The Denver Nuggets are reassembling. Especially after they just lost by a mind-numbing 43 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of their playoff series. After this loss, the team elected to stop avoidance dead in its tracks with a group therapy session. They’re dedicated to getting better as they prepare for Game 3, scheduled for Friday night in Denver.
Following the recent blowout, Nuggets’ interim head coach David Adelman made no bones about addressing the elephant in the room. These challenges absolutely played a huge role in his team’s disappointing performance over the last two seasons. He noted that the Nuggets’ winning mindset is at the core of what has made them a true contender this season. This mentality will be key going into the final matchup.
“You can’t just say, ‘Hey, let’s just have a mental day. Move on. We’re good, we split.’ That’s not the case. If we hope to win Game 3, it needs to be better,” Adelman said.
The Nuggets came into Game 2 with momentum after a Game 1 victory fueled by Aaron Gordon’s buzzer-beating three-pointer. As Tyler said, fatigue played a huge role in their performance. They had just triumphed through a brutal seven-game series over the Los Angeles Clippers. By comparison, the Thunder enjoyed a slightly longer rest after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies in Round 1.
Adelman did concede that while the fatigue might be something, it’s just the nature of the NHL playoffs. “I’ll say this: fatigue is a word you can use when you lose in the playoffs and that is a factor, but fatigue is part of what the postseason is,” he remarked.
Despite the setback in Game 2, Adelman remains optimistic about his team’s potential. He pointed out that the Nuggets had enough energy to perform well in Game 1 just two days after their exhausting series against the Clippers. He indicated that a productive film review session had taken place following the loss, allowing players to recognize areas for improvement.
There was a great deal of self-reflection and people stepping up and saying, ‘I can do better,’ which I love to see,” Adelman said. He wants the Nuggets to be more in attack mode as they face the Thunder once more.
In the NBA playoffs, the game becomes a lot about who strikes first,” he told me. He admitted that the Thunder dictated the tempo in Game 2. And I thought they went to the plate on first, second and third.
As the Nuggets get ready for Game 3, Adelman reminded his players again that they had to change what they were doing. And tomorrow we need to come out the aggressor, and I want us to be,” he finished.
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