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 Match 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 association We know that there s a threat 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 announced 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 affair as the majority of valuable athlete of the seven-game series between the Nuggets and Clippers He averaged points per tournament 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 Challenge 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 Meeting How good was he in Tournament Adelman reported So efficient Did so plenty of small things Aaron is incredible man The Match 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 Tournament 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 explained Monday night I perpetually do He also explained 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 stated The Denver Post Related Articles Nuggets vs Thunder scouting record Matchups how to watch and series predictions Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder playoff series schedule Event times TV Russell Westbrook s fiery Challenge caps ultimate revenge series He runs at degrees Nuggets Christian Braun finds Championship 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 organization that won its previous round in seven games and a crew 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 reported after Contest against the Clippers I noted Yeah if we win this series we ve gotta play a organization that s - He revealed No man they re - I declared Oh OK That s right Appreciate you bro Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis