Playoff party is years in making
Now Denver aims higher: Home court for the postseason
BOSTON» Sessions Harlan had never so much as gotten a public mention before Monday’s revelry at TD Garden, the night the Nuggets clinched their first playoff berth since 2013.
Denver’s cheerful security guard perked up, though, as Nuggets coach Michael Malone, tucked in a back hallway near the visitor’s locker room, explained what the milestone meant to him.
“It’s a credit to our staff, players, security guards, training staff, everybody,” Malone said. “We’re a very close group. … When you come to work every day with good people who share the same work ethic and the same common dream and have the patience to see it through, that’s so powerful.”
A vision born out of pain from the last two agonizing seasons was finally realized Monday night when the Nuggets secured their first playoff spot of the Malone era. With 13 games remaining and two days before the Nuggets continue their East Coast jaunt in Washington, D.C., Denver can bask in its 114-105 win over the Celtics.
“It’s party time, man,” said Malone, his words ringing with excitement. “If you don’t celebrate it, we’ve worked too hard.”
The culture that Malone referenced and steadfastly built throughout his first four years only works if there’s buy-in from the players. That’s where veterans like Will Barton, who was traded to the Nuggets months before Malone was hired, and Gary Harris become integral to the process. On this night, the two drilled six of Denver’s 14 3-pointers to seal the game.
“Me and Gary are two guys (that are) always one of the first people in the gym, last ones to leave,”
Barton said. “I feel like when you set the tone like that, guys fall right in. Jamal (Murray), with his work ethic. Malik (Beasley), you’ve seen his production and growth this year. Then we bring in guys like Paul (Millsap), who’s the same way. Add, add, add to that and you build a culture.”
The pain of last year’s overtime loss to Minnesota on the final day of the regular season stuck with Barton, and he was determined to never feel that again. Truth be told, it stuck with the whole team, the shared experience fueling this season’s surge.
“Just told myself, ‘We’re not doing that,’ ” Barton said. “We had a meeting. The first day of training camp (in San Diego), the night before, we all met. We talked to each other about our roles and what we wanted to accomplish this year.”
After carrying the Nuggets to the seminal win, Nikola Jokic was about as reflective as Denver’s franchise center gets.
“We said what we wanted to do at the beginning of the season and that’s what we did. … Now we want to do something more,” he said.
Monday was a noteworthy milestone, but the feeling around the Nuggets the last few days has been more businesslike than excitement. Until the playoffs, when this team treads fresh footprints, the Nuggets don’t feel like they’ve accomplished anything yet.
“We’re not satisfied with just being a playoff team and just eking into the playoffs,” Malone said. “We want to go in there playing our best basketball of the season and see if we can get home-court advantage. “
Once there, the Nuggets will face a new tier of desperation and a new edge to their opponents. Games like Monday’s against the Celtics, with a rowdy crowd begging for a comeback, will become commonplace. It will expose just how strong the bonds in Denver’s locker room really are.
“You can stay in shape, you can try to keep a good rhythm going into it, but playoffs are playoffs,” Millsap said. “Different atmosphere, different preparation, different situation. You can try to prepare for it. Once you’re in it, that’s when you really feel it.”