In the era of the Kevin Durant Warriors, it sometimes seems like the outcome of the NBA season is a foregone conclusion — Golden State will win the title, so does it really matter what else happens along the way? But that would be like watching the Oscars and only focusing on who wins Best Picture instead of the other 23 awards. There may only be one champion, but there are infinitely more storylines that dominate the league throughout the year, and those are the ones that come to mind when thinking back on any particular season.
A great playoff series stands the test of time, and even if the Warriors are seemingly destined to make it to the Finals, there are a number of fascinating potential playoff series in the Western Conference that could take place before then. Tuesday night’s Oklahoma City-Denver masterpiece, for example, was a reminder that these two Northwest Division rivals would make for one fantastic postseason matchup.
In 2017, one of the defining moments of Russell Westbrook’s MVP campaign was a buzzer-beating three-pointer to eliminate the Nuggets from playoff contention on the same day he set an NBA record with his 42nd triple-double of the season. Since then, Denver has exacted a little bit of revenge. Over the last two years, the Thunder and Nuggets have played each other a total of seven times. Denver has dominated the series in terms of record — they’ve gone 6-1 against OKC — but the seven games have had an average margin of victory of less than six points, including a three-game stretch last season when the contests were decided by a total of five points.
The Thunder routinely play close games, which makes them one of the more exciting teams to watch on a regular basis. According to NBA.com’s John Schuhmann, they have been within five points in the final five minutes of all but three of their 22 losses. The Nuggets have also been involved in 34 clutch games, though they have a much better record in those games than OKC, in large part because of their superstar center, Nikola Jokic.
Jokic has been other-worldly this season, even if he still believes there are better players in the league more deserving of accolades, but he has been particularly magnificent against the Thunder. His net rating is plus-7.9 overall, and that spikes to plus-22.8 against Oklahoma City. The All-Star put up 36 points in the win on Tuesday, serving as the primary ball-handler late when the Thunder were pressing, which is an incredible responsibility to bestow to the biggest player on the floor.
There is always some concern about players stepping into the playoff limelight for the first time, but after watching Jokic score on three consecutive possessions to build an 8-point lead with a minute to play, it’s high time he took his spot on the NBA’s biggest stage.
It might seem odd to root for the Nuggets to play the Thunder in the postseason, given how thoroughly Denver has controlled the matchup. It lacks the built-in enmity that the Nuggets have with the Blazers, for example, since they swapped centers two years ago (Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee). OKC would probably enjoy getting payback against the Utah Jazz, or even the Warriors or Rockets, each of whom has knocked the Thunder out of the playoffs in the last three seasons.
And yet, there’s something uniquely captivating about watching Denver and Oklahoma City go at one another. There’s the young Nuggets backcourt of Jamal Murray and Malik Beasley/Gary Harris getting their licks again the Thunder vets, Westbrook and Paul George, while the unstoppable force that is Jokic artfully maneuvers around the generally immovable object of Steven Adams. OKC loves to get up and down the floor, while Denver works better in the halfcourt. Both teams have hyper-athletes capable of highlight-worthy dunks and blocks, and there’s enough depth on both sides to force multiple adjustments throughout a seven-game series.
Divisions may have lost some of their luster in the NBA because of geographic imbalance and a change in the postseason format, but some bad blood still develops when two teams play each other four times a year, particularly when that recent history includes multiple game-winners and record-breaking performances. The Thunder just acquired Markieff Morris, and he’s already staring down Gary Harris for no good reason.
Nuggets went to Murray-Harris-Barton-Millsap-Jokic (their opening-night starting lineup) for a little more than 4 minutes (in the 4th quarter) last night.
That was the 1st time that 5 played together since the 2nd game of the season.
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) February 27, 2019
The Nuggets haven’t made the playoffs since 2013, and they haven’t won a playoff series in a decade. The Thunder haven’t won a playoff series since Durant left. There are real obstacles in the way of a Denver-OKC matchup, even if the West isn’t as fearsome as predicted. But if this series came to fruition, it would hopefully be one for the ages, one worth looking back on fondly regardless of if the eventual NBA champion is involved.
