The Denver Nuggets are not scared of anybody nor should they be. They are the reigning NBA Champions after all, and have the best player in the NBA in Nikola Jokic. It's the rest of the league that should be scared when they see the Nuggets. Denver's net rating is better this season (+4.9) than it was a year ago when they won the title (+3.3). Jokic is on tap to win his third MVP award. They are a well-oiled machine.
Just because the Nuggets can beat anybody in front of them doesn't mean that they shouldn't be hoping for some good luck to strike their way, however. Everyone needs as many things to break their way as possible en route to a championship. Denver is no exception on that front.
One of those things includes the path through the playoffs. It's all about matchups in the postseason. There aren't many bad ones for Denver, but they could stand to avoid the few that qualify. If that happens, this is what the Nuggets' road in the playoffs would look like.
Round 1: Los Angeles Lakers
No one should necessarily want to see LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a playoff setting, but the Nuggets won't be fazed by them. Even though every game was moderately close in last season's Western Conference Finals, Denver still swept the Lakers. Things didn't get much better for Los Angeles in the regular season either. The Nuggets and Lakers played each other three times, and Denver came out on top of every one of those games.
The Lakers have been able to score the ball efficiently, but their defense has fallen off a cliff. Since February 1st, Los Angeles has the second-best offensive rating in the NBA (119.8). However, their 116 defensive rating is 22nd in that span. They can keep up offensively with the Nuggets, which might be the best path to possibly taking them down.
But Denver is a much more complete team. The Lakers have to make it through the play-in tournament to even make this theoretical matchup a reality. But if Denver gets them in the playoffs again, they shouldn't have many problems advancing.
Round 2: Los Angeles Clippers
Why not throw both Los Angeles teams in Denver's direction? The Clippers haven't been much better than the Lakers against the defending champs. In three matchups so far, Denver has won two of them with one more head-to-head matchup coming on April 4th. A year ago, the Nuggets went 4-0 against the Clippers as well. Let's not forget the 3-1 comeback Denver pulled off against them back in the bubble too.
The Lakers at least have Anthony Davis to fend off Jokic for spurts and protect the rim when he is hovering off of Aaron Gordon. The Clippers have no one close capable of doing either job. Ivica Zubac, Daniel Theis, and former Nugget Mason Plumlee are fine players, but none can hold a candle to Jokic.
The Nuggets are a bad matchup for everybody, but that is especially the case with the Clippers. The way they play offensively can negate the defensive prowess of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. They also have the wings to defend those two and James Harden with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Peyton Watson. The Clippers feel like a better matchup for them than the New Orleans Pelicans. Those two currently hold the four and five seeds in the West.
Western Conference Final: Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is a tremendous team, but similarly with the Clippers, they are not particularly stout team up front. Chet Holmgren has done a great job in his first healthy season in the NBA, but he gives up 76 pounds to Jokic. Jaylin Williams is a fine backup as is Bismack Biyombo, but it's asking a lot of them to hold it down against the two-time MVP.
Denver has gone just 1-3 against the Thunder this season, but the point differential in those games has come out even. The Nuggets' postseason experience as well as their massive size advantage down low should be enough to get them through to the NBA Finals yet again.
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