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 first-half performance that belonged in a diaper, losing 106-80.
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 acted childish, throwing his heat pad in the direction of the official that should result in a hefty fine or potential discipline, 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 Jamal 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 any players gaining an unfair advantage.
At the TV timeout, coach Michael 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 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. 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. He had two points at halftime. And that was an improvement over his bagel in the first half of Game 1.
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 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. 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 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.
Murray firing the heat pad in the direction of the official was a metaphor for a night of missed shots and sore throats from screaming.
With 5:54 remaining, many began trudging toward the exit as Minnesota fans chanted “M-V-P!” for Edwards while he made free throws. One fan walked by 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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