Last years Nuggets a fluke or have the Wolves gotten that much better?

Beethoven · Post #41 » by **Beethoven** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:18 am

LaLover11 wrote:
Beethoven wrote:
LaLover11 wrote:Blow it up and send Jokic to the Lakers

No. Don't want that dude

Ok Murray

No likey either of those ugly mofos

Raps in 4 · Post #42 » by **Raps in 4** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:18 am

Fluke. Murray had a historic run he's never going to repeat. I don't see this iteration of the Nuggets winning another title.

Having said that, Ant has also gotten better as a player, elevating the Wolves to contender status.

GrandTheftRondo · Post #43 » by **GrandTheftRondo** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:19 am

Raps in 4 wrote:Fluke. Murray had a historic run he's never going to repeat.

He did the same thing in the bubble….

He’s injured right now

GSP · Post #44 » by **GSP** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:20 am

Nuggets had size last year and depth w/ Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. They only have a starting 5 this year and if their starting 5 is doing poorly like tonight they have 0 shot of winning a game.

Optms · Post #45 » by **Optms** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:20 am

Fluke.

If anyone also noticed, the Nuggets considered the Wolves their toughest match up a year ago. The Wolves have leveled up now and are discarding the champs like a used, ahem, tissue.

Raps in 4 · Post #46 » by **Raps in 4** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:23 am

GrandTheftRondo wrote:
Raps in 4 wrote:Fluke. Murray had a historic run he's never going to repeat.

He did the same thing in the bubble….

He’s injured right now

He doesn't look injured, and nothing has been reported to suggest a lingering or phantom injury.

Whether he can't perform due to basketball limitations or injuries is irrelevant, though. He's always injured AND he's been a historically inconsistent player. The odds of him returning to his 2023 playoff form are slim.

GrandTheftRondo · Post #47 » by **GrandTheftRondo** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:26 am

Raps in 4 wrote:
GrandTheftRondo wrote:
Raps in 4 wrote:Fluke. Murray had a historic run he's never going to repeat.

He did the same thing in the bubble….

He’s injured right now

He doesn't look injured, and nothing has been reported to suggest a lingering or phantom injury.

Whether he can't perform due to basketball limitations or injuries is irrelevant, though. He's always injured AND he's been a historically inconsistent player. The odds of him returning to 2023 playoff form are slim.

He strained his calf recently. I don’t think that has miraculously recovered in a few days.

He played with it injured the other day against the Lakers.

I agree he is an injury liability though.

GrandTheftRondo · Post #48 » by **GrandTheftRondo** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:26 am

Optms wrote:Fluke.

If anyone also noticed, the Nuggets considered the Wolves their toughest match up a year ago. The Wolves have leveled up now and are discarding the champs like a used, ahem, tissue.

Winning 16 games in the playoffs isn’t a fluke.

SweaterBae · Post #49 » by **SweaterBae** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:41 am

What an absurd logical fallacy. It has to be one or the other says the person who can't think beyond the length of their nose.

thinktank · Post #50 » by **thinktank** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:49 am

GrandTheftRondo wrote:
thinktank wrote:
GrandTheftRondo wrote:This is a new season, the Nuggets are a different team. The Wolves are a different team.

It’s so stupid to compare teams year to year and act like they’re the same teams.

We’re different in the playoffs because Naz and McDaniels are healthy.

You also won 14 more games this season, jumped 9 spots in defensive rating and 7 spots in offensive rating.

Neither team is the same as last season so pointless to act like they are the same.

Woooosh. You’ve TOTALLY missed the point about the Wolves:

Wolves were VIBING at the end of the regular season last year.

But Naz broke his hand and McDaniels did too. Missed the playoffs.

THAT’S WHAT’S DIFFERENT!!!

You’re not even a Wolves fan so don’t pretend like you know when you clearly do not.

GuyverX · Post #51 » by **GuyverX** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:52 am

ITT: People think that you can fluke your way into a championship during a full season. lol

AussieCeltic · Post #52 » by **AussieCeltic** » Tue May 7, 2024 5:56 am

You can’t fluke a championship.

