Just What the Doctor Ordered

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) I said in my preview, “Denver will need AI to have at least ten assists while scoring somewhere in the range of 23-27 points. Carmelo will have to score close to 30 points while finding a way to record his fourth double-double in the month of January. And Marcus Camby couldn’t find a better game to have another 20/20 effort. In addition to Denver’s big three needing to muster up an unbelievable effort, guys like J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza need to step up their games too. Otherwise, I’m afraid this one could get ugly.”

And almost precisely what I knew needed to happen for the Nuggets to win tonight actually happened. Just read these highlights from the box score: Allen Iverson scored 28 points and handed out nine assists. Carmelo Anthony scored 23 points and grabbed a couple of boards (you’ll understand why he only grabbed that many rebounds in a second). J.R. Smith stepped up and scored 13 points in 18 minutes. Marcus Camby tied a career-high by snatching 24 massive caroms, scored eight points, and also tied a career-high with eleven blasted Utah shot attempts. And last but not least is Linas Kleiza AKA “The L Train”, AKA “The Lithuanian Liquidator”, AKA “Amaze ya Kleiza” scoring a career-high 41 points and tying a season-high with nine rebounds!!!

Even Eduardo “The Grout” Najera showed his toughness by answering the call of duty, with a hyper-extended right elbow, when the Nuggets had no one else to turn to. Najera has so much intestinal mass that he might just earn the guts award for the year if he keeps these kinds of character-revealing efforts up. Eduardo is all heart and anyone who would like to argue that knows where to find me.

But the bottom line is the big three delivered in the Nuggets' most critical time of need and LK and J.R. stepped up gigantically with the result being Denver tied with Portland atop the Northwest Division at an even 23-15 after this, 120-109, victory over the hated Utah Jazz.

Give the Jazz credit though because they played a good game, but the Nuggets just flat out played better. The shooting percentages are right about even, Utah even out assisted the Nuggets, but the bottom line is Denver showed more heart than the Junk, I mean, Jazz and Jerry Sloan and crew will have to wait until Wednesday, February 6th to try and pay the Nuggets back.

There just isn’t much else to say about tonight’s game other than even in garbage time Steven Hunter still didn’t peel his off his sweats.

Oh, and one more thing… the quote of the century goes to longtime reader, close personal friend, and basketball guru btalk who said, “Andrei Kirilenko looks like the kind of guy that would wear tube socks with a tux.”

Pure gold, btalk! PURE 24 KARAT GOLD.

Go Nuggets!

Breaking News on Nene: Benign!

(Boulder-CO) I just caught news on ESPN's news ticker that Nene's testicular tumor has been found to be benign. What a relief! Now, barring any other developments, Big Brazil will be able recover from the surgery to remove the tumor and hopefully be back in action sooner than many of us might have thought.

Take your time, Nene. The Nuggets Nation is behind you 100%!

About.com Weekly Reports

(Boulder-CO) Here they are! The most comprehensive, entertaining, and informative NBA round ups in the business. Those of you who like your basketball Eastern Conference style can have it your way while the rest of us get down with the Western Conference. Should be a party! Now buy me a drink...

Iverson is Generous

(Boulder-CO) Allen Iverson has been pigeonholed for quite sometime as a “thug” who plays basketball, but this next bit of news may have you thinking differently about him. The Denver Post is reporting that AI has donated $100,000 to support the Newport News, Va., police department's "Gun Buy Back" program.

Iverson, a Newport News, VA native, is doing so because, “I have made this contribution because I want to make a difference and I hope that others join me. I can remember growing up in Newport News and Hampton, and if we can prevent one more child from being killed and another family from crying and mourning the death of another loved one, then it is more than worth it.”

Now that $100,000 may not be a tremendous amount to Mr. Iverson with his career salary numbers and endorsements all being calculated into the equation, but to give that figure some perspective Yakhouba Diawara only makes $687,456 before taxes for his services this entire year!

Way to go, Allen! That is quite the donation for a great cause.

