Game Seven Preview: Nuggets vs. Clippers NBA Showdown

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00:00Game 7, it's Nuggets, it's Clippers, and being here in a game number 7 is not so surprising.

00:08I wonder if for the books, they're a little surprised with who they have positioned as the favorites in this one

00:13due to booking the Clippers as favorites in every game after game number 1.

00:21Game 1, Denver opened as a 2.5 point favorite.

00:24Remember it well, because I laid those 2.5 points and watched Norm Powell hit a 3 down 5,

00:28which was not a fun time.

00:31Then the Clippers were favored to win game 2.

00:32Of course they were favored to win their home games, and they were favored to win game 5.

00:36So we've seen these go back and forth here on the spread.

00:40There is certainly a boost for hosting a game 7, so I think you're seeing that in the market right now.

00:47I believe this number even opened up a little bit stronger than the present 1.5 that you do have on the Nuggets.

00:54We can kind of go backwards at some point here about how we got here,

00:57but where are you right now, Coach, in your breakdown of Nuggets-Clippers game 7?

01:04You know, it really comes down to the play of a couple of players,

01:07and I'm not talking about Kawhi Leonard and Nicole Yoke.

01:10I fully expect those two players to deliver.

01:14I'm looking at one player from each side.

01:15Number one, you have to look at James Harden.

01:18You have to look at the last time he was in a spot of a game 7.

01:21His performance against Boston as a member of Philadelphia 76 was absolutely dreadful,

01:24and there is that James Harden game 7 talk.

01:28But a little bit less of a talk about, honestly, is Michael Porter Jr.

01:33Michael Porter Jr., that is such a crazy story because you either get Michael Porter Jr.

01:40like, this guy's the top 25 player in the NBA,

01:43to a, is this guy even should be in the starting lineup right now?

01:47So, there is that big play of that.

01:50And then you saw, obviously, some play out of what, obviously, Ty Lue did,

01:55putting someone like Nicholas Batum in the lineups of guard Jokic.

01:59I want to see, as a coach, what are the adjustments that Denver is going to make?

02:06Particularly, how do you, where do you put Aaron Gordon,

02:10and where do you put Michael Porter Jr. in regards to spacing on the floor?

02:17For me, Nicola Jokic likes the ball on that right block.

02:20I would give it to him on that right block.

02:22I would go high slot, you know, with Aaron Gordon,

02:25who's a really good diver and an offensive rebounder.

02:27I would dive him and bring Michael Porter Jr. out of the corner.

02:32Make them tag Gordon and then throw it out to Porter.

02:36If I see that early, Tom, I'm going to be looking at Michael Porter May 3s

02:40because I think he's got to knock down shots that can maybe open up the offense

02:44if the Clippers go small again.

02:46I would agree with that.

02:47I think when it comes down to the Denver offense,

02:50and really both offenses overall,

02:52are we in a spot that we're comfortable, like, etching Jokic into stone?

02:56Like, we know what we're going to get from him.

02:58Like, we know that we should be getting X amount.

03:00Are we willing to say the same with Kawhi?

03:02Harden's the factor that everyone's worried about,

03:05you know, not only just because it's a Game 7,

03:07but also his postseason experience and lack thereof

03:11when it comes to Game 7s and big performances.

03:13To me, overall, I think this game comes down to

03:15what do we get from Norm Powell, what do we get from MPJ,

03:18and what do we get from Aaron Gordon?

03:19Because Gordon, to me, has been, I would say,

03:21the unsung hero at this point for Denver.

03:23We're getting solid performances out of Murray,

03:25especially as of late.

03:26We'd say they're not all great this series,

03:27but they are, I would say, better on the most part.

03:29But Aaron Gordon and Norm Powell,

03:31because if Harden is not doing that scoring,

03:34they're going to need it from somewhere else.

03:35And Powell has been good, again,

03:37you know, not to harken back to that Game 1 shot,

03:39but he has been a consistent scorer for them overall.

03:41So Powell and Gordon, I think, are the key players

03:44because if they are opened up in terms of scoring,

03:46that will free up Murray to do just a little bit more

03:48here or there.

03:49And he doesn't need to go for 30 alongside Yoko.

03:51He can go for 20, 22 if we're getting 16-ish from Gordon.

03:56So last year, the Denver Nuggets season was ended

04:00at home in a Game 7.

04:04In a game where they scored 90 points.

04:08Would everyone like to hear how the scoring was distributed

04:11in that game for the Denver Nuggets?

04:12Yeah.

04:13Jamal Murray, 35.

04:15Nicole Jokic, 34.

04:18Michael Porter Jr., 7.

04:205 for KCP, 5 for Christian Brown, 4 for Aaron Gordon.

04:26Those are all the points.

04:27They scored 90 in their own building at home

04:32in a game where their two best players combined for 69.

04:36To me, the Nuggets team total is too high.

04:39That number sits at 104.5.

04:41I look towards the under on that number here.

04:44I pre-series was a Denver and 7 guy.

04:48I find myself, if you remove everything

04:50and just focus on what is this game tonight,

04:54actually leaning towards the Clippers a little bit.

04:57Part of that is my thought that a Game 7 would favor Denver

05:02was, well, Jamal Murray can turn it up a notch.

05:06The 43-point performance that Jamal Murray delivered

05:09in Game 5, which was absolutely phenomenal.

05:12I just wonder if that came a little bit early.

05:15Jamal Murray has not scored over 23 points

05:18since that, in any of the other games in this series.

05:23Even if Jokic gives them 35 tonight,

05:26they probably still need at least 25,

05:29if not 30-plus, from Jamal Murray.

05:32And I have hesitations that they are going

05:35to get that type of effort out of Jamal here

05:39in this game, Coach.

05:40And that's why you have to look at Aaron Gordon

05:43and Michael Porter Jr.

05:44They have to be the guys.

05:46I'm not going to trust Westbrook in this spot

05:48because I think if I'm the Clippers,

05:51I'm going to sit off and make him shoot.

05:53It's got to be about those two.

05:54And just looking, you know, really quick, deep diving,

05:57Michael Porter Jr. over one and a half made threes

05:59is minus 120 on Fandle.

06:01If you think that they're going to win,

06:03he's got to hit at least two.

06:05He may have to hit three of them

06:07because someone's going to have to loosen them.

06:09If I'm Ty Lue, I'm sending double teams,

06:12I'm tagging, and I'm looking at Michael Porter Jr.

06:15saying, I'm making you beat me.

06:18I'm not going to allow Gordon to get to the basket.

06:20I'm not going to allow Jokic to go crazy.

06:22And I'm certainly going to load up on Jamal Murray.

06:25It comes down to Michael Porter Jr.

06:27Can he knock down enough plays, Tom?

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