Remember Russell Westbrook`s unlikely Game 1 heroics from beyond the arc for the Denver Nuggets? Were you amazed by Kawhi Leonard`s incredible scoring display in Game 2 as the Los Angeles Clippers evened the series? It turns out, those were just previews.
The main event of what`s shaping up to be one of the greatest first-round series in NBA history unfolded on Saturday. The Nuggets, trailing 2-1 and desperately needing a change in momentum, snatched perhaps the most breathtaking victory of the season. Aaron Gordon delivered the decisive blow with a buzzer-beating dunk in Game 4, reportedly the first in playoff history.
This victory shouldn`t have been so dramatic. Denver held a commanding 22-point lead early in the fourth quarter, up 87-65. Historically, only 18 teams in the NBA playoffs have ever lost a lead of 22 points or more at any point in a game. That number becomes even smaller when considering only fourth-quarter leads. Yet, roughly ten minutes after being down by 22, the Clippers had clawed back to take a 97-96 lead. If not for some clutch plays from Nikola Jokić in the final minute, Gordon`s stunning finish wouldn`t have even been possible.
So, let`s pause and catch our breath. Now that the dust has settled, let`s dissect exactly what transpired. How did the Clippers come so close to stealing the game? And how did Gordon ultimately rescue it?
An Exhausting Gamble
The Nuggets actually managed to give Nikola Jokić a decent break of four minutes and 28 seconds in the second quarter. This was possible because, in a somewhat rare playoff occurrence, their bench unit managed to maintain the lead; Jokić left with a five-point advantage and returned with a three-point one. Seeing that a substantial rest period had been successfully navigated in the first half, interim coach David Adelman decided to keep Jokić on the court for the entire remainder of the game. He played the final 31 minutes and 32 seconds, interrupted only by halftime.
Adelman employed a similar approach in Game 2. Jokić sat for nearly five minutes in the second quarter, and a six-point lead only shrank to three. He then finished that game as well. However, a key difference was that the Clippers were leading Game 2 by two points when Jokić would typically have taken his fourth-quarter break. Adelman likely felt that removing Jokić at that critical juncture would risk the lead widening significantly, making it a gamble he couldn`t afford. As Game 2 wore on, Jokić visibly struggled with fatigue, notably missing four crucial second-half free throws in a game decided by just three points. The decision was defensible in the moment, but it highlighted the inherent risks involved.
The major difference on Saturday was the Nuggets` 20-point cushion heading into the fourth quarter. The same degree of immediate risk didn`t seem apparent. Had the Clippers started the quarter with a quick burst, say a 6-0 run, Adelman could have relatively safely reinserted a somewhat rested Jokić. The probable hope was to quickly put the game out of reach so Jokić could sit for good after just a few minutes. However, by keeping him out there for the entire second half, he was less effective when the lead did start to evaporate. Jokić scored with 11:12 left in the fourth quarter but did not score again until the final minute, despite Denver`s desperate need for someone to generate offense. Of course, the Clippers also deserve credit for their role in stifling the Nuggets` attack.
A Daring Defensive Shift
The Clippers are a team that almost never utilizes zone defense. According to Synergy Sports, they used it on only 22 possessions across the entire regular season. This makes sense for a team that ranked third defensively; with so many versatile, high-level individual defenders, resorting to a zone rarely seemed necessary. They typically have an answer for nearly any offensive threat through individual matchups.
However, switching to a zone proved strategically sound for two main reasons. The first is timing – a favorite tactic of coaches like Erik Spoelstra. Unleashing a zone defense mid-game in the playoffs gives the opponent no opportunity for prior study or preparation. While these are elite professionals who will eventually figure it out with enough exposure, seeing an unfamiliar defense in real-time can temporarily disrupt even the best offenses. Anthony Edwards pointed this out after a game in the Lakers-Timberwolves series. It`s an effective mid-series adjustment that works well initially before offenses can adapt.
