Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

[Kenny]

NBA Finals 2020: Denver Nuggets Vs Toronto Raptors

It wasn't the matchup people were expecting... but you can't argue with the fact that both teams deserve to be there. Everybody thought Denver was going to get through the West and do so comfortably, but they had a few stumbles on the way. But the Raptors... if anyone predicted them to make it out of the East after coming up against the Wizards and the Bulls, they would have made an extremely bold prediction, but here we are.

Yi Jianlian was at this same stage 8 years ago with the New Jersey Nets and found his team on the end of a Denver sweep. But he is only one on a team with plenty to prove. They've been historically misfortunate and often maligned; the nickname "The Craptors" comes to mind. Now they have the opportunity to flip the script; but to do so, they have to get past a team with a recent history of excellence. With a win in this series, the Nuggets will have 4 in a row. Borislav Perko will have 4 rings from as many seasons in the league and J.R. Smith will be one away from Michael Jordan's mark of 6.

Denver lose, their dynasty era could possibly come to an end, while if Toronto lose, they'll be a footnote in the TNL story. Needless to say, both teams have everything to play for.

Conference Finals Results

(1) Denver 4 - 2 LA Clippers (2)
(6) Toronto 4 - 3 Chicago (1)

Notes
-The Raptors upset both the 2019 Eastern Conference champions the Washington Wizards and the first seeded Chicago Bulls. Denver will have to avoid complacency, or the same will happen to them.
-Andrew now has a new team to hate

The Teams

Denver Nuggets

The Starters


| DeAndre Jordan | Borislav Perko | Kevin Durant | J.R. Smith | Brandon Jennings

The Bench


| Taylor MacKenzie | Robin Lopez | Pat Mills | Adrian Young | Ed Reed | Aaron Watters | Rudy Fernandez |

IR


| George Power | Crispin Erwin | Dennis Da Conceicao |

Toronto Raptors

The Starters


| Yi Jianlian | Vince Rousseau | Quint Miller | Luis Carlos | Boris McNamara |

The Bench


| Blaise Regan | Dion O'Neal | Timothy Hadson | Lucian Asher | Steven Snow | Stanley Johnston | Jesse Wolf |

IR


| Garry Gardiner | Austin Kruger |

Keys

Denver Nuggets

J.R. Smith: I know what you're thinking, Borislav Perko has been the MVP so far. But Earl could be the difference between a sweep and this one going to 7 games. While Taylor MacKenzie has had a hot run in the lead up to the Finals, he has a history of inconsistency. If the NBA Finals turns out to be the time where he cools off, J.R. Smith is going to have to come in and do what he did all season long.

Toronto Raptors

Luis Carlos has been their leading scorer so far, with an average of 22.7 per game, but to stay in this series, Yi Jianlian is going to play a huge role. In 2012, he was in the NBA Finals with the New Jersey Nets. Although his experience will factor into the equation, so will the fact that he's not a true centre. The Nuggets will be looking to exploit this at every given opportunity. How he will respond will be of equal importance to that of how many points Luis Carlos will score.

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The first four games will be up next.

[The X]

You did well to get by Clippers. Shame they weren't deeper. I would've like to have seen you match up against tougher Bulls rather than you beat Raptors in 4 (or 5).

[kibaxx7]

As X said, no more than 5 games here

[Houndy]

Austin Kruger? I'm pretty sure Freddy is somewhere...

Nuggets in 5.

[Mavs4Life]

Kriger's inactive cause Freddy hacked him.

SWEEP!

[Andrew]

Bulls choked. Ah well, at least they'll be spared a beatdown in the Finals. Nuggets in a sweep.

Good job on the Playoff retrospective, Young's three point shooting certainly has flown under the radar somewhat but that's awesome. Good to see him emerging as a useful player in the rotation.

[Kenny]

You did well to get by Clippers. Shame they weren't deeper. I would've like to have seen you match up against tougher Bulls rather than you beat Raptors in 4 (or 5).

As X said, no more than 5 games here

It would have been cool to play the Bulls because they actually swept me in the regular season, so they would have been an interesting challenge. But in all honesty, I know almost nothing about the Raptors side, which in itself is a challenge too.

Austin Kruger? I'm pretty sure Freddy is somewhere...

