There’s no hiding inside the Orlando bubble.
Opponents are within close proximity, and it’s more likely than not that they’ll cross paths inside Disney’s resort.
As luck has it, Utah’s meal room is near where the Nuggets dine. When the two teams spotted each other Friday, Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic made an astute point. These would probably be the last pleasantries both parties exchanged for the next week and a half.
So be it. The playoffs are here. Denver is working to address its leaky 3-point defense and to find offensive schemes Utah, a division rival, hasn’t seen before.
The biggest difference from what the Jazz saw in the regular season to the team they’ll face Monday in Game 1 is the emergence of Michael Porter Jr., who on Saturday afternoon was named to the “All-Bubble” second team. Utah got a sense of how Porter changes Denver’s geometry after he poured in 23 points and snatched 11 rebounds in the Nuggets’ double-overtime win over the Jazz a week ago. At that point, it was Porter’s fourth consecutive double-double in the bubble.
But as exciting as Porter’s unconscious shooting has been, he’s still a rookie. And the growing pains the Nuggets went through last year in their heartbreaking Game 7 loss to Portland in the second round should benefit them immensely this year.
“I think last year, we were all like anxious as far as when you watch us practice and things like that, everybody was rushing things, but I think now, with that year experience, most of the guys that’s out there, we’re just more relaxed,” said Nuggets point guard Monte Morris, whose role has increased as a result of injuries to Gary Harris (hip) and Will Barton (knee). “I feel like it’s kinda like taking the exam a second time. You study a little better.”
Morris, himself, had a miserable postseason debut — one that stung throughout the regular season. Morris is a far better and more confident player than the one who went 0-of-13 from 3-point range in last year’s postseason.
“It definitely ate at me,” Morris said. “… I’m excited to get out there with that one year from last year, the few struggles I had playing out there. Now I know what to expect.”
The same goes for Jokic, the linchpin of the Nuggets’ offense. Jokic’s primary takeaway after his sterling postseason debut last year was how valuable each possession can be. That means no defensive lapses, as have plagued the Nuggets thus far in Orlando, and no careless possessions.
It’s far more encouraging for a deep playoff run that Jokic can speak from experience.
“It’s every possession matters,” Jokic said. “You cannot have three, four times-in-a-row possessions that you kind of dribble the ball or just (have) empty possessions. Or you cannot have a lot of turnovers in a row because basketball is a game of runs, so you need to use the opportunity that you have and not kind of (start) forcing things.”
At the heart of Denver’s first-round matchup is a battle of All-Star big men. Jokic has dominated his individual matchup vs. Rudy Gobert so far this season.
“I think it’s interesting because we are kind of two different type of players and we are helping our team to win games,” Jokic said, before issuing a string of compliments about the reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Gobert should soak them up because from now on, the pleasantries are over.
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Nuggets enter playoff series vs. Jazz confident from last year’s growing pains: “We’re just more relaxed” - The Denver Post
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