The Nuggets and Lakers have been cosmically intertwined in the NBA playoffs for the last half-decade, even when they aren’t playing against each other.
Sure, there’s the 2020 series between them, and the 2023 series, and the 2024 series. But last weekend, they even found themselves in parallel predicaments on the road, despite being situated on opposite sides of the bracket.
Both teams trailed 2-1 in a first-round series. Both teams were protecting a double-digit lead away from home entering the fourth quarter of Game 4. Both teams, led by a first-year or interim head coach, chose to ride their star players all the way to the finish line, desperate to avoid a 3-1 deficit.