How the Nuggets play in Game 3 will determine the course of the franchise

Everyone gets their butt kicked at some point. That’s part of life. No one wins 100 percent of the time.

So there’s no shame in the Nuggets getting run out of the gym on Wednesday by the Jazz. Teams are going to lose games, sometimes even in embarrassing fashion.

The key, however, is the response. The ability to bounce back from a setback is the linchpin to success, in life and on the basketball court.

In the Game 2 debacle, Denver wasn’t just beaten by Utah. The 124-105 final score only told part of the story. The reality was much worse.

During the course of the blowout, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert and Jordan Clarkson rubbed in the defeat. They talked trash. They showboated. And they disrespected the Nuggets.

At no point in the game, however, did anyone on Denver’s roster respond. No one showed any fight. They simply took the beating, sulked to the bench and waited out the final whistle.

A different reaction has to come today. Game 3 is a chance for the Nuggets to show that they have some pride. It provides a golden opportunity to demonstrate that they have championship mettle.

In particular, the pivotal game is a place where the team’s two best players can showcase their leadership abilities. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have to respond in a big way on Friday afternoon.

That’s what a true superstar would do. They’d put the team on their back and carry them to victory. They’d inspire. They’d set the tone. They’d refuse to back down.

The best players in the history of the game played that way. It’s not as though Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant never lost a game. And it’s not like they didn’t get embarrassed on occasion. But they always answered the bell the next time out. They always responded with a focused, determined and fearless performance.

Are Jokic and Murray wired that way? That question has been out there for quite some time. Neither has consistently demonstrated that they have an alpha-type personality.

It’s why the Nuggets have struggled at times against lesser opponents. They don’t have a leader who keeps them from taking their foot off the gas, who won’t allow his teammates to take a night off.

That can change today. Jokic and/or Murray can rewrite the narrative with a command performance in Game 3 against the Jazz. They can assume the leadership role by force.

This isn’t asking too much. After all, both players are paid like superstars.

Jokic is two years into a five-year, $143 million contract. Murray’s five-year, $170 million deal kicks in next season.

At those price points, the Nuggets have banked their future on the duo. They’ve committed to them, hoping they’ll continue their upward career trajectories.

It’s not a bad bet. After all, Jokic has become a first-team All-NBA center. And Murray has shown flashes of greatness.

But a bad performance from either player in Game 3, particularly if it is lackluster in terms of effort and fire, would suggest that the Nuggets miscalculated. That would spell doom for the future of the franchise.

Denver can’t afford to have more than $300 million tied to players who don’t respond well to adversity. They have no way of adding that element to the roster if Jokic and/or Murray can’t provide it.

That’s what makes Game 3 against the Jazz so pivotal. Not only will it go a long way toward determining the outcome of the series, but it will set the course for the franchise’s future.

Are the Nuggets in good hands? We’ll find out on Friday afternoon.

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