Dwyane Wade predicted it. The Miami Heat legend had placed his bet on Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets against the Clippers in the first-round playoff series. So, when Denver got the better of them in Game 7, winning by 120-101, Wade had to remind everyone that he knew how the series would unfold.
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Wade’s The WY Network shared a clip from his podcast where he detailed why the Nuggets would advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.
The Nuggets underwent a major change right before the playoffs when the organization sacked Michael Malone and brought in David Adelman as interim head coach. Wade believed that the abrupt change would only make the Nuggets better, as the strongest voice on the team would be Nikola Jokic, the best player in the league.
He said, “He’s already great. But to see him be a master, making sure his guys get the ball, making sure he gets the ball where he wants, and making sure that he controls the entire game so they get the last shot.” Wade applauded Jokic for making his teammates better while controlling the game with his presence.
While he acknowledged that the playoffs are going to be more difficult for the Nuggets because their championship-winning coach is no longer there, he believed in Jokic’s leadership skills. Seven games later, he has been proven right. The NBA legend also reposted the same clip on his Instagram story to boast about his accurate prediction.
Wade on IG pic.twitter.com/mrJi3wNhqR
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) May 4, 2025
The Clippers, who had been strong enough to force Game 7, had a complete meltdown tonight. By the end of the third quarter, they were down 93-66. While Jokic had a decent outing with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, it was the Nuggets’ supporting cast that shone brightest. Aaron Gordon led the team with 22 points, and Christian Braun stunned everyone with his 21-point performance.
The Clippers, on the other hand, struggled as their star player, James Harden, continued his trend of not showing up in the playoffs. He only managed to put seven points on the board. Although Harden had 13 assists, the team needed him to take over the scoring responsibilities. Kawhi Leonard tried his best with 22 points, but didn’t get the support he needed.
While the entire team should be blamed for the meltdown, Harden’s performance in particular would be their biggest worry. Only a few days ago, Wade offered his advice for Harden to be aggressive. He said, “James, start off aggressive. Be you, dog. Go get it right away, and then allow the game to open up from there. Then the Clippers will really be dangerous.”
If Harden paid attention to it in time, it’d have been the Clippers advancing to the next round to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
