The Denver Nuggets cheated death twice in the 2019-20 playoffs, becoming the first team to overcome two separate 3-1 deficits. Two personalities prevailed.
What superstar archetype drives a team in the NBA playoffs? Is it the aggressive, fiery attacker, a player who never backs down from the greatest of challenges and rides the waves of a grit and determination so fierce neither hell nor high water could possibly deny this player from succeeding? Think LeBron James.
Or is it the calm, collected dude who swagger-walks into the gym already knowing he’s won the game, with that eerie sense of relaxed confidence that flies in the face of break-neck playoff basketball? Like a Steph Curry.
The answer is yes.
The Denver Nuggets became the first team in NBA history to overcome two 3-1 series deficits as they revived themselves from a nearly-assured death to the Utah Jazz, and then staged a highly improbable toppling of the star-studded LA Clippers. The Nuggets have a superstar tandem with each player at opposite ends of the personality spectrum. In their case, both distinct personalities were needed in the improbable Western Conference Finals run.
There’s Nikola Jokic (24.4 points per game in the postseason), a calm, cool, unorthodox center who cuts teams to ribbons with his passing and can score in a variety of ways. He’s a big kid at heart who messes around with teammates, plays with his youngest fans in the hallway of Pepsi Center, and seems to visibly relax in the game’s biggest moments. He’s so collected, that it can give the impression he doesn’t care about the outcome. Except, his play in big moments shows a giant desire lurking beyond the relaxed exterior.
Then there’s Jamal Murray (26.5 points per game in the postseason), a fiery, trash-talking energizer who rides the emotional highs and lows of winning and losing. A huge proponent of the mental battle, Murray never doubts himself, always a candidate to explode for 10 straight points and change a game. He smiles cockily at the camera after wins and seethes with visible anger during post-loss press-conferences. He’s among the NBA’s best walking-wounded players, seemingly using injury as just one of his many motivators.
While many teams have one primary fourth quarter operator with one distinct personality, Denver has two such players, each differently equipped for situations that arise. This served as a huge advantage in the 2019-20 postseason.
How did the personalities of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray power the Nuggets?
When the Nuggets entered the playoffs, they slipped immediately off-kilter, stumbling and bumbling against the Utah Jazz, who happened to be hitting shots in video-game fashion. The 57 points Donavon Mitchell scored in Game 1 was interesting, as Denver still emerged the winning team. The 51 he dropped in Game 4 was downright scary, as he joined Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson as the only players to reach 50 points twice in a playoff series. (Who knew this list would later be joined by Jamal Murray within the same series?)
Denver’s rock-bottom-moment came in the aftermath of that lackluster Game 3 defeat, a horrid 124-87 loss in which the team seemingly desired to be anywhere but the basketball court. It appeared the team had all but surrendered, deserting head coach Mike Malone, the fans, and themselves, leading to much bigger potential problems than a 2-1 series deficit.
Insert Jamal Murray, his intensity, grit and a hard-charging refusal to lose. The Nuggets were being exposed by a lesser team…and at the moment, Nikola Jokic’s calm, cool demeanor wouldn’t do. His emotionally-controlled approach simply wasn’t working.
Murray dropped 50 points (9-of-15 from 3-point range) in an intense, spirited Game 4 performance, energizing his teammates. Unfortunately for Denver, Mitchell scored 51 points as Utah won 129-127 and grabbed a 3-1 series lead.
Game 5 saw the Nuggets trail by as many as 15 in the second half. The series was all but over for Denver…until Murray floored the accelerator. He scored 33 points in the second half on a ridiculous 14-of-18 shooting, leading Denver to an angry, come-from-behind 117-107 victory. Murray finished with 42 points, spearheading this Nuggets team that was suddenly incensed at the world.
Game 6 called for another fiery performance, and Murray stepped up once again. The Jazz jumped out to another lead, this one a 10-point advantage in the first quarter. However, this was small potatoes compared to previous deficits. Murray once again scorched the Jazz for 50 points on 17-of-24 shooting, leading another comeback, as Denver evened the series at three games apiece. Now it was Utah’s turn to rage, as both Mitchell and Rudy Gobert slammed objects on their way off the court.
Once Game 7 tipped-off, a gargantuan offensive series suddenly ground to a halt and the score sat tied at 78 points apiece in the game’s final seconds. Murray was exhausted from the past three contests, and had just 17 points at this moment, a tribute to Utah’s defensive configuration suddenly turning to him. Now it was Jokic’s turn.
As the pressure reached a peak, Jokic all but shrugged. He calmly, almost nonchalantly took former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to the post, twisting and turning before hitting a tough jump hook to put Denver up two points with 27.8 seconds remaining — what turned out to be the game’s final bucket. It was Jokic who scored the game-high 30 points, calmly finishing the series comeback Murray emphatically began, lifting the Nuggets to the 80-78 Game 7 victory.
The intense energy of Jamal Murray was the cure for recovery against malaise and a hot-shooting Utah team. However, the next series called for an entirely different mindset.
The L.A. Clippers were the heavy favorite to dispatch the Nuggets and challenge the Los Angeles Lakers for the Western Conference Finals. So when the Clippers snagged a 3-1 series lead, few were surprised. Once again, Denver was in comeback position, but this one seemed even more unlikely. Murray had carried the Nuggets for most of last round, but he had Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Patrick Beverley and Marcus Morris to contend with now.
Besides, the spread was different. The Nuggets eventually beat Utah by way of battering-ram, imposing their will against a lower-seeded team and ultimately out-starring them, despite some close calls along the way. That wasn’t going to work against the Clippers.
So when Denver fell into another 3-1 series deficit against this bigger, stronger, more superstar-loaded team, this called for a Jokic approach, a relaxed shrug, accompanied by a let’s-see-what-can-be-done-with-nothing-to-lose mindset.
As Denver trailed by 15 points in the second half of Game 5, Jokic scored 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting in the fourth quarter, keeping the Nuggets alive to fight another day. He exploited his matchup, calmly draining two 3-pointers and two mid-range jumpers to overcome the Clippers and force Game 6. Because why not? Nothing’s ever at stake for the underdog.
Game 6 was a similar situation and sure enough, LA built a 19-point second-half lead. That’s when Jokic again came alive, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc as Denver once again overcame a deficit and evened the series at three games apiece. Jokic finished the game with 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in what had clearly evolved into a severe matchup problem for the Clippers.
In Game 7, the Clippers threw the kitchen sink at Jokic, clearly a defensive effort built almost-entirely on stopping him. In turn, Jokic responded the way only Jokic could — he focused less on scoring. He also tallied 22 rebounds and 13 assists to accompany his 16 points, making for a massive Game 7 triple-double.
Meanwhile, the intensity of Jamal Murray made a return, as he sensed a physically tired, emotionally beat-down Clippers team that had blown comfortable cushions in multiple senses; a) a 12-point first-half lead in this very game, b) double-digit advantages in the previous two closeout games, and c) an overall 3-1 series lead. Multiple reports later stated the Clippers grew tired in the fourth quarter…something Murray had noticed and was delighted to capitalize on. He scored 40 points on the night, including 12 in the fourth quarter, as the Nuggets pummeled the tired Clippers into the ground and walked away the improbable series winners.
And while the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and healthy Golden State Warriors could be favorites in the Western Conference, expect the Nuggets to be a pesky thorn in the sides of these giants, mad-dogging them every step of a way for years to come. With Jokic signed through 2023 and Murray locked in through 2025, the league’s most thrilling comeback duo is set to play many more exciting games in Denver.