In this episode, I am joined by Matt Moore to discuss the details of game 7 and the key issues that plagued the Denver Nuggets against the Portland Trail Blazers. We also talk about the entirety of the playoffs and what we learned about the Nuggets in their playoff debut. Lastly, we ask whether the strengths and weaknesses of this version of the Nuggets have been made clear throughout this season and whether or not the weaknesses can be overcome with internal growth and development.<doc-sep>In January, when The New York Times asked him directly if he planned to carry on, Popovich admitted that “I don’t know the answer.” After the Spurs’ elimination late Saturday, Popovich was asked about his expiring contract and coaching this group next season. He spoke for a full 40 seconds — far longer than he usually grants from the postgame interview podium. His answer, though, included no mention of signing a new deal. Popovich, in fact, didn’t address his status at all, focusing on the fact that the projected return of the injured guard Dejounte Murray ensures that “it won’t be the same team.” Clarity could be coming this week, perhaps as early as Monday, as Popovich typically conducts one last session with the news media shortly after the Spurs’ final game. Yet there has been no formal update on the matter since our story in January, when Connelly’s San Antonio counterpart, R. C. Buford, would only say, “He’ll coach as long as he wants to coach.” This much is certain: Popovich is committed to coach the United States men’s national team — his dream job — for the next two summers. It is a commitment that has led numerous league observers to surmise that coaching the Spurs for one more season and walking away after the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo is the most natural scenario. Yet it must be noted, once again, that there is less than two weeks between the FIBA World Cup in China from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15 and the start of Spurs training camp. For just the fourth coach in league history to do this job at age of 70, that would offer an extremely short turnaround. Hard as it can be to try to read the former Air Force Academy officer who once aspired to a career in military intelligence, it is also natural to wonder whether Popovich still finds the grind sufficiently enjoyable to persist. There have been enough credible rumblings to the contrary over the season to believe that the campaign was much more of a strain than it appeared.<doc-sep>I don’t get it. I went to bed not getting it and woke up not getting it and now I’m writing about how I still don’t get it. There was a lot to not get. By Gregg Popovich’s admission, the Spurs did not play well for much of Game 7 at Denver on Saturday night. He said he thought both teams “set basketball back” in the early proceedings, and even though the game got better as it continued, he was “surprised people stayed.” Instead, Popovich thought the crowd “might want to go home and get a glass of wine and watch it on TV.” I feel like he’s projecting a bit. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets had the ball with about 28 seconds left. The Spurs were down four. You do not have to be a professional basketball coach or a professional basketball player to understand the situation. The Spurs had to foul there. And yet, inexplicably, the Spurs did not foul there. The Spurs really didn't foul pic.twitter.com/COJkI8RMHK — Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) April 28, 2019 That’s how San Antonio’s otherwise pleasantly surprising season ended—with time bleeding them out and the Spurs neglecting to apply a tourniquet. It was tough to watch. Here we had a franchise that’s constantly lauded for always doing things the right way that ended up doing something the exact wrong way at the worst possible moment. The Spurs should have fouled Jokic before the Nuggets brought the ball up the floor. They didn’t. Patty Mills was in position to foul Jamal Murray as the Nuggets came across half court. He didn’t. When Murray passed to Jokic, LaMarcus Aldridge should have immediately fouled. He didn’t. Instead, the Spurs watched dumbly as Jokic stood with the ball on the Nuggets logo and ran down most of what was left of the Spurs postseason. At one point, with about 14 seconds left, Murray ran toward and around Jokic with Mills on his hip. Mills all but collided with Jokic—and somehow still didn’t foul. The Spurs even let Murray hoist one last shot with the game all but over. Sure. At that point, why not? I’ve watched that video on a near-endless loop and I keep waiting for it to turn out differently. You can see Pop on the court gesticulating and urging his guys to foul. He was far enough out on the floor that I wanted him to shove the ref aside and pull a Mike Tomlin and try to foul the Nuggets himself. That would have been better. It sounded pretty loud there, but despite the noise, Mills and Aldridge should have known the situation without Popovich having to tell them. That’s something else I don’t get. LaMarcus Aldridge didn't hear Pop but knew the situation and just didn't foul pic.twitter.com/YInOCEvjaG — CJ Fogler (@cjzero) April 28, 2019 Aldridge said he knew how much time was on the clock, understood the situation and “should have [fouled]. I didn’t. Nothing else to say about it.” J.R. Smith would cringe at that explanation. Of course, Aldridge wasn’t the only Spur who screwed up. Mills and the other three guys on the floor are just as culpable, and they’ll have all offseason to think about not taking the obvious and only option available that could have