Nuggets in 5.

Kriger's inactive cause Freddy hacked him.

SWEEP!

I could just imagine his nickname being "The Nightmare On Elm Street"

Bulls choked. Ah well, at least they'll be spared a beatdown in the Finals. Nuggets in a sweep.

Good job on the Playoff retrospective, Young's three point shooting certainly has flown under the radar somewhat but that's awesome. Good to see him emerging as a useful player in the rotation.

Derrick Rose is also a free agent this coming off-season, so who knows, they could have a personel change too.

It's funny with the generated players because sometimes you try to recreate someone who used to play that you enjoyed watching. I'm trying my best to turn Adrian Young into the next Robert Horry.

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Toronto: The First Four Games

Game 1: Toronto Upset Denver In Final Seconds



Denver experienced a gutting loss in game one to Toronto by 85-84. The Nuggets went up by 2 after Borislav Perko came up with this play:

phpBB [video]

But there is always a danger in leaving time on the clock while the other team has a timeout up their sleeve and a clutch shooter in Luis Carlos:

phpBB [video]

Whether it was a great shot or a lapse in defense by Brandon Jennings, the result reads a 1-0 lead for Toronto in the series. Vince Rousseau and Luis Carlos both had 14 points each. Yi Jianlian had a dominant display on the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds to go with his 12 points. He was one of three players for the Raptors to score 12, with Boris MacNamara (8 assists) and Blaise Regan (12 rebounds) also tallying that many. Quint Miller scored 11 to be Toronto's 6th double-digit scorer in the game.

For the Nuggets, Kevin Durant was the high point scorer of both teams with 18. Taylor MacKenzie proved his value off the bench once again with 17, while J.R. Smith scored 1 less with 16. Borislav Perko extended his triple-double steak to 3 games with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Even though Brandon Jennings scored 11, his defensive fade in the final seconds will be what everyone will remember about this game.

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TOR@DEN

TOR: 85 (Carlos 14, Rousseau 14, Jianlian 12)
DEN: 84 (Durant 18, MacKenzie 17, Smith 16)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 14 points 10 rebounds 10 assists 1 block 2 steals

Rebounds

TOR: Jianlian 15
DEN: Perko 10

Assists

TOR: MacNamara 8
DEN: Perko 10

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Game 2: Nuggets Emphatically Avenge Game 1



What's the best way to avoid a close loss? Stop the game from being close; and that's what Denver did on the way to a 105-70 win over the Raptors in game 2. After somewhat fading since the Utah series, J.R. Smith came back into the limelight for this one with 32 points and the Sprite Performer of the Game. Redemption was a theme of the night, with the second leading scorer being Brandon Jennings. After an error that possibly cost Denver game 1, Jennings was on a mission in game 2 as he scored 23. Kevin Durant scored 17, while Borislav Perko now has 4 straight triple-doubles with an effort of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in this one.

Toronto once again had an even spread of scorers, with Boris MacNamara (16), Vince Rousseau (14), Luis Carlos (14) and Yi Jianlian (12) all having solid contributions on the night. Defense however proved to be a liability. With J.R. Smith in explosive form once again, the Nuggets will prove to be an even more daunting prospect. The Raptors will have to make the adjustment for game 3.

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TOR@DEN

DEN: 105 (Smith 32, Jennings 23, Durant 17)
TOR: 70 (MacNamara 16, Carlos 14, Rousseau 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: J.R. Smith 32 points, Jennings 23, Durant 17

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 10
TOR: Jianlian 11

Assists

DEN: Perko 13
TOR: Carlos 8

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Game 3: Smith Tears Apart Toronto



The Raptors suffered their second blowout defeat of the NBA Finals, this time suffering a 95-76 loss to the Denver Nuggets in game 3. J.R. Smith was back to his unstoppable best, notching up 49 points against the hopeless Raptors defense. He provided the bulk of the scoring for Denver, with the next best being Taylor MacKenzie (11). Borislav Perko extended his streak to 5 with 10 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists.

Vince Rousseau proved to be the best man in an awful team performance, with 26 points. Rebound machine Yi Jianlian added 14 boards to his 12 points, while Luis Carlos (12), Quint Miller (11) and Boris MacNamara (11) all had solid contributions without turning any heads.

