2025 NBA PLAYOFFS West Semifinals: #1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #4 Denver Nuggets (DEN leads 2-1)

[jokeboy86]

I just watched the game and Braun had SGA on code 5 lockdown all night. Absolutely none of his shenanigans worked. Wow.

I think one of the reasons Shai was drafted where he was drafted and out of the top 5 and top 10 is his slight frame and his lack of explosive athleticism. He knows how to get to his spots but he really doesn’t blow by anybody with his speed, he’s just extremely good at lulling people to sleep with his dribble. But if you’re strong and can stay in front of him you can bother him just a little. It’s the same thing for other short guards or tall guards with slight frames. Chris Paul and Kyrie were some of the few who were the exception and also Rose and Iverson because of their god-like athleticism

[Dacost]

I'm not a Denver fan but I really want them finish OKC.

Okc fans especially the ones here deserve to be humble they talk so much BS during the regular season that they deserve to get bounce.

"How many titles will OKC win " I remember someone post that in the middle of the season.

[RipHamilton]

People are underestimating the Nuggets. When they won the ring two years ago, they also had an 8-man rotation.



We can say they have a 7 now since Strawher barely plays. But Braun (2025) and Westbrook are contributing enormously to the team’s results — they add things no other player brings. I don't think Brown was a better player than Braun 2025, honestly. Jokic looks exhausted, although the rest look good. I think Jokic still has gas to keep playing if the team performs like it did yesterday; the worst part is the frustration, but that seems to have dissapeared.

If the Nuggets win the next home game, it will be very tough for OKC to mentally overcome this. OKC is deep, but they still need experience. Chet is going to be amazing, but he’s still very young, we have seen it during these games. The playoffs are an entirely different level—Brown and Tatum had to fail several times before they succeeded, and I think the same will happen for Shai, Jalen, and Chet.

Regular season are not the playoffs. And the playoffs are not the regular season. These OKC remind me a lot of Boston pre 2024.

I call the Nuggets in 6.

[LeBronSpaghetti]

at this point I wouldn't be surprised if OKC loses in 5 OR comeback from a 1-3 deficit and wins it. We are the better team but our mental breakdown is off the chart.

Y’know this might be true but I’m getting pretty sick of hearing this statement. I heard it about a thousand times about the Clippers in the first round. If they’re better why didn’t they win? This is the whole point of the 7 game series. As far as this series goes, if OKC is better they will win the series. A 7 game series leaves very little up to luck, unless injuries play a significant role. But at this point it’s actually Denver who’s dealing with more injuries than OKC.

[Dadouv47]

at this point I wouldn't be surprised if OKC loses in 5 OR comeback from a 1-3 deficit and wins it. We are the better team but our mental breakdown is off the chart.

Y’know this might be true but I’m getting pretty sick of hearing this statement. I heard it about a thousand times about the Clippers in the first round. If they’re better why didn’t they win? This is the whole point of the 7 game series. As far as this series goes, if OKC is better they will win the series. A 7 game series leaves very little up to luck, unless injuries play a significant role. But at this point it’s actually Denver who’s dealing with more injuries than OKC.

I know Jokic was terrible but when you shot 38/25/68 and still go to OT you might think that you are badly underperforming. Can OKC keep underperforming because they can't handle the pressure comes playoff time? Of course. I don't like our odds of advancing right now. Still can't dismiss the fact that in a vacuum we are the better team and have a remote chance to stop messing around.

...and I'm not saying we are the better team as a good thing. I would rather be the underdog right now because our franchise is losing his best chance to win a title since 2012 and I'm pissed.

[Wingy]

Would you guys say that Denver Nuggets have overachieved in this playoffs so far?

They absolutely have, they were outplayed in the 1st 6 games and kept it 3-3 against the Clils, and Thunder were better in every game and Nuggets are up 2-1, text book examlle for what it means to having the best player in the series being a swing factor.

Point taken, yet so much is on Mark D’s awful coaching down the stretch of game 1. Otherwise, I’d bet we’d be talking -

OKC game 1 win.
Denver game 2 win.
OKC win last night…and then people would be bumping the anti-Joker, or anti-Murray threads.

The level of desperation is always so key in playoff series. It’s beyond difficult to manufacture the same level of intensity against a more desperate opponent.

[bbms]

tomorrow is a new game but i am baffled by how people is blind to the fact that jokic is one of the worst starters of this series (imo only ahead of dort)

he's a turnover machine offensively and a huge liability on defense. if denver is not getting all the rebounds he's unplayable.

he's been a 100% carried by his teammates and the thunder's poor decision making down the stretch is helping

[Infinite Llamas]

tomorrow is a new game but i am baffled by how people is blind to the fact that jokic is one of the worst starters of this series (imo only ahead of dort)

he's a turnover machine offensively and a huge liability on defense. if denver is not getting all the rebounds he's unplayable.

he's been a 100% carried by his teammates and the thunder's poor decision making down the stretch is helping

42/22/6 in game one…

Denver easily wins that game without Jokic.

Troll better.

