2023 West Semifinals | (1) Denver Nuggets VS (4) Phoenix Suns (DEN WINS 4-2)

[og15]

The suns really should win this series with the way Booker is playing and having KD. I know their depth is terrible though and winning in Denver is hard so nuggets in 7.

i dont see any cohesiveness on this team. no real chemistry. didnt we just learn in brooklyn that top level talent can only get you so far in the post season?

The Suns are only going as far as Book and KD take them and in this game because it was a late season trade and KD missed 3 weeks with an injury so the team is just not comfortable playing with each other and it shows.

JJ also absolutely has to either be fired or leave his GM position because he apparently declined some Jae Crowder trades that would have gotten an asset back, rumor was Hachimura was available but the Suns wanted a starter in return.

Curiously he also traded Dario Saric for Darius Bazley and a 2nd round pick, Dario was an expiring but the Suns could really use him off the bench to facilitate the offense and provide a bit of floor spacing.

He also has failed to find a backup PG for CP3 after this was clearly a need in 2021 after CP3 suffered an injury in the playoffs, he didn't need to find a superstar just a passable backup PG but he couldn't even do that. So with a depleted bench and a rushed KD trade that was just too short of a window to figure out both the defense and the offense and it shows.

Why would he have done this based on 2021? Cam Payne was good backup in 2021. Averaged 9/3/3 in the playoffs and shot 43/36. Should Phoenix have expected him to suck the next two seasons?

Also they had time after the trade, but KD got injured, that isn't the GM's fault.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

How the F , 29 GMs missed on Jokic on draft night and some of them twice

the Nuggets missed on him as well, he wasn't their first pick
it's very difficult to properly predict the career arc of a guy who totally breaks every mould

[DoctorX]

And as predictable when Denver wins the game idiots from lamestream media are only talking about the Suns and how their team is flawed, not enough help and blah blah. Zero criticism of their stars and no nice words for the winners. When Denver lose the game, they only all talk how Booker and Durant are the great players

That was always the case during the Spurs championship years. This usually happens with small markets that have no player that is "face of the league". Jokic is not considered a face of the league type of guy like Lebron, Curry, Durant, etc. I think right now he's the best player in the league but he's not marketable like those guys are and hence why the media tries to downplay him and his team. I personally find him more exciting than those guys listed above but the media is not a fan of his and hence will try to discredit him at every opportunity.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

there is "not as good" and there is the slander Booker has unfairly taken lately as soon as he isnt playing perfectly.

well, the slander he took last year came from an unprecedented smashing in game 7 playing extremely poorly after he trash talked and laughed throughout the series.
if you play this kind of games you must be ready to take it if things don't go your way



to be honest I have now a hard time figuring out how good Booker really is, I would need a bigger sample size. If he hits his shots like in game 3 and 4 he's the goat, easily, but I am not sure you can count on that.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

there is "not as good" and there is the slander Booker has unfairly taken lately as soon as he isnt playing perfectly. nobody is his father if Denver beats us. Booker is a superstar and not carrying this flawed team vs the #1 seed is not going to discount that.

That's not really my experience, Booker is a consensus top 10 player, and clearly a star in the eye of pretty much everyone. If you are referring to some posters, there are posters who think Jokic is not a top 5 player, and that Doncic is extremely overrated. There will always be some of those posters here.

from my experience, it seems each of the past 3-4, Booker was elevated by the media and then unceremoniously dumped. i have been hearing Stephen A. proclaim he is finally a superstar for the last two years. if we go down to Denver, the media will undoubtedly bump Book down again and be ready to "discover" his superstardom again the next season.

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that's your problem, you should review your basketball talk diet

[garrick]

i dont see any cohesiveness on this team. no real chemistry. didnt we just learn in brooklyn that top level talent can only get you so far in the post season?

The Suns are only going as far as Book and KD take them and in this game because it was a late season trade and KD missed 3 weeks with an injury so the team is just not comfortable playing with each other and it shows.

JJ also absolutely has to either be fired or leave his GM position because he apparently declined some Jae Crowder trades that would have gotten an asset back, rumor was Hachimura was available but the Suns wanted a starter in return.

Curiously he also traded Dario Saric for Darius Bazley and a 2nd round pick, Dario was an expiring but the Suns could really use him off the bench to facilitate the offense and provide a bit of floor spacing.

He also has failed to find a backup PG for CP3 after this was clearly a need in 2021 after CP3 suffered an injury in the playoffs, he didn't need to find a superstar just a passable backup PG but he couldn't even do that. So with a depleted bench and a rushed KD trade that was just too short of a window to figure out both the defense and the offense and it shows.

