A miracle NBA Finals run is the only way the Nuggets won't blow it up

There's an old saying about "everyone having a plan until they get punched in the mouth. " The implication is obvious. We don't know people's true mettle until they're challenged.

Anyone can be happy and successful in times of harmony and peace. Only a few rise to the occasion when faced with genuine adversity they didn't expect. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

When it comes to the Denver Nuggets , we're learning a lot about Nikola Jokić and friends amid a possible short-lived playoff run. The Minnesota Timberwolves and Jaden McDaniels have "punched" them, so to speak . And they haven't stopped punching them.

Rather than stand up, dust themselves off, and throw some hooks back in return, the Nuggets have responded by ... rolling over and curling into a fetal position . As a result, we are reaching a point where the Nuggets' current core seems to have an imminent expiration date, like a turning-sour carton of milk.