The Nuggets are still licking their wounds from their round two playoff exit. They choked away Game 7 on their home floor after leading by 20 points in the third quarter. But if there was any semblance of a bright spot, it was that the Wolves simply outplayed them and it was an incredibly competitive, back-and-forth series with super high-level basketball being played.

Many were declaring that series to essentially be the NBA Finals, suggesting the Nuggets and Timberwolves were the two best teams in the league and the winner would cruise to a championship. If that ends up being the case, it would make the loss easier to stomach for Nuggets fans as one could reason they were the second-best team and are not that far away from getting back to the summit.

A T-Wolves title could also similarly impact the Nuggets’ offseason. If the Wolves win it all, the Nuggets can make a stronger case for bringing back the starting lineup and trying to improve on the margins by adding a few solid bench players and not much more.

Mavericks up 2-0 on the Timberwolves in the WCF

But so far, the Western Conference Finals have shown anything but that as the T-Wolves are down 0-2 after losing the first two games of the series at home. The Wolves certainly showed they can win on the road, beating the Nuggets three out of four times in Denver last round. But the Mavericks looked the part in the first two games, winning two tight games in the final minutes after playing far below their ceiling.

In Game 1, the Mavs shot just 6/25 from three-point range while the Wolves poured in 18 three-balls. Luka Doncic also struggled for most of the night, but the Mavs still found a way with Kyrie Irving keeping it close and then Luka bringing them home late. In game 2, the Wolves got up big, leading by as many as 18 points, but the Mavs steadily chipped away and made a late push with Doncic sinking the game-winning three over Rudy Gobert.

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns struggling

What must make this even more frustrating to watch for Nuggets fans is that Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Tows – who were brilliant against Denver – are both struggling mightily. Edwards has just 40 points combined in the two games, shooting a measly 11/33 overall from the field. At times he has looked physically exhausted on the floor and may be wearing down at the worst possible time for his team.

KAT was arguably the MVP of the Nuggets series, playing by far the best playoff basketball of his career and somewhat changing the discourse around him as a player. But through two games of this series, he’s reverted and then some, scoring just 31 points combined on 10/36 shooting. In fact, it was so bad that he was benched for the final 8 minutes of game 2. So far it’s been ugly, and if this continues the Nuggets may need to reevaluate under a new lens.