A grade-schooler stormed the field just after Messi, the Argentinian midfielder with the magic left foot, had fled the Colorado Rapids’ 3-2 loss. Then another. And another.

A young man in an FC Barcelona shirt made it the longest, twisting and shouting past security for about 50 seconds, breaking at least four ankles inside the 18-yard box before being hauled down to the turf. We counted at least five field-stormers in all, scamps to the last.

“I work at a school, and I see kids with Messi’s shirt in every classroom,” Claudia Hendricks said. “And I told them, ‘I’m from the same town,’ and people say, ‘Really?’ And they want to touch me. It’s weird.”

Hendricks has called Boulder home for decades. But Claudia, you see, actually hails from Messi’s hometown of Rosario, Argentina. Her sister still lives 2 miles from the legend’s house in Funes Hills, known locally as “The Fortress.” It’s a 10-minute drive down the road. They see it, from afar, every Christmas. Small world.

“We drive by it every day (during the holidays) to see if we can see him,” Hendricks told me outside Empower on Saturday, just before the Rapids hosted Messi’s current club, Inter Miami, for their 30th anniversary match and Messi’s Colorado debut.

“Sometimes, they say, ‘Oh, he’s getting ice cream in this place,’ so we all go over there.”

“Is he ever there?” I wondered.

A grin.

“No, but he owns a bar in Rosario, so we go there sometimes with the hope of seeing him.”

“So is he ever there?” I asked.

Another grin.

“No. I haven’t met him … but I was thinking, if I scream, ‘Messi,’ and I name his neighborhood, that he will look at me anyway.”

To most Americans, No. 10 is the guy who pops up on your television during World Cup years to hawk potato chips or Pepsi products. To Hendricks and her fellow Argentinians, he’s Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Tom Brady, and LeBron James, all rolled into one. The GOAT’S GOAT.

Since 1956, a footballer has been presented with the Ballon d’Or, the Heisman Trophy of world soccer. Messi, now 38, has won it on eight different occasions — including four in a row from 2009-2012. No one else has received it more than five times.

“I don’t think that Michael or LeBron move 70,000 people into a single stadium for a single game,” Sergio Martinez of Lakewood, a Buenos Aires native, opined before the match.

“Messi is … a feeling,” Silvina Irimia, another Buenos Aires native, now of Aurora, continued. “He’s like (Diego) Maradona … there’s nothing like him.

“Argentina is a feeling. That’s what we say. Argentina no lo entenderias.”

Translation: “Argentina, you wouldn’t understand it.”

Then again, when 75,824 people show up for a soccer match during a Nuggets playoff game and a Rockies-Dodgers weekend, you start to understand plenty.

Messi turns 39 in June. It’s presumed that this summer will be his final run with the Argentinian national team in the World Cup. His Inter Miami contract runs through 2028. In a sport with no scoreboard clock, Messi’s clock is ticking.

There were more No. 10 jerseys at Empower Saturday than in half of the Broncos’ home games last fall. Claudia’s son, Elias, owns at least four Messi shirts, at last count. He wore his Argentina replica look on Saturday. He cried when the Argentines lost to Germany in the ’06 World Cup. He still rates Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win as sweeter than the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 victory and the Avalanche and Nuggets’ titles in ’22 and ’23, respectively. And he loves his Broncos, Avs and Nuggets.

“(Denver is) a bit of a humble city, I’d say,” Elias noted. “So it’s really cool to have all that greatness in here.”

And talk about greatness. Messi on Stadium Circle. Shohei Ohtani on Blake. Nikola Jokic on Speer. Do you realize that for one Saturday in the Front Range, Denver hosted the best soccer player in the world, the best basketball player in the world, and the best baseball player on the planet — all shining within four hours and 3 miles of one another?

Yet Messi outdrew them all. Half an hour into the first half, the upper deck resembled something of an Easter quilt, seats alternating between Argentina blue and Miami hot pink. Only a few empty seats lingered in Empower’s nooks and crannies. An announced crowd of 75,000 more than passed the eye test.

Elias’ eyes were a bit tired after trying to track down Messi downtown on Friday. He drove slowly past Denver’s finest hotels, thinking he might catch a glimpse of all that, ya know, greatness.

“He doesn’t come out very much in Argentina. He gets swarmed,” the younger Hendricks said. “I thought I might have a better chance out here.”

Nada. Braved the snow, though.

“I’m sure (Messi) landed and went, ‘What is this?’ ” Elias laughed. “(I’d tell him), ‘No, no, in two hours, it’ll all be gone.’ But just to have him in the city of Denver is so exciting. I’ve loved him for so long. And I’m in Rosario all the time. Just to think, does he know that somebody from Colorado is in the same town as him (in Argentina) every year?”

He does now. And while the Rapids were celebrating their 30th birthday, it didn’t take long for Messi to ruin the party.

Some 19 minutes into the match, the Rapids’ Josh Atencio was whistled for a tripping call in the Miami box that was so soft, a toddler could’ve slept on it.

Even after a video review, the ref pointed to the spot anyway. Messi, the master, strode to center stage, as if on cue. Colorado keeper Zack Steffen waved, stretched both arms high, feinted right and dove hard to his left. No. 10 rolled it coolly across the grass Steffen had just vacated. All the goalie could do was watch, prone, as Inter Miami took a 1-0 lead.

Trailing 2-0 at the halftime break, the birthday boys fought back to make it 2-2 midway through the second stanza. But in the 80th minute, Messi struck again.

The main attraction supported an Inter Miami break along the right wing, eventually isolating Rapids defender Lucas Herrington, 1-on-1, in the back of the box. Messi stutter-stepped without ever losing stride or pace, set himself and fired with that laser left foot into the top left corner of the net. His line drive hissed past a leaping Steffen for a 3-2 Miami lead.

“His grandma is still in the same house,” Claudia laughed. “Same humble house where she lived all her life.”

Same humble legend. No lo entenderias. Messi celebrated the winning goal in the arms of his teammates, another stadium conquered, with a smile anyone could understand.

The only thing standing between the Nuggets center and entry into the NBA’s list of top 10 all-time greats is another championship.

One more ring, one more parade to end the argument, and shove Shaquille O’Neal into the second tier.

