An extraordinary presence: the championship wall built by the Nuggets.

Pooja77

March 16, 2024
In the quest for the championship this season, the Nuggets have demonstrated the strength of a league powerhouse. Even against the formidable Celtics, with their outstanding physique and exceptional talent, Nikola Jokić remains an unstoppable force. In their previous matchup against the Nuggets, despite the Celtics' direct confrontation with Jokić for 39 minutes, they were still overwhelmed by his dominance.

Kristaps Porziņģis struggled to defend him, while Jrue Holiday found himself directly challenged by Jokić's shots. In the final moments of the game, the Celtics attempted to double-team Jokić, but the Nuggets narrowly secured victory by a margin of six points.

Jokić has the ability to break through defensive restrictions. In the last five minutes of their previous encounter with the Celtics, despite the Celtics' attempts to contain him, Jokić managed to find the smallest openings and successfully passed the ball to his teammates, who capitalized on these opportunities to score. Jaylen Brown of the Celtics commented after the game, 'Jokić on the court is like a monstrous presence.'

The Celtics have performed exceptionally well this season. Their record, point differentials, and offensive efficiency are among the best the team has seen in recent years. As of the deadline, two of the Celtics' 14 losses were handed to them by the Nuggets. The first loss to the Nuggets was their first home defeat of the season in January, and the second was in their previous matchup, marking only the second time this season they experienced back-to-back losses.

As for the Nuggets, their victory over the Celtics in their last encounter was the seventh win in eight games after the All-Star break, demonstrating their continued desire to bring home the championship trophy to Denver. With the regular season of the 2023-24 season coming to a close, the Nuggets remain contenders for the title, much like they were last season.

At the beginning of the season, injuries hindered the Nuggets' strong start. Perhaps it was a side effect of their championship victory, but since the All-Star break, the Nuggets have only suffered one defeat (as of the deadline). As the playoffs draw nearer, the Nuggets' performance continues to improve, much like a volcano erupting perfectly in mid-April.

The Celtics are a team the Nuggets must take seriously. Although the Celtics suffered an unexpected loss to the Cavaliers before their last matchup, they had just secured an 11-game winning streak. While the Nuggets' starting lineup is undoubtedly formidable, the Celtics' starting lineup may be even more superior.

This season, the NBA can be proud of its nearly balanced competitiveness. However, there are still two particularly strong teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences, namely the Celtics and the Nuggets. In their previous encounter, both teams' leaders spared no effort from the first quarter.

Jayson Tatum scored 8 points in the first quarter of their last matchup against the Nuggets. Recently, Tatum's MVP candidacy has been on the rise, partly due to his own excellent performance and partly due to a understandable perspective— the best player on the best team deserves the MVP award. In the first quarter against the Nuggets, Tatum shot three of five, including two three-pointers. Seeing Tatum's strong performance, Jokić did not stay silent.

Jokić is a player who will always respond. In the first quarter of that game, Jokić scored 7 points, and in the second quarter, he scored an impressive 13 points. Whenever Tatum scored, Jokić responded. When Jaylen Brown was on fire, Jokić didn't let him shine alone. His first-half stats (20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) were impressive, shooting six out of nine from the field and making all eight free throws.

In the second half, the game became tense. Before the start of the third quarter, the Nuggets held an eight-point lead, but two three-pointers by Porziņģis narrowed the gap to two points, and the Nuggets responded to the Celtics' chase with a strong performance from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and reserve player Peyton Watson (scoring 6 and 5 points respectively in a single quarter).

By the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets had extended their lead to ten points. In the first half of the fourth quarter, the Nuggets seemed to have secured victory. With just over five minutes left in the game, Jokić made an incredible pass, and Aaron Gordon easily scored two points, giving the Nuggets an eleven-point lead.

Later, the Celtics' Holiday scored two points to close the gap, followed by three consecutive shots. In just two minutes, Holiday scored 8 points. With just 45 seconds left in the game, Tatum had an open three-pointer in the corner, which, if made, would have given the Celtics a one-point lead over the Nuggets, but it missed. Then, Grodon tipped in Jokić's throw-in, widening the gap to four points, and ultimately, the Nuggets won by six points.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla commented after the game, 'We had a chance to come back, but when facing a strong team, missed opportunities are magnified. This game was the last regular-season meeting between the two teams, but perhaps not the last of the season.' The Celtics and the Nuggets are the two teams most favored to reach the NBA Finals this season.

Ritu13

Stand out from the crowd.

Yamini003

Truly impressive.