[MoneyTalks41890]

Would you guys say that Denver Nuggets have overachieved in this playoffs so far?

They absolutely have, they were outplayed in the 1st 6 games and kept it 3-3 against the Clils, and Thunder were better in every game and Nuggets are up 2-1, text book examlle for what it means to having the best player in the series being a swing factor.

Jokic’s been worse than SGA in the series, though.

18 assists to 21 turnovers for Jokic on bad defense

24 assists to 4 turnovers for SGA on good defense.

Jokic’s cast stepping up has been the difference for them

[og15]

Aaron Gordon's clutch shot making these playoffs have been critical for Denver.

Like I mentioned in all the Jamal Murray "sucks" kinds of threats, I always wonder who the other second options are that people are comparing him to, when they say he's not a good second option.

I never really get a solid answer. Sure, he's not Anthony Davis for example, but when you start comparing him offensively to a lot of the second options by actual offensive production and impact, the view of him that done people portray is very odd.

Denver is getting through the tough moments, and that's all you can ask for as a coach. Jokic on offense has overall been quite poor this series, and that's impressive for a defense to accomplish.

[stoo]

tomorrow is a new game but i am baffled by how people is blind to the fact that jokic is one of the worst starters of this series (imo only ahead of dort)

he's a turnover machine offensively and a huge liability on defense. if denver is not getting all the rebounds he's unplayable.

he's been a 100% carried by his teammates and the thunder's poor decision making down the stretch is helping

42/22/6 in game one…

Denver easily wins that game without Jokic.

Troll better.

he's not trolling. he's just not bright

[QPR]

Would you guys say that Denver Nuggets have overachieved in this playoffs so far?

They absolutely have, they were outplayed in the 1st 6 games and kept it 3-3 against the Clils, and Thunder were better in every game and Nuggets are up 2-1, text book examlle for what it means to having the best player in the series being a swing factor.

Jokic’s been worse than SGA in the series, though.

18 assists to 21 turnovers for Jokic on bad defense

24 assists to 4 turnovers for SGA on good defense.

Jokic’s cast stepping up has been the difference for them

That's warped a bit by game two though. Ultimately Jokic has been better in two of the three games (particularly in the clutch), which is all that really matters in the playoffs.

[ocelot17]

If Denver goes up 3-1, it’s over.

[Dadouv47]

Would you guys say that Denver Nuggets have overachieved in this playoffs so far?

They absolutely have, they were outplayed in the 1st 6 games and kept it 3-3 against the Clils, and Thunder were better in every game and Nuggets are up 2-1, text book examlle for what it means to having the best player in the series being a swing factor.

Jokic’s been worse than SGA in the series, though.

18 assists to 21 turnovers for Jokic on bad defense

24 assists to 4 turnovers for SGA on good defense.

Jokic’s cast stepping up has been the difference for them

It's close. Shai only played very well in game 2 and Jokic was clutch when it mattered the most in game 1 as opposed to Shai in both game 1 and 3 (he was just ok in game 1 and the reason we lost yesterday). Shai was so good against Dallas last season and it would be 3-0 if he was playing at his average level so I really don't care about those SGA/Jokic comparisons because it's worthless

but yeah overall the key difference is that Murray/Gordon/Braun are better than Chet/JDub Dort by a significant margin.

[aminiaturebuddha]

at this point I wouldn't be surprised if OKC loses in 5 OR comeback from a 1-3 deficit and wins it. We are the better team but our mental breakdown is off the chart.

Y’know this might be true but I’m getting pretty sick of hearing this statement. I heard it about a thousand times about the Clippers in the first round. If they’re better why didn’t they win? This is the whole point of the 7 game series. As far as this series goes, if OKC is better they will win the series. A 7 game series leaves very little up to luck, unless injuries play a significant role. But at this point it’s actually Denver who’s dealing with more injuries than OKC.

I'm not partisan to either team in this series (although I enjoy how they both play) but I think it's perfectly fair to say that OKC is the better team. Denver and the Clippers had the same record in the regular season this year, so you could kind of make a case for either before the series.

OKC won 18 games more than either of them. That's a big difference. Now, Denver might be a tough matchup for OKC and could definitely win the series, but I think it's still fine to suggest that the team that went 68-14 is overall better than the team that went 50-32, and should win, even if they don't end up doing so.

[scrabbarista]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Man they get away with lot of things. Are they too quick for refs or what?

And Gordon even got a tech for complaining about the first one.

[MoneyTalks41890]

Wild to still be complaining about the refs after a win. Truly.

[HotRocks34]

Watch on YouTube

Jokic was interviewed after Game 3 and around 40 seconds in he says that he was the worst player on the court.

Then at like 1:35 Aaron Gordon says in the background something like "you definitely were not the worst player on the court," which makes Jokic laugh.

[Lakers In 5]

Trying to foul bait with the game on the line and proceeding to smile walking off the court after doing positively nothing in OT, shameless.

[God Squad]

Shai without that ghost whistle just can't get it done...

Very Harden esque in that regard. They don't get the same whistle that they're used to.