Should Denver Nuggets not display appropriate aggression against Oklahoma City Thunder, they should anticipate the consequences.
IN YE OLD WESTBROOKTOWN - Thunderdome ain't for the faint of heart.
Every Oklahoma City Thunder player was scoring on ice cream cone Wednesdays, with the exception of the Broncos mascot (my condolences, mate).
"We got whooped," admitted Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman following the 149-106 drubbing. "We ain't flushing that. We need to get tougher."
If the Series Opener were a vote on Thunder's greenness, Game 2 was a stamp of approval for their season. OKC boasts stars, and a bench deeper than a Stephen King novel.
This team's opulence is a sight to behold. But why, after shining like the sun, do they have a face that slaps every time?
With 87 points in the first half, the Thunder became as annoying as a gnat swarm. This was more wrestling than basketball. And let's face it: Game 3 gonna look like a WWE fight if the Nuggets ain't got their leather jacket and brass knuckles.
This series ain't about the court; it's about the ring. Thunder ain't changing; OKC's players relish this like hogs in mud.
Lu Dort turned the paint into a wrestling mat. Isaiah Hartenstein was yappin' at a Nuggets assistant coach - pretty much his default setting - leading to a technical. Alex Caruso was nipping at Nikola Jokic's ankles like a Chihuahua on a double espresso.
Even Rumble the Mascot looks like the Hulk on anabolic steroids.
"This is the playoffs," said Michael Porter Jr, whose spirit stays strong, but his left shoulder has made him as useful as a one-legged donkey. "We gotta make aggression our trademark. And we've been whipped at that."
Let's get real, Thunder is a force to be reckoned with. They whooped Denver's butt. And they chin-checked their way out of backpedaling. Coach Mark Daigneault successfully challenged a foul call, leading 104-69 with 5:17 left in the third.
It was all about backing up their boys, but it felt more like shoving their faces in the dirt.
It's hard to blame 'em. But it's also ok to dislike 'em.
Lots of teams play tough. But OKC's limbs are flying like pinballs, and it's a wonder they don't hit an usher or the PA announcer.
Jokic played it cool after fouling out in the third quarter for the first time in his career. Aaron Gordon didn't.
"They are calling the second foul almost all the time. They are fouling Joker first. You know Jok is reactionary, and they do get the second guy a lot," Gordon said.“But they are fouling him, point blank. Period."
Truth be told, any good licking exposes defects. If you don't like it, stop it. But the Nuggets couldn't. They took a beating, a spanking, and a good ol' fashioned beatdown. It was like they knew they had a split and couldn't wait to split for the nearest bar.
The thrashing left questions: Can the Nuggets find players to match OKC's brute force moving forward? Are Jokic and Westbrook enough? Will MPJ ever make another successful basket?
MPJ is 3 for 18 from the floor in this series and 2 for 11 from three-point range. Numbers that beg for him to take a seat or heal up for Game 4. When he's not shooting triples, he's just a waste of space. No one's stepping up to fill the void. Christian Braun is 2 for 8 from beyond the arc. Denver's bench is Westbrook and holograms, save for sprinkles of Peyton Watson.
And finally, what was Adelman thinking, keeping his starters in down 38 points a few possessions after intermission? Jokic fouled out with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter. Adelman smiled, a sarcastic response to questionable officiating, but he should've pulled the three-time MVP before the hip check.
"I felt like those guys wanted to go back out there and play. They needed to find a rhythm," Adelman said. "...I think they thought we were trying to stall the game, which we weren't."
It was already a mess at that point.
So, go ahead and cross those Nuggets out if you're convinced Thunder's intimidation and immense talent has got Jokic and crew cowering in their little corners.
You can argue that now, after Denver played like a speed bag.
But it ain't convincing yet. We've got a series now. And until Thunder wins in Denver, we won't have a winner yet.
The Nuggets rebounded after getting clocked in Game 3 of the opening round. They've earned the benefit of the doubt.
They got ripped apart and walloped. They gotta make changes, bite their tongues and get back to basics. No more rope-a-dope. When the bell rings, they gotta be prepared to fight.
Cause if they ain't, they're gonna have to face what they gettin'.
Thunder's dominance in Game 3 was compared to a WWE fight,as the physicality was more reminiscent of wrestling than basketball. The preference for aggression was emphasized, as the Nuggets acknowledged their shortcomings in this area. The on-court battles have left questions about the Nuggets' ability to match OKC's brute force. After enduring a brutal loss, they need to make necessary adjustments, abandoning the rope-a-dope strategy, and embracing a more confrontational approach. If they fail to do so, they risk facing the consequences.
