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

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We've got the full house of Lockdown Nuggets, we've got Adam Arrez, the Yoke Chwhisper, the

Godfather 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?

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amount of breakdowns that I've done today on the Nuggets Offense versus the wolves defense,

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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.

Those 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.

I 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.

Yeah, 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?

Was 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.

The 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.

I 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.

I 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

together 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.

And 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.

So 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.

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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.

Mares, 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.

I 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.

You 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.

They 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

go 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

he'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

to 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.

I 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

does 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

open 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.

A 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.

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We'll be right back on Lockdown Nuggets.

All right, files like my hair on Lockdown Nuggets on Den Ventures.

Want to thank Brendan Voughten-Adamara for taking time out of their very busy schedule

with 700 shows at DMVR to join us, as well as all cities in the A. All cities all in the A.

There 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.

I 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

from 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

like 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.

Where 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

so 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,

they 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

goes 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

where 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.

If 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.

With 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.

Maybe 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

of 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

to 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.

It'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.

I 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.

Are 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.

He 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.

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