Denver Nuggets big man Paul Millsap has plenty of experience in the playoffs, so he knows what it would take for them to beat the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 7 and book a ticket to the Western Conference Finals.
Millsap says he is expecting an “all-out brawl” on Sunday — much like Game 6 that saw a heated altercation between Will Barton and Seth Curry. With that said, the 13-year NBA veteran pointed out that controlling their emotions and remaining calm will be the key to victory in the contest.
“I expect it to be an all-out brawl,” Millsap said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “They're fighting for their lives. We're fighting for our lives. I expected it to be pretty heated. Emotions will flare here and there. The team that's the most poised and the most calm is going to be the team that's victorious. Hopefully it's us.”
This series, which included an unreal quadruple-overtime classic in Game 4, has been a grinder, and things have gotten chippy at times. This matchup has been really close through the first four games, but both squads eventually won convincingly on their home courts. Denver blew out Portland by 26 points in Game 5, while the Blazers bounced back and staved off elimination by defeating the Nuggets, 119-108 in Game 6.
Their respective seasons all boil down to this one game. Denver does have home court advantage, but Portland has the edge on experience. The winner of the series faces the Golden State Warriors in the West finale.