Mike Malone: “Nuggets Not Scared of Anybody”

We are pretty sure that nobody could predict that the battle for the top spot of the Western Conference, before the All-Star game, would be between Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors.

The champs were expected to be there, but the Nuggets… we don’t think so.

Last night, Mike Malone’s boys defeated Houston Rockets 136-122. But what was more important than the win, is the fact that Denver did it without too much trouble.

The Nuggets have evolved, They are not a talented team anymore.

They are contenders now. Hungry ones.

Mike Malone was pretty direct after the match, saying that his boys are not scared of any team no more.

“We’ve beaten all comers. We’re not scared of anybody.”

After that, the 48-year old made an interesting observation, which could give you a hint about the current mindset of the Nuggets’ players and the whole franchise in general.

“If we play them in the playoffs, now we know we’ve beaten this team. We know what it takes to beat them.”

Now, what does this mean exactly? It is simple. Denver isn’t thinking on how to get to the playoffs anymore. Instead, they are already planning how to defeat the biggest rivals in the postseason. Nuggets are no longer a “next-season team.”

They are here. They are present.

With Nikola Jokic in his best shape, the organization from Colorado can do wonders. The Serbian fella is one of the biggest favorites for the MVP award, and he is right behind James Harden against whom he played.

His effort is acknowledged by the coaches and the media, and the Joker earned his first All-Star invitation.

During the previous night, he poured 31 points in 31 minutes on the floor, smashing the last year’s Western Conference finalists. But not only that, as he tallied 12 boards and 9 assists.

It is something Jokic does regularly, and chants in the Pepsi Center “MVP, MVP” are louder and louder as the season goes by.

“I think everybody thinks that we are going to stop” Jokic said about many people doubting in the capabilities of his team. “twenty, twenty-five games ago most of them thought, ‘they are going to stop, they are going to lose,’ but we are still right there.”

Nikola Jokic 🔥 31PTS/13REB/9AST #MileHighBasketball pic.twitter.com/DzijgQ4Agy

— Ramón (@shirlero) February 2, 2019

Producing great results is not the only thing Denver has to offer. The reason why many like to watch them is their style of play.

Nuggets like to assist and to move the ball quickly. Of course, everything is much easier when you have Jokic, who is acting like a point guard most of the time, but as the time went by, all other players became more creative, and now, you don’t just have him producing easy points for other players.

Malone was mentioning that also in the post-game interview.

“We are a young team to watch; we got young, exciting players that play together…. who doesn’t like watching a team that shares the ball, passes the ball, and doesn’t hold it.”

“We are a fun team to watch, and a fun team to coach” Malone added.

He is close to becoming the head coach of the Western Conference at the All-Star game. All that needs to happen is for his Denver to defeat the Timberwolves tonight at the Target Center.

Not an easy task, but Nuggets have accomplished tougher ones in the past.

That would be his first appearance at this prestigious event, and a first major honor since he became the head coach of one team.

At the moment, Denver is tying the first place in the West with the Warriors, but they have the edge over the champions because of a tiebreaker.

Don’t be surprised if you see the exact same situation at the end of the season.