The MVPs faced off against one another and delivered an absolute spectacle. Well, it depends on which side you ask. The Oklahoma City Thunder dominated the stat sheet and the majority of the game. Aside from Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets seldom found moments of success. Yet, a pair of missed free throws opened up the window to reward their unrelenting spirit. Aaron Gordon continued to earn his stripes as a star performer for the Nuggets, hitting the game-winning three to steal a game from the Thunder.

The Nuggets’ bench went wild as the scene erupted. However, it was indeed a long night for them. They had to keep chipping at the Thunder’s lead, which may not have been possible without their ace’s passion. During the second quarter, the cameras caught Jokic yelling and demanding that his teammates get their minds right.

This, coming at a time the three-time MVP has taken the chalkboard to draw plays and take control, adds fuel to the conversations about him maybe overruling coach David Adelman. But the Nuggets HC sees this as a way to build camaraderie within the Nuggets. Hence, not only does he encourage Nikola Jokic, but Adelman thinks it’s best to maintain an active dialogue between players.

“I mean I think it gets you focus on schematics. You don’t have to go in and rally the group to stay together in tough moments. That’s already happening and they are already having that conversation… You brought up Nikola, the intensity of the game, people calming him down, him calming other people down, you need that. So when I step in there, we can just talk about trying to win the game, not trying to balance egos or any of that stuff. It goes a long way in high, intense moments,” he said about Jokic’s speech.

He felt prideful as the Nuggets bench, which intently listened to Jokic, didn’t have any discourse. In fact, they needed the fire under their belly to pull off an upset against the top seed. And even though they didn’t play particularly well, the Nuggets came to fight. And although not dependable, they managed to emerge victorious in the scrap.

The Nuggets can’t rely on their performance from Game 1

It is mind-boggling to figure out how the Denver Nuggets managed to win Game 1 of their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yes, Nikola Jokic went berserk, compiling 42 points and 22 rebounds in another stellar display. However, OKC turned in a far more systematic game than their rivals.

They had half the turnovers, double the Nuggets’ steals, and shot the ball better from beyond the arc. So what held the Nuggets together? Aside from their iron wills, it was “playing hard” according to Adelman.

“I mean, we hit the glass. I mean we had 27 second chance points. That’s just all effort on a night where shots are not going in. Unfortunately, they outscored us in fastbreak 27-21. But 21 is a great number. And then we talked about this. The best paint defense maybe I have ever seen, and to get 54 in the paint in this playoff building. What that means is you are working really hard to try to stay in the game,” he added.

The Nuggets grabbed 20 more rebounds than the Thunder. While it only resulted in a six-point advantage for them, it allowed them to remain close. Towards the end, the Thunder played the foul game, banking on making their free throws. That cost them. However, although Adelman is happy about the win, he knows the Nuggets can’t just rely on effort.

“When things may not be going your way, you make only 10 threes, your assists totals are low but we just played hard and played together. And like I said, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win every game that way but you’re going to give yourself a great chance. And we did that, and things worked out for us,” he said about the result.

With the series shaped up for a thriller, who do you think will win in this battle of MVPs? Let us know your views in the comments below.