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 Battle 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 reported 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 danger 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 commented 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 development as the majority of valuable participant of the seven-game series between the Nuggets and Clippers He averaged points per event 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 Encounter How good was he in Event Adelman declared So efficient Did so plenty of small things Aaron is incredible man The Championship 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 Championship 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 commented Monday night I constantly do He also explained that he felt his unit 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 advised The Denver Post Related Articles Nuggets vs Thunder scouting overview Matchups how to watch and series predictions Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder playoff series schedule Championship times TV Russell Westbrook s fiery Championship 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 band 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 explained after Meeting against the Clippers I announced Yeah if we win this series we ve gotta play a club that s - He declared No man they re - I mentioned Oh OK That s right Appreciate you bro Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis