Talk about the Denver Nuggets.
As early as in the preview before the Western Conference Finals, I wrote:
"From a high-level stat, the Denver Nuggets are the strongest of the four remaining teams in the East and West."
"This series, the test for the Lakers' defensive end, is much bigger than any series that James has experienced — yes, much bigger."
(For details, see: Lakers Nuggets West Finals Preview: Strengths and Weaknesses, Offensive and Defensive Strategies, and X-Factor Analysis)
In that article, I actually explained the power of the Nuggets quite specifically in terms of data, performance, and system - but before the Western Conference Finals began, there were still a considerable number of people who did not want to believe this.
Until the Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-0.
Until LeBron James himself admitted: "This Nuggets team is the strongest team I've ever faced since joining forces with AD." ”
Now, we can talk about it again before the Finals start – just how strong will the Denver Nuggets be in 2022-23?
The story of the 2022-23 Denver Nuggets
In the last article "blowing" nuggets, we have analyzed high-level data, so let's put away the data table first and talk about some nuggets stories first.
The Denver Nuggets are an underrated team.
Many people will be baffled by the sudden burst of fighting power in the playoffs this season for the Denver Nuggets - and I, as an author who has been following the Nuggets since 2020, will explain this to you.
In fact, the Denver Nuggets didn't erupt "suddenly."
Instead, their outbreak was actually two years later than originally planned.
The rise of the Denver Nuggets began in 2020.
It was marked by Jamal Murray's transformation from a secondary attacker to a star-level main attacker.
The Nuggets' core system has since been established, and they are still dominated by inside and low-post offense, but they have also added "modern" blocking and outside launches.
If you put it in layman's terms, before 2020, the Nuggets had only "inside" and no "outside", and after Murray became a primary attacker who could stand alone, they became a team with inside and outside.
If you put it more colloquially - when an MVP-level big man meets a guard who averages 25+ points per game; When one of the best playmakers in the league meets a guard with great scoring explosiveness and hard solving ability — we all know what that means.
The former, I'm talking about the "OK" combination, of course you can also think of Big Dream and Glider, Dr. J and Moses Malone, Abdul-Jabbar and Big O ...
And the latter, I'm talking about LeBron and Kyrie Irving.
Although Murray is relatively not comparable to the great names above, Jokic's wonderful attributes of combining [low-position offensive core] and [organizational core] allow the pair to combine the advantages of the above two [architecture]. (Even now they have developed unique "new ways to play")
(And this year, Murray also proved that 2020 is not a flash in the pan with another miraculous performance, and he has the potential to become a T1 defender in the league without injuries)
Although Murray is not very strong in output and stability, he has his advantages:
First of all, his skills are excellent and his skill set is very comprehensive.
To take a familiar example, Murray is like the Canadian version of Kyrie Irving — he has a lot in common with Irving in some ways.
1. They master all the scoring skills and the skills to create shooting space.
From all kinds of dribbling directions, to an infinite variety of finishing tools, and the ability to shoot from any area: soft feel in the frame, flashing in the air, throwing near the frame, shooting from mid-range, shooting from three-point range - they are good at everything.
(Also includes the shooting mechanism of the two, both are "two-stage" shots from above the head, the basic skills of starting speed, shot height, elbow stability are very in place, which makes the two have a strong strong shooting that is "hard solution" ability when they are not tall)
20 years in the park cos Jordan's epic tie rod.
In the first round of '20, Cos Wade dribbled through two people, turned in the air and made a 360-degree backhand layup.
Pull back the crotch and step back.
Pull back with the back dribble, and pull back your feet after spying steps.
Pretend to take cover on the side, suddenly turn around with one hand, and take a sideways step jumper.
Harden-style continuous crotch-catching step-back jumper.
Dove's silky march turned back and forth to jump and shoot. If you ignore the figure and the height of the jump, there is even a hint of Kobe's charm.
The right hand is skilful at throwing at close range.
The left hand can also complete mid-range and close-range projectiles.
One-handed high-play baskets are no problem.
It can even complete the right-hand to left-handed rebel basket in high-speed travel.
These GIFs are just the tip of the iceberg of Murray's highlights. But it's enough to see his excellent feel and ability to create space.
Let's talk about the second point.
2. Murray, like Irving, can not only hold the ball, but also master the off-ball.
They can pick one-on-one with the ball, and they can also play some blockings - but even better is that they are not only threatening when holding the ball, but also have a very good catch-and-shoot ability, are great fixed-point shooters, can also complete catch-and-shoot on the run, and know how to use all kinds of back door cuts, no-ball escapes to score under the basket, making it more difficult for opponents to defend their shots.
At this point, we will not put too many GIFs, a picture can basically be summarized:
After handing over Jokic, he first cut the air to attract the defense, then covered for his teammates, successfully tricked the opponent and quickly bounced out, received the ball and hit a three-point shot - squinting his eyes, this is completely the Golden State Warriors and the Splash Brothers.
