Outside of area code 303, is anybody cheering for the Nuggets to win a championship? As the playoffs begin, it seems as if the powers that be in the NBA would just as soon Denver go away. Out of sight, out of mind … and out in the opening round?
Our gritty, little No. 1 seed is being disrespected again, cast as two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the not-ready-for-prime-time players. The Nuggets open the NBA playoffs on Sunday night, about the time you tell the kids to brush their teeth and get ready for bed.
While the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns will be featured in prime time on TNT, the Nuggets are scheduled to play Game 1 at Ball Arena against the final survivor of the play-in tournament during the 8:30 p.m. slot, which starts on time less often than an appointment at the doctor’s office.
Try not to take it personally, but the powers that be in the NBA don’t give a darn about Denver. So should we be surprised the Nuggets are asked to tip off a game when it’s convenient for everybody except the No. 1 seed in the West?
“I always expect the worst,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said Wednesday.
With the never-ending, nonsensical dispute between Comcast and Altitude leaving many fans of the Nuggets in the dark for yet another season of Jokic’s prime, the playoffs finally arrive and Denver gets a slot on national TV but no respect.
Although Jokic could soon be voted the league’s most valuable player for a third time, putting him in the lofty company of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, he’s a reluctant superstar who ranked behind Kevin Durant, not to mention Damian Lillard and LaMelo Ball, in jersey sales during the second half of this NBA season.
Have you seen the betting odds established by the wise guys in Las Vegas? Well, if not, read ‘em and weep.
The Nuggets might have the best record in the West, but are 11-to-1 dark horses to win the first championship in franchise history. In addition to Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia, three beasts from the East, Phoenix and Golden State, who finished fourth and sixth respectively behind Denver in the West, are a better bet to win it all than the Nuggets, according to the odds posted by Draft Kings.
Yes, the Nuggets have nobody to blame except themselves for the expectation they’re a No. 1 seed in danger of crashing and burning in the playoffs. After the all-star break in February, Denver’s effort fluctuated somewhere between uneven and lackadaisical, which resulted in a 12-11 record, worse than seven teams in the West.
The Nuggets reside in a fly-over NBA city without any championship tradition. The Vegas oddsmakers have given them a vote of no confidence, and I’d be willing to bet that network sports programming honchos are rooting against Denver.
Can the NBA league office not find our dusty old cowtown on a map? Last I checked, the Suns and Clippers are both located west of Colorado and both reside in cities where the clock currently runs an hour behind the time on the wall in Denver.
Malone, however, will try to look on the bright side.
The Nuggets’ first-round opponent won’t be decided until Friday night. Maybe the late tip on Sunday will give the No. 1 seed a little extra time to prepare.
“We’ll try to use it to our advantage,” Malone said.
But should the rest of us be offended?
Absolutely. That’s part of the fun of living in the lost time zone, isn’t it? So howl at the waning moon, which will be hanging over Denver when the Nuggets take the floor for their home playoff games at the outset of the opening round.
Rather than feeling the weight and pressure of expectation, the Nuggets should embrace the idea of being a No. 1 seed nobody in the NBA outside of area code 303 truly respects.
Dissed by Las Vegas oddsmakers and television executives alike, does Jokic have what it takes to prove everybody wrong?
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