MVP Finalists Face-to-Face for this West Semifinals Showcase! | Official Nuggets (#4) vs. OKC (#1) Series Thread!

[T.he I.nformant]

That was ball game. Really, OKC had about 3 layups in a row (JDubb, Alex, Wallace) that they sold on/DEN contested.

But that JDubb one was the most egregious given the time, score and shifting momentum. On a fast break, you gotta dunk that shyt and not be scared of contact or a chase down.

It was crazy because it felt just like G5. If he had converted on that I think it would’ve cut the lead to 5 with like 9 to go and plenty momentum in OKC’s favor. It might’ve gotten spooky from there. Fortunately, it didn’t go that way. It was a great contest by PWat but I was shocked JDub didn’t dunk that. What a series. Been so many moments where both teams catch breaks or make big plays. I hope AG’s hammy isn’t too bad for this game G7.

 

[triplehate]

The whole point of this is to win the title. SGA is a championship player right now. You can't waste years trying to thread the needle. No team's window lasts as long as they think.

Even if they survive this series and win it all, this JDub as the second option isn't sustainable. When Jamal Murray was 22 in The Bubble, he was awesome. He followed it up his next healthy postseason at 25 being the co-star Jokic needed. Williams has never shown that in the postseason and he has the All-Star appearance Murray has never received.

Jaylen Brown was great in the Bubble at 23 for the Celtics in the ECF against Miami even though they didn't win the series. He's played at levels we haven't seen from Williams in his brief playoff stints.

The cash crunch comes after next season no matter what. Williams and Holmgren are going to want max extensions; iHart and Dort are gonna want new deals; your boy Wallace is the following summer.

We know damn well OKC isn't gonna go deep in the tax. Better to go all-in now and give yourself the best shot than eternally kicking the can down the road and hoping the stars align.

I doubt seriously a title is the main goal, just stay competitive and profitable.

 

[OGBobbyJohnson]

 

[Primetime]

This is why I have OKC as my dark horse candidate for Giannis. Especially if they don't make the finals. Presti been here before and in hindsight he should recognize that if he had moved Harden and Ibaka for a third star to play with KD and Russ. They would have likely won a championship.

They make a trade for Giannis and keep Shai and they probably coming out the west next year and have a good chance at a chip. They got the young guys and picks that the Bucks would stupid to not send them Giannis.

Altho MIL would ask for Chet… I think OKC should do everything they reasonably can to keep him.. even if it means more picks or involving a 3rd team. It's getting overlooked bc of their glaring need for a second explosive scorer but Chet as a swiss-army knife 3rd option is pretty good. This series, 14ppg 11rpb 2bpg and helped stifle Jokic for 3 straight games.

Basically, OKC should tell the Bucks they can have everything but Shai and Chet... because a Shai/Giannis/Chet core probably chips multiple times.

 

[Unbothered]

I think y'all are overreacting over one game as if Denver already advanced; we've seen this all series, the Nuggets win, and people act like it's over.

The Thunder are gonna win on Sunday.

OKC shouldn't break anything up, I don't know why fans keep advocating for their teams to trade young stars for aging superstars with sketchy injury history when it's proven to be a failure. I remember when people kept saying Boston should've pulled the plug on Brown for Lillard or KD, and the next season afterward, they won the chip. Had they made that trade, the Celtics wouldn't have Banner 18 right now.

The Suns and Bucks are stuck in mediocrity and don't know where to turn because they threw away all the youth for aging stars, thinking it was gonna catapult them to holding the trophy in June.

If I were OKC, I'd do everything to keep the core of SGA, J-Dubb, and Chet together, that's your future right there, rather than throw it all away for this assumed quick run to a chip that might not happen.

Sometimes, you have to just wait for the process out, and it'll work in your favor; gotta stop being cheap, too. OKC has gotten away with that for years but now they're gonna have to spend money.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

I think y'all are overreacting over one game as if Denver already advanced; we've seen this all series, the Nuggets win, and people act like it's over.

I think you’ll find the biggest overreaction was after Game 2 when OKC blew them out by 40+.

Everyone was quick to fast forward the rest of the series after that.

 

[Wargames]

I think y'all are overreacting over one game as if Denver already advanced; we've seen this all series, the Nuggets win, and people act like it's over.

The Thunder are gonna win on Sunday.

OKC shouldn't break anything up, I don't know why fans keep advocating for their teams to trade young stars for aging superstars with sketchy injury history when it's proven to be a failure. I remember when people kept saying Boston should've pulled the plug on Brown for Lillard or KD, and the next season afterward, they won the chip. Had they made that trade, the Celtics wouldn't have Banner 18 right now.

The Suns and Bucks are stuck in mediocrity and don't know where to turn because they threw away all the youth for aging stars, thinking it was gonna catapult them to holding the trophy in June.

If I were OKC, I'd do everything to keep the core of SGA, J-Dubb, and Chet together, that's your future right there, rather than throw it all away for this assumed quick run to a chip that might not happen.

Sometimes, you have to just wait for the process out, and it'll work in your favor; gotta stop being cheap, too. OKC has gotten away with that for years but now they're gonna have to spend money.

