The Denver Nuggets cheated death twice in the 2019-20 playoffs, becoming the first team to overcome two separate 3-1 deficits. Two personalities prevailed. What superstar archetype drives a team in the NBA playoffs? Is it the aggressive, fiery attacker, a player who never backs down from the greatest of challenges and rides the waves of
Denver Nuggets
Game 4 saw a much different officiating style towards LeBron James The Lakers won fair and square in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, giving them a 3-1 lead and placing the Nuggets in a familiar position. Los Angeles is just one game away from an NBA Finals appearance. The Lakers Game 3 loss
Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone took a shot at the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA’s controversial officiating after a close Game 4 loss. Nuggets head coach Mike Malone called out the Lakers after a controversial Game 4, decrying the seemingly tilted officiating and Los Angeles’s previous complaints about foul calls, despite the fact
The Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-1 lead on the Denver Nuggets in Game 4. Taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from the NBA Finals. However, the Denver Nuggets won’t be deterred facing a deficit they’ve faced before, against a team they
Shaquille O’Neal likes the Denver Nuggets to win Game 7 on Tuesday night. Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t think the Los Angeles Clippers will beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 7. The plucky Nuggets have already overcome one 3-1 best-of-seven series deficit this postseason, as they needed a Mike Conley miss from three at the buzzer to hold
The Lakers’ bench tricked Gary Harris into taking a bad shot in Game 4, counting down from three despite the Denver guard having more time to shoot. The Los Angeles Lakers’ bench pulled out some middle-school tactics against Denver guard Gary Harris during Game 4 of the NBA Finals, counting down from three to force
The Denver Nuggets struck back with a much-needed win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3. After their Game 2 comeback fell short at the hands of an Anthony Davis buzzer-beater, the Denver Nuggets easily could’ve fallen apart in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. And yet, facing a 2-0 deficit against the
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. So many players have changed their reputations in the NBA Bubble, taking leaps and making statements about ceilings raised. And perhaps no trio has forced more perceptual change
Lakers vs. Nuggets isn’t the Western Conference Finals we were expecting. These are the lineup, matchup and strategic issues that will decide a winner. The Western Conference Finals are here. It’s not the Battle for Los Angeles that many envisioned since last July, but instead, the Lakers taking on the Denver Nuggets for the right
Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum ripped the Clippers. The Los Angeles Clippers authored one of the greatest choke jobs in the history of basketball, blowing a 3-1 lead to Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, and the Denver Nuggets despite holding a double-digit lead in each of the last three games. While every Western Conference rival sitting
The Denver Nuggets stunned the LA Clippers in Game 7, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. For the second time in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the series. In the process, not only did they become the first team in NBA history to do so, but they advanced
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 01: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz hugs Jamal Murray #27 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Justin Herbert’s quote on Hard Knocks has to be concerning for Chargers by Brad Berreman Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray had nothing but respect for each other after
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. It took a somewhat miraculous 19-point comeback for the Denver Nuggets to even force a Game 7 but all that would be just preamble to what they hope
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 19: Michael Porter Jr. #1 of the Denver Nuggets (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) PJ Washington lays out how the Hornets can make the playoffs in 2021 by Scott Rogust Damian Lillard was having none of Michael Porter Jr.’s demands. The Denver Nuggets are on the brink of elimination
Nuggets forward Torrey Craig nearly entered undesirable territory on Tuesday, missing an unnecessary layup and giving the Jazz a chance to win Game 7. Denver Nuggets forward Torrey Craig gave fans a scare during the final seconds of Game 7 against the Jazz on Tuesday night, inexplicably missing an easy layup and giving Utah point
The LA Clippers took a commanding 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4. The Denver Nuggets have proved to be a tougher test for the LA Clippers than previously expected, but Doc Rivers’ team looks up to the challenge in this second-round NBA playoff series. In a dominant Game 4 win where LA
The LA Clippers outlasted the Denver Nuggets in Game 3. After a total rout in Game 1, the LA Clippers felt like heavy favorites to quickly advance past the Denver Nuggets in their second-round playoff series. The Nuggets evened the score with a surprising Game 2 victory and proved again in Game 3 this won’t
The Denver Nuggets forward said an ominous report from the Clippers medical staff caused the L.A. franchise to pass on him in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Nuggets caught a break in the 2018 NBA Draft when Michael Porter Jr. fell to the end of the lottery, allowing Denver to scoop him up at no.
Inside the NBA’s Charles Barkley guaranteed that the Clippers will sweep the Nuggets in the second round, which means it won’t happen. NBA legend and analyst Charles Barkley just made the most recent installment in a long line of guarantees which haven’t quite panned out. After previously “guaranteeing,” per The Spun, that the Portland Trail
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Patrick Mahomes gets engaged to girlfriend Brittany Matthews by Alicia de Artola The Denver Nuggets stole Game 7 in a series of frantic final moments, completing an improbable 3-1 comeback over the Utah Jazz. The first-round series between the Nuggets and Jazz had been an offensive supernova, defined by the
The final sequence in Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz was insane. We could talk about how Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz came to life in the second half of Game 7 in their first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. We could talk about how low-scoring the game
The Nuggets beat the Jazz in a very close Game 5. The Utah Jazz struggled in the regular season against the Denver Nuggets, as their usually sharp defense faltered against the versatile Nikola Jokic and the deadly Jamal Murray. Quin Snyder made sure to reverse Utah’s fortunes in the playoffs, as the No. 6 seed
Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell smashed a bike in the tunnel while Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray collapsed in exhaustion after Game 6. It has been a tale of two Sundays for the opposing young guards of the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz. Last week, Donovan Mitchell was exuding all the confidence in the world.
In Game 6, the Denver Nuggets forced a Game 7 against the Utah Jazz thanks to Jamal Murray. When the Utah Jazz built a 3-1 series lead, it seemed like the Denver Nuggets‘ season was dead in the water. Instead, Jamal Murray willed them back from the brink for the second straight game, forcing a Game 7
The Sacramento Kings might trade Buddy Hield. The Sacramento Kings haven’t won anything since Rick Adelman left town, but there was optimism that Luke Walton could get this crew into the playoffs in 2020. Marvin Bagley, when healthy, is a solid big man, De’Aarom Fox remains one of the game’s best young point guards, and
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 10: Peyton Manning on the sidelines before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 10, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) Bellator double-champ Patricio Pitbull bets $1 million he’d beat the UFC champion by Thomas Albano Peyton Manning is taking in the NBA
The Nuggets came up on the wrong end against the Jazz in Game 4 despite a thrilling duel between Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray. After getting shellacked in Game 3, and with the Denver Nuggets facing the possibility of falling into a 3-1 hole against the Utah Jazz, Sunday’s Game 4 felt like something of
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 17: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz goes up for a shot against Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets during the second half of an NBA basketball first-round playoff game at The Field House at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 17, 2020 in Lake
The Nuggets lost by a wide margin in Game 3, and the side-effects are a Twitter meme Denver’s Game 1 victory feels like a long, long time ago at this juncture, with the Jazz winning both Games 2 and 3, and the latest triumph coming in impressive blowout fashion. But this isn’t a recap of
In Game 2, the Utah Jazz evened the series with a blowout win over the Denver Nuggets. After Donovan Mitchell’s 57 points weren’t enough for the Utah Jazz to win Game 1, the situation looked grim. However, a more concentrated burst from Mitchell in Game 2 proved to be the difference, evening this first-round playoff