Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets were the very team that caved, paving the way for the 2018-19 Portland Trail-Blazers to go to the Conference Finals.
They don’t have a lot of playoff experience on their roster, and they rely on a lot of young guys in general. Outside of Paul Millsap (2976 career playoff minutes played), this team is still finding their footing with postseason basketball, including head coach Mike Malone.
Rudy Gobert has performed well against Nikola Jokic historically, and I feel like the Gobert/Donovan Mitchell duo is more dynamic than Jokic/Jamal Murray. Typically the team with the best player wins the series, and Mitchell has a real chance to steal that crown from Jokic if he’s off his game.
Yes, I realize the Nuggets beat us twice in the past two weeks. Yes, I realize Nikola Jokic totally owned Rudy Gobert in their last match-up. Yes, I realize the Nuggets are much deeper than the Jazz.
But when it comes to depth, I’d favor the Jazz’s top seven players (starting five plus Royce O’Neale and Jordan Clarkson) over the Nuggets and their hoards of above average players. The Jazz showed during their 10 game winning streak that when their five man units are playing with connectivity, they are unstoppable.
If a Jazz/Nuggets playoff series started tomorrow, I’d take the Jazz in six games.