While offense isn't a problem for the Raptors, the D has basically been non-existent the last 2 games. The NBA Finals is one place you can't afford to get complacent on any end of the court. We'll see if they can get back into this series in game 4.

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DEN@TOR

DEN: 95 (Smith 49, MacKenzie 11, Perko 10)
TOR: 76 (Rousseau 26, Carlos 12, Jianlian 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 19 points 14 rebounds 13 assists 4 blocks 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 14
TOR: Jianlian 14

Assists

DEN: Perko 13
TOR: MacNamara, Miller 5

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Game 4: Raptors Withstand Surge To Tie Series



The Toronto Raptors avoided one of the great playoff comebacks by beating the Nuggets 94-89. The Raptors started the game on a 17-2 run and had a lead of 22 points in the 3rd quarter. The Nuggets came back to tie in at 82 with 1:16 left in the 4th, but the Raptors were able to survive the scare.

Boris MacNamara top scored for the Raptors with 28 points, while Vince Rousseau picked up the Performer of the Game with 28 points and 13 rebounds. Luis Carlos added 17 and Quint Miller contributed 10 to the win.

After an incredibly slow start, the Nuggets have Taylor MacKenzie to thank for making this one a game. He scored 31 from the bench. He was lighting it up in the third and had 7 made three pointers to finish the game. Kevin Durant hit some big shots in the 4th with 21 points. A true telling point of the game was how J.R. Smith cooled down. After 32 and 49 in the previous two games, he hit just 2 from 9 from beyond the arc as he scored 16 points.

With game 5 in Toronto, the Raptors have to feel good about their chances after picking up some momentum in this one.

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DEN@TOR

TOR: 94 (MacNamara 28, Rousseau 25, Carlos 17)
DEN: 89 (MacKenzie 31, Durant 21, Smith 16)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Vince Rousseau 25 points 13 rebounds 1 assist 2 blocks 1 steal

Rebounds

TOR: Jianlian 14
DEN: Perko 13

Assists

TOR: Miller 8
DEN: Perko 9

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The conclusion of this series should be up in a few hours. Can Toronto complete their third upset of the playoffs? Or will Denver achieve 4 in a row and grab the franchise's 7th championship?

[Andrew]

The Raptors have made it a series, which is kind of nice but I'm of course hoping that the good guys win. That was a cold blooded three by Luis Carlos in Game 1, from WAY downtown. Hope the next update brings good news.

[Phil89]

Really unlucky with that shot in game 1. Though Jennings wasn't exactly making it hard to get a shot off.

Great series so far. Perko still dominating too. Good luck in the final games.

[The X]

I think you win in 6, Raptors got lucky in game 1.

[Larvae]

That number 14 guy from the Raptors ain't Robert Horry so its a lucky shot.
Well, for sure you are owning the Craptors.

[kibaxx7]

I'm sure Durant will explode in the last games.

[Houndy]

That Carlos guy is great. Lucky but nice shot. You'll win it in 6

[Cruzerr]

Congrats on winning the NBA title, u deserve it

[Kenny]

The Raptors have made it a series, which is kind of nice but I'm of course hoping that the good guys win. That was a cold blooded three by Luis Carlos in Game 1, from WAY downtown. Hope the next update brings good news.

It's funny how the guys that have won the last 3 championships are seen as the good guys... I must be spinning this story the right way

And yeah, that gamewinner was crueler than usual.

Really unlucky with that shot in game 1. Though Jennings wasn't exactly making it hard to get a shot off.

Great series so far. Perko still dominating too. Good luck in the final games.

Yeah, I'm not too sure what happened there. I think the controller must have slipped or something because it looked like a mess on replay.

And thank you, they're going to be up very soon

I think you win in 6, Raptors got lucky in game 1.

I went into game 1 thinking I was going to sweep them and sure enough, that happened. Just goes to show that this game can still throw in a monkey wrench every now and then.

That number 14 guy from the Raptors ain't Robert Horry so its a lucky shot.
Well, for sure you are owning the Craptors.

phpBB [video]

What you said just reminded me of that

I'm sure Durant will explode in the last games.

