In last year’s NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets emerged as the dominant force in the Western Conference, showing signs of being destined for victory right from the start. Throughout the four rounds, no team could effectively contend with them in a seven-game series. Despite losing four games in total on their path to the franchise’s inaugural NBA championship, the Nuggets proved resilient.
The Phoenix Suns were the only team to overcome Nikola Jokic and his teammates more than once, defeating them consecutively in the second round. However, Denver quickly regained momentum, losing only one more game for the remainder of the postseason, which occurred against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
Although the Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games during the Western Conference Finals, Jokic, as reported by DNVR Nuggets via NBACentral, regards the Lakers as their toughest challenge in last year’s playoffs. He noted that, apart from Game 3 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, each game of the series was tightly contested, with the Nuggets winning by no more than six points in the other three games.
Despite the Lakers failing to win a game in the Western Conference Finals, it’s not surprising that Jokic considers them the toughest opponent. This year, both teams aim to advance to the second round, with revenge on the Lakers’ minds, setting the stage for what could be an intriguing series.
