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

[scrabbarista]

He can't now in crucial game 5. But he could have tried in games that were played in Phoenix. He should have played Nnaji,Jackson and event Payton. You have to try with the new players when your regulars are not producing. KCP,Green and Brown were horrible.

No coach tries new players in the playoffs. You have to roll with who got you there. KCP and Brown were great in denver, i would rather take a chance on those guys returning to form than throwing out random unproven players.

Good coaches will improvise on the fly. He doesn't have to play those players big minutes but he can try and give them some burn. Look at Williams, he didn't play his bench guys until Paul went down. Both Warren and Ross are producing now for them. I am not saying with certainty that the players are named would be productive but you have to try and see. You are losing games anyways. Maybe one of those players would give you much needed spark off the bench.

Jackson is terrible (I watched every game he played for DEN this year), but I 100% agree with you in principle here. There are between two and four guys on the bench (plus Braun, if you're playing him so little) with the potential to provide a spark.

[spanishninja]

game 5 is must win for the Suns. gonna be a herculean task to pull this one off.

[Hobo4President]

If this goes 7 at this point I think Phoenix wins it. In a game 7 Denver only has 1 player I trust to peform while Phoenix has 2.

game 5 is must win for the Suns. gonna be a herculean task to pull this one off.

Game 5 is a must win for Denver. Don't want to be playing in Phoenix facing elimination where everyone except Jokic plays far worse.

[Wolfgang630]

Everyone gotta look at this as a game 7, especially Denver. You can’t go to Phoenix down. Denver gotta blow them out.

[cjx]

I see the illuminati has deployed one of its wealthier puppets to thwart King Joker !

[SlovenianDragon]

If this goes 7 at this point I think Phoenix wins it. In a game 7 Denver only has 1 player I trust to peform while Phoenix has 2.

game 5 is must win for the Suns. gonna be a herculean task to pull this one off.

Game 5 is a must win for Denver. Don't want to be playing in Phoenix facing elimination where everyone except Jokic plays far worse.

Plus we got Mat. Hes worth atleast a point.

[spanishninja]

If this goes 7 at this point I think Phoenix wins it. In a game 7 Denver only has 1 player I trust to peform while Phoenix has 2.

game 5 is must win for the Suns. gonna be a herculean task to pull this one off.

Game 5 is a must win for Denver. Don't want to be playing in Phoenix facing elimination where everyone except Jokic plays far worse.

denver has the best HCA in the league. cant risk having to play any more than one game there going forward.

Sent from my SM-G781U using RealGM Forums mobile app

[scrabbarista]

Jackson, Bryant, and Ish Smith cannot play. These guys couldn't help a tenth seed, much less a one seed. EDIT For Kindness' Sake: I mean, they can help in practices, in the regular season, in the locker room, on the bench, etc.. I don't mean to imply they don't have value to the team. I just mean that if you put them out there against a high-quality NBA opponent, you're asking for trouble.

The guys who might be able to help, in order (imo), are Nnaji, Watson, and Cancar. Nnaji can provide extra possessions and great energy. Watson can provide great defense on and off the ball - and maybe cause TO's and get the team in transition. Cancar gives you a guy with size who can shoot and play off of Jokic. The operative word in my brief scouting reports is "can:" obviously, these three all have their faults, but you ought to at least see if their strengths can help in a given game, rather than locking yourself into six guys plus Jeff Green and a too-short leash on Braun. The PHO bench played almost twice as many minutes as the DEN bench last night. That's gross.

DeAndre Jordan is fine if you're only giving him a minute or two and you draw up some plays to help him score. He's not good, but he has a very high BBIQ, so he's not going to just blow coverages and put you in a quick hole.

Anyways, one of my least favorite things in all of NBA basketball is a coach who plays too short of a rotation. There are so many reasons why I can't stand it. It can be pretty maddening.

I agree with Mickey8 that's it's a lot harder to improvise in a crucial Game 5 than in the first four games. But if you keep trotting out the same losing lineups with the starters over-taxing themselves, you're going to lose.

