Troy Renck: Nuggets failed to make Timberwolves NBA Playoffs series personal. A shakeup is in order.

Troy Renck, The Denver Post on May 2, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — The admission revealed everything.

There was no excuse for losing Game 6 on Thursday night at the Target Center. But there was a clear reason.

“If you saw all the interviews, they were excited to play us. They got up to play us. They enjoyed playing us. And we have to match that. We have to feel the same way about them. And I am sure we will next year,” said Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. “They took the matchup kind of personal and wanted it really bad. We gotta want it more.”

Beyond the injuries, there has been a feeling that something was off with the Nuggets this season. They showed resilience, secured a No. 3 seed, but they lacked toughness. There is no way you can run it back when something as important as competitive spirit is lacking.

The Nuggets are fundamentally flawed. They are nice guys. But by becoming more Zen, they can no longer win.

The players believe they have capable leadership in the locker room, but they were exposed. No team can respond to getting called out and punked like the Nuggets were and believe everything is OK.

Thursday night, the Timberwolves, one by one, walked into the arena wearing Donte DiVincenzo jerseys. Their fallen teammate, who blew out his Achilles in Game 3, returned to the sideline, and they had his back. When Nikola Jokic got into a shoving match with Jaylen Clark, the lack of support was noticeable.

Everything was set up for the Nuggets to win. They received historically good fortune. And let Minnesota turn them into a footnote. The Timberwolves became the first team in NBA history to win a playoff game while missing three players who were averaging 10 points in the series, per ESPN.

The Nuggets of three years ago would have defanged the Wolves. But they have not been that team for some time. Denver is 16-16 in the postseason since winning its only NBA championship.

The vaunted offense has not worked in the playoffs. The Nuggets were held under 100 points twice during the regular season. They failed to reach the century mark three times against Minnesota.

Coach Chris Finch coached circles around David Adelman, who deserves time to grow on the job, but might have siphoned patience with this performance. Jaden McDaniels outplayed Murray. Every role player on the Timberwolves outclassed the Nuggets, making Denver look old and slow.

This is not a one-off. The last three years represent a trend. Coming back with the same players will not produce different results.

The Nuggets need more athleticism. They need fewer vibes guys and more bad dudes. They need an edge, an Anthony Mason, Charles Oakley type.

The Timberwolves took everything — real or imagined — personally. The Nuggets took it passively. That is unacceptable and demands significant changes to alter the results.

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