Getty LeBron James, Lakers, agrees with Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets are currently dueling out in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals.
Million Dollar Question: Can the Nuggets beat the Lakers?
“I’m not putting nothing past them,” Utah Jazz guard, Emmanuel Mudiay told me along with his brother, Jean-Michel Mudiay on the Heavy Live with Scoop B Show.
Mudiay appeared on the show while also promoting his nonprofit Emmanuel Mudiay Foundation, which focuses on the uplifting single parents and childeren and feeding coommunities across the globe.
“Everybody was thinking that the Clippers were going to go ahead and do their thing to them,” Emmanuel Mudiay said referring to the Nuggets.
“But, and the reason why I say this is because I know those guys personally. Like, if I didn’t know ‘em, I would’ve been like whatever. But I know them and I know the drive that they have. I know that they wanna win and like, they’re going to play hard regardless.”
The winner between the Lakers and the Nuggets will head to the NBA Finals and will face the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers currently hold a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series, a former Nuggets himself, Mudiay gave his assessment on how the Nuggets can get back into the series. “I don’t doubt the confidence at all,” he told Heavy Live With Scoop B.
Denver Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (Getty)
“I think it’s more about locking in more and paying attention to details.”
Which leads to the final play of Game 2 when Anthony Davis hit the game winner with 2.1 seconds remaining.
“I think that they were trying to switch everything,” said Mudiay.
“But Mason and Jerami were so locked in on LeBron that AD snuck in and got wide open; that’s how he got the shot and I don’t know exactly what Mike Malone told them to do but, Mason could’ve probably kept going with AD because LeBron didn’t set the screen. But it’s like I said, paying attention to details and the game plan.”
How do the Lakers close this thing out?
“If I’m the Lakers, you’re up 2-0,” he said.
“You can’t relax. You know what I mean? Like, with those guys. Every team has been up on Denver including us — been up on Denver and they’ve always come back, so somebody has to figure out a way like, ‘Okay. We go up 5 or 10, we gotta make that 15 or 20. Like, we can’t let them keep getting energy and little stuff like this to get them going…’ so I think — and everybody knows just being in and out, everybody knows exactly what’s coming… you KNOW Jokic is going to have the ball, you KNOW Murray is going to have the ball; you KNOW ‘Bron and AD are going to have the ball, but now it’s other people stepping up even if those guys have an off game, just other people stepping up and coming up big.”