Of all the sage wisdom Nuggets veteran Paul Millsap has assembled throughout his 10 postseason runs, perhaps some of the most valuable has been knowing when it’s best not to interject.
During Jamal Murray’s ice-cold run of free throws to seal Game 4 in Portland, Millsap, who has referred to the Nuggets’ point guard as his “little brother,” thought it best to stay away.
“You let a guy take care of business,” Millsap said. “You leave him in a space. You don’t want to run up to him and say, ‘Yo, man, you can do this. You can knock this free throw down.’ … You just let a guy do what he does.”
For Millsap, whose 24-point, 8-rebound Game 5 performance against Portland marked his most impactful showing of the playoffs, this postseason feels different. At 34-years-old, the elder statesman of the Nuggets has talked about how much he appreciates this run, which now sits just one win away from the conference finals.
“That’s what makes it more special,” Millsap told The Denver Post. “I’m a leader, but not the leader with the ball in my hands like I was in Atlanta. It’s moreso mentally and trying to guide and help these younger guys. For me, that’s what it’s all about. Just giving back to the younger guys and trying to help them lead the way.”
A season that vacillated between overthinking his shooting in October and November to a freak toe injury in December has culminated in a dominant series against the Blazers. Ahead of Thursday’s Game 6, Millsap is averaging 19 points on 55 percent shooting and 9.6 rebounds. Not to mention nearly two blocks and a steal and a half per game.
“Within all that, my production hasn’t dropped,” Millsap said with a wry smile. “Touches have, but true basketball players understand that and they look deeper into the numbers. That’s what makes it more special.”
Millsap began Game 5 with a patient bucket inside. Next, he took Blazers’ big man Enes Kanter off the bounce and finished with a smooth step-back jumper. Later, he was the beneficiary of a Nikola Jokic double-team that left him wide open under the rim for a dunk. He finished the first quarter with a game-high 12 points while the Nuggets held a 31-25 lead. Denver never trailed the rest of the game, and the resistance against Millsap, be it forward Al-Farouq Aminu, wing Evan Turner or Kanter, hardly improved.
“I think historically or throughout the course of the year, we’ve had a good matchup against them,” Millsap said. “You ask me, I feel like I’ve got a matchup against anybody. It doesn’t matter who it is.”
Even within the frenetic pace of the playoffs — the Nuggets have played every other day since April 23rd — Millsap sounds young.
“You don’t have time to think about it,” Millsap said. “You’ve got one day in between, and then you’re right back at it. Even that day in between feels like three, four days. It’s a long time. We’re just having fun. Winning is fun.”
If it’s not Murray who Millsap is mentoring, it’s Torrey Craig, who soaks up knowledge next to the 13-year-veteran on the team plane. And if it’s not the Nuggets’ scrappy defender leaning on his encyclopedia of basketball knowledge, it’s new father Malik Beasley, who has known Millsap for years while developing as a high school star in Atlanta. Their lockers are strategically close in the Nuggets’ swanky locker room.
“I think the best thing about Paul Millsap, he’s true to himself, never tries to be something he’s not,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “He’s not a rah-rah guy. He’s not a guy that’s going to be screaming and yelling. His calm nature, his calm demeanor has an effect on that group. … He’s the calm for our team.”
It’s tough to get a read on Millsap’s emotions, but watch closely and sometimes he’ll tip his hand. There was one instance in Game 4 where he finished off a Jokic assist then trotted back up the court smiling.
“I think we were laughing because I didn’t really get off the ground when I laid it in,” Millsap joked. “Could’ve been a dunk situation, but I decided to lay it in. Not get off the ground much.”
After Game 5, when he could’ve easily had himself a podium game but preferred to leave that spotlight to younger players such as Jokic, Murray and Gary Harris, Millsap reminded everyone what he’s really thinking under his steely demeanor.
“Don’t let my facial expressions fool you,” he said. “I try to stay poised and calm at all times, but I’m having a blast. This is a special playoffs for us, in the magnitude that we got to this point throughout everything. It’s a special moment right now.”
When the Nuggets signed Millsap in the summer of 2017, then the biggest free agent signing in Denver’s history, nights and stages like this were what he envisioned. Even through some of the growing pains of this year, which Millsap readily laughs at, this is exactly what he wanted.
“I came here to win,” Millsap said. “My main focus was winning. I saw a group of young guys who are talented and hungry and decided those are the guys who are going to help get over the hump, and we’re here now.”
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