Overall, in the first round of the playoffs against the Clippers, the Nuggets have an advantage.
Of course, the Nuggets’ disadvantage is also obvious: they lack playoff experience.
Whether it’s core players like Zeng Xingyang and Jokic or key rotations like Harris and Pope, they lack playoff experience, and the Nuggets might not be as well-prepared as the Clippers for the playoffs.
Apart from the experience issue, Mike Malone is also a bit concerned about the bench.
Currently, the Nuggets’ main bench rotation includes Nelson, Galinarli, Faried, and Nurkic, which leans heavily towards the inside, lacking an outside initiator.
It’s not that Mike Malone doesn’t want an outside initiator, but Randy Foye and DJ Augustine’s initiating roles are very limited, and they’ve both fallen out of the rotation.
The Nuggets starters are strong, but their bench is weak. It all depends on how they perform in these playoffs to determine the direction for summer reinforcements.
As for this season’s goals.
The Nuggets management and Mike Malone don’t expect to win the championship this year.
If they push a little harder, they might reach the second round; getting to the Western Conference Finals would require exceptional performance.
After all, if they win the first round, they’d face the Warriors in the second round.
Taylor Swift flew over from Los Angeles to play ball with Zeng Xingyang for a whole day.
The bed in Zeng Xingyang’s apartment even collapsed from use.
Taylor Swift ordered a brand-new luxurious bed, which wouldn’t arrive until the next day.
Before the bed arrived, Taylor Swift already hopped on a plane and left, so Zeng Xingyang had to spend the night at Song Xue’s place.
Zeng Xingyang’s sneaker sales are getting better, and the company he invested in is also thriving, causing his net worth to skyrocket since the beginning of the season.
However, Zeng Xingyang’s focus isn’t on making money now; he has enough to spend. He wants to achieve his goals on the basketball court.
On April 17, the entire Nuggets team conducted a tactical drill. The coaching staff worked overtime for two days to develop strategies against the Clippers, focusing mainly on exploiting Zeng Xingyang and Jokic to create mismatches against Paul, aiming to take Paul off the court. As long as Paul is not on the court, the Clippers aren’t as threatening.
On the day the playoffs began, Song Xue made a bowl of egg noodles for Zeng Xingyang in the morning.
After breakfast, Zeng Xingyang drove his sports car to the arena.
The city of Denver was well-prepared to welcome the playoffs, with large promotional posters of Zeng Xingyang hanging along the roads and on rooftops.
The omnipresent Nuggets logo indicated the heated playoff atmosphere.
Entering the playoffs as the fourth seed in the West filled all Nuggets fans with anticipation.
Fans hoped the young Nuggets would make a significant impact in the playoffs.
When Zeng Xingyang arrived at the arena, fans had already started gathering outside.
Keep in mind, it was still morning, and the fans there were already frenzied.
The team also set up four large screens outside the arena for those fans who couldn’t get tickets.
These past couple of days, news about the matchup between the two teams has been buzzing hotly.
Players from both teams have been trash-talking at various venues.
Little Jordan told reporters, "We won’t be stopped in the first round. We’ll take them out. They’re rookies in the playoffs, and we’ll teach them a lesson."
Little Jordan’s words were very aggressive. Other players might fear Jokic, but he doesn’t. He believes Jokic’s talents are mediocre, and if he plays seriously and applies pressure, Jokic will struggle.
Playoffs are different from the regular season.
Little Jordan is this year’s rebound king, representing the Clippers’ rim protection ability.
Another Clippers big man, Griffin, said, "I know many doubt us, but we’ll prove that we’re the better team to advance to the next round."
Among the top four opponents, the Clippers most wanted to face the Nuggets, rather than the other three, whom they considered tougher.
Grant, speaking to a reporter, said, "I can’t wait to dunk on them."
Harris said, "We’ll crush their perimeter."
In the external opinions, the Nuggets have a slight edge.
After several years, the Nuggets return to the playoffs, transforming the arena into a sea of blue and white, with nearly 20,000 fans cheering loudly.
When Zeng Xingyang took the court, the atmosphere peaked.
"Give them a good kick in the butt."
"Make your playoff debut count."
As the game time approached, these cheers and shouts of encouragement grew louder.
The Nuggets are accustomed to such scenes, as it’s their home court, after all.
Before the game, Mike Malone didn’t give an overly stirring speech, focusing mainly on tactical emphasis.
If the offensive strategy doesn’t work and there’s still time, give it to Jokic. If there’s not enough time, then quickly pass to Zeng Xingyang.
Such tactical support instilled confidence in the Nuggets team, alleviating some nervousness.
Many on the Clippers side claim that beating the Nuggets will be easy, but actually defeating them requires significant effort.
At least Doug Rivers didn’t have many tactical solutions for breaking Zeng Xingyang and Jokic’s pick-and-roll strategy.
The arena’s big screen soon showed the starting lineups for both teams.
Nuggets: Zeng Xingyang, Harris, Pope, Grant, Jokic.
Clippers: Paul, Redick, Wesley, Griffin, Little Jordan.