Ty Lue makes feelings crystal clear after Aaron Gordon's dunk crushes Clippers hopes in Game 4: "We've been talking about for five years"
Aaron Gordon's putback dunk at the buzzer in Game 4 helped the Denver Nuggets tie the series 2-2 against the LA Clippers. Coach Ty Lue made his feelings clear about the game-winner, pointing out the Clippers' bad positioning to get offensive rebounds.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Lue was asked about his team's loss to the Nuggets and Gordon's dunk. The result would have been different if the Clippers had just boxed out the athletic forward. The one-time NBA champion coach preached offensive rebounding, which he had been reminding his players of since he took charge of the team in 2020.
"Things we've been talking about for five years," Lue said, according to Sports Illustrated's Joey Linn. "Offensive rebounds… Joker shot an airball… Gordon made a hell of a play. It is what it is."
The game was tied at 99, with eight seconds left in regulation. The Denver Nuggets had possession, so they naturally went with Nikola Jokic for the last shot. Jokic was defended by Ivica Zubac, but two more players went to help.
"The Joker" went for the fadeaway but missed the rim badly. Aaron Gordon came out of nowhere to catch the airball and hit the putback dunk at the buzzer. The stunned crowd inside the Intuit Dome, as well as the LA Clippers players, thought that it didn't count.
However, the officials reviewed the play rigorously and found that the ball was out of Gordon's hands when the buzzer sounded. The Nuggets defeated the Clippers 101-99 to tie the series 2-2 heading into Game 5 in Denver.
Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic confirm if final play came from a pass or a miss
In their postgame press conference, Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic gave mixed signals about whether the final play involved a pass or a miss. Gordon initially credited Jokic for a great pass that resulted in his game-winning dunk, with the Denver Nuggets superstar responding with a "yes."
After a moment of silence, a reporter, who was still unsure, asked "The Joker" if it was a pass or a miss.
"No, no it wasn't," Jokic responded.
Jokic and Gordon laughed afterward, though it's safe to assume that it's indeed a miss. Even coach David Adelman rolled his eyes when a reporter asked if it was a pass or a miss. Jokic has had so many alley-oops to Gordon in important possessions over the years that it was hard to distinguish this most recent one.