Why would he have done this based on 2021? Cam Payne was good backup in 2021. Averaged 9/3/3 in the playoffs and shot 43/36. Should Phoenix have expected him to suck the next two seasons?

Also they had time after the trade, but KD got injured, that isn't the GM's fault.

KD was already injured at the time of the trade and he has oft been injured during his Nets stint. Cam Payne had a good season in 2021 but the following year he was hardly the same player and wildly inconsistent and injured & more of the same this year.

We had a chance to get Haliburton but JJ whiffed and got a Jalen Smith many at the time thought was a bit of a reach who ended up being a bust and shipped off to Indiana. He's had many chances to improve the roster but has done an overall terrible job of it.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

Game 7 is going to be so epic, because Durant, Booker, Jokic and Murray are each capable of scoring 50 in a playoff game, and Game 7 could bring out the best in one of them (and it will probably be necessary in Phoenix's case, for Durant or Booker to score 50).... and no doubt Phoenix win Game 6 at home.

no doubt. they dominated denver in their 2 previous wins

I think Denver should rest the starters and prepare for game 7.
no point wasting energies on an unwinnable game

[Ryoga Hibiki]

I think the Nuggets are going to lose Brown next season
as much as i'm sure he likes playing in Denvers style and next to the Joker - i'm sure in his mind he's starter material (and he is)
unless the Nuggets trade Murray, there's no room for him in Denver as a starter

he's just 26, I don't think he's ready to be pigeonholed into a 6th man role for his entire career just yet

there's no better fit for him than next to Jokic, though.
but otoh the Nuggets only hold his non bird rights, I don't think it's going to be enough to convince him to sign another 1+1

[Ryoga Hibiki]

Key likes to see specific kinds of players. He doesn’t like Luka or Jokic though.

Why someone should like CP's game and not Luka's?

[Exp0sed]

I think the Nuggets are going to lose Brown next season
as much as i'm sure he likes playing in Denvers style and next to the Joker - i'm sure in his mind he's starter material (and he is)
unless the Nuggets trade Murray, there's no room for him in Denver as a starter

he's just 26, I don't think he's ready to be pigeonholed into a 6th man role for his entire career just yet

You think they keep KCP ass over him

KCP is under contract for two more seasons after this one at a very reasonable 15m-ish per season
ass? KCP is a good player, that 5th starter slot is more important than ever in the NBA

PHX would be all over the Nuggets if they had a legit 5th starter and not guys like Okogie, shamet etc
he's a smart durable vet, who plays good defense can hit an open jumper and knows his limitations

he goes for the particular midrange shots he knows he can make, doesn't make alot of mistakes and is worth the money they are paying him

this has nothing to do with Brown, who has a 6m player option which he will 100% opt out of and will be looking for a long term deal as he's been underpaid his whole career

Nuggets already have over 130m commited to Jokic \ Murray \ MPJ \ AG and 15 more with KCP
without bird rights, there's no way this works unless he elects to do a Bobby Portis move - that seems highly unlikely

[TinmanZBoy]

I think the Nuggets are going to lose Brown next season
as much as i'm sure he likes playing in Denvers style and next to the Joker - i'm sure in his mind he's starter material (and he is)
unless the Nuggets trade Murray, there's no room for him in Denver as a starter

he's just 26, I don't think he's ready to be pigeonholed into a 6th man role for his entire career just yet

You think they keep KCP ass over him

KCP is under contract for two more seasons after this one at a very reasonable 15m-ish per season
ass? KCP is a good player, that 5th starter slot is more important than ever in the NBA

PHX would be all over the Nuggets if they had a legit 5th starter and not guys like Okogie, shamet etc
he's a smart durable vet, who plays good defense can hit an open jumper and knows his limitations

he goes for the particular midrange shots he knows he can make, doesn't make alot of mistakes and is worth the money they are paying him

this has nothing to do with Brown, who has a 6m player option which he will 100% opt out of and will be looking for a long term deal as he's been underpaid his whole career

Nuggets already have over 130m commited to Jokic \ Murray \ MPJ \ AG and 15 more with KCP
without bird rights, there's no way this works unless he elects to do a Bobby Portis move - that seems highly unlikely

I never understand why Brown could not get a decent deal in the market... he was very effective in Nets too... the guy is a gamer, plays way over his size and can do a little of everything... one of the better role players

[spanishninja]

there is "not as good" and there is the slander Booker has unfairly taken lately as soon as he isnt playing perfectly.

well, the slander he took last year came from an unprecedented smashing in game 7 playing extremely poorly after he trash talked and laughed throughout the series.
if you play this kind of games you must be ready to take it if things don't go your way



to be honest I have now a hard time figuring out how good Booker really is, I would need a bigger sample size. If he hits his shots like in game 3 and 4 he's the goat, easily, but I am not sure you can count on that.

