A Couple of Notes On The Semifinals
Yes I know this is late
I want to note that I wrote this immediately after the games but I had it on paper draft. Like literal paper. A yellow legal pad if you are curious. Life, work, and EAFC have taken my time from me. Meanwhile the League continued on, and we are on the cusp relof a Boston sweep of the Mavs (here’s hoping!).
The Pacers beat the Knicks who were shorthanded. The knock on Thibs teams is that his guys are ridden hard and get worn down by the fatigue once the playoffs come around. It happened again, but also everyone is broken down. The Knicks looked just a little more unlucky than others. They punched above their weight and were relying heavily on some guys to be superhuman already. I don’t mean the minutes, but the style. Asking Josh Hart to be super hustle every game is kind of ridiculous. You need a couple more guys doing things.
Meanwhile the Nuggets looked gassed versus the Wolves. Jokic looked exhausted and much like the Knicks squad, it looked like the team was asking him to carry them on shaky legs.
It’s difficult to judge coaching or motivations from press conferences. I know the immediate criticism of both coaches was that they weren’t looking for any alternatives. In that moment you have to go with what brought you this way. The solutions are easy looking backward. Jokic is your best player, a multi-MVP who has done the seemingly-impossible time and again. How can you “easily” choose to pull him? And for who?
The adjustments are easy on the couch, with a TV, and without the egos present. You cannot simply point and say “make it so.”
The solutions to the problem of Jokic being tired - your greatest ever Nugget and all-time great - is solved in the off season. Training, roster-building, and tinkering. Minnesota was built to beat these Nuggets and even then it took seven games to do so. As we have seen in countless series, the winner looks inevitable after the fact, but circumstance and luck are large parts of the equation. Remember that awful Dallas team that challenged the “greatest Finals performance ever” Spurs? There is always a chance you get unlucky and tired.
You need players that have tough mindsets. The experience with failure to guard against the tell-tale signs that a lead or moment could slip away and comfort with adversity. There will be pressure and toughness and moments where you are asked to perform, and produce — or still compete while less than your best. That is how you won things.