Tonight the Lakers' tenth man (per playoff minutes so far) hit a lead-taking jumper off the dribble with less than two minutes left, then grabbed a game-securing rebound with fifteen seconds left, followed by two free throws to put his team up by three, giving his team a 3-1 lead in the series. I'm not saying this is "exactly what to expect" from your tenth man. I'm saying that if you don't have the imagination and the trust as a coach to at least allow for this possibility, then you're going to shoot your team in the foot. I'm sorry, but I'm extremely passionate about this. It's just wrong on so many levels when coaches cut their playoff rotation to six or seven guys. Even eight is too few. Its like playing rock, paper, scissors and just never using one of them. Except there's an added human element where you're telegraphing a total lack of trust to over half of your players, so that when your team becomes tired and/or predictable and you finally decide to whip out your "scissors," you've already made it clear that you don't really trust them and you're only playing them because you're totally certain you're going to lose anyway. Sorry, tiny rant. It drove me crazy when D'Antoni played the same seven guys in loss after loss, one of whom was way over the hill and seemingly injured, when he had a fresh young 23 year old potential difference maker getting DNP after DNP. Sigh. This isn't even half of what I could say. I just think it's the worst. Look, nobody's asking you to give Lonnie Walker big minutes every game going forward. I'm just saying, if you never give your tenth man a chance (or your ninth... or your eighth), then...

[Castle Black]

Suns v Lakers will be a fun Conference Finals. PHX has no depth though and CP3 is geriatric. Lakers in 6.

[Wolfgang630]

Nuggets vs Lakers would be great. I want the bubbles rematch plus it’s time to move on from the old legends like KD. He’s had his time just like curry, which his championship window should be closed now. They had their great careers.

[hippesthippo]

Malone, you idiot, play more bench guys! Jeff Green? Gimme a break!

Which bench guys is he not playing? Someone suggested Peyton Watson. No coach in their right mind is going to throw out a rookie who averaged 3 ppg into the second round of the playoffs against Kevin Durant and Booker.

Malone can try to make some adjustments on defensive schemes but there isn't anyone on the bench that's going to come in and save them. You think Deandre Jordan is the answer?

Braun should be getting more minutes.

With Gordon taking the backup center minutes we'd like to at least take a look at Cancar in the playoffs. Watson should have been getting more play in the regular season as well, so he'd be ready for some playoff minutes.

Malone refuses to look at either of them, even though they've played well in their limited minutes.

Anybody but Jeff Green. Dude is -36 the last two games. He's beyond awful.

[Exp0sed]

game 5 is must win for the Suns. gonna be a herculean task to pull this one off.

nah, it's a must win game for the Nuggets
Phx can still lose, take game 6 at home and go for all the marbles in game 7 - a situation in which they have more experience and are probably built better for (even if it is in Denver)

if the Nuggets lose game 5 they are dropping 4 straight games and going home

tbh that's the best thing that could happen to them cuz then they will fire Malone for sure and with Malone it's very unlikely they will ever wing a ring

regardles of "must win" - history, probablity and common sense all tell us that whoever wins game 5 is very likely to win the series and advance

[Exp0sed]

Malone, you idiot, play more bench guys! Jeff Green? Gimme a break!

Which bench guys is he not playing? Someone suggested Peyton Watson. No coach in their right mind is going to throw out a rookie who averaged 3 ppg into the second round of the playoffs against Kevin Durant and Booker.

Malone can try to make some adjustments on defensive schemes but there isn't anyone on the bench that's going to come in and save them. You think Deandre Jordan is the answer?

Braun should be getting more minutes.

With Gordon taking the backup center minutes we'd like to at least take a look at Cancar in the playoffs. Watson should have been getting more play in the regular season as well, so he'd be ready for some playoff minutes.

Malone refuses to look at either of them, even though they've played well in their limited minutes.

Anybody but Jeff Green. Dude is -36 the last two games. He's beyond awful.

your basic premise is correct, it's a terrible idea to throw a rookie who avged 3 ppg into the fire but Malone shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place

the same goes for guys they did get some burn during the rs and were mentioned here
Vlatko has been out of the rotation in the playoffs, now u want him to play in the most important game of the season when he's out of confidence and game shape?