Let's hope so

That Carlos guy is great. Lucky but nice shot. You'll win it in 6

Yeah, he's a pretty nifty player. Once J.R. Smith retires, I'm thinking he could be a viable replacement.

Congrats on winning the NBA title, u deserve it

Haven't won it yet, but you'll find out soon enough if I have or not

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Toronto: The Conclusion

Game 5: Denver One Away



The Denver Nuggets are now just one win away from a historic 4-peat after an 81-64 win in Toronto. Brandon Jennings was the leading scorer of the game with 22 points and he also had 7 assists to go with it. Despite not picking up a triple-double, Borislav Perko was the Sprite Performer of the Game once again with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists. J.R. Smith (16) and Taylor MacKenzie (10) both helped out on the offensive end as well in a well-rounded effort.

Not only did Toronto's defense let them down once again, but the offense was barely there as well. Rousseau and Carlos both had 16, but the only other double-digit scorer was Boris MacNamara with 10. One of the only battles they won on the night was once again in the rebounding, with Yi Jianlian beasting his way to 15 boards.

Denver are now 1 away from their 7th championship.

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DEN@TOR

DEN: 81 (Jennings 22, Perko 19, Smith 16)
TOR: 64 (Carlos 16, Rousseau 16, MacNamara 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 19 points 8 rebounds 12 assists 3 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Perko, Watters 8
TOR: Jianlian 15

Assists

DEN: Perko 12
TOR: Hadson 6

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Game 6: Denver Cruise To Four-Peat



The Denver Nuggets became the first team since the Boston dynasty in the 60s to win 4 championships in a row after beating the Raptors in game 6 by 84-60. It was a fitting end to their 2020 playoffs campaign and their scoring distribution was indicative of their entire campaign. While Borislav Perko was the star once again with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, 3 players (Kevin Durant, J.R. Smith and Taylor MacKenzie) had 16 points each to display the excellent team effort that has seen them get this far. Brandon Jennings also had a pretty solid effort with 13.

Much like game 5, the Raptors were inept on both ends of the court. Vince Rousseau continued his consistent performances wiht 17 points, but Luis Carlos (13), Quint Miller (12) and Boris MacNamara (12) were all below par with their efficiency.

With this championship, it is now the 7th in the franchise's history.

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TOR@DEN

DEN: 84 (Durant 16, MacKenzie 16, Smith 16)
TOR: 60 (Rousseau 17, Carlos 13, MacNamara 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 15 points 11 rebounds 10 assists 2 blocks 3 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 11
TOR: Jianlian 10

Assists

DEN: Perko 10
TOR: MacNamara 4

[Kenny]

Denver Nuggets

The Starters


| DeAndre Jordan | Borislav Perko | Kevin Durant | J.R. Smith | Brandon Jennings

The Bench


| Taylor MacKenzie | Robin Lopez | Pat Mills | Adrian Young | Ed Reed | Aaron Watters | Rudy Fernandez |

IR


| George Power | Crispin Erwin | Dennis Da Conceicao |

Finals MVP: Borislav Perko (13.6ppg 11.2rpg 11.4apg)

Regular Season Record: 65-17
Playoffs Record: 16-6

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Another season gone and another off-season about to begin. Once again I'd like to thank everyone who has read and contributed to this thread. Your enthusiasm for this dynasty has kept me excited about it as well. The off-season is coming up next.

[Mavs4Life]

Four-peat truly makes this on eof the best franchises, up there with L.A. & Boston. J.R.'S now a 7 time chapion? Not sure if he left during an off-season & then came back.

[Martti.]

Don't blame Jennings for your controller screw-up.

Amazing series be Perko, triple-double average in the Finals.

[kibaxx7]

I'm sure Perko will have his jersey retired

[Houndy]

Perko is a future hall of famer.

[Mavs4Life]

Perko is a future hall of famer.

[Axel The Great]

Congrats on winning the title, again! It seems the Raptors put up quite the fight in the first four games, but you completely crushed them in Games 5 & 6. The team with better defense and better scoring options easily won this one, and of course, it's all thanks to Perko's average of triple-doubles.

[Andrew]

Congrats on the four peat! Amazing run of triple doubles by Perko, he's definitely been one of the highlights of the season. Not too far off getting the ten championships PSN trophy.