The journey starts Saturday against rival Minnesota, then, if Waze can be trusted, through San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Boston. If Jokic guides the Nuggets to 16 wins, it would be his greatest achievement and silence the debate.

Jokic would sit officially and unquestionably at the big table, joining Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Bill Russell and Kobe Bryant.

The singular accomplishment of doubling up the number of Nuggets’ banners will cut Jokic in front of Steph Curry, Hakeem Olajuwon, Jerry West, Kevin Durant and Oscar Robertson.

Jokic is not competing against the Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards — though both will leave mouths agape over the next two weeks. He is competing against legends.

Jokic boasts three league MVP awards and has finished in the top two in the voting for five consecutive seasons. It’s a streak, while in jeopardy, that could extend this June. He is a Finals MVP.

He enters the playoffs with his knee healthy and nine straight wins with the regular starting lineup and 12 overall, the longest of his career. He is the best player on the planet again, and not just because he led the league in rebounds and assists, something forever unthinkable for a player standing 6-foot-11 and weighing 284 pounds.

Over the past 11 years, he has placed himself in a rare stratosphere. His brilliance cannot be ignored, and modern stars have recognized as much, including Durant. It took awhile to warm up to the idea that the unicorn lives below the rim and always makes the right play for his team, not his brand.

Why this topic before a first-round series?

Because of the way we talk about the league, its history and the playoffs. There is a constant variable regarding the all-time lists, especially the top 10.

Multiple championships.

In this era, it is harder than ever to pull off. There have been seven straight different title winners. No defending champion has reached the Western Conference Finals since 2019.

But not having a second ring is what separates Jokic from Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain and Russell, among others.

The reason to bring this up now is that this is the best roster Jokic has had around him.

Yes, this team is better than the 2023 group. There is no comparing the depth.

Denver has 10 players who have shot over 38 % from 3-point range, benefiting from the center’s vision and the space he creates on the court. The Nuggets feature the league’s most efficient offense, and Jokic is the sun, the hub of the universe. And, depending on the matchup, he has a legit backup in Jonas Valanciunas, an upgrade over DeAndre Jordan.

Given how the NBA works and how the collective bargaining agreement is structured, teams don’t get title shots every season. We saw this a year ago when the Nuggets, unwilling to go into the second apron, pretended they could reach the finish line with Russell Westbrook as their one quality reserve.

This year, they had the means, the room, and the GMs to assemble a championship roster.

The timing stinks. The path was much easier last season.

Other than the 1995 Houston Rockets, this might be the hardest bracket to navigate for a championship. But find a way, somehow, and it is time to acknowledge that the man equals the myth. Jokic will be mentioned in barstool chatter with LeBron and Jordan.

This is the type of series to begin cementing that status.

The Timberwolves are good and annoying. Since 2022, the teams have split 28 games, counting the playoffs. But since Minnesota traded Karl Anthony-Towns, Jokic has treated the Wolves like a chew toy, averaging 35 points per game.

“We just need to be the aggressor and set the tone,” Jokic said Wednesday.

At 31, you would think he wants the six days off before getting into the starter’s block. But that is one of the misconceptions. Jokic loves basketball. Yes, he adores his horses. That is a hobby. Hoops are his profession. He does not want to wait.

“To be honest, I don’t like it,” Jokic said. “Maybe it will help the guys who were injured, but I want to play right away.”

Things broke perfectly this season for roster construction. They found a taker for Michael Porter Jr., providing room to add Bruce Brown and Valanciunas. And they landed a deadly sniper willing to sign at a clearance-rack price in Tim Hardaway Jr.

Spencer Jones should return Saturday, but uncertainty surrounds Peyton Watson. When healthy, the Nuggets have so many options in terms of style of play. They can go small. They can go big. They can run, which is when they are at their best. And they can slow it down and let Jokic dominate on post-ups.

There is no guarantee this team will look anything like this a year from now.

Therein lies the urgency.

As it stands, Jokic is in a conversation beneath him.

He is arguably the greatest player to win only one title. The group features West. He is “The Logo,” “Mr. Clutch,” a 14-time All-Star, who went 1-8 in the NBA Finals, though he was the only losing player to win MVP in 1969.

It includes Moses Malone. Like Jokic, he is a three-time MVP, known as the “Chairman of the Boards” for his ridiculous rebounding. It continues with Robertson, “The Big O.” He made 12 All-Star teams, but only one appeared in the Finals twice.

Dirk Nowitzki only has one. Kevin Garnett, too.

So does Giannis Antetokounmpo, a modern comp to Jokic, though he lacks the Nuggets star’s overall offensive prowess.

After the Thunder eliminated Denver last season, Jokic offered up a candid assessment. The Nuggets required more depth. Well, they’ve got it.

“To win a championship, you need the guys to step up at the right moment. If it is not your night one game, it’s OK because the next one is coming soon,” Jokic said. “I think we need everybody on our roster. Everybody needs to step up.”

It is time. The league’s best and most unselfish player deserves another ring to crash the all-time top 10 party.

And Draymond Green may be a lot of things. But the man’s no fool.

“What we’ve seen now is the tip of the iceberg (for Watson). He ain’t even scratched the surface yet,” “Peyton Watson is going to be an elite NBA player … so, y’all keep an eye out for Peyton Watson. That kid is going to be an All-Star. No questions asked.”

Exactly. And yet, because it’s April, because it’s “Where Will LeBron Play Next Year” season, silly questions give way to even sillier suggestions.

On Tuesday, longtime ESPN scribes Dave McMenamin and Tim Bontemps authored a piece for Worldwide Leader’s website — including one that featured the Nuggets. In it, they speculated that Denver and Los Angeles could work out a sign-and-trade that would see the Lakers land Peyton Watson (a former UCLA star and Long Beach native) or Cam Johnson for the King. This was backed by an unnamed source, a “West executive,” who suggested:

“Who is the only guy on (James’) level from a basketball IQ standpoint in the league? Go there and team up with that guy.”

‘There’ would be the Front Range. The ‘only guy’ would be Nikola Jokic. Fun? Sure. Flattering? No doubt. But for Watson? Who ships a 23-year-old player coming into their prime for a soon-to-be 42-year-old? Even if that middle-aged wonder is one of the best five guys to ever play the game?