The reasons fans are saying they got to make a trade is they can’t pay them all. Other teams gonna max them in RFA and the owner ain’t matching that. No one is saying trade them all but

The owner went to the finals with KD, Russ, and Harden with Ibaka on the roster and refused to pay to keep that. On paper what you’re saying makes sense but you got to remember history cause it gives context for what is going to happen.

 

[Joe Sixpack]

On some Razor Ramon Shawn Michaels shyt

 

[Primetime]

And while my vested interest in OKC (and New York) is mostly due to the racks i'll win if Shai wins mvp and OKC vs NYK is the Finals matchup... just to be clear: there ain't no defending or living down letting Jokic walk into your home court in game 7 and eliminating you and your team. Not after a 68-win season and all the MVP narrative talk that favored you over him.

Yes, we know JDubb is trash, we know the coach cost you game 1, we know Aaron Gordon was briefly the GOAT, but above all else we know NBA "discourse" don't give a cotdamn about any of that. So yea, that muthafukka Shai better not pick up 4 fouls by halftime again or some equivalent shyt

 

[OGBobbyJohnson]

 

[Don Homer]

All jokes aside, you just know williams was going to fail as a 2nd option just look at him.

I don't know how to explain it, but does he look like someone who will help you win, look at his braids.

my sister said he never has fresh braids lmaooo

 

[OGBobbyJohnson]

 

[Primetime]

The reasons fans are saying they got to make a trade is they can’t pay them all. Other teams gonna max them in RFA and the owner ain’t matching that. No one is saying trade them all but

The owner went to the finals with KD, Russ, and Harden with Ibaka on the roster and refused to pay to keep that. On paper what you’re saying makes sense but you got to remember history cause it gives context for what is going to happen.

Yea, a number of us have been pushing the OKC/Giannis hypothetical in threads long before the playoffs started.

The reoccurring observation has been a team like MIL or DEN chips with questionable/sub-optimal 2nd and 3rd options (that were cushioned by strong role players/bench play) but then once those 2nd and 3rd options get their "deserving" max deals/extensions and the strong role players then abandon ship for teams that can afford them... well, it can get spooky.

 

[tremonthustler1]

The reasons fans are saying they got to make a trade is they can’t pay them all. Other teams gonna max them in RFA and the owner ain’t matching that. No one is saying trade them all but

The owner went to the finals with KD, Russ, and Harden with Ibaka on the roster and refused to pay to keep that. On paper what you’re saying makes sense but you got to remember history cause it gives context for what is going to happen.

the Clay Bennett history isn't even the issue to me. If that's gonna be the issue then whether they get Giannis or not, everyone not named SGA, JDub or Chet will have to go anyway.

Them spending money is inevitable.

The whole point of this is to win the title. SGA is a championship player right now. You can't waste years trying to thread the needle. No team's window lasts as long as they think.

Even if they survive this series and win it all, this JDub as the second option isn't sustainable. When Jamal Murray was 22 in The Bubble, he was awesome. He followed it up his next healthy postseason at 25 being the co-star Jokic needed. Williams has never shown that in the postseason and he has the All-Star appearance Murray has never received.

Jaylen Brown was great in the Bubble at 23 for the Celtics in the ECF against Miami even though they didn't win the series. He's played at levels we haven't seen from Williams in his brief playoff stints.

The cash crunch comes after next season no matter what. Williams and Holmgren are going to want max extensions; iHart and Dort are gonna want new deals; your boy Wallace is the following summer.

We know damn well OKC isn't gonna go deep in the tax. Better to go all-in now and give yourself the best shot than eternally kicking the can down the road and hoping the stars align.

In both those teams, the only rookie to have much of an impact was Braun for Denver. The rest of those teams had really established cores and as we've seen so far, how you wanna win matters. Even if you roll only 6-7 deep, you want depth in case shyt happens.

OKC has more than enough to offer, which kinda sucks because they won't have the contracts to turn whatever else into vets. Even now, look at their roster. It gets thin quicke than we know. Whenever you see 6-7 players surround Shai, those are the only ones worth a damn. Take half of them, combine them with 5 picks, serve it up to Milwaukee for Giannis. Now your starting lineup is the Devean George Lakers, but with nothing but rookies behind it.

hypothetically

Chet
Giannis
Kuzma
Caruso
SGA

bench

Kenrich Williams
Wallace
Topic
Dieng
JWill
Mitchell
Dillon Jones
whatever vet minimums they can add who aren't related to Giannis


Does this win a title?

 

[Wargames]

Yea, a number of us have been pushing the OKC/Giannis hypothetical in threads long before the playoffs started.

The reoccurring observation has been a team like MIL or DEN chips with questionable/sub-optimal 2nd and 3rd options (that were cushioned by strong role players/bench play) but then once those 2nd and 3rd options get their "deserving" max deals/extensions and the strong role players then abandon ship for teams that can afford them... well, it can get spooky.

That is the way of the league even before the 2nd apron. Like Lebron use to get the guys he won chips with paid…. but then the team would always fall apart like a season later.

Now with the apron it’s even spookier. If a team doesn’t have the right first and second option they are fukked. shyt the wrong third option could fukk them too. If the nuggets had a better third option than Porter this series would already be over.