asdfgh wrote:The Nuggets don't suck defensively. They just play a very high tempo game which gives them (as well as their opponents) many possessions and therefore more opportunities to score.
Which is basically irrelevant for the playoffs unless they're playing another fast-paced team. The game slows down, there are less possessions, and defense, rebounding and half-court offensive execution are emphasized. Denver relies on AI/Carmelo, fast-breaks, and easy baskets to play well. Getting into a half-court game is not where they play consistently, and they haven't proven to consistently win games with their defense. Generally they can't dictate the tempo over a 7-game series. Not being even an average 3PT shooting team, and lacking discpline defensively on going for steals and blocks, don't help also. They rely on creating turnovers as one of their few main ways to score. You can have that as one of the consistencies of the team, but not relying on it so much to be successful. That's not being equipped enough to advance deep in the playoffs or win a title.
In the playoffs, you're of course not playing the league (which applies to Denver's pace and success), or some lower-level team - you're playing one of the top 8 teams in the conference for a 7-game series in an enhanced environment. And for Denver, a team that is right there with them or better.
Denver needs to get more balanced on both ends of the floor, to take that next step as a contender.