Yes, Tom Brady won a Super Bowl at age 42. Barry Bonds, at the same age, led the National League in walks (132). Some 44 years earlier, a 42-year-old Warren Spahn led the National League in wins (23). Age is just a number.

Although the numbers in this scenario are bonkers. Especially when you consider that, odds are, James is staying put with the Lakers, popping back to the Cavaliers, or hanging it up. Of the ESPN.com hypotheticals, Denver was fifth on the list — and it’s hard to believe King James’ camp, once push comes to shove, would even have to dig that deep.

But let’s humor the concept for a second.

There’s the cost, for one thing. Watson is a restricted free agent after the season who’s made the Nuggets look bad for not giving him an extension earlier — putting up, as of Tuesday evening, career highs in points (14.9 per game) and rebounds. A show-stopping leaper and defender over his first three seasons on Chopper Circle, at age 23, he’s evolved into a foundational, two-way wing whose jumper now complements years of sky-walking athleticism. He’s also currently sporting a team-friendly $4.36 million cap number. That’s about to be tripled, or quadrupled, by somebody.

King James is slated to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent coming off a $52.6 million cap hit this season following a $48.7 million hit in ’24-25. If he’s going to give any franchise a “hometown” discount, it’s more likely to be given to his actual hometown — Cleveland — than to the Nuggets. If the Kroenkes can’t afford Watson, how would they turn around and justify stretching the cap that much more for James?

There are the realities of the East vs. the West. If the King wants at least one more ring, more power to him. Oklahoma City’s core is young enough that they’re not going anywhere, and the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama are right behind them. The road back to the Finals in the East through Detroit, Boston and New York is far easier than the brutal hellscape of the current West bracket.

There’s the fit. Remember The Russell Westbrook Experience? Now picture that vibe, times about 50. As part of Team ‘Bron, the Joker might start seeing kinder foul calls come his way more consistently. But when you get The King, you get his demands, his parameters, his show. And maybe his family members, too. In some ways, it wouldn’t be all that unlike The Prime Effect at CU. And yet, this situation is markedly different than Boulder four years ago. The Buffs, at the time, needed an identity besides irrelevance and bad football. The Nuggets don’t.

On the court, James is an alpha who can play with anybody. If you squint hard enough, you can even see LeBron doing for the Nuggets next year what Aaron Gordon, whose health has become a daily concern, does now. Although so could Watson, at a price close to or less than James’ likely asking price.

The genius in building this Nuggets core was not just in finding Jokic and grooming him into a generational big man. It was also in finding pieces that accented Joker’s ridiculous, prodigious strengths (hands, feet, vision, touch, IQ, passing, shooting, ball-handling, strength, physicality, dexterity, anticipation, etc., etc.) while simultaneously lessening the impact of his few on-court weaknesses (rim protection, straight-line speed).

Jokic could find the open man in the middle of a crowded supermarket, so you surround him with excellent spot-up shooters (Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., Tim Hardaway Jr., Aaron Gordon, etc., etc.) and let him pick from several poisons. He can hit an earwig in stride from 80 yards away, so you give him superlative sprinters and finishers on runouts (Also Gordon, Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, Bruce Brown, etc., etc.). He’ll contest shots, but probably won’t swat many into the second row — so you pair him with defenders who can cut off the supply chain of drivers at the head (Also AG, also Watson, also Braun, also Brown, etc., etc.).

Even at age 41, King James is still an elite scoring machine (20.7 points per game as of Wednesday). That long-distance shooting, though, has been slipping — James’ 41% conversion rate on 3-pointers in ’23-24 dropped to 37.6% last season and was at 31.4% as of Wednesday, a dip of 10% over about three years.

Watson, meanwhile, is trending in the exact opposite direction on his treys. Two seasons ago? 29.6%. A year ago? 35.3%. This season, before Wednesday? 41.5%.

And then there’s the defense. , James went into Wednesday evening with a Defensive Rating (DR) of 116 opponent points allowed per 100 possessions (lower is better), and that number has been trending the wrong way, too. Last season, LeBron’s DR was 114, the same as the season before that. In ’22-23, that DR was 113. In ’21-22, it was 111. Career blocks per 100 possessions: 1.0 — 0.9 this season, 0.8 two years prior.

While Watson’s DR, per Basketball-Reference, Even in a “down” defensive year for P-Swat, he was blocking 1.9 shots per 100 possessions this season before the midweek Utah trip, after 2.7 stuffs per 100 possessions in ’24-25 and 2.9 per 100 in ’23-24.

“Peyton Watson has gotten so much better,” Green continued. “He clearly has a high-level processor. When you have a high-level processor in this league, it’s an advantage. It’s very understated, but a very big advantage.”

Why give that one up so soon? When it comes to the question of an old King or a young Watson for the Nuggets next season,

Let me explain. The Broncos landed receiver Jaylen Waddle in a trade this week. He makes their offense better on first down, third down, against zone coverage and over the middle because defenses know he can bust them over the top.

When Waddle does score, he celebrates with a “Penguin Waddle” dance. Waddle’s ability to create space will force opponents to shade coverage in his direction. That means more openings for teammates, most notably Courtland Sutton.

But it also needs to unlock Evan Engram’s potential.

Last season he was the most disappointing Joker since Jared Leto.

Billed as a player capable of creating mismatches on linebackers and safeties, Engram filled a truncated role, catching 50 passes for 461 yards and one touchdown. Because the Broncos lacked confidence in Engram’s blocking, Adam Trautman took the majority of snaps. Engram played 42% of the time, a stunning decline from his 76% average over the previous eight seasons.

With Davis Webb given a chance to put his stamp on this offense with Waddle’s arrival, Engram should benefit. Webb helped recruit him to Denver. It does not require a leap of faith to believe Webb has a vision for his former teammate even if Denver drafts Ohio State’s Max Klare in the second round.

When Engram was on the field, it became a tell that the Broncos were passing. That might be the case this season, but teams will have way more difficulty choosing how to guard Engram with Waddle and Sutton on the outside.

Let’s be fair. Engram’s salad days from Jacksonville are over. But he needs to eat. Give him 50% of the snaps, and it should translate to 60 catches for 650 yards and four touchdowns.

His improvement will help determine if the Broncos offense is good or dynamic.

