Aaron Gordon risking his calf ‘every time he explodes and jumps,’ David Adelman says

OKLAHOMA CITY The legend of Aaron Gordon s greatest dunk grows by the day Since arriving in Denver he has of them in the regular season and more in the playoffs comprising about of his field goal attempts with the Nuggets Countless alley-oops from Nikola Jokic Thunderous put-backs A breathtaking Christmas poster that ll be remembered for decades in Colorado But with his buzzer-beater dunk in Tournament of the first round this year he achieved an immortality that will transcend Nuggets lore It belongs among the great NBA playoff highlights since Adding to its significance was an element of physical sacrifice outlined by interim coach David Adelman on Monday He s taking a chance every time he explodes and jumps Adelman explained before the Nuggets tipped off their second-round series against the Thunder We know what he s doing for our squad We know that there s a vulnerability there He s referring to Gordon s right calf which caused him to miss games this season and come off the bench in nine others After straining it last November and sitting out for an initial -game window the injury has lingered all season including a re-strain in December Often he has played through pain and soreness including throughout the playoffs so far It s the ultimate day-to-day with Aaron Adelman mentioned I will say that Aaron through those last three games into the playoffs has pushed that thing And if it was during the regular season I don t think this would be happening I think we would be managing him just like he was taking games off trying to get to the end Gordon has a valid episode as the majority valuable participant of the seven-game series between the Nuggets and Clippers He averaged points per match more than his regular-season average while contributing rebounds assists and formidable defense against Kawhi Leonard Gordon tied the series with his walk-off dunk and was Denver s leading scorer in Contest He punished his mismatch with James Harden by establishing deep seals in transition He pushed Leonard off his spots and made the robotic jump-shooter labor for his points after a dominant Match How good was he in Contest Adelman noted So efficient Did so various small things Aaron is incredible man The Encounter play he made That s an all-time series for Aaron Gordon The Nuggets will need another one from him under increasingly challenging circumstances if they want any chance of hanging with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder This is the first time Denver has won a seven-game series and dealt with the subsequent turnaround since the bubble It s a cutthroat schedule Not only was there one day between Event and the second-round series opener but the first six games against Oklahoma City will all be played with one day between them True rest days are no longer a luxury I think the advantage is rest Adelman noted Monday night I invariably do He also commented that he felt his club was in a good place Its superstar Nikola Jokic even prefers the rhythm of playing every other day over having two rest days one source reported The Denver Post Related Articles Nuggets vs Thunder scouting summary Matchups how to watch and series predictions Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder playoff series schedule Tournament times TV Russell Westbrook s fiery Tournament caps ultimate revenge series He runs at degrees Nuggets Christian Braun finds Match vindication after Timberwolves disappointment Renck With Christian Braun Russell Westbrook providing jolt David Adelman shows he should be Nuggets next coach Still the numbers are against the Nuggets in this series Since there have been playoff matchups between a squad that won its previous round in seven games and a squad coming off a sweep The seven-game victor has lost of those series And Oklahoma City is an especially young especially daunting barricade in Denver s way I had a really good friend the other day make me feel awful Adelman revealed after Contest against the Clippers I announced Yeah if we win this series we ve gotta play a association that s - He declared No man they re - I stated Oh OK That s right Appreciate you bro Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis