Oh Baby! The Timberwolves were better without Rudy.
Let’s hit skip on the diss tracks and talk of a Nuggets dynasty.
Those drunken words at the downtown parade seem like a long time ago. In what amounted to a must-win game, the Nuggets delivered a performance that belonged in a diaper, losing 106-80.
“They kicked our (butts),” coach Michael Malone said. “We got embarrassed in our building.”
Everything suggested the Nuggets would rebound like Dennis Rodman. Monday demanded urgency, a path made easier by Rudy Gobert’s admirable decision to miss Game 2 to be with his partner for the birth of the couple’s first child.
Even before Jamal Murray threw a heat pack in the direction of an official that landed on the court and should result in a fine or suspension, the series had reached a watershed moment. The Nuggets, starting slowly per usual, trailed 22-17 in the first quarter.
In the previous two possessions, Karl-Anthony Towns ran through Murray like midnight Taco Bell and Anthony Edwards bullied his way to a hanging layup over Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The only one happy with the officiating was Alex Rodriguez, future owner of the Timberwolves if he wins his arbitration case. A-Fraud — sorry, A-Rod — stood and cheered from his courtside seat. And we all know how much he hates cheating or players gaining an unfair advantage.
At the TV timeout, Malone reached his flashpoint, storming onto the court to confront the official. It was the verbal equivalent of throwing chairs and kicking doors. The crowd reacted. Aaron Gordon, Peyton Watson and DeAndre Jordan held him back. Amazingly, Malone did not receive a technical. The match, though, was lit. And like everything else Monday, the winds of change blew it out.
That moment occurred with 3:21 left in the first quarter. The Nuggets were outscored 39-18 over the remainder of the half. Without Gobert, the Nuggets offense was expected to percolate. It inexplicably became worse. Denver made 14 of 43 shots in the first half. The Timberwolves converted on 24 of 44.
The Nuggets remained out of sync. Jokic continued to pass too much. Murray, bothered by a left calf injury, lacked explosiveness. The superstar duo combined to miss 18 of 31 shots. Murray had two points at halftime. And that was an improvement over his bagel in the first half of Game 1.
Murray exited without talking to the media, which is not uncommon for him, but is a horrible look after his behavior on the bench. Malone was aware the heat pad landed on the court, but he did not see who threw it. Minnesota coach Chris Finch called Murray’s actions, “inexcusable and dangerous.”
In winning their first title, the Nuggets stared down history and refused to flinch. They embraced pressure like a long lost friend. The crown, 11 months later, appears too heavy for the kings. They are unraveling. They now face odds of winning usually associated with the Rockies. Teams that lose the first two games at home are 5-36 all-time in a seven-game series. For the non math majors, that is 12%.
Like everything else in this series, these numbers do not add up. The Timberwolves placing the banana peel under the Nuggets is not entirely a surprise. Minnesota has opened the playoffs with six straight wins. They thrashed the Suns and Kevin Durant, then spent the last few days spraying graffiti on Ball Arena.
Winless in the series is one thing. It is how the Nuggets are losing that is so disturbing.
They have not matched Minnesota’s intensity or physicality. There were calls that were mind-numbingly bad. No question. But you don’t trail by 32 points in the third quarter because of the refs. The Nuggets look like a team that wants to repeat, but they have a boxer’s heavy arms and tired legs. The fatigue of going back-to-back has manifested in injuries, lack of execution and frustration unbecoming of a champion.
“I thought we lost control of our emotions,” Malone said, before adding, “We have to have (guts). Have the courage to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I did not do my job.’”
Murray firing the heat pad was a metaphor for a night of clanked shots and sore throats from pleading for calls.
With 5:54 remaining, many began trudging toward the exit as Minnesota fans chanted “M-V-P!” for Edwards as he stood at the free throw line. One man walked by section 144 and screamed to no one in particular, “I can’t believe I paid for this.”
There is no crying in baseball. But basketball? Oh, baby! The Nuggets need a warm bottle of milk, a nap and a few hours in timeout because they are in big trouble.
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