In the NBA Western Conference semifinals, after falling behind the Timberwolves 0-2, the Nuggets were able to quickly adjust and win 3 games in a row in one go, taking the lead in winning the match point, demonstrating the strength of the defending champion!
But in the G6 game that was about to eliminate the opponent, this momentum was discharged, in addition to Jokic who was also the regular season MVP, the other two commonly known as the Iron Triangle, Murray and Porter Jr. were lost.
In this game, Murray and Porter Jr.'s performances can not be described as "undercover".
Murray, 4-of-18 and 2-of-7 three-pointers, scored only 10 points! The plus/minus is -32, the lowest on the team.
Porter Jr., 3-of-9 from the field and 1-of-6 from three-point range, scored 8 points and had a plus/minus of -28, the second-to-last on the team.
In the playoffs last season, Porter Jr.'s performance fluctuated greatly, especially in the five games of the Finals, averaging 10.5 points per game, 4-of-18 three-pointers, and shooting only 22.2%.
In this year's playoffs, he played a series against the Lakers in the first round, averaging 23 points per game, 20-of-43 three-pointers, and shooting 46.5% from three-point range.
can meet the fierce defense of the Timberwolves, who only scored 18 points in the last three playoff games!
This buddy's big contract of 2.07 in 5 years is really not worth it, and it will be weak at the critical moment!
Speaking of Murray, he was the healthiest in the playoffs last season, averaging 26.1 points and 7.1 assists per game!
In this season's playoffs, Murray was affected by injury again, averaging 19.3 points and 5.8 assists per game!
If Murray can't regain last year's level of bravery, this year's Nuggets win the championship is very mysterious, and even whether they can beat the Timberwolves in the tie-break is unknown.
Recently, Murray has been expressing his desire to secure a five-year, $257 million max contract after next offseason.
However, if the Nuggets lose to the Timberwolves in the tiebreaker. Considering his injury attributes, Murray may choose to complete a three-year, 144 million early contract extension with the team this year for the sake of insurance.
And Porter Jr. could be traded in the market for a better 3-and-D striker!