If the Nuggets didn't already have your respect as champions, they should now

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, folks! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with me today. Appreciate you for giving me a bit of your time today.

Remember when the Nuggets were down 2-0 to the Timberwolves and everyone said Denver was getting swept? Folks thought Denver was cooked. People were questioning whether Jokic deserved this year’s MVP. You’d have thought the Nuggets were the upstart team just trying to make it out of the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Now, here we are. The MVP has done MVP things for the last two games. Jamal Murray played like the fringe All-Star everyone thinks he is and, boom, we’ve got a tied series at 2-2.

This has been an incredibly odd series. The home team hasn’t won a single game the entire way. The Wolves took two straight in Denver and then Denver took two straight in Minnesota. The Nuggets somehow came away with a pretty convincing victory despite Anthony Edwards going nuclear with a franchise-record 44 points in 45 minutes. If he’d have played every second, the Wolves may have actually won the game.

Yet, here we are. None of us have any idea how this is going to end — let’s be honest about it. This has been one of the weirdest playoff series we’ve seen this year. It’s been utterly unpredictable and filled with some great moments from great players.

Let’s appreciate that while we have it instead of trying to bury either of these teams prematurely. You see how that worked out the first time.

The Pistons do not deserve this

Listen. As a tortured Wizards fan, I understand what it’s like to root for a team that just seems obsessed with running on the treadmill of mediocrity. That team just wouldn’t get out of its own way.

But what happens when your team is trying its best to hop off that cursed treadmill and create a better path for itself? What do you do then? That’s the decision Pistons fans are faced with today after their favorite team got the No. 5 overall pick for the third year in a row.

Fans are calling it rigged. I can’t blame them, really. For Atlanta to jump up and win it all while Detroit falls has got to be devastating.

• The Pistons had a 14 percent chance of winning the lottery overall and a 52.1 percent chance of landing in the top 4. Nope. No. 5. Again.
• Meanwhile, Atlanta only had a 3 percent chance of winning the lottery outright and here we are.

I guess that’s why it’s called the lottery. The results have the potential to be devastating. Luckily, this is supposedly a weak draft. Detroit isn’t missing too much here.

But, man. That’s just a rough go at it. I’m sorry, Pistons fans.

Sam Bennett is Public Enemy No. 1 in Boston

The only way to describe Bruins-Panthers on Sunday is chaotic. The Panthers’ 3-2 win is completely marred in controversy, and Sam Bennett is in the middle.

Officials missed an obvious goalie interference call on Bennett when he pushed Charlie Coyle into Jeremy Swayman in the net and then scored a goal after. Even after a review, the goal somehow stood as called.

It was so confusing. Our Mary Clarke has more here:

“That push definitely seems like textbook goaltender interference, especially since it’s not legal to shove an opposing player into the netminder on a scoring play. And yet, the officials deemed the goal a good one and the Panthers were able to tie the game.”

That’s insane, man. But what’s really insane is that this follows Bennett knocking Brad Marchand out of Game 3 (and subsequently Game 4) with what definitely seemed like a sucker punch.

RELATED: He had such a weak excuse for that sucker punch, btw

In the end, none of that matters. The Panthers are up 3-1 in the series and the Bruins have their backs against the wall. That’s sports for you.

Hopefully, though, the whistle is more even in Game 5.

Quick hits: NBA mock draft … The 9 candidates for No. 1 … and more

— Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with our latest NBA mock draft after the lottery

— There are legitimately nine players who could go No. 1 overall in this year’s NBA draft. Meet them here.

— Rudy Gobert should get suspended for this wild gesture at NBA officials, Prince Grimes writes, but he won’t.

— This moment between Kevin Harlan and Jamal Murray is hilarious. Mary Clarke has more.

— Caleb Williams is ahead of schedule according to the Bears, Robert Zeglinski writes.

— The Rockets continue to eat off of the James Harden trade. Here’s Bryan Kalbrosky with more.

That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you. Check in tomorrow for more! Until then, peace!

-Sykes