Nuggets vs. Jazz: Game 38 Preview

(Boulder-CO) I can not, in good conscience, be too excited about the Nuggets chances tonight at home against the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets’ injury report is astonishingly long and the characters on it are all too important to this team’s chances of victory. For starters, Kenyon Martin (staph infection on the buttock) is not going to be able to go tonight. Nene (testicular tumor) and Chucky Atkins (sports hernia) are both going to miss quite a substantial amount of time, and Eduardo Najera is reportedly still not able to use his right arm completely with a hyper-extension of the elbow. Now, Steven Hunter is allegedly available for action after being cleared from knee surgery, but who knows if he will actually play tonight leaving the Nuggets in quite a quagmire as to how they are going to match-up with the Utah Jazz.

Furthermore, and to compound things, the Jazz are a big team. Their front line of Carlos Boozer (6’9” and stout), Mehmet Okur (6’11”), and Andrei Kirilenko (6’9” and lanky) alone are going to dwarf the Nuggets presumed starting frontcourt of Camby, Anthony, and Eduardo Najera. Add in the fact that starting point guard Deron Williams is a solid 6’3” and shooting guard Ronnie Brewer is a full 6’7” and you can see the Nuggets are looking physically outmatched.

On top of all that, the Nugget morale is dangerously low while the Utah Jazz have won six of their last seven games (including four straight) since trading Gordon Giricek for three-point shooting specialist Kyle Korver. And what worries me about a guy like Kyle Korver coming to town is the Nuggets are currently ranked 23rd in the NBA in opposing three-point percentage surrendering 37% from around the land of plenty.

And the statistical bad news doesn’t stop there.

The Nuggets are the sixth worst defensive club in the NBA allowing over 104 points per game while the Jazz are just barely allowing the opposition to hit the century mark while holding their opponents under 90 points three times during their four-game win streak.

So, now that the stage has been set there is a way that the almost overwhelming odds can be beaten by the Denver Nuggets. Simply stated: AI, Carmelo, and Camby have to play at the top of their respective games.

Denver will need AI to have at least ten assists while scoring somewhere in the range of 23-27 points. Carmelo will have to score close to 30 points while finding a way to record his fourth double-double in the month of January. And Marcus Camby couldn’t find a better game to have another 20/20 effort. In addition to Denver’s big three needing to muster up an unbelievable effort, guys like J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza need to step up their games too. Otherwise, I’m afraid this one could get ugly.

I’ll be at the Pepsi Center hoping for the best, Nuggets Nation, but I’m also preparing for the worst. You should also prepare by heading over to My Utah Jazz for easily the best Jazz-centric site in the game. Trust me, as much as I dispies the Jazz, these guys are doing it big!

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's Date is January 17th, and on this day:

'61- The Cincinnati Royals’ 22-year-old rookie sensation, Oscar Robertson (my favorite player ever), became the youngest player to receive All-Star MVP honors. Robertson scored 23 points and handed out 14 assists in a 153-131 victory for the West at Syracuse.

'92- Boston’s Robert Parish became the 16th player in NBA history to reach the 20,000-point plateau for his career, after scoring 14 points in the Celtics’ 98-95 win over Philadelphia at Boston Garden.

'92- Milwaukee’s Moses Malone became the sixth player in NBA history to appear in 1,200 games--along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, John Havlicek, Paul Silas and Robert Parish--as he scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Bucks to a 90-85 win over New York at the Bradley Center.

'94- Patrick Ewing became the first New York player to reach the 15,000-point mark for his career, scoring a game-high 34 points in the Knicks’ 106-94 win over visiting Minnesota.

'94- The Sacramento Kings-Los Angeles Lakers game at the Great Western Forum was postponed due to an earthquake in Los Angeles. Also, due to damage caused by the earthquake, the Los Angeles Clippers were forced to move two games out of the LA Sports Arena.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets Optimistic on Nene

(Boulder-CO) I think I speak for all of us when I say that this whole testicular tumor news of Nene’s caught the Nuggets Nation off guard. He was just dunking in Amare Stoudemire’s face the night before, and then WHAM! Nene is gone, and for how long is uncertain.

