The end of the season was cruel for the Kings. A 110-144 loss to the Nuggets in Game 7 ended the season for Hector and his teammates. The Kings offered a respectable challenge to Denver. A seven-game series is always difficult for the winner.
Hector has nothing to complain about individually, with 29.7 points and 13.7 rebounds against the Nuggets. He did more than extras against Jokic and his triple-double average. The Serb ultimately won, but Hector looked him straight in the eye.
"We lost again in a Game 7, but we learn from failure. All I want now is for the Nuggets to do the double. These are Hector's dishes in the postgame interview.
Possibly for him, getting knocked out of the playoffs by the finalists is the best thing. The Warriors' second-round loss to the Lakers last year put him in a bad mood. Losing a team that is not the best is not a good loss in the playoffs.
Pat Ewing is proud of his players as he said, "They were excellent, but the win is not our side. We put intensity and pressure on Game 7, and we must give credit to Mike Malone. »
"We are that in year 2 of the project, the talks about my contract are advanced. We will be stronger next season. The internal progression of the players will be imported, and we are not a big game. We must improve intelligently, and Monte will do a good job. »
"Hector? I'm not surprised. He will do his job in any circumstance, he has become more consistent, and his leadership in the locker room is one of the most important. He is constantly improving in all aspects and is already the player with the most steals in the franchise's history. He will be exceptional. I do not doubt his potential. »
"Keegan still has progress to make, and he knows it. He knows what to work on, and no one is worried about him. In training, he has to defend one of the most effective players in the league and one, if not the best, scorer on drives. »
The people mentioned are obvious. It is useless to say more. We do not know how we progress by defending the best, but he can only progress.
The Nuggets advanced to the Conference Finals against the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have not had injuries this season and are finally complete for the first time in a long time.
They swept the young Thunder in the first round and won the Los Angeles derby 4-2. The Heat lost to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, who will face the Sixers in the Conference Finals. Joel Embiid no longer has that embarrassing stat of being the only MVP in history not to have made the Conference Finals.
Clippers-Nuggets and Celtics-Sixers. Two of those four teams will advance to the NBA Finals. It should be noted that the elimination of the Heat, the winner of the Western Conference, is guaranteed to have the home-field advantage. This advantage is not negligible, it would be better not to have Game 7, but if there is Game 7, it is better to have it in its arena.
At the end of this journey, the Denver Nuggets hang a second banner on the ceiling. They defeated the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals after getting rid of the Los Angeles Clippers. Both series were concluded with a record 4-2.
Jokic gets his second Finals MVP award. He is one of the best centers in NBA history. The Boston "Jay's" duo failed again. There is something called "title windows" in the NBA.
That of Boston is abnormally long, saying that since 2018 it has been open but without results. We can say that they are very well-managed but never have the stars lined up to win the title.
They don't know it, but next season will be their last title opportunity.