Let's talk about the third point.
3. They are not only proficient in face frame technology, but also in back technology.
Despite their modest height, Murray and Irving have the thick bodies of guards, and they can not only complete the offense in the frame, but when facing some small guards, they can also go directly to the "dessert area" by turning their backs and finish with a rollover jump shot or hook hand - thus rendering the "little quick" defenders who squeeze through cover quickly and start quickly ineffective.
In the Western Conference Finals, Murray repeatedly ate Blacks one-on-one in the low and mid-range, and in fact the Nuggets had many Murray low-post tactics.
Being able to shoot in any area, creating shooting space, having the ball and not having the ball, being able to face the frame and being able to carry his back – Murray is the unquestionable "offensive kaleidoscope", just like Kyrie Irving. And he even has advantages that Irving doesn't have.
For example, Murray's explosiveness and bounce are significantly stronger than Irving before he is injured, and he can even do some long-range gliding tomahawks (the 2020 cos Jordan's lever is also proof).
For example, Murray's willingness and ability to pass the ball when blocking are also higher than Irving's, he does not have that excess scoring or acting desire, and many times he is willing to be a green leaf and will be "reasonable" in offensive choices.
And we know that Nikola Jokic is also a kaleidoscope of skills in the center position.
When two "offensive kaleidoscopes" collide together, this is the first collision of the Denver Nugget system "Big Bang".
Slightly off topic.
Let's go back to the original discussion: Why did the Denver Nuggets rise two years later than expected?
We have to go back to the 2020-21 season.
With Jerami Grant off and Millsap getting older (and Barton's return), the first half of the Denver Nuggets 20-21 season didn't go as smoothly as expected — and while Nikola Jokic killed and Murray boosted productivity, their roster was clearly missing a defensive striker.
So, after the trade deadline, Aaron Gordon came.
[Nuggets championship winning system] is beginning to take shape at this moment.
After trading for Gordon, the Nuggets immediately began to soar like a barrel of the only shortcoming—a five-game winning streak, and if memory serves, their five-game difference was pretty terrifying—and they immediately became one of the favorites predicted by the media.
Then, Jamal Murray was injured.
The Denver Nuggets were like a brig, finally plugging a leaky plank, but breaking a mast.
After that, although they extended their winning streak to eight in a row, followed by a wave of four wins in a row and a wave of five consecutive wins, how can a sailboat with a broken mast go far?
From favorites to no one, only overnight.
Then came the more gloomy 2021-22 season, where Murray didn't come back and even Porter Jr. was reimbursed for the season.
Can you imagine a team where 36-year-old Jeff Green, Wilbarton, and even Austin Rivers, Campazo and Daven Reid can be the starters and important rotations?
It's the deepest darkness before dawn — and thankfully, it's not meaningless.
Worse teammates, opponents' constant research on Jokic's style of play, which forces Jokic and Malone to keep improving; And the management finally realized that defensive problems are not limited to the front line and the inside...
So, for the 2022-23 season, Wilbarton is gone. In exchange for Caldwell Pope. They also took advantage of the Nets' breakdowns to rob Bruce Brown.
These are two offensive and defensive ends of the spectrum, both perfectly suited to the Nuggets' players.
They not only made up for the Nuggets' biggest shortcoming in the past, but also further enhanced the Nuggets' ability to "speed up" and enhance the threat of no-ball cutting tactics.
It not only makes up for the short board, but also makes the long board longer.
At this point, we can really say that the Nuggets have built a lineup that is good enough to get to the final point.
Some people may have to ask again, if this is the case, why is the Nuggets not visible this season?
In fact, if you know the Nuggets' journey this season, you will know - the answer is simple.
Yes, the team has put together the puzzle pieces they need, but the biggest mystery hanging over the Nuggets this season is about their core:
Can Jamal Murray, who has been out for two years after a major injury, still be the core player he once was?
The Nuggets' main goal this season in the regular season is not to record or get Jokic to win his first three-game MVP since Larry Bird — but to get Jamal Murray back to himself.
We said that the Nuggets are a "dual-core" driven team. And there's a necessary prerequisite for them to be their envisioned selves — Murray needs to return to the state he was in before his injury in 2021.
This is the basis of everything.
And the Nuggets have paid too much this season — or, more bluntly, Jokic has paid too much this season for Murray to get back into shape.
A set of data:
Jokic's average of 18 and 17.7 shots per game in the 20-21 and 21-22 MVP seasons is 21.2 in the playoffs this season — and that's the number of shots Jokic can or should digest when he "plays normally" after entering his personal peak.
And what about the first two months of the season? He averaged 12.4 shots per game and 13.9 shots per game.
