(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets will have to wait until next season to try and get a win in Detroit due to their own idiocy, a whistle choking officiating crew, and Rasheed Wallace forcing overtime where the Nuggets lost, 113-109. In what was one of the most bizarre 1.5 seconds of basketball, Marcus Camby threw a ridiculously poor inbounds pass, which was not received clean and stolen, resulting in Rasheed Wallace throwing in a 65-foot -off the glass- prayer that was answered to force overtime.
The inbound pass from Camby was intended for Carmelo Anthony. Mistake number one. It should have been to Allen Iverson without question. In addition to that poor decision, Chauncey Billups flat-out wrapped up Steve Blake to impede his movement to the play which should have been an automatic foul call by the refs. Mistake number two. How a NBA officiating crew can all be looking the other way on something like that befuddles me, but the grim reality is that the deadly combination of the Nuggets’ own poor decision making and the no-call let the snake out of the bag and it turned around to bite em.
In overtime you just knew the Nuggets were destined to lose this game. ‘Sheed hit another three-pointer, double clutching nonetheless, and the Pistons sank eight of ten free-throws to ice it. What could have been a 4-1 Eastern Conference road trip will now wind up being a 2-3 scamper due to two heartbreaking losses leaving the Nuggets with the Clippers breathing right down their neck just 1.5 games back in the eighth spot.
However, it’s not all bad when you really evaluate how the Nuggets played despite taking the L.
The Nuggets had six players score in double figures and out rebounded, out passed, and out stole the Pistons overall. Marcus Camby was the Nuggets scoring leader finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and a block. His front court partner Nene also played huge. “Big Brazil” finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds (including nine offensive boards), four assists, two steals, and two blocks. The only other Nugget to score twenty or more points was J.R. Smith with 21 points, five rebounds, four steals, two assists, and a block.
Carmelo Anthony sputtered with Tayshaun Prince hounding him all night finishing with 14 points with five rebounds and Allen Iverson ended with 16 points and eight assists, but who am I kidding?
This loss hurts because it is still yet another game that the Nuggets SHOULD have won. At one point things like this will stop happening to this team, but until that day comes, I’m just another Nuggets fan who has almost become accustomed to this kind of disappointment.
I urge you to console each other in the comments section.
14 comments:
helluva a road trip...first chitown, then toronto, now this. can this team's psyche (do they even have a psyche?) recover before april.
That was a tough loss. It's glad to see a good game out of Nene, Camby and J.R. though. Otherwise it was pretty frustrating to watch. I watched the entire game on Mute because the Piston announcers are aweful...
maybe chauncey was doing some grabbing... but the nuggets wouldn't have been close if the pistons weren't short two starters in webber and hamilton. also, flip murray had a fever of 103. the lesson: two scoring title champions doesn't make a good basketball team.
Which is worse? The fact that you're asking for a foul on Billups for "holding" Blake, or the inbounds pass?
It happens all the time in out of bounds throw-ins. Guys grab, guys push... Melo pushed to get away from Tay until the lazy pass was thrown and tipped away...
Besides, it's not like you should be throwing it in to Steve Blake anyway... this isn't the 2002 NCAA tournament..
Hi everybody,
Michael- You're exactly right! The Pistons didn't have all their stallions in the stable and there is always some bump and shuffle on inbounds plays, but Billups flat out hugged and held Blake taking him out of the play. I thought it was an intentionall foul attempt to be completely honest with you.
Tymes- I agree with you that Rasheed got lucky. I don't think that anyone would disagree with that point, but the real mistake was the inbounds pass. There is no competition between myself and Natalie of www.need4sheed.com. She is a friend of mine and one helluva blogger. If anything, I owe her big-time for always being there to help me become bigger and better in the blog game. Also... I find my pictures off the AP photo line. As for if Natalie would become a fan for another team if Sheed were to get traded... I don't know about that. It would be a great question for her though.
danny b - It doesn't matter which was worse because they both in combination contributed to the result. I agree that there is always pushing and shoving, but Billups hugged and held Blake- who is our point guard by the way- and took him completely out of the play as a potential option. 2002 Touranment or not, like Steve Blake or not, Pistons or Nuggets fan alike, you have to admit Billups might as well have tackled our point guard.