so based on his performance in this year's playoffs (or at least this series), he isn't deserving of slander then, correct? no argument he's been a top 5 player in the postseason and hasn't even trash talked that much this time. and this series is not at all like the second round last year. CP3 out, no home court, superior opponent, etc.

and you know full well it's not just been games 3-4. 11 games is plenty big of a sample size. Not to reference Jordan like so many tweets have but Booker's run this year is basically Jordan's 87-88 run, and the latter is still well regarded despite him not getting out of the second round himself. regardless of the outcome on Thursday, you simply cannot legitimately claim that Booker disappointed in any way.

[Exp0sed]

You think they keep KCP ass over him

KCP is under contract for two more seasons after this one at a very reasonable 15m-ish per season
ass? KCP is a good player, that 5th starter slot is more important than ever in the NBA

PHX would be all over the Nuggets if they had a legit 5th starter and not guys like Okogie, shamet etc
he's a smart durable vet, who plays good defense can hit an open jumper and knows his limitations

he goes for the particular midrange shots he knows he can make, doesn't make alot of mistakes and is worth the money they are paying him

this has nothing to do with Brown, who has a 6m player option which he will 100% opt out of and will be looking for a long term deal as he's been underpaid his whole career

Nuggets already have over 130m commited to Jokic \ Murray \ MPJ \ AG and 15 more with KCP
without bird rights, there's no way this works unless he elects to do a Bobby Portis move - that seems highly unlikely

I never understand why Brown could not get a decent deal in the market... he was very effective in Nets too... the guy is a gamer, plays way over his size and can do a little of everything... one of the better role players

yeah it was bizzare in real time and still seems bizarre now
he even showed up for the Nets in the playoffs, shooting great splits

from what he said the other day it's clear he chose the Nuggets because they offered him some guaranteed mins at Guard. he said he came into this league as a guard and still saw himself as one (despite modern NBA shennanigans, turning a 6'4 dynamic dude into a PF)

he was still young-ish, really odd that the best he could do was this deal and that teams weren't lining up to give him a real shot, after what he's shown in limited roles in his career up to that point

but, he bet on himself and that bet is gonna pay off big time invdivudally, I doubt it'll be for the Nuggets tho. they hamstrung themselves to the bone with the MPJ contract (and Murray's to a lesser extent)

[Jadoogar]

I think the Nuggets are going to lose Brown next season
as much as i'm sure he likes playing in Denvers style and next to the Joker - i'm sure in his mind he's starter material (and he is)
unless the Nuggets trade Murray, there's no room for him in Denver as a starter

he's just 26, I don't think he's ready to be pigeonholed into a 6th man role for his entire career just yet

You think they keep KCP ass over him

KCP is under contract for two more seasons after this one at a very reasonable 15m-ish per season
ass? KCP is a good player, that 5th starter slot is more important than ever in the NBA

PHX would be all over the Nuggets if they had a legit 5th starter and not guys like Okogie, shamet etc
he's a smart durable vet, who plays good defense can hit an open jumper and knows his limitations

he goes for the particular midrange shots he knows he can make, doesn't make alot of mistakes and is worth the money they are paying him

this has nothing to do with Brown, who has a 6m player option which he will 100% opt out of and will be looking for a long term deal as he's been underpaid his whole career

Nuggets already have over 130m commited to Jokic \ Murray \ MPJ \ AG and 15 more with KCP
without bird rights, there's no way this works unless he elects to do a Bobby Portis move - that seems highly unlikely

I like Bruce Brown but i think you can replace him. Brown himself signed a very good value contract to play with Jokic and up his value. There must be another free agent this year who may have the same line of the thinking.

[Woodsanity]

there is "not as good" and there is the slander Booker has unfairly taken lately as soon as he isnt playing perfectly.

well, the slander he took last year came from an unprecedented smashing in game 7 playing extremely poorly after he trash talked and laughed throughout the series.
if you play this kind of games you must be ready to take it if things don't go your way



to be honest I have now a hard time figuring out how good Booker really is, I would need a bigger sample size. If he hits his shots like in game 3 and 4 he's the goat, easily, but I am not sure you can count on that.

so based on his performance in this year's playoffs (or at least this series), he isn't deserving of slander then, correct? no argument he's been a top 5 player in the postseason and hasn't even trash talked that much this time. and this series is not at all like the second round last year. CP3 out, no home court, superior opponent, etc.

and you know full well it's not just been games 3-4. 11 games is plenty big of a sample size. Not to reference Jordan like so many tweets have but Booker's run this year is basically Jordan's 87-88 run, and the latter is still well regarded despite him not getting out of the second round himself. regardless of the outcome on Thursday, you simply cannot legitimately claim that Booker disappointed in any way.

