Lol. He gets paid like 660k per game. It’s not extra 500k, its him getting underpaid. Would you show up to work on saturday to work for less than your base salary?

If we’re just talking OKC playoff series literally look at Game 4…he was -20 in a 5 point loss and shot 2-12 from the field…2-9 from 3 and 0-3 elsewhere with 6 TOs.

Game after that he was 1-7 from the field and didn’t contribute anything meaningful.

Don’t get me started on all of the late game blunders during the regular season. Giving him credit for 3 wins in the playoffs by himself is ludicrous and I think you even know that.

He is 100% a wildcard and that isn’t what the Nuggets needed or need right now. They need stability and that is the opposite of what Russ brings.

Now And is not word.

puzzled look

y’all are great, I’m not trying to deny it. I just think it’s a mistake to re-evaluate the potential of this nuggets team based on their form without Gordon and Braun

“Cup game” as if that means anything. Im sure there are plenty of teams who would rather not play the cup so they can conserve energy for the regular season.

“See they’re regressing to the mean without both of their best defenders, I am very smart and not a middle school dropout btw!”

I get your point, but that’s exactly what folks said about OKC last year

That’s true, but the pistons are up there.

Raptors also made a surprise in 2020 after losing Kawhi and still got the 2 seed and went to the semis.

Thunder had been building up for a few years and then boom, they are dominating. I think the pistons could be in a similar position, I think they can make the second round.

But even with playoff history, I don’t think the nuggets and Lakers are in different tiers.

They both been basically just as successful as one another in the last 5 years.

People just still have the sweep last year in their minds imo. It was a team that just lost their HoF defensive big man and was playing the best center and arguably player in the world.

Not to mention the sweep is misleading, the series was one of the closest sweeps in history if you watched them.

I just think with the Lakers having upgraded at the center position from Hayes to Ayton, along with having a fully healthy Luka and more time to gel, it’s too close.

But like you said in the start, nothing definitive. That’s where my mind is at. I like our chances, but humbly so.

Abundance of talent and great teams this year.

I haven’t watched many Nuggets games . I thought Peyton Watson was your best defender . Is he like the third best