Thin Ice: The NHL’s ridiculous playoff format, which will again pit top teams against each other in the first two rounds, might goose ratings, but it hurts coaches. The Avs should face the Stars in the Western Conference Finals. If Colorado gets bounced in the second round, it is hard to see Jared Bednar surviving. He is the best coach in franchise history, but like Michael Malone a year ago, will become a victim of expectations. It’s not unfair given the Avs’ talent. But it remains stupid that the NHL’s playoff bracket plays a role in this.

Lake Show: Reading this next sentence aloud is nauseating. It is no longer a given that the Nuggets will beat the Lakers in the playoffs.They have owned them of late. That has changed this month, explained through the MVP race. Luca Doncic now boasts the second-best odds — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the runaway favorite — ahead of Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic. Jokic should have four MVPs, but he has no case this year because of Denver’s recent slide and his career-high 3.9 turnovers per game. With LeBron James buying into a supporting actor role, the Lakers are a legitimate threat because Doncic is more focused on scoring buckets than whining to officials.

U-S-Hey Now: Giants pitcher Logan Webb took issue with the narrative that Team USA did not share the same passion for winning the World Baseball Classic as champion Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Japan and Italy. “That’s complete (BS). I think we probably cared the most of any team, to be honest with you. We do things in different ways than some of the other teams, but we care a lot.” The way to show it? Convince the best starting pitchers to sign up. And get a manager with prior big-league experience.

On the Road Again: It’s OK to note the difficulty of the Nuggets’ travel schedule and the number of back-to-back games, especially this month. The problem is that it feeds into a victim mentality of a first-time head coach dealing with a battery of injuries. If it makes you feel better as a way to explain the season, fine. Just know that it will sound like an excuse if Jokic never wins another championship in Denver.

Sean Keeler: Losing sleep? No. Losing games? Sadly, yes. The Nuggets’ maddening inability to put good teams away isn’t a fluke anymore — it has become baked into this team’s DNA. Denver woke up Monday with a 7-11 record in games decided by three points or fewer. They were 8-6 in those games a year ago. They were 6-6 in ’23-24. They were 7-6 in ’22-23, when those Nuggets won it all. In ’21-22? A mark of 8-3. Just one Western Conference team since the pandemic has lost more than 11 games decided by three or less — Dallas in ’22-23 (8-12). These Nuggets are the only team in the West this season to have played in more than 15 tilts decided by three or fewer, which shows, on one level, they’re used to the kind of frenetic finishes they’ll see in the postseason. But winning fewer than 40% of those nail-biters is the stuff that can become a habit. And not a good one.

Renck: Adelman must improve in critical situations. The injuries provided cover for months, and, frankly, Adelman was at his best when putting together starting lineups with chicken wire and duct tape. When Peyton Watson returns, Adelman will have the team that was expected to push for a title. He has stressed that the players need time to find their rhythm, accepting blame for any hiccups. But the indigestion can’t come from the sideline. Last Saturday alone, there were multiple gaffes. He should have challenged Jamal Murray’s sixth foul. The rebound strategy on Austin Reaves’ intentionally missed free throw was a mistake. Jokic and Gordon were underneath and Spencer Jones on the top right. Murray fronted Marcus Smart above the 3-point line and Cam Johnson face-guarded LeBron James near midcourt. It makes sense to shadow James. Not so much with Smart. Adelman could have positioned Murray or Johnson right outside the arc on the single side to chase the ball to make up for the empty space, instead of being so preoccupied with crashing rebounders. Regardless of the odds of Reaves executing the play, he should not have been in a position to beat the Nuggets.

Keeler: Doncic’s winner was a Kobe/MJ level dagger — right down to the no-call on Luka’s push to create space. Grit your teeth. Tip your cap. Stars don’t get foul calls on those makes. . You have to scheme for the carom and account for the shooter. Jones looks as if he’s doubling Doncic, which makes sense, then realizes too late that Reaves is all alone. That’s on the staff, either in how it was drawn up or in making sure that the instructions were understood.

Renck: Adelman also has to be prepared to pivot. Twice, he has trusted Spencer Jones to defend a star in the closing seconds. Both times, Jones failed to direct the player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, into defensive help. They made great shots. But Adelman has to communicate the assignment better or ask Christian Braun or Bruce Brown to fill the role. Adelman admitted “it����ap going to be an investigation of what the team is supposed to be” when fully healthy. That’s on him. As is the increasing responsibility to put the Nuggets in the best position to win.

Keeler: To Adelman’s credit, he’s rarely had the full complement the front office designed for him. He’s had to “MacGyver” lineups and looks for most of the past three months. He’s weathered 18 months’ worth of crummy injuries packed into about three months. He’s given Watson runway to be a star. But this is a league of elite talent and fine margins — The lead blows up, the other team’s fans laugh, roll closing credits.

Protecting a 118-115 lead, Denver intentionally fouled Austin Reaves with 5.2 seconds left in regulation Saturday night. It was properly executed, a low-risk foul while Reaves’ back was to the basket so that he couldn’t feasibly go into a shooting motion. The Lakers guard stepped to the line for only two free throws — decidedly not enough to tie the game. Or so the Nuggets thought.

The one thing that could go wrong did go wrong.

“That����ap one in 100 in the NBA,” coach David Adelman said after a 127-125 overtime loss. “It happened. You give them credit.”

Reaves made the first free throw then intentionally missed the second, launching a bullet off the front of the rim. The ball caromed to the left, beyond the reach of Denver’s two players stationed on the low blocks, and Reaves chased down his own rebound. Collecting the ball in stride, he buried a game-tying baseline runner with 1.9 seconds left to force overtime and eventually steal the season series from Denver.

“I mean, it����ap a really good play. A perfect bounce,” a frustrated Nikola Jokic told The Denver Post. “He got the ball off his rebound. He made a floater.”

In the NBA, teams can only have three players inside the perimeter for an opponent����ap free throw. Spencer Jones was the third in this case, but he was on the right side of the lane, while Jokic and Aaron Gordon were down low. Reaves had a step on Jones if he could engineer the perfect miss into the empty space.

“JJ (Redick) told me to tell AR to miss right,” Luka Doncic said. “So, he missed left.”

