"They don't have any holes in their system" - Austin Reaves gives Nuggets their props after they reach first-ever NBA Finals
Austin Reaves gave Denver Nuggets their flowers after they swept the LA Lakers to make their maiden NBA Finals appearance on Monday. The Nuggets won Game 4 113-111, despite trailing by 15 points at half-time.
They outplayed the Lakers down the stretch in all four games. They were better on both ends with a better-orchestrated roster than the Lakers.
Reaves reflected on the Nuggets' success, saying:
"They don't have holes in their system. They're not missing anything... You've got Jamal and Jokic and then you've got literally, if you could hand pick a team as far as like system and fit. You've got a cutter in Gordon, you got guys who can really shoot the ball... It's just a really good basketball team all-in-all."
Austin Reaves gave the Nuggets their well-deserved props: https://t.co/WDSyANtyzD
The Nuggets have had the most well-balanced and stable teams all season long. They did an excellent job adding pieces like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown in the mix with core players like Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon.
Denver also has significant bench depth if needed, with players like Jeff Green, Thomas Bryant and Reggie Jackson. Denver arguably has the most versatile team that can adjust to any system, giving them the edge against all three of their Western Conference opponents.
The LA Lakers were considered well-equipped to go toe-to-toe, but the Denver Nuggets' adjustments due to the pieces they had gave them a significant advantage, leading to their series sweep win.
Denver has the best net rating (+8) in the playoffs among all 16 playoff teams, which isn't a surprise, looking at how well they have shaped out to be on both ends.
Austin Reaves ends season with stellar run in debut playoffs campaign
Austin Reaves ended his sophomore season on a high. He was one of the best breakout performers this year. Reaves averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists, shooting on 53/40/86 splits, making a significant jump on his rookie numbers (7/3/2 on 46/32/84 splits).
Reaves started lower down the pecking order under new coach Darvin Ham but worked his way up the rotation as the season progressed. Many expected him to fall further out after the trade deadline with new backcourt additions like D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley.
However, Austin Reaves stepped it up a notch after that and played his way into the starting lineup with game-winning performances. Reaves kept his starting job in the playoffs and thrived in his debut postseason.
He improved on his regular season numbers, averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists, shooting on 46/44/89 splits. He was the third highest-scorer behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Austin Reaves averaged 17 points per game in his first playoff run while playing solid defense and serving as this team's secondary playmaker.
He was an undrafted free agent two years ago. It's still setting in just how incredible he turned out and how bright his future still is
Austin Reaves finished the Conference finals averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds shooting on 55/56/100 splits. He was notably a more consistent threat than LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a couple of games, giving the Nuggets' defense a run for their money, which hasn't been easy even for some of the top players they faced before.