The Denver Nuggets barely avoided a sweep at the hands of the Warriors on Sunday, and no team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs.
But they played better in Game 3 and staved off a furious Warriors comeback in Game 4, leading Monte Morris, who had 24 points and five assists on Sunday, to believe that Denver has a chance to get back into the series.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Morris said he thought Games 3 and 4 were the Nuggets at their best. After Games 1 and 2 were decisive Warriors victories, the Nuggets have made both Games 3 and 4 close contests on their home court.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
And Morris has a feeling Game 5 at Chase Center on Wednesday will look much different than the first two games of the series.
“How we’ve been playing, how physical we want to be – I think we displayed that,” Morris said. “Even though we lost Game 3, that was one of the best games we played. The chips didn’t fall on our end.
“Going back [to Golden State], we see they’re beatable.”
Morris went on to compliment the Warriors as “a hell of a team.”
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
“Great team,” Morris said. “But when we play our style of basketball and make it tough and make them see bodies – they’re going to make big shots and tough shots. They got some great players, but I think going back we know: If we play our brand of basketball and bring the energy, we’ll give ourselves a chance. So that’s why I think it’s going to be different, going back.”
Related: Nuggets still believe pressure is on Dubs to close out series
The Warriors may have stolen Game 3 in Denver, but by leaving their comeback just short on Sunday, they gave the Nuggets life and a small crack in the window to perhaps make it a more stressful series than it needed to be.
Golden State can make Morris’ comments irrelevant with a Game 5 win. But at least for the next few days, Morris and the Nuggets have new life.