Paper Guiluo City|The league finally welcomes the new king to the throne Five factors contributed to the Nuggets' first championship in history
Jokic and the Nuggets lifted their first championship trophy in franchise history, and looking back, why did they become champions?
1. Basic training at high altitude
In competitive sports, only high-intensity and reasonable training is the guarantee of winning. Especially for a rare genius like Jokic, plenty of physical strength is his last step towards superstardom, after all, he is comfortable on the field and never seems to get tired. Compared to other centers in the league, Jokic has better fitness and maintains a high level of athletic fitness for long periods of time, which is why he always plays explosive numbers on the field.
Denver is at a high altitude, and intense basic training keeps Jokic in good physical condition. In the Nuggets' roster, Jokic needs to hold the ball for a long time to create opportunities for the team on the offensive end, which requires a lot of physical strength and energy. In general, the defensive tasks that other teams need to undertake as an offensive core are not at their most intense. But thanks to his good physical fitness, Jokic can still do a high-quality defense.
And the same applies to every Nuggets player.
2. Murray's return
Today's Nuggets are classic dual-core drives, and without Murray, the Nuggets wouldn't be so smooth.
In the first round of the playoffs last season, Jokic played a wonderful performance against the Warriors, offensive and defensive, and was arguably the best player in the series, but it was difficult to win. Murray plays a role in the snow or icing on the cake on the offensive end, and it can be said that Murray determines the lower limit of this Nuggets.
In the current four-round series, only one person can limit him a little, and that is Walker of the Timberwolves, which has caused Murray some trouble. In the other three rounds, Murray crushed everyone who was in his position: Butler muted Murray in G2 and then couldn't do it again. Murray always found a solution to a problem.
Murray and Jokic's blocking became one of the league's strongest kills, Murray can shoot suddenly, layups, mid-range, three-pointers, he has no offensive blind spots. Missed two seasons with injuries and is unimaginably in this state after returning.
3. Management additions to the lineup
Last season's offseason, a series of operations by Denver management gradually improved the Nuggets roster and laid a solid foundation for the championship.
- Send off Maurice + Barton in exchange for Pope
- Christy Braun was selected in the draft
- Signed free agent Bruce Brown
Pope, a member of the 20 Lakers championship team, has a lot of experience and can also provide firepower. Look at Braun's performance in the Finals, and you know that the Nuggets have found treasures again. Bringing in Brown now looks like completing a robbery deal. These three men work with Gordon to form a solid defensive system on the outside of the Nuggets, with someone always being able to limit the opponent's core and someone always being able to complete the mend on the offensive end.
With a flexible lineup, the Nuggets really got it right.
4. Decisively send Hyland away
The 22-year-old Hyland is worth looking forward to as a scorer. But when he played a prick role in the locker room, the Nuggets decisively traded it to the Clippers.
The defensive end is easy to target, which makes it difficult for him to play on the playoff stage. The Nuggets' roster depth also complements his role on the offensive end.
When he's unhappy with playing time and possession, he's not destined to be a nugget. Looking at today's Nuggets, no one can refuse the coach's arrangement, Reggie, Jordan Jr., Mop and other substitutes, even if they can only play one minute, there will be no complaints. Champions are the pursuit of the whole team, and personal interests are secondary.
So the locker room doesn't tolerate Hyland and that's what the Nuggets did wisely.
5. Accumulation of experience
Murray and Jokic's belief in the championship and their potential this season is underestimated. This stems from what they achieved before Murray's cruciate ligament was torn. In the 2019 Western Conference semifinals, they almost reached the Western Conference Finals. They did well in that series, especially Jokic. They drew 2-2 in that series until Murray's injury knocked them out.
In fact, that series laid the groundwork for the Nuggets and showed their potential. This has led them to believe they can make bigger breakthroughs this season and compete for championships. Murray and Jokic, as the core of the team, proved their worth in that series, and their experience was crucial to the team's morale and confidence.
This should be the accumulation of thick and thin, and now Jokic and the Nuggets are ushering in their own era!