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The Denver Nuggets' Andre Miller shooting against the Golden State Warriors.
OAKLAND, Calif. – The end came the way the Denver Nuggets feared it could, with Golden State's Stephen Curry lobbing 3-pointers, Andrew Bogut crashing the basket and a hyper-charged crowd shaking the arena with earsplitting noise. By the time the first scrap of yellow celebratory confetti fell, the Nuggets were off the court and through the tunnel, ushered out of the playoffs.
The Nuggets, seeded third in the Western Conference and hoping this might be the season they reach their franchise's first N.B.A. finals, were instead bumped out of the postseason in six games by the No. 6 Golden State Warriors – a young, plucky and talented contender advancing with a 92-88 victory.
Golden State was fueled by Curry's 22 points, 14 in the pivotal third quarter, and a late stand against a frantic Denver comeback. The Nuggets washed away most of an 18-point deficit with a 13-0 run through the middle of the fourth quarter, then pulled within 2 points in the final minute, sending a sense of panic through the 19,596 fans at Oracle Arena.
Golden State's Jarrett Jack made two free throws with 7.3 seconds left to let the Warriors escape and head to San Antonio to face the second-seeded Spurs, who swept aside the Los Angeles Lakers in four games.
The best-of-seven conference semifinals begin Monday.
"They are clearly the favorite," Golden State Coach Mark Jackson said of the Spurs. "But it's going to be a lot of fun."
The Warriors should have the unexpected benefit of the All-Star power forward David Lee. He tore his right hip flexor in the first game of the playoffs and was deemed out for the postseason.
But as the Warriors took the court 20 minutes before Thursday's game, Lee lined up with teammates for layups, even dunking the ball. A buzz rolled through the crowd.
It was a hazy reminder of Willis Reed, the hobbled Knicks center who surprisingly played Game 7 of the 1970 finals, leading New York past the Lakers.
Jackson said Lee had a surprisingly strong workout on Wednesday, and he decided to play him, partly for inspiration, in Game 6.
"I guess it's the New York City in me," said Jackson, who was born in Brooklyn, played collegiately at St. John's in Queens and starred for the Knicks.
Lee did not start. But when he stood midway through a sloppy first quarter and removed his warm-up shirt, fans rose and cheered. He missed his first shot, grabbed a rebound, ran a bit creakily and sat down after less than 90 seconds.
"Weird," Nuggets Coach George Karl called it.
Lee's mere presence – far different from the 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds that the Warriors received, on average, during the regular season – would be an afterthought for the game, but not for the next one.
This series was left mostly for Curry to decide.
The Nuggets led, 34-23, midway through the second quarter, and had put the clamps on the sharpshooting guard. Curry and Golden State's two other top guards, Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack, combined to shoot just 4 of 20 in the first half.
But the Nuggets held only a 42-40 lead. And Jackson had some words for Curry.
"I pulled him aside and said, 'There's going to be a point where you take over, because you're the best player on this floor,'" Jackson said.
It had been an eventful series for Curry already. He sprained his ankle late in Game 2 and was questionable for Game 3, but then led the Warriors to victory with 29 points. He scored 22 points in the third quarter of Game 4 to spark the Warriors to a 3-1 series lead, but was later inadvertently poked in the right eye. Days later, the eye remained darkly bloodshot.
In Game 5, with the Nuggets bumping and grinding him, Curry uncharacteristically struggled, scoring 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting. Jackson fumed about plays like a hard pick that nearly knocked Curry over, and a protruding foot from Denver's Kenneth Faried that tripped Curry.
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