A few things.

Ant has taken a giant leap this season and then another leap these playoffs so far.

The moment the NBA pulled their finger out and allowed teams to play defense benefited the Wolves greatly and hindered a team like the Nuggets a bit.

The Wolves also have a great vibe about them right now. Nuggets seem flat across the board.

The Nuggets lost some depth. Murray doesn’t look like himself (part injury, part amazing defense). They look tired and visibly frustrated.

This series is far from over but I don’t like what I’m seeing from the Nuggets.

Stribor · Post #53 » by **Stribor** » Tue May 7, 2024 6:01 am

The Nuggets with hurt Murray and Joker who have not played as well as the last three seasons are obviously a bit worse. However, the jump in the quality of Wolves is bigger. Ant was for me already the top 3 player this year, and they developed chemistry and all that is needed for a good playoff team.

The-Stallion70 · Post #54 » by **The-Stallion70** » Tue May 7, 2024 6:08 am

uncleduck13 wrote:Y’all tell me. I can’t believe what’s happening

If they were a fluke then all the teams they beat must have been bigger flukes.

Warriorfan · Post #55 » by **Warriorfan** » Tue May 7, 2024 6:08 am

No superteams so margin of victory small

KGDirkTD_Fan · Post #56 » by **KGDirkTD_Fan** » Tue May 7, 2024 6:25 am

Nah wasn't a fluke, **** happens, Warriors won a title where in a 2 month window Poole and Wiggins played some of the best basketball in their whole careers...12 months later they didn't even look like the same team outside Curry playing at a high level still.

This Nuggets team still a pretty good team but too reliant on the starters. Theres no Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, etc...nobody stepped up. West got better as well. The FO needed to find value contracts that could contribute to a championship squad in a similar manner and it never materialized. Minny is just throwing bodies at everyone...2 fouls already? Who cares they have depth to throw more people at Murray. It's asking for too much from too few people at a high intensity.

Like others said, I think nobody is repeating back to back championships in this era. It's too hard without some overwhelming talent...we're talking about like Big 3 Miami Heat, Warriors, Kobe/Pau, Kobe/Shaq, etc type champions here. Also the salary cap situation in the league allows some really short and tight windows to get it done until you start losing depth.

Special_Puppy · Post #57 » by **Special_Puppy** » Tue May 7, 2024 7:15 am

2023 Nuggets were a relatively weak championship team who faced historically easy competition. Timberwolves have gotten much better.

Message Boar · Post #58 » by **Message Boar** » Tue May 7, 2024 7:21 am

1) The Nuggets are a bit worse this year
2) The Wolves (and the rest of the West) are a bit better this year
3) The Wolves are perfectly equipped to match up with the Nuggets
4) The Wolves are peaking at the right time while the Nuggets are not

Probably a bit of all of the above.

Please don't slander last year's run though, the Nuggets were playing great ball then and deserved their title. Who knows if they can turn it around (I doubt it, I voted T-Wolves in six before the series started, now even that feels like a stretch).

Dominator83 · Post #59 » by **Dominator83** » Tue May 7, 2024 7:35 am

AussieCeltic wrote:You can’t fluke a championship.

A few things.

Ant has taken a giant leap this season and then another leap these playoffs so far.

The moment the NBA pulled their finger out and allowed teams to play defense benefited the Wolves greatly and hindered a team like the Nuggets a bit.

The Wolves also have a great vibe about them right now. Nuggets seem flat across the board.

The Nuggets lost some depth. Murray doesn’t look like himself (part injury, part amazing defense). They look tired and visibly frustrated.

This series is far from over but I don’t like what I’m seeing from the Nuggets.

Totally agree on the no fluke thing.

Beating a team that features LeBron + AD 4 times is incredibly hard. I don't care how lazy they treat the RS, playoffs those guys bring their A games. That alone makes the Nuggets title not a fluke.

Gregoire · Post #60 » by **Gregoire** » Tue May 7, 2024 7:45 am

Both. Plus main reason - Nuggets became worse.