(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)(Boulder-CO) Is there no basketball god? And if so, how could they allow Carmelo Anthony to come down on Kobe Bryant’s foot and twist his ankle after a jump shot? Forget for a second that the Nuggets lost to the Lakers, 116-99, and just think about the bad luck this team has had with injuries this season. First, it was Chucky Atkins who went down with a pulled groin that later would develop into a full-blown sports hernia. Then it was Steven Hunter who needed surgery on his knee. Nene then found out he had a testicular tumor. Following that scary news was Kenyon Martin’s battle with a staph infection on the buttock. Now, it’s Eduardo Najera and his hyper-extended elbow and, even worse, Carmelo with what appears to be a badly sprained ankle!
Somebody better call a witch doctor because I think this team is cursed!
No seriously, get out the yellow pages and call now.
The Nuggets never really had a chance in this game with the Lakers because, as we have already seen now more than a handful of times, they allowed a team to score around or more than 60 points in the first half. Against the Lakers, it was a 39-point first quarter that put the Nuggets behind the eight-ball, and as the game went on Denver could never get out of the hole they already dug themselves. Granted, Derek Fisher was unconscious in the first quarter, but that is still no excuse for the soft interior defense the Nuggets played. Factor in that Denver threw in the towel with a 17-point fourth quarter and there should be no miscommunication as to why the Nuggets were beaten so easily.
Just how bad was the defense by Denver? Let’s put it this way… Kwame “Mittens” Brown had two huge dunks in the first three minutes of the game!
Now, I don’t know about everyone else, but I have had it with this injury routine. It’s not something that anyone can do anything about, but something has got to give. The training room in Denver must have a revolving door on it because they just can not get a full, healthy team together. Is there a bright side? Yes, and that is Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen is one of the best, and now busiest, in the business and the Nuggets (with Nene as the exception) should be able to recover from all this misfortune and hopefully show us what they can do at quasi full-strength sometime real soon.
Until then…
Go Nuggets (the healthy ones)!
3 comments:
Nugg Doctor - I think you should starting tracking the times that Nuggets opponents actually go for season highs. Like against the Lakers - Fischer season high in points, Kobe season high in assists.
It seems like in every loss the Nuggets have some guy on the other team that just goes off.
The reason is clear - they don't play defense, and guys get it in their minds that they can have a big night and do.
The basketball gods smile upon good team defense. Obviously, the Nuggets don't even get a smirk.
These first half blowouts are getting old...
Will do, james.
Thanks for reading,
The Nugg Doctor
That's exactly what I said in Melo's Blog James! =P'
I can just imagine players anticipating a game against the NUGGETS so they can go for CAREER / SEASON games when they do.
This time it was Fisher to exploit the NUGGET'S Achilles' Heel (3-Pointers) and last time it was the guy off the bench Vujajic who scored like 200 in the fourth quarter.
Dang, we got swept by the Lakers this Season.
If I'm this frustrated, I can't even imagine how AI and Melo are feeling right now.
Go NUGGETS.
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