You can blame Booker for underperforming in previous playoffs but this playoffs he has been a top 3 player.

I don't want to hear ANY Booker slander right now. I am not even a particular fan of the guy. I would blame guys like Ayton, KD and Monty Williams but not Booker.

I was legitimately a bit afraid as a Jokic fan because Booker could not miss for the past few games.

[Raps in 4]

How the F , 29 GMs missed on Jokic on draft night and some of them twice

He was fat and slow. He still is, but we're now seeing that it doesn't matter when one is as skilled as Jokic is.

[spanishninja]

well, the slander he took last year came from an unprecedented smashing in game 7 playing extremely poorly after he trash talked and laughed throughout the series.
if you play this kind of games you must be ready to take it if things don't go your way



to be honest I have now a hard time figuring out how good Booker really is, I would need a bigger sample size. If he hits his shots like in game 3 and 4 he's the goat, easily, but I am not sure you can count on that.

so based on his performance in this year's playoffs (or at least this series), he isn't deserving of slander then, correct? no argument he's been a top 5 player in the postseason and hasn't even trash talked that much this time. and this series is not at all like the second round last year. CP3 out, no home court, superior opponent, etc.

and you know full well it's not just been games 3-4. 11 games is plenty big of a sample size. Not to reference Jordan like so many tweets have but Booker's run this year is basically Jordan's 87-88 run, and the latter is still well regarded despite him not getting out of the second round himself. regardless of the outcome on Thursday, you simply cannot legitimately claim that Booker disappointed in any way.

You can blame Booker for underperforming in previous playoffs but this playoffs he has been a top 3 player.

I don't want to hear ANY Booker slander right now. I am not even a particular fan of the guy. I would blame guys like Ayton, KD and Monty Williams but not Booker.

I was legitimately a bit afraid as a Jokic fan because Booker could not miss for the past few games.

Remains to be seen whether Booker will catch the blame for this. He didn't even "underperform" in the 2021 playoffs by any means (record for most points in first playoff run, 4 40 point games, etc) and they clowned him for it. 2022 is a legit disappointment but this year is nothing like that.

Ayton is legit ruining Booker's prime. Anyway, I'll be rooting for the Nuggets if we end up going down. Can't say enough good things about Joker.

[Exp0sed]

You think they keep KCP ass over him

I like Bruce Brown but i think you can replace him. Brown himself signed a very good value contract to play with Jokic and up his value. There must be another free agent this year who may have the same line of the thinking.

sure, i'm not saying he can't be replaced and i totally agree that playing next to the Joker is a huge draw for these type of players. the on court aspect is obvious but I think it's also the off court stuff, playing alongside a superstar with minimal bs and drama as you can expect from a superstar is also a big draw

but still, you need to identify such a player and incorprate him - Brown fit like a glove
in the thread when they signed him i wrote that he would flourish in their system and thought this was their best move of the summer

I think Brown is still underrated, he's got more room to grow and I really like how he carries himself, seems like an intelligent, positive and great dude

ofc they can replace him, it's even concievable that one of their rookies (Braun and Peyton) could grow into that role next season, sure

but at the end of the day - Brown is a baller and ballers don't grow on trees

[spanishninja]

That's not really my experience, Booker is a consensus top 10 player, and clearly a star in the eye of pretty much everyone. If you are referring to some posters, there are posters who think Jokic is not a top 5 player, and that Doncic is extremely overrated. There will always be some of those posters here.

from my experience, it seems each of the past 3-4, Booker was elevated by the media and then unceremoniously dumped. i have been hearing Stephen A. proclaim he is finally a superstar for the last two years. if we go down to Denver, the media will undoubtedly bump Book down again and be ready to "discover" his superstardom again the next season.

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I think you have unrealistic expectations. Once you become a superstar, the criticism doesn’t just go away. If anything, it only intensifies.

Jokic won TWO MVPs and was relentlessly slandered in the media throughout both of those seasons, and this one too. That’s just how this works.

the case with Booker isn't the same. i think many in the media were still having the "is Booker even good?" discussions during this regular season. It's not a case of the MVP getting the first round exit or anything like that.

[lambchop]

How the F , 29 GMs missed on Jokic on draft night and some of them twice

the Nuggets missed on him as well, he wasn't their first pick
it's very difficult to properly predict the career arc of a guy who totally breaks every mould

This. No one watching this video in 2014 could have seen any of this coming.

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