In the final seconds of the Nuggets Game 7 choke job loss to the Timberwolves, some Wolves players started the celebration a little early. The fate of the game and series was all but decided and while Anthony Edwards was dribbling the ball up the court and running the clock out, he began gesturing and waving goodbye to the Ball Arena crowd in Denver.
Seconds later, Ant passed the ball to Jaden McDaniels and instead of letting the clock expire, McDaniels bounced the ball high off the ground and went up to attempt a circus dunk just before the final buzzer. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope prevented the exclamation point dunk with a foul, but the intent of McDaniels and the T-Wolves to show up the Nuggets was clear.
Jokic was not a fan of the Wolves’ antics
In the moment, Jokic seemed upset by the behavior of the Timberwolves players. He appeared to be perturbed that the game and series were essentially decided and the young Wolves team continued to pour it on and showboat.
Jokic approached Edwards on the court and the two stars exchanged words as the seconds ticked away. Now the audio has leaked from their conversation and it sounds as if Jokic was asking Edwards why they would do that? In response, Ant essentially just stared back at the Joker and pointed up at the scoreboard.
The Nuggets and Timberwolves rivalry continues to grow
Obviously there are no rules against doing what the Wolves did, but there are unwritten rules that most teams and players all abide by. When a team waives the white flag as the Nuggets did, the victors usually just run out the clock and graciously accept their win.
But the young, inexperienced Wolves have never won on this level and they let out their emotions. There’s nothing wrong with what they did and the Wolves took ownership, embracing the cockiness and showmanship.
Sure, this may have rubbed some people the wrong way, but I actually have no problem with it. Teams having a healthy dislike for each other is a good thing for the league. It’s fine for players to want to win and to want to rub it in their opponents faces when they do so.
If anything, hopefully this sent a message to the Nuggets and got their attention, adding fresh motivation for them to come back a better team next year and make sure they are ready to take down the T-Wolves.
