, I'm not so sure about it. I mean, I think Julie's Randall is interesting in this because he has a good release valve and it's why I think he'll have a big role. But the best thing you can do is make Rudy the release valve and when he's on the floor, this is how Denver beat Utah years back and it's something they've used against Go Bear all the time. And I'm catching near the rim, make him catch at the foul line and have to either make a dribble or make a read. And even Minnesota doesn't like that outcome and it's gotten progressively worse by the way as Go Bear has aged. And this is why Ann's comments were so interesting. The comments he referenced just a moment ago where he was basically saying, yeah, me and Rudy are really working on how to get him the ball and a wear, a spot where he won't screw it up. I mean, that's not how he framed that's how he framed it, but it is what he meant. And it does hint at we expect they're going to trap us and the only option they're going to leave open to us is Go Bear being the playmaker. So coming up, I want to talk more about the matchups and we'll give our series predictions. I want to lead us into that with this question and I just need a number from you.

25:46A scale of one to five with a zero is I have no confidence in him. Five is I think he is going to look like playoff Murray. What is your confidence in Jamal Murray scoring in this matchup compared to recent seasons on a scale of one to five? Swipe up four vote for and a half. Mars for Blackburn, I was going to say four and a half too. That's very interesting. We'll talk about that coming up on locked on nuggets. First workplace chaos, deadline stacking up inboxes overflowing in the one position you have to fill is still sitting open when the pressure is on and you need the right hire. This is a job for sponsor jobs indeed sponsor jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for with the skills, experience, location, so you're not just hoping the right candidates, doubles across your post. And here's a stat that says it all in the minute that I've been talking to you.

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28:54There we go. So I asked you guys about your confidence in Murray. And I had the same level of confidence where I look at how he's performed this year and just his ability to beer back the burst all of those types of things, his confidence, the playmaking. He's got more control over the game. All of those types of things makes me optimistic about this. I want to ask you, though, limited possessions versus I. All this season, limited possessions versus I. All really over the course of his career. That's kind of like the ancient question is, I think that everybody in that locker room is kind of like, hey, Nasgon, thank God. Yeah. But I. All is really good. I promise, Swipe it. We'll get to you. But like, Voughten, what are your thoughts on if they go more to I. All versus Jamal and how he can handle that? Yeah, it's a great question. I think it's going to happen at times, especially if the walls try what gave it out of him and talked about today, which is maybe McDaniel's on Yoke at times, right? So that's just one less guy that could be making life harder for Murray in that situation. It will come down to DeSoon Moo. They sound confident. At least their fan base and our chat does on our show.

29:57I will say I'm less moved by regular season data against DeSoon Moo on the bulls. You know what I mean? Like I said, all right, we're Murray's numbers underwhelming in that matchup. I don't care. But I don't, I mean, look, he has a similar, in fact, a slightly longer wingspan than Nau. I know he has this good reputation. He's played well in Minnesota. So to me, DeSoon Moo is one of the X factors in this series. Is he really a 14, 15 point per guy, you know, game for them? Or is it more like Christian? We just picked that up and transitioned and it's not there, right? And a playoff series. And then is he really ready to guard Jamal? I just think the first, the first point you need to make is this is not the Jamal that Nau was guarding either. This is the best version of Jamal we've seen since their title run, maybe possibly better, honestly. So I just think with him in shape and with him healthy, they're just going to be up against it, trying to slow him down the way that they were years past. I don't think it'll be as easy to pick him up for court. But I, but I do think it's the biggest kind of unknown is, DeSoon Moo, the downgrade

31:01from Nau that we think he is, or is he the player that everyone in Minnesota, at least an hour live chat, seems to be so excited about. So I bet. Yeah, I think I was great. He's not the POE defender that Nikhil has under Walker is, but he's a great kind of five tool player. He can do everything for you. He's a good jump shooter. He's good in dribble. He's good in navigating screen. He could all fall. But he's just not a lead at any of those things. But like that's really valuable when you have him on a five-man unit and you're playing him next to Jayden McDaniel's in vertical pair and a locked in Anthony Edwards. So he's going to be really important for them in this series. I think the thing with Jamal is, is Jamal this year has just been phenomenal versus Top 10 defences like on the season, he's at 26 points per game, seven assists, and he's also shooting 50% from two, and he's shooting 40% from three in those matchups. And like, you know, he's playmaking has been out the wazoo. And really, the biggest thing, the biggest separator, the same thing you saw yesterday with Steph Curry and Kawaii Leonard, is Jamal when he's healthy and when he's locked in

