Some deserved more and others what they got, but that’s where it all ends: the Nuggets reach the NBA Finals. They end the revolution, the transgression, the change. The team that finished the season 2-10 and that was placed, after eliminating the Warriors at the end of an era, 8 victories from the ring, has stayed there. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been too much for the tired legs of the Angelenos, knocked out of the final phase with an unfair 4-0, after four games that they could have won and lost entirely. The matched endings, the adjustments or the power of the Crypto Arena have been useless this time: they leave. They set course for the thinking corner despite a good season that has not translated into the championship, which is what really matters. They are left without the final prize, although they make a machada that will continue to be remembered. LeBron James is left without a crown. Anthony Davis, without consolidation. And, on the other hand, Jokic claims himself as a generational, historically good player and Murray and his self-confidence as a good alternative to the established regime.. He doesn’t go anymore.
LeBron James says goodbye with honors, but he says it after all: he went to 40 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals and only 1 loss in almost 48 minutes, exactly 47:56. His extraordinary effort, titanic, magical, epic. One more performance for posterity, no matter how much it is without a prize. Some numbers based on 15 of 25 in field goals and 4 of 7 in triples and 6 of 7 in free throws. He was the one to take the final shot, spectacularly defended by Aaron Gordon and the Nuggets defense. He did not specify it, just as he failed to score the previous one. His 31 goals in the first half (21 in the first period) were 9 in the second. Tired, fatigued, but historical, He left his continuity for the next course in the air, something motivated by the heat of defeat or by his own thoughts. LeBron, 38 years old and with 20 seasons in the NBA, has dragged through these playoffs a constant foot injury and has made a monumental effort. But, after all, he has been left out of the fight for the title and that may condition his future, no matter how much his desire to win remains intact and he has repeated over and over again that he wants to play with his son Bronnywhich could reach the best League in the world in the 2024 draft.
In 40 minutes, Anthony Davis had 21 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Huge playoffs of his, but worse than those of a Jokic who returned to get a triple-double (30, with 14 and 13) and has averaged 27.8 + 14.5 + 11.8 in the series). The protagonist of the final play in the defense against LeBron, he did not care that his team started losing (34-28 at the end of the first quarter) or that the distance at halftime was great (73-58). He continued, attacked the zone and did not back down against Darvin Ham’s adjustments, great in these playoffs but worse than Mike Malone in this series. Neither with Rui Hachimura nor by introducing Tristan Thompson into the rotation did he manage to stop the Serbian, MVP of the Western Conference finals and already definitively established as a historic player who has not also achieved the MVP of the season because the NBA has not wanted to. The Embiid thing, yeah, maybe…
The Lakers played with a real rotation of 5 players, with D’Angelo Russell out of the starting line (14 minutes and an uncertain future) and Jarred Vanderbilt ostracized (did not play). All the starters exceeded 38 minutes, 40 if we remove Dennis Schröder, and the constant effort was based on the good guys having a minute. Austin Reaves’ 17 points (21+5+3 in the series) consolidate him as one of the men of the future and now the Lakers will have to decide how much money (it will be almost 100 million) they leave to renew him. Beyond that, it did not matter that everyone played so much and that they pushed their tired legs to the limit: a 16-36 run in the third period changed everything, the Nuggets regained the initiative and it was the Lakers who had to go in tow in the fourth quarter after going steadily ahead in the first half. They were worse than Colorado. simply, they did not give for more. It is so.
A season ends for the Lakers while a new life begins for the Nuggets, who reach the Finals for the first time and incidentally also get a 4-0 for the first time in their history. Jamal Murray’s level (25 points in this last duel) has been supreme and not a determining factor and both the point guard and the center are perfectly surrounded and have an appointment with history, specifically with the Miami Heat if that 149-0 score is met. there are (150 already) when a team gets 3-0. They are in a fabulous moment, they have an extraordinary player and for the annals in their squad, they are in good health and have forgotten that final stretch of normal season that raised so many doubts and that now nobody talks about. Malone, Jamal, Aaron Gordon (22+6+5 in this last duel), Michael Porter Jr. (15+10), former Lakers Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (13)… All of them, with a Serbian epicenter with a name and surname, form the climax of a project that sees the light of an emphatic and definitive way, which is four victories away from the ring. They are Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. And they’re in the NBA Finals. History.
|
12
Mo Bamba
|
|
5
Malik Beasley
|
|
7
Troy Brown Jr.
|
|
10
max christie
|
|
3
Anthony Davis
|
|
35
wenyen gabriel
|
|
28
Rui Hachimura
|
|
0
Shaquille Harrison
|
|
6
Lebron James
|
|
fifteen
austin reaves
|
|
1
D’Angelo Russell
|
|
17
Dennis Schröder
|
|
9
tristan thompson
|
|
2
jarred vanderbilt
|
|
4
Lonnie Walker IV
|
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12
Mo Bamba
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
5
Malik Beasley
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
7
Troy Brown Jr.
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
10
max christie
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
3
Anthony Davis
|
40 | twenty-one | 14 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 9/10 | 6/15 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
35
wenyen gabriel
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
28
Rui Hachimura
|
41 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4/4 | 3/9 | 0/3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
0
Shaquille Harrison
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
6
Lebron James
|
47 | 40 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6/7 | 11/18 | 4/7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
fifteen
austin reaves
|
40 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4/4 | 5/9 | 1/2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
1
D’Angelo Russell
|
14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 23 | 0/1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
17
Dennis Schröder
|
38 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0/0 | 2/7 | 3/6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
9
tristan thompson
|
9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 2/4 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
2
jarred vanderbilt
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
4
Lonnie Walker IV
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
0
Christian Braun
|
|
eleven
Bruce Brown
|
|
13
Thomas Bryant
|
|
5
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
|
|
31
Vlatko Cancar
|
|
fifty
Aaron Gordon
|
|
32
Jeff Green
|
|
7
reggie jackson
|
|
fifteen
Nikola Jokic
|
|
6
DeAndre Jordan
|
|
27
Jamal Murray
|
|
22
Zeke Nnaji
|
|
1
Michael Porter Jr.
|
|
14
ish smith
|
|
8
peyton watson
|
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
0
Christian Braun
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
eleven
Bruce Brown
|
twenty | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/2 | 2/2 | 0/1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
13
Thomas Bryant
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
5
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
|
39 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/2 | 1/3 | 3/7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
31
Vlatko Cancar
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
fifty
Aaron Gordon
|
40 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/3 | 6/9 | 3/5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
32
Jeff Green
|
10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
7
reggie jackson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
fifteen
Nikola Jokic
|
Four. Five | 30 | 14 | 3 | eleven | 13 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5/6 | 8/18 | 3/6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
6
DeAndre Jordan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
27
Jamal Murray
|
43 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5/5 | 10/14 | 0/4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
22
Zeke Nnaji
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
1
Michael Porter Jr.
|
40 | fifteen | 10 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/2 | 2/6 | 3/10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
14
ish smith
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
8
peyton watson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
