Justin Holiday on Denver’s recent form: ‘I can see how and why they won a championship’

Ever since the NBA returned from the All-Star break, the Nuggets remain a perfect 6-0 and have even won five of them by double-digits. This means that alongside the Celtics and Bucks, they are the only other team to remain undefeated in that stretch, as they enjoy their top-3 offense as well as top-7 defense. 

The Denver squad is simply locked in right when they needed it the most, or as Aaron Gordon calls it “crunch time,” which is right on the eve of the playoffs. This has certainly created an impression on Justin Holiday, as the veteran is in his first year with the club and has been a part of 10 different locker rooms throughout his career.

“The culture here and the character of the guys. How they go about working. How they care about each other and trust each other. It makes me feel like I’ve been a part of the family even though I’ve just been here however many months,” the 34-year-old said. “I can see how and why they won a championship.”

Justin Holiday recognizes the Nuggets ability to turn it on at the end of the season and he says it’s special and fulfilling to being a part of that culture.

“It kind of makes me believe in the NBA again…” pic.twitter.com/8uYZZvIvht

— Katy Winge (@katywinge) March 4, 2024

The reigning champions were especially impressive in they last outing against the Lakers, as they produced a dominant 16-4 run in the last 5 minutes and finally won by double-digits. Playing this way shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the Nuggets possess the best “clutch” net rating in the league.

As they’ve conquered 20 of their 30 contest that were separated by 5 points or less in the final 5 minutes, Holiday shared his take. “When it comes to crunch time, everybody else watching sees the pressure, but for us, we’re just playing basketball. We will finish this out. We know what to do in this, and we’ve been here.

“That’s what winning a championship does. It gives you that certain confidence to be able to go and take care of those big moments,” he said about the team’s late success.

As for Michael Porter Jr., he believes they’ve grown a lot since last season and know what it takes to turn a game upside down. “We’re building championship habits, for sure. Really focused offensively and defensively. I feel like for the most part, we’ve been pretty locked in,” he said after Monday’s practice. “I think we’re doing what we need to do.”

Coach Michael Malone explains how winning last year’s competition has only added to the team’s abundant confidence

The feeling around the team is that they are headed towards conquering back-to-back championships this year, as head coach Michael Malone assures that up to this point their confidence is off the roof.

“There is no doubt now. I mean, you can talk about, yeah, we want to win a championship, or this team is a championship contender. Well, we’ve proven that we’re a team that can go out there and win 16 playoff games and earn a championship,” said Malone at the start of this week.

According to the tactician, the Nuggets’ success is quickly becoming their culture, as the players truly play for each other as a team and it has paid off with the best basketball the franchise has ever played.

“It takes connectedness. Guys being together. That means celebrating somebody else’s play. So when Jamal [Murray] hits Nikola [Jokić], and Nikola hits Aaron for an and-one dunk at the end of the game, that is cause for celebration,” the coach explained. “I’d like to think that we’re always a team that is connected.”