Maybe they’re contenders after all
It’s possible that Masai Ujiri is more cunning than we thought.
After the NBA All-Star break the Nuggets GM publicly confessed that the Nuggets weren’t contenders. His words rattled around the media rim for days and left fans feeling flat. The Nuggets had lost three straight at the time and they would soon surrender a game to the terrible Washington Wizards.
Then a funny thing happened. The Nuggets went on a tear. They toppled the Charlotte Bobcats as expected. They dominated the Lakers on the home floor, went on the road to beat Portland and then, last night they toppled Goliath. The Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Nuggets at Pepsi Center after an incredible game winning Ty Lawson basket. It was as electric of a moment as fans have witnessed all season.
It’s as if Ujiri accomplished two very different things with his sound bite. At once he took the pressure off of the Nuggets and challenged them to be better.
Maybe they’re contenders, after all.
It’s still too soon to start fitting the Nuggets for rings, but it’s hard not to let four straight wins get you excited about what the future might hold. Denver is once again tied with Memphis for wins, but not for the fourth seed in the Western Conference, at least not yet. The Grizz have played three fewer games than the Nugs.