32:02like he is now, the biggest difference is the off-the-dribble shooting. Jamal Murray has been a one-of-one off-the-dribble shooter this year. That is what needs to carry over because even if they're icing the coverage or if they're trying to go underneath the screen, not to give up the switch with Yo-Kitch or whatever else it might be or they're overplaying on Yo-Kitch, Jamal has to be able to utilize his handle to create separation for himself and for others when they get into the initial action. And some of this is just going to simply be, if Jamal is locked in as a shooter and win Tim Hardaway, it's on the floor with him, I don't know if you're all remember, I think it was the second game Adam in vote that they played versus Minnesota this year and Jamal and THJ had like 36 points in the third quarter combined because I think the thing is if Yo-Kitch is doing Yo-Kitch and Jamal is shooting the lights out of the ball and then you get Tim Hardaway Jr., you get Cam Johnson going with him in those stretches, those are the things that create the separation for Denver this year I think in a series. I think those minutes aren't going to matter a lot.

33:03Where do you think Jamal is like physically, do you think this is good and I also think this is a good point brought up in the chat which is okay maybe Jamal can cook offensively, do you think he's up for the defensive challenge because I owe, I think it does have a pretty good game off the bounce, he had surprising success the season versus Ant, like it matched the I test when I went back and watched both the tape and the matchup data, do you think that Jamal is up for this on both ends of the floor? So I think this is the whole thing about the Jamal question, one is just how injured was he in 2024 because he wasn't healthy, he wasn't fully healthy, you remember you got injured earlier in the year and then was not in peak physical condition or health going into that series. So the question is how much of it is about that and even if he was healthy back then the series would look different and then you add in the part where they are a little bit of a different personnel. The thing I'll say though is that does not change is that Minnesota's game plan will be the same and that is to wear him down. You put Anthony Edwards on him physically just to be, our first, initially just to be physical with him and to like make that first quarter really, really tough on him. And then you go to your bull pin and then you close with Anthony Edwards back on him

34:05so that Anthony Edwards is saving something in the middle. And the way you wear him down I think is two fold, there's really three fold and one of these is perhaps I think missing from them. Number one is you full court press him and that's just exhausting even if you're not trying to steal the ball and I do some who can do this. So in that way he is a replacement from Nah because or you swap him out because he will be able to just make it hard for Jamal to carry up and maybe force one of Denver's lesser ball handlers to bring it up. The second is what you just referenced going at him. I do expect Anthony Edwards to hunt him over and over again because the more times he has to guard and pick and roll and guard and isolation, the more the more energy he has to use for that he won't have later in the game. The third one is the one that Nah was really good at which is just not being screened. And the plan back in 2024 was first quarter, fourth quarter and McDaniel's get physical wear him down but in those middle quarters just don't ever let Jamal Murray get a pick and roll. Every time there's the two man game, just try to slither through it. That's the one where I don't think the replacements are as good as Nikhil was at that and equally as importantly Denver, one of the differences under Adam and offensively from previous years,

35:09they go to the double high screens a little bit more. Some of this is just a I think a league wide trend of using this is initial action. When you just run one screen against a guy like a Nikhil Alexander Walker, it's hard to get that one screen because you can get so close and slither through it. When you make it to a lead screen and then the hand off or just two guys screening up top, it's two chances to try to make contact on him that would force a switch. And I think Denver has worked all year on this specific thing because I think they understand that there are Stefan Castles out there, Kason Wallace's and maybe somebody in Minnesota that they're actually experts at this and so Denver needed a secondary plan. My prediction is they will wear him down full court press. They will wear him down by targeting him on the defensive end, but they won't wear him down by just avoiding screens altogether. Ryan, outside of the aunt, what's the player that you're most scared of making an impact in the series? What's the player on the wolves that you're just like, oof, that guy could really, if he has a huge share, he's good turn things. That's probably Jayden, probably Jayden McDaniels, he's somebody who especially when Denver

36:12goes smaller and I don't know how often they're going to go smaller in this series just because I think Cam Johnson's pretty playable, but Aaron, when he staggers and then Jamal, when he staggers, when you get different lineups back out there and Jayden McDaniels, when he's out there, if he's going up against Tim Hardaway Jr or Bruce Brown, consistently or Jamal Murray consistently and you've got a major size mismatch there, Denver abandons some of those guys in the corner and on the wing pretty consistently and McDaniels, if he gets hot from three, that's usually the variance with him in terms of what he's providing on a consistent basis, but if he's also able to get downhill in those situations, if he's also able to go eight of eight from two point range in these games, which he's absolutely capable of doing and has done before against Denver, that's a margin that Denver can't get back because they are going to have a lot of matchups where Cam Johnson gets to the same spot, Aaron Gordon gets to the same spot. Sometimes Aaron Gordon will be the guy who goes eight of eight from two, but in the games