The number of shots has plummeted.
Obviously, MVPs don't lose their ability or desire to shoot overnight, and Jokic did it for a reason, and Jamal Murray, who has just returned from injury and desperately needs to find form on the court, is that reason.
Continue the stats: While the number of shots plummeted, Jokic gave Murray more than 22 passes per game.
I looked at the top 15 or so players for the number of passes this season – the number of person-to-person passes did not exceed that.
That is, this number exceeds the number of passes Green gave to Curry, more passes than Sam Jr. gave to Fox, more passes Harden gave Embiid, and more passes Haliburton gave to Hield.
And add one more data:
In the first month of the season, Jamal Murray shot just 37.8 percent from the field after receiving passes from Jokic — Jokic's 22 passes converted into assists in the end.
Harden averaged 21 passes per game for Embiid and was able to get 4.2 assists; Chase Dream gave Curry 17.3 passes per game and 1.6 assists.
Jokic's pass didn't translate into a score, and obviously, it wasn't Jokic's problem — but the following month, Jokic's pass to Murray didn't go down, but increased.
You can feel how hard Jokic tries to "feed" Murray — even sacrificing his stats and sometimes even losing some wins (the Nuggets won 57% in October, even lower than the dark '22).
But he still stubbornly passed the ball to Murray - if you don't score, I'll feed it until you score.
In early November, Murray averaged 19.3 points and 5.5 assists in four consecutive games, shooting 42% from three-point range and 47.8% from the field - he began to gradually recover;
"I'm getting my rhythm back, I played like a substitute when I first came back, I didn't dare to hit the basket for fear of making mistakes, and now I'm getting better every game," he said. ”
On December 8, Murray faced the Blazers and stepped back to complete the comeback with a three-point comeback.
Murray said in a December interview: "Thank you to my team-mate Jokic, who has been covering for me and feeding me the ball, and from the beginning of the season until now, I believe you can see my progress"
Later, when he eliminated the Suns to reach the Western Conference Finals, Malone said: "December 8 was the defining moment when Murray finally overcame his injury and remembered how good he was. ”
Murray made his first back-to-back appearance on January 7 and scored 18 points against the Cavaliers to help the Nuggets win.
He finally looks a little like Murray this month — averaging 22 points and 5.8 assists per game in a single month, shooting 45 percent from three-point range and 48 percent from the field.
Adelman said: "Jokic and Murray are like Malone and Stockton. Murray responded: "I don't know if Stockton can score like I did. ”
Murray was still an All-Star, but he has begun to regain his confidence: "I know I'm better than some of these All-Stars. Everyone is comparing me to before, but I'm not the best me at the park, and I know I can reach a higher level. ”
On February 3, Murray scored 30+ in two consecutive games for the first time since his return, but after the game, he first praised Jokic.
"Not many teams are fortunate enough to have a player like him. To thank him, everything he does every day is amazing. That game, behind Murray's 33 points, was Jokic's 16 assists.
By this month, Murray had largely found himself, averaging 25.2 points and 7.7 assists per game in February, shooting 37 percent from three-point range and 27 percent from the field.
In March and April, the Nuggets began to suffer some minor injuries, Murray and the team had a sluggish performance (it was this sluggish performance that lowered the Nuggets' "expectations" or "vigilance"), and the Nuggets also chose to take turns in the last 6-7 games to prepare the core players for the upcoming playoffs.
Now it seems that this choice is very wise.
When the regular season ended, the Nuggets looked at their stat sheet — Jokic turned in his lowest shot per game in nearly three years but the highest assists per game, and their team is 53-29, despite being the first in the West, but we all know it's not their best record. (This also led to Jokic's loss to Embiid in the MVP race, losing the only opportunity of his career to be three MVPs in a row.)
But it's all worth it.
Because they got a Jamal Murray who came back to the top — no, maybe better than it was then.
This team is unstoppable when Jamal Murray averages 27.7 points per game in the playoffs and 35 points + 66% true shooting per game in the first three games of the Western Conference Finals.
So, they made history. For the first time in the history of the team, they stood on the stage of the finals.
The rise of the Denver Nuggets, although two years late, has come.
If I want to sum up the "temperament" of the current Nuggets team, I would like to quote Aaron Gordon in an interview this season:
"All for me, I for all."
None of them in the squad are thinking about themselves, they all fight for each other and they are all happy to see their teammates play their best.
By the way:
Before the start of the season, ESPN ranked Jamal Murray 50th in the league;
Former Nuggets coach George Carr openly fired Murray during the season: "The Nuggets traded him for Irving and will immediately be promoted to a championship team." ”
People are marveling at the inspirational excitement of the Miami Heat, but why not the Denver Nuggets?
Don't trust what others define you. Who you are is up to you.
The blade of the sword is sharpened, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.