The Denver Nuggets pulled off the stunning upset against the mighty Los Angeles Clippers to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 11 years. Denver also did so in miraculous fashion, storming back from a 3-1 series deficit, becoming the only team in NBA history to do so multiple times in the same postseason. In turn, The Los Angeles Lakers await them on the horizon and should offer the Nuggets a tougher challenge in the West Finals.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and company needed just five games to dispatch the Houston Rockets in their second round series. Thus, they should enter Game 1 on Friday the more rested squad.
On paper, the top seeded Lakers should be the heavy favorites to advance to the NBA Finals. However, as they have shown all playoffs long, it would not be smart to underestimate and count out the no. 3 seeded Nuggets. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic have been spectacular playoffs in the playoffs so far. Both have certainly shown that they are difficult to stop when they are at the top of their games.
Obviously, Denver will inevitably need their two stars Jokic and Murray to play at their best if they want to have a chance to pull off the monumental upset. But with a loaded team like the Lakers, led by two generational superstars, the Nuggets will definitely need everyone to play at their A-game.
Arguably the most important of Denver's supporting cast, especially in this series, will be Jerami Grant. And he should be the Nuggets' main X-Factor in the Western Conference Finals.
Grant's defense
Jerami Grant was mainly tasked to guard Kawhi Leonard in the Clippers series. And he did a tremendous job in making life difficult for the Clips superstar on the offensive end, especially in Game 7. Leonard struggled mightily from the field in the series closer, shooting just 6-of-22 en route to 14 points in the stunning defeat.
With that, Grant should get first crack at LeBron James. This will obviously be a tall task for the 26-year old. But as he did against the Clippers, Grant has shown that he is could keep in step with some of the most elite wings in the game.
While James will most likely be his main match-up in the series, the Syracuse standout should also be tasked to take on Anthony Davis at some points. Aside from his ability to guard on the perimeter, the 6-foot-8 forward also boasts great length to hold his own against post players like AD. And even though he plays the small forward spot, he has also been Denver's top rim protector in the playoffs.
Grant's versatility to guard multiple positions will definitely be a huge boost for the Nuggets defense.
His three-point shooting
So much of the Lakers defense will inevitably focus on Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. That will leave players like Grant with plenty of opportunities for open looks on the perimeter.
As great as he played defensively on the other end, Grant did not shoot well during the Clippers series. In those seven games, Grant shot just 25.7 percent from long range, and 34.5 percent from the field overall. Grant has shown tremendous strides as a 3-point shooter over the last couple of seasons, so that could have been just be a rough stretch for the former second round pick.
Since last season, Grant has shot 39.1 percent from three on decent volume (making 1.4 per game). If he could get anywhere near that clip in this upcoming series against the Lakers, that should increase Denver's chances of pulling off another shocker.
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