37:13where he goes four of eight and Jayden McDaniels goes eight of eight, that's a major kind of margin advantage that I think the Nuggets could potentially be hurt by. So I'm worried about Jayden. The other thing is that if he is an option that they use against Yokech and against Murray at some of these points, then that's going to be like how they target that, I think Denver with Murray and Yokech could potentially have success with that, but if they don't or if he generates enough steals or offensive fouls or anything of that nature, that makes things a lot more concerning for Denver, especially in a clutch time moment because he's got the length, he's got the athleticism to make some game changing plays. So why about 30 seconds because Ryan decided to monologue the guy that you're most worried about as far as on the wolves having a huge series. I mean, Randall is like the one, right? Because Randall is such a inigmatic player. I did not like Randall with New York. I love Randall what he did with the wolves last year. If he goes into their right trigger head down charge basket, Nuggets win.

38:19If he plays poise, compose, hits timely three pointers when Yokech is inevitably going to sack off the help on the interior and then he drives by Yokech and Yokech decide this is still regular season game 64 and doesn't contest, those are going to be big possessions. So I think Julius Randall is going to have a lot to say with just how close the games are in the four quarter. Adam, are you there on Randall too? Yeah, because I do anticipate that the series will Denver's defense will be largely about them trapping Randall and how Minnesota handles behind that and Randall is very good. You know, Randall's very good as a release valve sometimes and sometimes he's not. If he is good in the series, I do think that Denver's most likely defensive plan is going to have a big hole in it, right in vote. I mean, I think those are the right answers. I don't want to belabor the point. I've always kind of sneaky been afraid of Dante, David Chen, so not that I want to win the series. But I've just felt like there are moments where I'm like, this guy's not going to miss that shot. But I mean, he's not in the caliber that you guys are talking about.

39:20With McDaniel's at least, I think I feel it's a bit different with Cam out there than Mike. Obviously there's a lot of cross matchups, but that's just one less weak link you can attack and one more smarter guy off the ball. So maybe it's not quite as easy for him. Randall's such a funny player though, because it's like it should be, he should be the easy answer here. And you look at his production and you're like, this is the next guy we should be talking about. And yet there are so many versions of him having a good series that I just think from a Denver perspective, you're comfortable with because is he going to be great in crunch time? Is he going to do that enough time to the seven game series or is it going to go full Julius Randall, which I don't think you ever want full Julius Randall? I will say though, your Dante point is a good one to me because the nuggets lost that series against OKC because of Caruso and Dork making threes in the right moment. I mean, there's a lot of other things that happen, but those things were so pivotal in the key moments and key games. And it could be, I think when you look at it, who can have that effect for both teams? For Denver, Bruce Brown, maybe has a quarter, where he goes three for three, that would just change a game.

40:20Maybe Julian Strother plays minutes, maybe Christian Brown gets really hot. If you go to the Minnesota side and then Spencer Jones, you know, like it is entirely possible we get into the start of a fourth quarter of a close game and Spencer Jones hits two threes in a row and that's the difference in that quarter. Those are the types of plays that can determine close games. If you go to the other side though, they may have more guys here. Now, I think Denver can win the main key guys. Like I do you think Denver's biggest strength might are better than Minnesota's, but nonetheless, if it does come down to Dante, even Chenzone, Nas, Reed, Bones, Highland, IU, Dussunmou, those guys I think are slightly more likely than Bruce Brown, Spencer Jones, Christian Brown of like having a really hot quarter at a pivotal moment, but nonetheless, I do think it's fair. I just want to say that the only real guy I'm negative on in the wolves is after watching the games as I don't think Bones can play in the series. I just don't. I don't think that he's going to be able to, even if he plays, I think that's a weak point. Does he get a moment though? Does he get a corner? Because I'm with you, Matt, too. I am 100% with you that I think as the series goes on, he can be out, but it is, that is the point is what if in game one and the end of the third quarter, he just goes three

41:22of three is what happened in Denver against Golden State. It's not like Golden State couldn't figure him out. It's just that early in the, you know, at a certain point in the series, he got hot in his minute and it was like, that's all you needed. The two guys I must worry about, one Nosary because he has killed Denver repeatedly over and over again, and that actually has more to do with the second guy, which is actually I'm worried about Kurt's Finch. Finch leads a lot of wolves fans are kind of torn on him because it's like they've gotten to the Western conference finals and hell is success, but they haven't gotten past it. Every fan base hates their coach is what I've kind of learned, but the thing is that Finch has more maneuverability. Finch can be like, hey, we're going to, we're going to, we're going to, we're going to go small with Nos to start the second quarter in the non-yokitch minutes. Then we're going to put Rudy in for a four minute stretch that branches across the non-yokitch into the yokitch minutes. Then we're going to put in that second one so the one yokitch comes back, it's Rudy and Ant versus yokitch, and then we'll take him back out and go small for just a few minutes. The ability that Finch has to mix and match lineups to attack Denver, I think is going

