Right in the kisser

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

– Mike Tyson

Sitting in a courtroom is such a different experience than the one they typically show on television, especially in a civil trial. Though there can be the occasional drama, the bulk of the time can be maddeningly boring. But when a good deal of your future is on the line, you wade through it.

My wife had been rear-ended while sitting still at a traffic light, and the person who hit her was admittedly not even looking at the road. The case was a simple slam dunk. Unfortunately, the other side’s attorney pool came from some pretty well-to-do pockets, and we didn’t have much to lean on besides on the truth of what had happened. After years of stalling and delays, we went into court assuming that truth would be enough, and a week and a half later, a jury came away with a different opinion. We walked in with a lot of hope, and walked out with a figurative fat lip to the tune of a bill we owed that was north of three quarters of a million dollars. Oof.

Right in the kisser.

20 years later, we’ve found our way out from under that particular boulder, but it was hell picking ourselves back up off the deck. We had a plan, we were executing it, and then life basically punched us in the mouth. With luck, perseverance, and a lack of options, we found our way back. Now, I weirdly wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. My wife sure might.

When the Colorado Avalanche started their playoff series against the St. Louis Blues, Brayden Schenn decided to see if the Avs were as regular season pretty as the reputation that preceded them. Colorado’s game outmatches the Blues by leaps and bounds, so Schenn just thought he might see if a little bullying could even up the ice a little bit. He took a swipe across Mikko Rantanen’s leg, and the Blues game plan was clear. The Avs are prettier/better/faster/stronger? Time to muck it up a little bit.

But captain Gabriel Landeskog was having none of it. By the time Schenn had made his way back up the ice, Landy was paying him a visit. With his fists.

Game two proved an even chippier affair, and things may only get grittier from here. However it goes, the Avalanche have made it clear to anyone in their playoff path that they’re not going to be knocked off course by physical play. Colorado will punch you right back.

Speaking of refined reputations, the recent versions of the Denver Nuggets ran a pretty thread-the-needle style of offense that gave them a very similar “book” for opponents going into the playoffs. Push them off their whirling dervish of an offense, and you can take them out of their game. Denver shifted play to a two-man offense that was deathly in it’s efficiency, and surrounded it with good supporting parts and pieces. A few years into their post-season forays, this Denver Nuggets team presents a much more toughened and battle-hardened exterior. Multiple overtimes and comebacks over their playoff lives have shifted the nature of how they buckle down when things get gritty. But one of the grittiest of them all is superstar guard Jamal Murray, who was a crucial cog in that devastating two-man game, but is out for the season with an injury. Bubble Murray was… well…

Stepping into Murray’s second banana role is Michael Porter, Jr., a 6’10” wunderkind with a shooting stroke so sweet that became the first player in NBA history to shoot over 54% from the field and over 44% from beyond the arc over the course of a season. While Porter and his shot may be the most dangerous in the league, he’s especially deadly when he’s got an open look. With less playoff experience than much of the team, it’s no mystery that Porter will be one of the first crucial pieces opposing defenses try to wipe off the board with physical play. The best way for Mike to combat that is to take a page from Landy’s book above. Fortunately, Porter seems to be up for the challenge.

Michael Porter Jr: “I do know that I have more responsibility on my shoulders, and I’m welcoming it. I’m embracing it. It’s where I wanted to be…I’m excited to see what teams throw at me and how I’m going to overcome those situations.” pic.twitter.com/osYCs6if3s

— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) May 19, 2021

It’s certainly not as if Mike doesn’t know how to go off in the playoffs.

The Denver Broncos faced similar tactics when Peyton Manning was in town running a precision offense. The Colorado Rockies saw the same when they went far into Rocktober. It’s a tactic on the ice, on a court, on a field, in a boardroom, in a bedroom, at family reunions, and sometimes just in line for an attraction. When the person that’s across from you might have the skills to pass you by, you’d better make sure you’re up in their chili, as Scott Hastings would say. As coach Michael Malone would more aptly put it, they’d better “feel you”.

The St. Louis Blues are feeling these Colorado Avalanche to be sure. Gritty or not, the Avs are in it for the long haul. And the Denver Nuggets have gone from delicate league darlings to one of the toughest outs in the league, simply by picking themselves up time and again after getting knocked on their figurative asses. Porter Jr. will have that moment to rise back up as well, as there will surely be an opponent or two looking to knock his block, well… off. Part of every player’s growth is taking that punch, maybe even tasting a little blood, and then getting back up a returning the favor. The denizens of Ball Arena are ready to see you, outsider, whether on the hardwood or ice. You want to come in? Be ready. They’ll get you right where they want you, and then…

Pow. Right in the kisser.