In 2022, the MVP race became about so much more than just whether you thought Nikola Jokic, or Joel Embiid was the better player. The MVP race between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid came to define the last half of the 2021-22 regular season. In the end, Jokic won his second consecutive MVP, averaging 27.1
Denver Nuggets
The back-cut is among the simplest but most spectacular plays in basketball. Gary Payton II and Bruce Brown are two of the best practitioners of this art form. There is something aesthetically captivating about the back-cut and the way it unfolds. Time slows for a second. From the bleachers or our couches, we can see
The 76ers and Nuggets have each shaken up their guard rotations on the trade market. Will De’Anthony Melton and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope unlock better versions of their new teams? NBA Draft night featured almost no player movement on the trade market, but the 76ers’ acquisition of De’Anthony Melton was the kind of marginal addition that could
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. This morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke news that Nikola Jokic had been selected as the NBA MVP, with an official announcement to come later this week. It was Jokic’s
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 27: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he thought he was fouled by the Denver Nuggetsin the second half during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Chase Center on April 27, 2022 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Last week on The Whiteboard, I began the annual exercise of examining the offensive style of each team using the same NBA offensive style charts I’ve been building for
Apr 16, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) dribbles the ball in warmups before game one of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports 76ers steamroll Raptors for 2-0 series lead: Best memes and
Every NBA MVP candidate has flaws in their resume but digging into those flaws leads down a neverending rabbit hole of arguments and counterarguments. The NBA MVP Award, given to the most valuable player of the current regular season, has been around since 1956. Until the 1979-80 season, players voted on the winner. Since then,
The Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets feature three of the smartest and most creative stars in the NBA. How will their first-round matchup play out? The NBA playoffs have a way of selecting for the most disciplined, intelligent and adaptable teams, but it’s still rare for the first round to deliver the kind of
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Wayne Ellington called out Denver Nuggets point guard Facundo Campazzo on Twitter after an egregious flagrant 2 foul. Sometimes, a flagrant 2 foul call just isn’t enough. At least, that’s how Lakers shooting guard Wayne Ellington seems to feel following a high-scoring 146-141 win over the Denver Nuggets on April
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning.’ There are just nine days left in the NBA season and plenty of things still need to work themselves out. To break down some of the biggest questions in
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Most of the NBA is preparing to take a break for the All-Star festivities but everything else is popping off — awards races, budding rivalries, and more. To break
Denver Nuggets point guard Austin Rivers reveals how he really feels about the Golden State Warriors’ success this season. Austin Rivers is quite candid when it comes to speaking his mind. Described as “so real, so honest, and so authentic”, Rivers has self-scouted his play during his recent COVID quarantine, admitting that he “hasn’t been
Denver Nuggets Nikola Jokic had the final say on the Jokic-Morris feud by blaring the Serbian national anthem in a Miami nightclub after the Nov. 29 win. The heated feud between Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris began on Nov. 8 after Jokic reacted to Morris with a dirty play. The moment caused Jokic, Morris and
Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler. (Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports) NBA Twitter bowing down to Stephen Curry, monster performance for Warriors by Cody Williams NFL quarterback rankings, Week 10: Josh Allen struggles by Matt Verderame Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler wanted to meet Nikola Jokic outside for a fight after the Nuggets forward cheap shotted Markieff
Nov 1, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Jeff Green (32) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzles guard Desmond Bane (22) defends during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports NBA reportedly looking to start it’s own version of ManningCast by Scott Rogust Jeff Green of the Denver Nuggets
For the first part of this season, Jamal Murray will be an inanimate object for the Denver Nuggets. What happens when he comes back to life? These injury timetables are like forgettable Wyclef Jean songs. You’re gone until you’re not. Everyone is lucky if it’s only until November. But the Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray will
Why Zion Williamson’s foot injury could spell trouble for the Pelicans, plus what Michael Porter Jr.’s max extension means for the Nuggets moving forward. Monday’s NBA headlines rightfully centered on a small but vocal group of maddeningly selfish and deeply misguided players using incoherent, bad-faith rhetoric to support grossly irresponsible and scientifically indefensible decisions to
Can Michael Porter Jr. cement himself as one of the NBA’s top up-and-coming scoring dynamos in 2021-22? Michael Porter Jr. is a walking bucket. During his first season as a full-time starter with the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 19.0 points on 54.2 percent shooting. He was one of only two players leaguewide who knocked down
Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns. (Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports) Tom Ricketts still worried about money and CBA despite Cubs success by Mark Powell The Denver Nuggets and their fans just keep taking L’s in their best-of-seven series vs. the Phoenix Suns. Down 0-3 in their best-of-seven series vs. the Phoenix Suns, this pair of
Jamal Murray just liked a tweet linking him to the Los Angeles Lakers and now fans are dreaming of him joining the team. In recent years, Jamal Murray has solidified himself as a true standout in the NBA. It led to the Denver Nuggets signing him to a massive five-year deal in 2019 worth $158
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports With Damian Lillard reportedly considering asking for a trade, these are the teams who could get the Trail Blazer’s attention with a compelling offer. After their early exit from the 2021 NBA Playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers knew they’d face a pivotal offseason. It just got a whole lot more dramatic. Talisman
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 12: Robin Wilson of The Gin Blossoms joins The Smithereens Live in concert at Sony Hall on January 12, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Debra L Rothenberg/Getty Images) Watch: Mad Max Scherzer lost his mind and patience over umpires searching for ‘sticky stuff’ by Braulio Perez The Gin
The Nuggets were shorthanded and worn down in their loss to the Suns, but they’ll still need to make meaningful improvements this offseason to reach the NBA’s top tier of title contenders. Getting swept by a legitimate championship contender while missing three key rotation players shouldn’t send the Nuggets into crisis mode, but it should
Credit: Nic Antaya/Getty Images After a dismal second-round exit from the playoffs, these three players won’t be back with the Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets’ season ended Sunday night with a loss to the Phoenix Suns. A four-game second-round playoff sweep was completed, with MVP Nikola Jokic off the floor for them after being ejected
Nikola Jokic was ejected from Game 4 after a frustration foul on Cam Payne. With their backs against the wall in Game 4 of their second-round series against the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets needed their MVP to have the game of his life to avoid the sweep. Unfortunately for the Nuggets and for Nikola
MIAMI, FLORIDA – JANUARY 27: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets reacts during action against the Miami Heat during the second quarter at American Airlines Arena on January 27, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Gerald Bourguet has more on the Suns’ Game 1 victory over the Nuggets from a Phoenix perspective but I think it’s worth highlighting again, just how much Denver is
NBA players and fans were left stunned watching Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard’s insane performance against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. For those of you who happened to be watching the Phoenix Suns easily disposing of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5, you missed Dame Time. That is right, Portland Trail Blazers star
May 27, 2021; Portland, Oregon, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr. (1) shoots the ball during the first half of game three in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports Derrick Rose confirms he’d like to re-sign with Knicks (Video) by Alicia de