The second reason was specifically tailored to the Nuggets. Effective shooting is the best weapon against a zone, and the Nuggets attempted the fewest three-pointers in the NBA, largely due to their roster`s inconsistent outside shooters. Denver is highly proficient in most offensive areas, ranking in the 90th percentile league-wide in efficiency according to Synergy. Their half-court offense was in the 83rd percentile, their after-timeout and against-man offenses were in the 87th, and their against-press offense ranked a dominant 97th.
But their offense against zones? It ranked in the 37th percentile. This is one of Denver`s key offensive vulnerabilities, and the Clippers had seemingly kept this secret weapon hidden for the perfect moment.
What did this zone look like? It was an unusual 1-1-3 formation. One defender, typically Kawhi Leonard, applied pressure high up the court on the ball-handler. A second defender, usually Bogdan Bogdanović, operated at the next level, prepared to aggressively challenge the ball or slide to make it difficult for Jokić to receive passes. The remaining three defenders covered the back line. Ivica Zubac protected the rim, while James Harden and Norman Powell positioned themselves towards the middle, ready to use their quick hands for steals and deflections.
According to Synergy, the Clippers ran five zone defense possessions against the Nuggets in the fourth quarter. Denver failed to score on any of them. This zone clearly caused significant confusion for the Nuggets, who spent the entire fourth quarter looking hesitant with the ball and committing turnovers. Their unreliable jump shooters missed, and with nothing available at the rim due to three defenders crowding it, the Nuggets` offense ground to a halt. It was only thanks to Jokić`s individual brilliance that they managed to score the crucial three points in the final minute just to reach 99 and force overtime. However, the final two points, the game-winners, belonged to Gordon.
A Perfect Alignment
Standard defensive procedure on a game-tying or game-winning inbound play is usually to switch everything. The logic is that these are quick-hitting plays, so conceding a temporary mismatch on a potentially low-percentage shot is acceptable to avoid open looks. The Clippers, however, chose not to do this. Conceding a mismatch with only eight seconds left, especially with the play likely designed for Jokić on the perimeter, felt too risky.
Instead, every defender initially stuck to their assigned man through the play`s initial movements. Only as the final seconds ticked down did Leonard drift off Jamal Murray and rush to double-team Jokić. He did this with reasonable confidence that Jokić didn`t have the time or clear space to make a clean pass back to Murray, and he was correct; Jokić was forced into a difficult shot attempt.
However, Leonard`s decision to double-team had ripple effects across the rest of the defense. Bogdanović had to step up higher, closer to the free-throw line area, in case Jokić somehow attempted the pass to Murray, allowing him to potentially intercept it. James Harden`s attention was rightly fixed on the ball. Seeing what was unfolding, he recognized that he needed to box out Bogdanović`s assignment, Christian Braun, since Bogdanović himself was preoccupied.
This sequence left Harden`s man, Aaron Gordon, completely unmarked. Gordon had positioned himself slightly lower than the typical “dunker`s spot,” giving him room to build momentum if no one boxed him out. This allowed him to step into his jump and launch himself off both feet a split-second faster than the defenders in front of him. Those defenders were so focused on the shot itself that they were half a beat late reacting to the rebound. As a result, nobody was able to contest him. Gordon easily secured the ball, and the rest, as they say, is history.
If that shot had hit the rim, the game would have gone to overtime. If the Clippers had switched assignments, Jokić likely would have attacked the resulting mismatch (presumably Harden), the Clippers would likely have double-teamed him anyway, and someone else on the Nuggets might have had a shot at a game-winner. If Leonard hadn`t doubled, perhaps the Clippers would have been in a better rebounding position because Bogdanović could have been involved in boxing out. A perfect combination of circumstances aligned for Gordon to make that dunk, but he also read the play flawlessly and executed one of the greatest game-winning plays in NBA history.
Jasper Hawthorne