42:25to matter a lot. It's why I think Spencer Jones is going to matter a lot in the series. You need to be able to play small ball five with Spencer in the Nos minutes. That to me is crucial is that you need to be able to switch everything and just be like, hey, you know all this great action that you've been able to get for years and years in the non-yokitch minutes? We're taking it away. We might not be able to score, but we're taking away your ability to space us out. I think it's going to be huge. What's up, Swipe? For the group, is there a line that, so the Nuggether, you know, shout out to Jay Coine, the seed Nuggether, 10 different players, you're about 38% or better from three, no team and maybe a hit should have eight or more do that. What is the line in the Nuggether shooting? Because last year, Adam, I've talked about this so many times, if the Nuggether simply made open threes in game five or game four, you know, the series is probably over versus OKC. Is there a line in the series like the Nuggether shoot this well from three, then the series is, you feel pretty comfortable about it, that means they're executing on their open shots? If anything for Denver, is it's more, it's not about the aggregate number.

43:26It's just timely. Yes. And it's just who hits them in those moments that kind of where the game is in the balance. So they're going to win the volume game. So I pull these numbers, which are really pretty wild. So they made in 2000 and 24 in the regular season. They made 39 threes less than 10 per game. They made 73 in the playoffs and average at 10.4. Last year, they only made 41. This year, they made 52 threes in the four games against Minnesota. The shooting upgrade is massive and it's one of the biggest reasons why I'm confident in the Nuggets, which takes us to our predictions. I will take Nuggets in seven because the last time that we did this thing, I took Nuggets in five and it came back and bit me as they lost the first two. So I'm not doing that again. I'm taking the extremely safe route and providing Minnesota with as much respect as I possibly can. And I will take Nuggets in seven, Ryan. I'll take Nuggets in six.

44:28I think that Denver, they still have a floor that is low on the defense event that I think Minnesota will be able to attack on a pretty consistent basis. It will be in terms of Denver, figuring out enough ways down the stretch of these games and throughout these games to get some pockets of defense that they can help reach escape velocity with their offense. So I think that Denver will get that enough and it will happen in six games. Brennan, it should be five and that's why I'm taking six. That sounds about right, Swaiver. Yeah, last year I said they were going to lose in the first round to the Clippers, but was almost correct. Sure. I feel completely different about this team this year. I think it's six but closer to five. Like they're at the swing game that they might lose both and they win in six. Do I put some advice? Did the fan base ever forgive you for that? I'm just asking for a friend. Ask me for a friend. Ask me for a friend.

45:28Are we doing that as a group? No, they did, but I think I had the outlet that they had just fired the GM and had a coach and had like a six-man rotation. Yeah. You're taking FBA for MVP and might be unforgivable. It's not like you chose somebody else for MVP in a year when they won 65 games and average 30 plus points per game with incredible efficiency. Wow. Who would do such a thing? Adam, what's your prediction? I'm locked into Nuggetson 5 because I said it on Monday at the Zach Lo Show. I do think that with the Peyton, you know, with what I believe to be true of Peyton that I kind of a skeptical have been playing in the series. I do think six is more likely, but I don't like to give multiple predictions. So I'm locked in. Nuggetson 5. I appreciate the consistency. That's going to do it for Dengvengers. You can catch Brendan Boat and Adam Marez daily over at DNVR. We love this show. We support them. Always. I like the chat. This is what's so great about the chat. They never forget. Now they're just bringing up everybody his lowest point. They're like, you know what Ryan one time tried to trade. That was Tuesday for me. Vote one set.

46:29He didn't think that. And then Matt. We're actually making stickers with Ryan on Alcatraz because that's where that's what they have said. I said that I was the mayor of Strother Island and everyone is like, we are putting Ryan on trade A.G. Island and surrounding it with our wire charts. So that's where he lives now. When I deserve you can catch Adam and vote every day on DNVR and Adam on all NBA. Great show. Tim Legler, Jason Tim. If you love hoops, you're going to love that show. Cover the NBA. Swipe as on players. Choice. You can catch him on his YouTube channel. YouTube.com slash swipe a cam. Ryan Blackburn is on mile high sports. I have literally done 13 podcasts in two days. So obviously you can find my contents in place as well. We'll see you guys again next time. Enjoy it. We'll be back more with content later here on Lockdown Nuggets. Gen Ventures. That's simple. This is Jake from Lockdown. When the game's on the line, the best no end to pass. Because the right assist can change everything. And off the court, it's no different. That's where your state farm agent comes in.

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