Once the responded to being punched in the mouth in Games 1 and 2 at home by the , they sat in the driver's seat after winning three straight to take a 3-2 series lead. The entirety of the basketball world wrote off the Wolves as the series headed back to Minnesota, thinking the defending champs had hit their stride at the exact right time. It almost seemed meant to be for Denver to complete the comeback and advance to the Conference Finals on their way to their second-straight NBA title, but the Wolves responded with a 45-point destruction on their home floor to send the series back to the Mile High City.
Denver still remained confident with Game 7 in their building, and that confidence ratcheted up another level when they took a 15-point lead at halftime that ballooned to 20 early in the third. Minnesota's clunky offense was sputtering, couldn't find a basket, and the Nuggets were clicking on all cylinders. Suddenly, Minnesota's defense took over the game, looked human, and Denver's all-world starting five couldn't do a thing.
and advance, leaving the Nuggets in an unfamiliar place of disappointment. Denver Put Up Strong Effort Against Minnesota While this series loss was concerning on several levels for the Nuggets, they shouldn't overreact to a game in which they were up 20 points against an elite Timberwolves team with a chance to play for another Western Conference Title. Many have even argued that this series was the true West Finals, or even the NBA Finals.
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