“When I had kind of relayed instructions, it was to miss it to the right side because that was the single side at the time,” said Redick, the second-year coach of the Lakers. “It ended up being the left side was the single side, so they all gave me crap in the locker room. But AR made the right play. He missed it on the single side. It’s a hell of a basketball play.”

‘It’s a really tough play to make’

From the Nuggets’ vantage point, it was half cruel serendipity, half self-inflicted wound to not box out Reaves more urgently.

“He’s a really skilled player,” Aaron Gordon said. “He’s a talented guy. So it����ap just in the flow of the game. It worked out for him. So tip your cap.”

“It����ap a tough thing to do, to execute that like they did,” Cam Johnson said. “For us, it����ap just, we’ve gotta kind of get a body on everybody and make it a little bit more murky. And that includes the shooter. So it����ap a really tough play to make, but we gave it up.”

The Lakers could have chosen to make the free throw and extend the game with another foul; it would have guaranteed them one more opportunity to hoist a potential game-tying shot before the buzzer, down by three at worst. But they were out of timeouts at 5.2 seconds to go, which would’ve prevented them from advancing the ball and drawing up a play. They would’ve had to go the length of the floor, with the looming risk of another intentional foul by Denver.

What they did instead, by intentionally missing, was a play call itself, with multiple moving parts. Lakers center Deandre Ayton was on the left block. He allowed Jokic to get into ideal box-out position between him and the basket, then pushed the three-time MVP farther into the paint, clearing space on the left side for Reaves to pursue the rebound. Johnson and Jamal Murray were outside the 3-point line, trying to prevent LeBron James and Marcus Smart from crashing the glass.

The element of surprise on the intentional miss wasn’t a factor, according to Adelman, who pointed out that Smart����ap lack of rebound attempt took another Nugget out of the play.

“We were expecting them to miss it,” he said. “We could see them saying ‘miss it.’ That����ap why Spence came in. Spence is our best free-throw third rebounder. Had AG, had Nikola down there. Cam was dealing with LeBron coming from half-court, so he’s gotta stand him up. I think Jamal thought Marcus Smart was gonna crash, and he held, which gave Reaves an angle. And obviously, Ayton screened it in. … A wild play to force overtime.”

Jones made his initial motion toward the basket, a split-second decision that cost him the ability to get in front of Reaves and deny him the ball. Reaves was beelining for it as soon as it touched the rim.

“That����ap a tough one, especially when we’re loaded up on the other side,” Jones told The Post, “and he’s able to get it off the rim to the opposite side where he might have a little bit of an advantage getting to it. … He put it in the right place where he had the best chance of getting it, and he got it.”

When asked if Doncic’s “miss right” instruction to Reaves threw anything off for Denver, Jones said no, noting that “either way, if we wind up on the (left) side, he would’ve tried to miss the other way.”

In a season of missed opportunities and clutch conundrums, this might’ve been Denver’s most painful stinger yet. Players were openly frustrated with defensive inconsistencies in the locker room after blowing a 106-98 lead with 5:13 to play. The end of regulation also included a missed free throw by Gordon with 9.9 seconds left that would’ve extended the lead to four.

Instead, it set up a stunning sequence that doubled as a fitting encapsulation of both teams’ seasons. Denver fell below .500 in clutch-time games. Los Angeles improved its NBA-best clutch record to 18-6. Adding insult to injury, the NBA’s Last Two Minutes officiating report Sunday revealed that Denver’s first foul while up three should’ve actually been called a clean strip for Jones. The report made it unclear which team would’ve retained possession on an out-of-bounds call.

The Nuggets fell back into fifth place in the West with the loss. With a win, they would’ve been alone in third. Now, if they finish the season in a two-way tie with the Lakers, the higher seed will belong to Los Angeles by virtue of head-to-head advantage.

“There are just so many ways we could have won the game tonight,” Johnson said. “We were in the driver’s seat for a lot of that fourth quarter. So for us, it����ap just about closing games more effectively. And come playoff time, that����ap really what it is. Playoff time is all about fourth-quarter execution. So we just have to be better.”

The Nuggets came all the way back from down 17, coughed up an 8-point lead in the fourth quarter, then lost in overtime on a Luke Doncic baseline jumper with 0.5 seconds left.

Austin Reaves forced overtime with a miraculous sneak-attack that seemed to catch the Nuggets off guard. They had intentionally fouled him with a 3-point lead and five seconds left — seemingly enough time to make both free throws and keep extending the game.

Instead, he purposefully missed the second off the front of the rim, retrieving the rebound himself and sinking a game-tying floater with 1.9 seconds left. Spencer Jones had been too slow to box out the shooter.

Nikola Jokic amassed 24 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists and five steals. With Denver trailing by a point in the last minute, he launched a rainbow cross-court pass out of a double-team that somehow fluttered over defenders and perfectly into Tim Hardaway Jr.’s shooting pocket in the opposite corner. Hardaway buried the go-ahead shot with 31.7 seconds left for a 115-113 lead.

Jokic picked Reaves’ pocket at the other end. After Aaron Gordon split a pair of free throws, Jones and Cam Johnson successfully executed the foul-up-three strategy on consecutive Laker possessions, only for the free throw to go awry.

Gordon led the Nuggets with 27 points. Johnson and Hardaway combined for 38. Jamal Murray fouled out with only five points early in overtime, bringing an early end to his worst game of the season.

The Nuggets have been fighting one battle after another for the last week, facing four Western Conference playoff teams in four different cities. With the loss, they finished the grueling stretch with a 2-2 record going into a two-day respite.

All of their most feasible two-way tiebreakers were sorted out in the process. The Nuggets clinched their season series against Houston last Wednesday but finished 1-2 against the Lakers. They had already clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker over Minnesota.

Los Angeles has been good to them in recent years. Crypto.com Arena is a building with particular sentimental value to Jokic and Murray, who made a habit of pulling out close road wins during the 2023 and 2024 playoffs. Murray clinched Denver’s first NBA Finals appearance with a defensive stop on LeBron James in the Lakers’ house.

Defense was absent from the Nuggets’ game plan early in this clash, though, and Murray Supreme was nowhere to be seen. The Lakers picked apart their visitors in the pick-and-roll. Doncic was able to score at will and find teammates for open 3s early. He had 12 points, five boards and five assists by the end of the opening frame.