Malone is a loser

as for Jeff Green, this his been my axe to grind all season i wrote about 50 times - Jeff Green is one of the worst rotation players in the NBA. the Nuggets aren't beating a good team like PHX with Jeff Green

not using some small sample +- in a particular seies, literally any stat you would look at, raw or advanced of any kind will tell u this has been the case for Jeff Green for a couple of seasons now

he wasn't very good to begin with (quite overrated throughout his career) but is completely washed at 36

in theory, any Jeff Green minutes going to anyone - would be an upgrade, even if it rookies like Braun or Peyton (who barely played) or guys life Vlatko, Zeke etc

[baldur]

jeff green should be awarded for being this bad and getting regular minutes in different teams for ages.

[sunsbg]

Nuggets vs Lakers would be great. I want the bubbles rematch plus it’s time to move on from the old legends like KD. He’s had his time just like curry, which his championship window should be closed now. They had their great careers.

Boo!

KD vs Lebron will be great.

[hippesthippo]

Which bench guys is he not playing? Someone suggested Peyton Watson. No coach in their right mind is going to throw out a rookie who averaged 3 ppg into the second round of the playoffs against Kevin Durant and Booker.

Malone can try to make some adjustments on defensive schemes but there isn't anyone on the bench that's going to come in and save them. You think Deandre Jordan is the answer?

Braun should be getting more minutes.

With Gordon taking the backup center minutes we'd like to at least take a look at Cancar in the playoffs. Watson should have been getting more play in the regular season as well, so he'd be ready for some playoff minutes.

Malone refuses to look at either of them, even though they've played well in their limited minutes.

Anybody but Jeff Green. Dude is -36 the last two games. He's beyond awful.

your basic premise is correct, it's a terrible idea to throw a rookie who avged 3 ppg into the fire but Malone shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place

the same goes for guys they did get some burn during the rs and were mentioned here
Vlatko has been out of the rotation in the playoffs, now u want him to play in the most important game of the season when he's out of confidence and game shape?

Malone is a loser

as for Jeff Green, this his been my axe to grind all season i wrote about 50 times - Jeff Green is one of the worst rotation players in the NBA. the Nuggets aren't beating a good team like PHX with Jeff Green

not using some small sample +- in a particular seies, literally any stat you would look at, raw or advanced of any kind will tell u this has been the case for Jeff Green for a couple of seasons now

he wasn't very good to begin with (quite overrated throughout his career) but is completely washed at 36

in theory, any Jeff Green minutes going to anyone - would be an upgrade, even if it rookies like Braun or Peyton (who barely played) or guys life Vlatko, Zeke etc

Yes. Absolutely, yes. Jeff Green has been a running joke the entire season. He's not getting any better at 36yo.

Nnaji, Cancar, Watson; I'd be fine with any of them. Nnaji can at least be a road bump on defense and grab some offensive rebounds. Cancar can provide some of what Jokic does on offense. Both have been around the team for years and would have no issues fitting right back in.

Watson looks to be a capable defender and we've seen plenty of rookies throw their coming out parties in the playoffs. Tayshaun Prince just off the top of my head. Carlisle stubbornly refused to play him in the regular season, but finally gave him minutes in the playoffs when the team was down 1-3 against Orlando and needed a spark. The Pistons went on to win that series and Prince ended the year with more points in the playoffs than the regular season.

I'm not saying Watson is that good, just that playing him wouldn't be as unorthodox as you seem to believe.

Do you want Jeff Green playing double digit minutes in the most important game of the season when he's absolutely awful even on his best days?

I've said from the beginning that this series is going the distance. For that to happen Denver needs to continue to be physical and grind. That's not going to happen with a 6 man rotation.

[Exp0sed]

Braun should be getting more minutes.

With Gordon taking the backup center minutes we'd like to at least take a look at Cancar in the playoffs. Watson should have been getting more play in the regular season as well, so he'd be ready for some playoff minutes.

Malone refuses to look at either of them, even though they've played well in their limited minutes.

