Warriors dominate Nuggets at will in PlayOffs: Denver’s frustration graphed in Nikola Jokic’s expulsion

Deja vu. It is one of the many ways of interpreting what lives Denver Nuggets on the NBA. As happened last season, Nikola Jokic will win -except for a few surprises- the MVP, the team’s performance has gone from more to less and they will end up eliminated with a beating. Warriors is running over Michael Malone’s team and there are no signs that the series can change: with Jokic frustrated, the rest of the team is unable to step up to fight against Stephen Curry and company. In Game 2, on Monday night, the Serbian was expelled, illustrating the superiority of the San Francisco team against Denver.

“Don’t look at the sheet, it’s not about that. He dominated the game in every way. He was one of our best players. He frustrated Jokic. He did a lot to win tonight vs. Nuggets”, said Steve Kerr, coach of Golden State Warriorsafter the victory by 126-1106 against Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the first round series of the NBA PlayOffs.

Green, one of the best defensive players in the league, has managed to minimize Nikola Jokic, current MVP of the NBA regular season. The Serb has scored just 32% from the field (9-28) when he was up against Draymond, frustrating him from start to finish with physical play and very efficient defensive possessions. The AP of Warriors has pushed the banner of Nuggets: Last night he was expelled for two technical fouls after claiming a supposed foul by Green.

Nikola Jokic is a player with a magnificent offensive arsenal; however, his great debt falls on his attitude in the face of adversity. Last season, in Game 4 against the Suns, the Serb was also sent off for a run-in with Devin Booker. This is probably one of the few areas where the center needs to improve. Nuggets.

However, his frustration is not gratuitous: Nuggets not in a position to compete against Warriors. And there are big differences: Steve Kerr has much more experience and better players than Michael Malone, the role players in Denver have not taken a step forward and the lack of defense of those from Colorado has them on the verge of KO despite only being 0 -2 down.

PlayOffs series are best-of-seven games, but in this matchup between Warriors Y Nuggets notice the difference between the two sets. Denver will have to change abysmally for Game 3 if he wants to extend the series. For its part, Golde State will try to get 3-0 and then get a 4-0 sweep and qualify for the next stage.

Game 2 had two big advantages of Nuggets: at the beginning of the first quarter and at the beginning of the second. Then they made childish mistakes that allowed Warriors achieve double-digit advantages. And therein lies the great mistake of those led by Malone: ​​they do not recognize that they must change the game plan to avoid this type of circumstance for the third time.

Will Barton, one of the most noted for his poor defense, stated the following: “We will have a couple of days to prepare Game 3. I don’t think we should change the Game Plan, we have to play better. It is in us, in each one. We all have to defend, attack and fight together. It is something internal to each one. We can do it”. For his part, Jokic did not refer to changing the game plan either, noting that they are “deconcentrated”. If they don’t admit mistakes, it’s impossible to improve and at the front is a team that has won championships and has plenty of talent to finish the series in four games.

Coach Malone has been known for making adjustments that allow his team to compete. He could vary the rotation, look for new combinations or insist on the same scheme. One thing is for sure: If they don’t defend and allow 40+ point quarters, this series will be over in just four games. To avoid this, Jokic and the leaders will have to step up, deal with the frustration and turn it into motivation to get Game 3 through.