That Game Three of the Blazers-Nuggets semifinal-round series came to within a free throw of forcing a league-record fifth overtime underscored the resolve of the protagonists. It wasn’t just that they wanted to win; more tellingly, it was that they refused to lose. To a man, they toiled as if there were no other games left to negotiate in the postseason. Even the coaches hung tough; hardly any substitutions outside of last-shot settings — or, in the case of the most impactful one, of an unavoidable circumstance — were made. The players that forced extended action after extended action were going to decide the outcome.
In this regard, the contest became a battle of attrition. Each side was taking the measure of the other, exchanging seemingly decisive haymakers and, as the night wore on, missed opportunities until it became apparent to all and sundry that the end would come only after one blinked. That certain one happened to be Nikola Jokic, who flubbed the front end of two charities he earned with 5.6 ticks left in the fourth extra period; had he canned it instead, the match would have likely continued for at least five more minutes.
Not that the Most Valuable Player candidate could be blamed for the fatal miss. Up until then, Jokic had been burning rubber without any rest for a whopping 53 minutes and 46 seconds dating back to early in the second quarter. And fatigue had clearly set in; not for nothing had he produced only two points in the extra period heading into his trip to the stripe. To be sure, his presence on the court was required for the Nuggets to keep in step with the hosts; he was their principal playmaker who kept the defense honest and allowed teammates to generate good looks at the basket.
The Blazers, meanwhile, had the same mindset. They were determined to roll with the same faces that got them close to the finish line. And then fate intervened; Mo Harkless cramped up and had to be replaced by the very fresh Rodney Hood, who turned out to be the hero. When his number was called with 1:59 left in the fourth OT, he literally hop-skipped his way to the action from the scorer’s table and promptly scored on three straight possessions. The last shot, taken with supreme confidence off a pump-fake and sidestep from beyond the arc, turned a one-point deficit into a two-point lead and subsequently obligated Jokic to make the aforesaid free throws.
Not surprisingly, the aftermath reflected the take-no-prisoners nature of the encounter. Countless fans at the Moda Center stayed in their seats long after the final buzzer sounded, still shell-shocked by the experience and taking time to catch their breaths. In the locker rooms, knees were being iced, bruises and bumps were being tended to, and, depending on perspective, egos were either being stoked or being soothed. Among the “casualties” of war: the Blazers’ Enes Kanter, who got treatment for his separated shoulder. He’s happy, though; he may have been fueled solely by adrenaline late in the game, but he’d gladly take 56 minutes of pain for a playoff team than recall his immediate past riding the pine for the lottery-bound Knicks.
Today is another day, and the next game beckons. The Blazers will be aiming for another triumph to consolidate their hold on the series even as the Nuggets are bent on reclaiming homecourt advantage. How exertions in Game Three will impact performances moving forward figure to mold the future. One thing’s sure, though: there will be no retreat, and there will be no surrender.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