Thanks to Everybody for Readning,
The Nugg Doctor
Wow, a lot of hate for the Nuggets on this blog board!!
I agree, the Nuggets messed up there with that last inbounds play, but come on...how often does a player make a three-quarters court shot like that??? Pistons were lucky, period.
Also, the officiated sucked the entire game. Billups was getting to the line on touch calls all game long, whereas Melo and AI drove and were bumped continually with no call. Be as it may, I am not blaming the officiating for this one, but it was frustrating to watch the inconsistencies from the zebras.
Nuggets lose another heartbreaker, talk about some bad luck. Maybe they will get it out of their system in the regular season and get lucky in the playoffs!!
I don't believe in moral victories, but the Nuggets played a VERY good road trip, except the Toronto game. I am happy with the teams play of late, even if it isn't showing up in the box score.
Go Nuggets!
Jason,
I agree with your comments. But let me just make something clear. The reason why I included Chauncey grabbing blake is because I thought it was an intentional foul attempt. There were a million different ways the Nuggets or Pistons could have easily won this game, but the bottom line is still Marcus Camby made a poor inbounds pass and 'Sheed had his prayer answered. It's too bad the Nuggets had to lose like that, but I'm not all sour grapes about it. It's just a loss in the end of the day!
Thanks for reading,
The Nugg Doctor
All these comments and no one mentions missed free throws? Make 1 more in regulation and the game's over. Definitely a poor decision on the pass, after the game Karl said he would have preferred the pass go towards the rim or the corner...did he tell them this, or figure a veteran like Marcus would know that?
You're once again completely right about the charity stripe being another crucial mistake made down the stretch by the Nuggets, btalk. AI could have nailed the door shut by making the second of his two free-throws with 12 seconds remaining. Had he made that second free-throw to put the Nuggets up by four there would have been no shot in the book to get the Pistons to overtime. It should also be noted that AI struggled from the line all night and finished 5-9 while the only other Nugget to miss a free-throw was Carmelo Anthony who finished 1-2.
Thanks for reading,
The Nugg Doctor
thatloss would be hard to swallow.i see the denver team feeling the effect of the loss up to the next game . let's hope not.
u all suck go pistons
No worries, man. These things happen. Well no, they never happen.
But the Nuggs deserved that one. You'll get it back.
an intentional foul? you think that Billups grabbing Blake should have been an intentional foul? Do you realize what an intentional foul would have done to DET? 2 free throws for DEN and the ball.
Bumping and grabbing are a common occurence on side out throw-ins. It's how offensive guys get position, it's how defensive guys defend their position.
No way Billups was intentionally fouling Blake and no way was that play designed to go to Blake anyway. At this point, it doesn't matter.. DET won whether or not we agree, they still won and NUGS lost.
danny b,
Intentional or not, do you agree that Billups fouled Blake? And if not, what do you call it when a guy wraps his arms underneath and around the arms of the guy he is guarding if not intentional? Chicken fighting? Man love?
Because the way that I saw it, there was neither bumping or grabbing, but rather holding and impeding. And don't you feel that getting the ball to the point guard was definately within the scope of the Nuggets game plan coming out of the 20 second timeout? The only reason why I ask is I feel that it is pretty presumptuous on your behalf to say that the play wasn't going to go to Blake.
Point being is I didn't play NBA ball, but within the ball that I did play there was always a second and third option on any and all inbounds plays regardless of the balls positioning out of bounds.
And I agree with you that none of this is going to change the outcome of the five minute overtime period which the Pistons outplayed the Nuggets. I just have to know your thoughts on the above questions?
Thanks for reading,
The Nugg Doctor
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