LeBron James and Austin Reaves spearheaded a 10-2 run as soon as Jokic took his seat on the bench. Denver bottomed out with a 49-32 deficit halfway through the second quarter. After Johnson and Jokic combined to miss three open 3s on one possession, there was a creeping sense that it simply wasn’t the Nuggets’ night.

Then they got a stop. Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer. Christian Braun scored a pair of buckets in transition. The 7-0 run wasn’t much — Los Angeles even pushed the lead back to 16 at one point before halftime — but it was the first sign of reanimated life from the Frankenstein Nuggets.

Their real comeback push arrived in the third. Down 79-67, Johnson and Jokic engineered a  9-0 run highlighted by a Jokic 4-point play, interception and fast-break dunk in quick succession. The Nuggets ratcheted up their defensive intensity and were rewarded as Los Angeles finally cooled down. Jokic eagerly took advantage of bad transition defense, looking for long outlet passes to Braun and Bruce Brown.

It was tied at 87 by the end of the third. Tim Hardaway Jr. gave Denver its first lead since 7-6 on a 3-pointer to start the fourth. Yet again in the City of Angels, the Nuggets were first-half sinners and second-half saints.

The growing disappointment in the Nuggets, which typically waits until May to manifest into blood-curdling screams, screeched to a halt Wednesday night.

They tipped off as winners of 10 of their previous 23 games, knee deep in their toughest schedule stretch since 2014, and exited with a realistic pathway to controlling their destiny.

Suddenly, disaster no longer stares them in the face with missing teeth and a crooked grin. Win Saturday against the Lakers in Los Angeles, and Denver holds head-to-head tiebreakers against the Timberwolves, Rockets and Lakers.

OK, Nuggets, against my better judgment, I am not writing you off.

Throttling Houston playing on back-to-back nights did not change my opinion. It was how Denver did it that extended an olive branch to hope. Something only reinforced by the mouth-agape upset of the Spurs on Thursday night.

The Nuggets played defense. Got actual stops. Not all the time. But enough. And there was a strategic plan against the Rockets that carried over against the Spurs.

Coach David Aldeman used a suddenly-healthy Christian Braun to guard Kevin Durant instead of Aaron Gordon. This freed Gordon to switch, sending a bigger body at the future Hall of Famer.

This type of chess is required next month. And finally, mercifully, it is showing up.

Durant averages 28 points per game against the Nuggets in his career. He finished with 11, reduced to a spectator after Denver’s relentless third quarter. The Rockets went 4-for-33 from the 3-point line.

Though the Spurs were without Victor Wembanyama, the Nuggets were impressive for spurts defensively in blocking shots and moving their feet, especially Spencer Jones.

Want to play deep into May and early June? This is how you win. This is who we thought the Nuggets were when the season began.

“We were that team (Wednesday),” Braun said.

The problem is making it stick. What we witnessed in San Antonio proves connective tissue is developing. The Nuggets pulled off one of their most impressive wins of the season, overcoming a 20-point third quarter deficit in a 136-131 upset.

But how they look in Hollywood on Saturday will go a long way in determining if this movie has legs or simply features a star-studded cast acting out a rotten script. Beat the Lakers — hopefully LeBron James plays because they are worse when he is in the lineup — and this rebound has roots.

To see the Nuggets as a real contender requires squinting and suspension of logic. They check none of the boxes associated with a championship team.

The Nuggets have been hurt, their egos bruised. Discussing the underwhelming past six weeks, coach David Adelman admitted, “Am I frustrated right now? Yes. The players are. We understand that. But nothing replaces playing with each other and finding rhythm.”

It is a wicked ripple effect all the injuries have caused. The lack of continuity undercut them for months, and the return of the starting lineup has undermined the bench.

“We need to compete, and when we get the full team back,” said Adelman of Peyton Watson (hamstring), who could return next week, “it����ap going to be an investigation of what the team is supposed to be. What’s best for the group?”

Viewed through a broad lens, the Nuggets are not good late on offense or defense. They boast a 20-18 record against teams .500 and above (You know the type of opponents you face in the postseason).

They are pedestrian at home (18-13). And they have been flirting with the sixth seed, an ominous place given that the last team to win an NBA championship from that position was the 1995 Houston Rockets. They were coined “Clutch City.”

That nickname, to put it kindly, has not applied to the Nuggets this season.

What unfurled against San Antonio and Houston, though, showed us something. That this team is listening, improving.

The blame for the precarious seeding has reached Adelman. Fingers are pointing in his direction after an inexcusable second quarter at Oklahoma City.

Gordon scored 17 points in the first 5 minutes as the Nuggets took a double-digit lead. OKC featured its Lilliputian lineup with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein sitting out. Then Jonas Valanciunas entered and inexplicably played on the elbow, triggering 3-pointers and jumpers until the Thunder went on a run.

That falls back on the coach. He has to be better. Either demand more of Valanciunas or play him less (which likely will be the case if the teams meet in the postseason).

As for those who rip him for not doubling Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the last shot — don’t. That sure looked like Spencer Jones messed up in not directing SGA toward help.

Regardless, it was a low point in a season of dumpster dives.

Then came Houston. Followed by the Texas Two Step And One from Jamal Murray in San Antonio. A flicker of optimism has returned.

Denver played defense with urgency, staying in front of players, helping and switching. It bore resemblance to the 2023 playoffs. The Rockets’ missed shots led to easy buckets in transition, and no one finishes better than Braun.

In the halfcourt, Cam Johnson emerged from witness protection. This is the player the Nuggets traded for, versatile, unselfish, but decisive. When he talks to the media about his slump, it is clearly mental.

Wednesday demonstrated that he is capable of starting or anchoring the second unit, erasing months of disappointment.

Adelman was quick to qualify the victory as one game.

“It is a step-by-step process. I can say it all day and I will take the heat for that. We have to be patient,” Adelman said.

Who are the Nuggets? What are the Nuggets?

With one month left in the season, no one seems to know. Are they the team that surrendered against the Knicks and gagged against the Thunder or the team that suffocated the Celtics and Rockets?

Are they legitimate or just a convenient distraction until the Broncos’ first mini-camp?

Just because they have stunk, does not mean they still smell.

The Nuggets are fun, but fleeting. They cook, but are confusing.

