Since winning a championship in 2023, the Denver Nuggets haven’t managed to reach a conference finals. Twice in three years, that path’s been impeded by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Even against a shorthanded opponent, who was without Anthony Edwards, the Nikola-Jamal Murray tandem fell short.

There are several reasons this happened. The Timberwolves were relentless in highlighting the Nuggets’ vulnerable defense. However, Shaquille O’Neal expects the Nuggets’ prolific duo to pack more of a punch. The Big Diesel was critical of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic for just being “good” in Game 6.

“Yeah, the defense played very well, but you know, Joker to me didn’t play great, and when you’re a great player, especially in the playoffs, I think you know Charles seems to disagree with me. I think in order to keep advancing, you have to play great. He played good but good is not good enough,” said Shaq.

Jokic has a classic game by his margins. The Nuggets’ cornerstone contributed 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. What Shaquille O’Neal and even Kenny Smith expected was dominance. “I would like to see 35, 36, 37,” said Shaq. The Joker can take complete control of games, literally capable of doing it all on the offensive end. But tonight, he stuck to the game plan, trying to get guys open rather than asserting himself.

Charles Barkley rightfully praised Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert for his defensive activity against Jokic throughout the series.

And while Jokic couldn’t find the spaces to impose himself, “His partner didn’t play well at all,” Shaq added. Jamal Murray had his worst performance of the series, scoring just 12 points in the closeout game. His inefficiency largely contributed to the Nuggets’ offensive struggles, as Murray recorded the second-highest number of shot attempts.

The only player spared by the panel was Cam Johnson. The sharpshooter who arrived from the Brooklyn Nets over the summer struggled to begin the series. However, he was spotless tonight, scoring 27 points and making 50% of his three-pointers. “He played well tonight,” Shaq said about Johnson’s performance. His regular shot-making kept the Nuggets in the hunt.

But Minnesota was in no mood to allow that tonight. What they had in abundance was heart.

Jaden McDaniels: The MVP of the series

With an injury crisis looming, the Timberwolves needed to manufacture heroes. Several players stepped up. Terrence Shannon Jr. had his number called tonight with Ayo Dosunmu’s injury and contributed 24 points in the Timberwolves’ emphatic Game 6 win.

Gobert rectified the criticism that continues to fall on his four DPOY honors. Even Julius Randle stepped up as the leader in establishing toughness with Edwards out.

But their fire started well before the injuries happened. Jaden McDaniels made the claim. “They are all bad defenders,” he said about the Nuggets. Chris Finch didn’t mind it. All he expected was McDaniels to back it up. That he did, making decisive contributions whenever the Timberwolves needed them.

The two-way forward left his best for last. In Game 6, with the offense suffering another knock, McDaniels took the responsibility upon himself. He exploded for a game-high 32 points, alongside 10 rebounds and two steals. Aside from the scoring, the Wolves forward was the primary defender who suffocated Jamal Murray.

“He was really our MVP of the series,” said Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch.

This was a series the Timberwolves made ‘personal’. The competition with the Nuggets has always existed, as evidenced by their back-and-forth over the past four years. Jaden McDaniels’ comments brought the team together. The Timberwolves survived injury woes and, with a group of eight motivated players, upset the two seed in the West.