Give credit to the Nuggets — they never went away.
A team that could have taken on the “just happy to be here” vibe kept fighting against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, and the 4-1 series scoreline is undoubtedly unfair to the series that Denver played.
But when you’re going against LeBron James, series have a way of slipping away from you.
That was the story on Saturday night, when the Denver Nuggets fought all night, and were within four points of the Lakers in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, only for James to nail a dagger 3-pointer and put the series to bed.
James finished with a stat line that would be a career-defining moment for anyone else — 38 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. For James, it’s just yet another one to toss on the pile, another incredible performance in a series-clinching game. He’s 35 years old and still doing this.
Denver will undoubtedly spend the offseason ruing their missed chances. Nikola Jokic committed a couple of silly fouls early that got him in trouble and kept him off the court — he finished playing 30 minutes on the night, when Denver would have undoubtedly wanted him on the floor for 40+.
Paul Millsap and Gary Harris forgot how to shoot the basketball. Things happened.
But when James turns in a performance like he did last night, it feels almost silly to focus on what the Nuggets could have done better. James controlled every aspect of the game. At times he felt like he controlled everything all series.
When Jamal Murray threatened to get going for the Nuggets and win multiple games with his own offense, James chose to lock him down on defense. When the Lakers needed a bucket, he got one. When they needed to get other players going, he turned on the passing.
At one point, we were having the LeBron clutch debate. Now it seems so far away. He’s not just clutch, it’s almost like he’s playing a different game. And he’s 35 years old. Cherish it while we can.
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