The past two games show they care. They have the right pieces. And the coach is getting better at using them.

“I am not going to be irresponsible and say I expect us to be the best team in the league right now,” Adelman conceded. “But I do think we have time to be a major problem late in the year.”

All right, all right, welcome back, Nuggets. To open arms. Even if it leads to broken hearts.

“He made some big shots,” Nikola Jokic said. “What he’s doing the whole season … Some would say it’s a bad shot that he’s making.”

Except that bad shots haven’t existed in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s diet this season. His game-winner over Spencer Jones on Monday night was merely a replica of the step-back 3-pointer he sank over Christian Braun 12 seconds earlier, as if to certify the first was no fluke. He is that cold-blooded.

On a night he had already tied Wilt Chamberlain’s all-time record with his 126th consecutive 20-point performance, Gilgeous-Alexander may have also clinched his second straight MVP trophy over Jokic. At minimum, the Thunder point guard solidified that he’s the standard now. Jokic was already chasing him — in the betting odds, in the court of public opinion, even in some of the advanced player-value analytics that traditionally favor Jokic. The burden of proof was on him as he lumbered into Oklahoma City for a third head-to-head matchup this season, having already lost the first two.

His shot-for-shot duel to the death with SGA was befitting of an MVP referendum game. Jokic catalogued what should have been a new signature moment on the career reel — a cunning act of subtle deception to get himself open with a fake off-ball screen, then a Hollywood shot with 8.5 seconds left that fortuitously turned into a game-tying 4-point play. Gilgeous-Alexander turned it into a footnote.

Jokic was as great as he’s been all year. Gilgeous-Alexander was a hair greater.

The final individual and team tallies reflected it. Jokic: 32 points on 12 of 19 shooting, 14 rebounds,13 assists. Gilgeous-Alexander: 35 points on 14 for 21, nine boards, 15 assists, zero turnovers. And a celebration of history soon to be conquered.

“I don’t know that people know how hard it is to do that. To make a 20-point game in 10 games (much less) 120-whatever, it’s special, and he’s a special player,” Jokic said. “It’s a pleasure and privilege to battle against him.”

“It just says a lot about Shai’s career, the consistency he’s shown over all these years and just the fact that basketball is in a really good place right now,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “And I think when these records get broken — our guy has broken some records with Wilt as well — it’s just a good time to take a break, take a breath and think about what that guy did. And what these guys are passing. … It’s not just a conversation. It’s literal numbers. It’s black and white.”

SGA owns the Nuggets

Jokic’s credibility as an MVP candidate isn’t dead by any means. He still leads the NBA in rebounds per game (12.5), assists per game (10.3) and true shooting percentage (68.1%), which accounts for 3-point and free-throw shooting to measure overall efficiency.

But it’s perhaps more notable that Gilgeous-Alexander is the only member of the top 10 in that category who’s not a big man. He ranks seventh at 66.7% while taking primarily jumpers, a step up from his already elite scoring precision in his first MVP campaign. Just over 60% of his field goal attempts have been from 10 feet or farther. (About 37% of them have been in the 10- to 19-foot range, where only the best players have the greenest of lights because defenses are most willing to concede the midrange.) He’s making those shots at a 49.4% clip, which would be an efficient overall field goal percentage including rim chances for most guards and forwards. Jokic has attempted 58% of his shots inside of 10 feet.

As a passer, Gilgeous-Alexander has narrowed the gap, even if Jokic remains the sport’s preeminent playmaker by consensus. SGA’s assist rate is up 4% this season. His turnover rate is down 0.4%. He doesn’t drop flashy dimes, but he’s gradually improved at navigating double-teams and blitzes throughout his career as his scoring talent has ascended. The Nuggets threw the kitchen sink at him Monday, and he responded by joining LeBron James as the only players in league history to go for 35 points, 15 assists and no turnovers.

From 3-point range, he’s narrowing the gap, too. He’s up to 38.3% this season, which would be a fourth consecutive year of improvement. The step-back three is an increasingly reliable tool for him, as he demonstrated on two game-defining possessions against Denver. Jokic still has a slight overall edge at 39.4%, but he’s been wading through a slump since his years-long, off-and-on right wrist inflammation emerged a few weeks ago. He’s only 30.4% in his last 16 games.

More pointedly, the direction of Denver’s season has been counterintuitive to Jokic’s dominant reputation ever since he returned to the lineup from a knee injury. The Nuggets are 6-10 in those 16 games. They went 10-6 in 16 without him earlier in the season. The delineation between “best” and “most valuable” player has always been murky, but in an NBA ecosystem where team success is often used as a tiebreaking variable for undecided voters, Jokic might be losing the benefit of the doubt. ESPN’s most recent straw poll of media members revealed a 78-18 margin in first-place votes. Denver is flirting with the Play-In Tournament after the heartbreaker in Oklahoma. Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Thunder to four straight wins over the Nuggets, dating back to Game 7 of their playoff series last season. He’s on the verge of leading OKC to the No. 1 seed in the West for a third consecutive year.

“We’ve had a lot of battles,” said Christian Braun, the Nugget most familiar with SGA’s elusiveness with the ball — he’s the primary matchup when Denver plays man-to-man. “I think tonight, he was much better than me. … He busted my (expletive) tonight. And it is kind of what it is. I’ve played him enough that I know I’ve had good games against him. I think that last game, I knew I played well and got a block in a big moment. Tonight, he made the shot in a big moment. He made a couple of them. So I know that I’m gonna play him again. I’m gonna play him in the playoffs. I’m very confident. He got the better of me this matchup.”

The backdrop for Monday’s regular-season classic was the new 65-game rule, of course, which continues to loom over both Jokic’s candidacy and Gilgeous-Alexander’s. The latter has five games left of wiggle room. Jokic can only miss one more game. If he misses two, he’ll no longer qualify for individual accolades — not just MVP, but All-NBA. He appeared disinterested when questioned about the rule, claiming he has no opinion on it and that he’s not motivated to meet the games threshold for awards purposes. “I mean, I want to play every game (regardless),” he said. SGA has said he’s OK with the rule.

