LeBron James, 23, of the Los Angeles Lakers hugs a hungry Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 101-99 victory at Ball Arena in Denver. (27 years old) jumped at him, lost the ball and fell to the ground. Monday, April 22, 2024 (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
The thing about the Nuggets as champions is that they never have to say, “We're the best.” Everyone knows that. Compare them to the Lakers. Lakers are like kids in high school who give themselves nicknames.
All the Nuggets need to do is win. All the Lakers do is complain. And the Lakers don't discriminate. After the Game 2 loss, LeBron James berated the replay center and wondered why they bothered to watch contested plays. Anthony Davis then questioned the team's game plan, and coach Darvin Hamm said both sides needed to come to an agreement to disagree. And I haven't even mentioned that D'Angelo Russell appeared to eat and check his cell phone during a fourth-quarter timeout in the Game 3 loss.
That way, we can all enjoy the Nuggets even more. They take pleasure in crushing dreams. These are daily reminders of what can happen when no one cares who gets judged. You should always start with Nikola Jokic. But if anything, his selflessness is what defines this team. The players know their roles, so there is no need to slow down their rolls.
This entire series has been an indictment of the Lakers' bench, the lack of a supporting cast when Davis gets into foul trouble or LeBron runs out of gas. Meanwhile, the Nuggets continue to overcome 10-point deficits without Jamal Murray smoldering as Michael Porter Jr. continues to hit shots and Aaron Gordon remains one of the most underrated players in the league. .
It's time to put the Lakers out of their misery. I thought it would take about 5 games. Forget calling the Nuggets the Lakers' daddy, call Denver the Bloom Army.
The Rockies' batting lineup is poorly constructed. The team has no walks, too many strikeouts, and has less power than a moped. The Rockies enter the weekend trailing in their first 26 games, a streak that is surpassed only by the 1910 St. Louis Browns. …
It will be difficult for Atlanta to acquire quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons guaranteed Kirk Cousins $100 million in March and drafted his replacement in April. Do you like it? I assure you, Cousins was not like that. …
Orioles option on baseball's top prospect Jackson Holiday Triple-A reminds us that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing in sports. Holiday, 20, had two hits for 34 at bats and struck out 18. That's what the Orioles are looking to do this season, so patience is out of the question. Holiday will sort it out, but we won't see him again until July. …
At what point will Kevin Durant's legacy be tarnished by a playoff failure? Durant is a walking bucket. But he didn't stay in Golden State, moving to Brooklyn and Phoenix, ending his chances of becoming a top-10 player of all time. …
Anthony Edwards may be the most dynamic player in the NBA. Edwards vs. Murray, Gobert vs. Jokic? Yes, please. …
Introducing a Charlotte restaurant with a sense of humor A sign reads, “This year, be your GM and coach's choice.” It was a jab at Panthers owner David Tepper. Tepper overruled the football staff last year and selected Bryce Young to replace C.J. Stroud. Tepper went to the restaurant to find out who was responsible for the sign. No need to wonder why the Panthers are in disarray.
email time
Could Zach Wilson be traded for a draft pick? The Broncos could eat his salary, but it would be much better than Nolan Arenado's contract with the Rockies.
— Robert Emmerling, via Twitter
Wilson is six months older than Bo Nix and is in his fourth NFL season. He still has room to rise. The Broncos will let this play out and see if Wilson or Jarrett Stidham make the team. The Broncos could save $5 million in cap space by cutting Stidham and leaving him vulnerable in training camp.
Want more sports news? Sign up for Sports Omlet and get all the analysis on Denver's teams.