Anybody but Jeff Green. Dude is -36 the last two games. He's beyond awful.

your basic premise is correct, it's a terrible idea to throw a rookie who avged 3 ppg into the fire but Malone shouldn't have been in this situation in the first place

the same goes for guys they did get some burn during the rs and were mentioned here
Vlatko has been out of the rotation in the playoffs, now u want him to play in the most important game of the season when he's out of confidence and game shape?

Malone is a loser

as for Jeff Green, this his been my axe to grind all season i wrote about 50 times - Jeff Green is one of the worst rotation players in the NBA. the Nuggets aren't beating a good team like PHX with Jeff Green

not using some small sample +- in a particular seies, literally any stat you would look at, raw or advanced of any kind will tell u this has been the case for Jeff Green for a couple of seasons now

he wasn't very good to begin with (quite overrated throughout his career) but is completely washed at 36

in theory, any Jeff Green minutes going to anyone - would be an upgrade, even if it rookies like Braun or Peyton (who barely played) or guys life Vlatko, Zeke etc

Yes. Absolutely, yes. Jeff Green has been a running joke the entire season. He's not getting any better at 36yo.

Nnaji, Cancar, Watson; I'd be fine with any of them. Nnaji can at least be a road bump on defense and grab some offensive rebounds. Cancar can provide some of what Jokic does on offense. Both have been around the team for years and would have no issues fitting right back in.

Watson looks to be a capable defender and we've seen plenty of rookies throw their coming out parties in the playoffs. Tayshaun Prince just off the top of my head. Carlisle stubbornly refused to play him in the regular season, but finally gave him minutes in the playoffs when the team was down 1-3 against Orlando and needed a spark. The Pistons went on to win that series and Prince ended the year with more points in the playoffs than the regular season.

I'm not saying Watson is that good, just that playing him wouldn't be as unorthodox as you seem to believe.

Do you want Jeff Green playing double digit minutes in the most important game of the season when he's absolutely awful even on his best days?

I've said from the beginning that this series is going the distance. For that to happen Denver needs to continue to be physical and grind. That's not going to happen with a 6 man rotation.

don't get me wrong, i'm all for playing Vlatko and Zeke. if we're talking about them taking Green's mins then obviously - hell, yes. I was just pointing out that Malone completely shutting out guys from his rotation might come back to haunt the Nuggets if they actually do use them

as for Peyton it's a no brainer imo. list of rookies who made impact on D is a lot longer then whom you've mentioned
when u see the Nuggets defense completly hapless and Booker going off in NBA 2k efficiency - it's a no brainer to give him a diff look frm a player who might be the best on ball defender you have

you don't need him for 25 mins, u need him for 10 good mins. he can foul if need be, he can bring alot of intensity as he's playing very few mins and can go 120% effort

no brainer, just to try u know? if it doesn't work out so be it but give him a look, Malone is useless

[Wolfgang630]

Lakers are doing what they need to do and get key players off the bench to win them games. The Suns are doing the same thing. Mike Malone really needs to get the same from the bench. Because role players/bench players win you a game in a series.

[spanishninja]

game 5 is must win for the Suns. gonna be a herculean task to pull this one off.

nah, it's a must win game for the Nuggets
Phx can still lose, take game 6 at home and go for all the marbles in game 7 - a situation in which they have more experience and are probably built better for (even if it is in Denver)

if the Nuggets lose game 5 they are dropping 4 straight games and going home

tbh that's the best thing that could happen to them cuz then they will fire Malone for sure and with Malone it's very unlikely they will ever wing a ring

regardles of "must win" - history, probablity and common sense all tell us that whoever wins game 5 is very likely to win the series and advance

that means it's a must-win for the Suns if they want to win the series lol

[Drakeem]

I still believe in Denver. I just don't trust Booker to be hovering between 60-70% the entire series. The dude is on an all time great tear and he's a fantastic player, but I'll take my chances with this guy being the greatest perimeter scorer in NBA history for 4 PHX wins.

Who knows, I might have to eat crow but law of averages has to play a factor at some point.