“It doesn’t affect anything we do. I can’t speak for what OKC does. I will say this. … (Jokic) missing a game is like — him missing practice, him missing a workout is really hard for the guy,” Adelman said. “He’s a routine-based player, which is good for our game. Good for fans. And Shai is the same way. That’s one of the most impressive things about both guys. So when both guys get hurt, I just don’t see that as rest. I think there’s a difference. And I know why the rule is in, to clean things up (with load management). And that makes sense to me as well, for the fan. … It’s the worst, I’ve said this before, when your bus is parking and you see kids in jerseys and then show up and that guy doesn’t play. So I see it both ways. But in the spirit of the game, I just think Shai and Nikola have been so good for the game over these years, and I would hope that it’s taken into account as we move forward.”

Don’t forget about Wemby

A third MVP candidate is also in danger of losing eligibility for the same reason. Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs have been surging as he clings to a 68-game pace. He might even be threatening to surpass Jokic. The French phenom leaped to second place in Tuesday — another sign of the tectonic shift caused by Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-winner. Once a two-horse race, it’s beginning to skew toward a runaway winner and a cluster of runner-up candidates, unlike the relative toss-up last year. Jokic declared back then that he felt like he was playing the best basketball of his life, the most adamant lobbying he’s ever done for himself. There’s been no such claim from him during this stretch.

Like him, Gilgeous-Alexander has always been known as more of a silent assassin than an audacious public persona. But he allowed himself to relish the moment Monday after his step-back over Braun, pointing back at Denver’s defense and talking trash as he walked to his bench. “I don’t even remember what I was saying,” he said afterward. “Usually doesn’t happen. Tonight called for it.”

“He’s always gonna get his 30. That’s kind of who he is,” Braun acknowledged. “He’s one of the greatest players in the world.”

“One of” is the qualifier Denver is hanging onto as a city. It lingers in the air with increasing uncertainty these days. Jokic’s claim to the title of “best player in the world” has become a point of pride for the Nuggets organization, for Jokic’s teammates, for his fans. He earned it with a body of work that includes a championship and three MVP trophies. He continues to be labeled as such by awestruck opponents throughout the NBA.

As he crouched near Denver’s bench, reduced to a bystander during a finale that felt inevitable Monday, the mantle had never seemed more in doubt.

Strawther wasn’t special.

“He’s been in everybody’s ear,” the young guard said. “I think he’s bored right now. So, glad to get him back out on the floor.”

Gordon was cleared to play Friday after a 17-game absence that added to his season-long struggle with a right hamstring strain. Less talking, more playing is an arrangement the power forward prefers anyway. He missed his 40th game of the year Thursday and his 71st in the last two seasons. For the team, his return was a breath of fresh air. Nobody on Denver’s roster is more versatile at both ends of the floor.

“I think (we missed him) more on the defensive side,” Nikola Jokic said, alluding also to the injured Peyton Watson. “They’re really good on offense, and they give us different variation and different weapons on offense. But I think their length and their ability to guard, we kind of miss more. Definitely, it’s gonna help us.”

The numbers speak for themselves. The Nuggets are 17-6 with Gordon on the court and 22-18 with him on the sideline. Their offensive rating is 3.9 points per 100 possessions better with Gordon than without him. Their defensive rating is 8.2 points better.

The team was planning on him being available as it prepared for Friday’s back-to-back against New York, but he wasn’t cleared publicly until an hour before opening tip. David Adelman said the power forward would be on an unspecified minutes restriction. With Cam Johnson also back from a minor ankle injury, Friday marked the first time Denver’s opening night starting lineup was able to play together since Nov. 12 — ending a streak of 52 consecutive games without at least one starter.

“We’ll be careful with him. … Just to see the range of motion early is gonna be important,” Adelman said. “The game’s going to be fast. (The Knicks) play fast. So I think we’ll get a good idea of where (Gordon and Johnson) are at right away. Get a good baseline of the feel test over just the workout, warm-up kind of thing, which is very different from the real game.”

Gordon went through his usual pregame shooting routine on the main court Thursday before Denver’s 120-113 win over the Lakers — another sign of his readiness to rejoin the lineup. He wore spectacles, slacks and a brown jacket while surrounded by teammates in a centrally located bench seat during the action. Ironically, a game that was potentially his last in street clothes was one of the matchups where he’s usually needed most. The Nuggets were left to fend off Luka Doncic and LeBron James without one of their strongest and most versatile defenders.

“Aaron’s Aaron. He’s a physical presence. He’s shooting the ball really well,” Christian Braun said. “He kind of holds our offense together in a way because he plays in the dunker and can catch lobs and adds a new dynamic, a new athleticism to our offense. … We need him, and we’re excited to have him back and healthy.”

With the power forward back, they have another switchable wing. Another backup center option for down the road. Another quasi-point guard who can bring the ball up against pressure and give Jamal Murray a chance to breathe. Another pick-and-roll ball-handler. Another pick-and-roll screener. Another spot-up shooter.

Another above-the-rim wide receiver. One of the most awkward side-effects of his absence, in Adelman’s view, was the attention Gordon demands without the ball on the baseline. Jokic has fed him hundreds of alley-oops late in games when Gordon has lurked in the short corner, behind the last line of defense. Denver guarded Bruce Brown and Christian Braun have ended up occupying that space more without him.

Even they realize it’s not the same.

“It’s a little different, throwing the ball to me in the dunker than throwing to Aaron,” Braun said Thursday. “I think it’s easier for Jok to throw it to the top of the box where Aaron always gets it than it is trying to find a way to dump it off to me. So I’m sure it’s good for Jok too, to have him there. And I think everybody kind of gets back to their natural position and spot on the court. So we’ll get to our spots better. We’ll hold our spots better. Just having him as a physical presence is big for us.”

“It’s different when it’s Aaron flooding — we all know that,” Adelman said. “It’s a dunk. It’s not just a catch and trying to make the next pass. But they’re doing what we ask them to do.”

In the 23 games he was able to play before Friday, Gordon was averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game, plus 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 40% from 3-point range. As a shooter, he picked up right where he left off last year.

The Nuggets can only hope he picks up again where he left off in January.

“Whether it’s on the floor or off the floor, I feel like just having him around and in a jersey makes a difference on its own,” said Strawther, well aware that his days as a starter were numbered. “So we’re super-excited to have him back, and the physicality he brings on on both sides, offensively, dominating smaller matchups — we’re excited to get that back.”