OUTSHINING THE SUNS

DURANT AND BOOKER MADE PHOENIX A HOT POSTSEASON PICK, BUT JOKIĆ AND MURRAY STEPPED UP TO STEAL THE SHOW

- ROHAN NADKARNI

THE NUGGETS had heard it all, ad nauseum. Nikola Jokić can't play defense. Jamal Murray can't do it outside of the bubble. They can't win on the road. They were terrible down the stretch. The West just wasn't that good this year. They'll be exposed in the playoffs.

For nearly an entire season, it seemed like the discourse around Denver centered on why this team couldn't win an NBA championship despite being the No. 1 seed in its conference. Whether this was tied to the skepticism around Jokić's two MVPs or simply the result of faith in bigger names on other teams-including Phoenix, where a midseason trade added Kevin Durant to pair with Devin Booker-the Nuggets hadn't exactly been a sexy Finals pick over the past few months. Headed into the playoffs, many oddsmakers gave them the fifth-or sixth-best chance to win a title, despite having a fully healthy roster for the first time in years.