Opening Night Preview: Nuggs vs Clippers

(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets will tip-off the season tonight in a rematch of their last preseason game against the Clippers. After watching what happened in that last meeting, I am going to be extremely disappointed if the Nuggets are not victorious tonight. I will be looking for Carmelo Anthony to set the pace early, but it will be the likes of Earl Boykins and J.R. Smith who I think will be the determining factors in tonight's game. The Nuggets front court will also play an instrumental role in limiting the amount of quality looks at the goal by both Chris Kaman and Elton Brand. The season is finally about to start, but lets take a look at how the last season ended before we start anticipating what could be in this year's campaign.

This off season has been a roller coaster for Denver, but I think that the moves they made are going to pay off big time this season. I'll make it quick for all the Nuggets out there, and if I may quote Seinfeld, "It will be like a band-aid, RIGHT OFF!"

The Nuggets essentially played poorly enough to eek out one victory in the series against the Clippers. Reggie Evans gave Chris Kaman a lil' how's your father, Kenyon exploded and left teammates and coaches running like Krakatoans before being suspended indefinitely, and Carmelo saw as many double teams as Jordan in his prime. The Nuggets were overwhelmed, poorly matched, battered from injuries from the regular season, and made a quick exit from the playoffs.

Fast forward now to the last game of the preseason. Denver sits Carmelo Anthony, Nene, and Marcus Camby in a dominating victory against the Clippers. Here is my memo to the Clippers: Denver has new weapons this year in J.R. Smith, Yakhouba Diawara, and Joe Smith. The Nuggets also have the return of Nene from injury and a new attitude, at least for now, being displayed by Kenyon Martin. All of these reasons, plus the continued maturation and down right deadliness of Carmelo Anthony are why I think that the Nuggets will be victorious on opening night. Denver will win by at least five, and if they don't, lets just hope that Reggie Evans whispers sweet nothings into Chris Kaman's ear!