If you stayed up to watch the second of two encounters on the NBA schedule last night, you already know Game 3 in the Blazers-Nuggets series will go down in history - partly due to a multitude of storylines that transpired last night, largely by accident.
For starters, Blazers center Enes Kanter reaggravated his separated shoulder during the first of 4 overtime periods but chose to stay on the court despite the pain. This is the same Turkish national who routinely stands up to his exiled nation at the risk of an international arrest warrant.
"First overtime, I think I separated my shoulder more," Kanter said after the game. "I had to tuck my arm into my jersey because I couldn't carry my arm. I'm glad we got a win, man. Whatever it takes. You've got to sacrifice everything. I'm proud of my teammates."
On the other end of the court, Nuggets' talisman Nikola Jokic took on an incredible 65 minutes of game time in the loss. To put that all in perspective, Jokic's 64 minutes, 58 seconds of game time are the 4th most in NBA playoff history. The opposition was equally impressed. "Sixty-five minutes," Portland's Maurice Harkless told the press after glancing over the box scores for the game. "That's crazy. ... [There's] a lot to process, honestly."
The final score reflected the push and pull that oscillated between both sides. 137-140 for the winning side, The Portland Trail Blazers, will live on in infamy as a veritable trivia answer for years to come. If you weren't privy to the action last night, I sure as hell hope you turn up for Game 4 on Tuesday. Who've you got taking it in the end, drop us a line?
