Here we stand: Clippers vs. Nuggets, tied 3–3 in a Round 1 Game 7, a showdown few predicted. Remarkably, Dwyane Wade foresaw Denver’s slip. Before the playoffs even tipped off, Wade warned everyone: “Even though Denver is supposed to win,” he said, with Kawhi Leonard back, “this is going to be a very tough matchup for Denver.” Now, what made Wade so certain?

On an episode of The Why with Dwyane Wade, he broke it down in classic D-Wade fashion. “Kawhi Leonard coming back off surgery — the 4th or 5th surgery — whatever he had on his knee, he is shiftier.” Despite the never-ending mystery surrounding Kawhi’s knee, Wade wasn’t buying the doubts. In fact, he doubled down on Leonard’s playoff magic: “Can no one guard him when he get that ball about 15ft out of, however way you want to say it, and he’s never been able to stop.” That’s high praise, and it’s aging pretty well.

But then came the shocker—Denver firing Michael Malone just before the postseason madness began. Yep, their championship-winning coach out the door right as things got real. Coming off their 2023 title, Denver’s stability seemed shaken, but no coach change occurred. Even Wade felt Denver’s chances were now hanging by a thread. Unless Jokic had something to say about it.

Sure enough, Jokic showed up in the biggest way. Wade gave him his flowers: “The best player in the game.” And here’s why—“They just lost their head coach… It’s hard to go into this battle with the Clippers without the guy that led y’all to a championship, without that voice over there, without that leader over there.”

And yet, Jokic didn’t just step up—he led. As Wade put it, “The best player’s voice has risen… to watch him do that, that’s for me, he’s already great.” Then came the moment of truth: “To me, Joker, he really, he showed me something that I didn’t know that they was going to have because once they lost their coach, I was like, oh, it’s over with.” Not so fast, D-Wade. Jokic had other plans.

Dwyane witnessed Nikola Jokic carrying the Nuggets into the playoffs

For starters, Denver didn’t exactly cruise into the postseason drama-free. Sure, they had one of the most explosive offenses in the league, but behind the scenes? Total chaos. The vibes were off. And that turbulence off the court felt even louder than the shaky moments on it. No one expected a team that recently hoisted a championship trophy to unravel this fast.

The Nuggets’ march to the postseason was anything but smooth. Despite ranking second in offensive rating during the regular season, Denver endured locker-room turbulence that threatened to derail its title defense. Sources told Bleacher Report that head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth “seldom engaged with each other,” with staff feeling “obligated to take sides” as an “us-vs-them” dynamic poisoned the building.

Apparently, they barely spoke unless owner Stan Kroenke was in the room. Then came the shocker: with just three games left in the regular season, the Kroenkes hit reset, firing both Malone and Booth. A playoff team suddenly leaderless?

Naturally, the effects hit hard. The chemistry looked scrambled, and even a Jokic masterclass couldn’t save them in a thriller against Minnesota. The big man dropped a ridiculous 61-point triple-double, but late-game errors—including a Russell Westbrook foul that led to three game-sealing free throws—turned a potential win into a gut-punch loss.

Amid all this, Jokic’s patience seems to be thinning. Despite averaging a monster 30-12.8-10.2 stat line, the three-time MVP is reportedly frustrated with his teammates’ sluggish defense and overall inconsistency. A stark contrast to the composure he displayed under Malone.

As the Nuggets head into a winner-takes-all Game 7, the narrative is clear: Denver can’t rely on Jokić alone. While Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr., and Bruce Brown bring firepower, the team must coalesce quickly to avoid another cliffhanger exit. Even Dwyane Wade, who once doubted Denver without Malone’s steady hand, acknowledges that it’s Jokic’s unflappable grit that remains the franchise’s best chance at weathering this postseason storm.