The Denver Nuggets couldn’t help but feel the uneasy sensation of deja vu as they entered another high-pressure Game 7 in the Western Conference playoffs. Just a year ago, they squandered a 20-point lead in the Western Conference semifinals against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves — a collapse that still lingers in Nuggets fans’ minds as one of the more painful playoff exits in recent memory.

Nothing easy! Game 7!” Series tied 3-3 Game 7s are categorically awesome, and Game 7s specifically between the fourth and fifth seeds feel as close as things can get. This series with the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets has delivered on every front — the overtime finish in Game 1,