extended their season—even if it was only for a few seconds longer. Which brings us to the final thing I do not get: Pop’s postgame press conference. The very first question, rightly, was about what happened at the end of the game and why the Spurs didn’t foul. A reporter asked if there was a miscommunication. “Well, obviously, he didn’t hear anybody because he didn’t foul,” Popovich said. And that was it. Popovich was asked questions about the Spurs’ rough shooting night, San Antonio’s season, how good Jokic is, and whether or not he’ll be back to coach next season. All good questions. All necessary questions. But the fact that no one asked him any follow-ups about his team short-circuiting at the end is indefensible. Why did he need to hear you? Shouldn’t he have known the situation? What about Mills? What about everyone else on the floor? And by the way, hasn’t this happened before to your guys? In fairness, it’s a tough spot to be in, and no one probably expected to be put in that situation. The long-term, near-constant success of the Spurs under Popovich doesn’t exactly prepare you for when something unexpected happens and everything goes sideways. The fact that the Spurs even got this far and dragged out the series opened them up to more potential scrutiny because Game 7s naturally invite added attention. Still, in a media availability that lasted four and a half minutes—short for the postseason, and certainly short for a team that just got bounced in bizarre fashion—Popovich fielded just one question and offered exactly 10 words on a critical season-ending sequence. Sometimes Pop is philosophical and magnanimous, but after Game 7 he looked like he was in a not-fucking-around mood. I understand that Popovich is intimidating and gruff and that his style sometimes makes reporters reluctant to engage. I’ve been there. No one wants to have Pop dunk on them with the microphones on and the cameras rolling. It’s embarrassing—but so is rolling over and not trying. Someone absolutely must press Pop in that situation. What a weird night. None of it made sense—except for the part when Pop seemed like he gave up. With about 10 seconds left, after a bunch of fruitless pointing and screaming, Popovich stopped doing all that and watched the season fade away. That might be the only part I do get. There’s only so much you can do, until you can’t do anymore. I bet he wishes he could have watched it on TV with a glass of wine, too.<doc-sep>
The Denver Nuggets are moving on to the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. It wasn't easy, but they held off a furious comeback by the Spurs in the fourth quarter of Game 7 on Saturday night for a 90-86 victory. Up by 17 points late in the third quarter, it seemed the Nuggets were on their way to a statement victory. But the defensive effort they used to build their lead early in the game started to fade, and the Spurs started to take advantage. With just under a minute to play, they cut the deficit to just two points after a Bryn Forbes dunk. But on the next possession, Jamal Murray hit an outrageous floater to put the Nuggets up by four, and they held on from there. Nikola Jokic finished with another triple-double, putting up 21 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, while Murray added 23 points. The Nuggets will now face the Portland Trail Blazers in round two. Here are a few takeaways from Game 7: Nuggets' defense shows up early, fades late The Nuggets had one of the best defenses in the regular season, but had struggled at times against the Spurs in the first round, especially in regards to guards like Derrick White careening past their perimeter players. But in Game 7, the Nuggets' elite defense showed up. They were flying all over the place and set the tone in the first quarter by stifling the Spurs to the extent that they were in danger of setting a playoff record for fewest points scored in a quarter. Spurs' shot chart in the first quarter NBA.com/Stats But whether it was fatigue or a matter of letting off the gas when they got a big lead, they collapsed on that side of the ball in the second half, as the Spurs started torching them on drives, leading to all sorts of open looks that fueled their big comeback. Spurs make inexplicable decision not to foul After DeMar DeRozan missed a shot with just 27 seconds to go, the Spurs were in a tough spot down being down four without the ball. But there was still enough time for them to foul, make the Nuggets hit free throws and extend the game. For some reason, however, the Spurs never fouled. Despite Gregg Popovich screaming from the sideline, and even coming a few feet onto the floor to try and get the message across, the Spurs just sat back. Happy to run the clock down, the Nuggets just controlled the ball near half-court before Jamal Murray launched a 3-pointer to prevent a shot clock violation. Even though the Spurs got the rebound, there was no time left for them to do anything. Jokic does it again There were plenty of questions about how Nikola Jokic would fare in his postseason debut, and his passive performance in the Nuggets' Game 1 loss only fueled them. From that point though, Jokic was fantastic, and he put together another strong game on Saturday night. He didn't have the most efficient night shooting the ball, but he was strong on the glass and threw some incredible passes yet again. With 21 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, Jokic recorded his second triple-double of the series, and just the 10th in a Game 7 in NBA postseason history. Playoff series results (Nuggets win series, 4-3) 2019 NBA Playoff Bracket