But, the good news is Nene’s initial reports from biopsy results have been encouraging, though he still awaits the results of more biopsies, which should come later this week. It is still not being ruled out that Nene could return this season, but for the time being, we all need to keep our thoughts and prayers with Big Brazil.

We need, and miss you, Nene. Get well, big fella!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 16th, and on this day:

'62- Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 42 points, the most ever in an All-Star Game, and grabbed 24 rebounds as he won MVP honors even though his East team lost to the West 150-130. The West’s Bob Pettit had an All-Star record 27 rebounds.

'66- Chicago was granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls.

'90- The Milwaukee Bucks retired Sidney Moncrief’s #4 jersey.

'93- Michael Jordan scored 64 points, but Chicago was upended in overtime by visiting Orlando 128-124. The Magic was led by rookie center Shaquille O’Neal, who posted 29 points and 24 rebounds.

Enjoy your day!

Garbage, Rubbish, and Trash

(AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

(Boulder-CO) I’ll tell you what, Nuggets Nation, this game was about as pitiful as it gets. Yea, I know Nene just underwent surgery this morning to remove a testicular tumor. Yea, I know Kenyon Martin has a staph infection on his buttocks. Yea, I know Eduardo Najera is hurting with a hyper-extended elbow, but I don’t care! The guys who played tonight in the Nuggets, 104-93, loss to the Hawks should be embarrassed of themselves for reasons ranging from laziness to out and out stupidity.

In the first twelve minutes of the game, Denver came out absolutely flat and allowed the Hawks open shots, uncontested lay-ups, easy penetration, and anything else they wanted to do offensively. Adding insult to the injured, pun intended, Atlanta connected on 18 of their first 26 shot attempts and scored 65 points in the first half when all was said and done. More alarming is how this is the second game in a row that the Nuggets have allowed more than 60+ points in the first 24 minutes of basketball and to make matters worse it has been to two Eastern Conference teams that typically don’t score a lot of points.

Things were just being given to Atlanta and the halftime stats are gruesome if you’re a Nuggets fan. The Hawks shot 62% from the field in the half in comparison to the Nuggets only making 36% of their attempts. Atlanta had outscored Denver 24-18 in points in the paint, 17-6 on the fast break, and 19-11 off the bench. The Nuggets were just being dragged up and down the floor and looked as if they could have mailed this one in at the half down by 21 points, 65-44. Their effort was garbage. Their team play was rubbish. And the Denver Nuggets looked like trash overall.

I even thought about turning the game off in trade for some kind of reality fix-up show, but instead stayed true not knowing what the second half might bring.

And in the second half, the Nuggets did pull a few things back together and actually managed to win the third quarter from the Hawks, 23-17. It was at this point that the Atlanta Hawks just looked scared to play the game. Granted, the Nuggets couldn’t rebound a lick and the Hawks didn’t really need to score many more buckets as they would run out two or three full shot clocks nursing their humongous lead countless times, but the game just had a terrible level of competitiveness. The Hawks could have easily put the Nuggets down by 30 or maybe even more in my assessment, but they were playing down to the level of the struggling Nuggets and it was honestly making me wish I would have been watching something else.

I digress for the sole reason of not losing readers and bring you to the only way this game could have gotten any worse for the Nuggets Nation. It was bad enough the Nuggets had come into this game after losing to a sub-par Charlotte Bobcats squad the night before and put out this kind of effort, but just when the last spark of hope was flickering as if to start a small fire the officiating crew baited the trap and Allen Iverson and J.R. Smith landed square on the trigger.

With the score, 101-93, and only 90 seconds remaining, Allen Iverson was attempting to receive an inbounds pass from J.R. Smith on the sideline and Anthony Johnson blatantly pushed AI out of bounds and down to the floor with no whistle being blown. The ball went out of bounds and AI picked himself up in disbelief that there was no call. The turnover gave the ball back to the Hawks and Anthony Johnson would turn it right back over on a discontinued dribble (a “carry” for the average fan) whistle and what ensued enraged me. Once again the ancient looking Anthony Johnson pushed AI causing Iverson to lose control of the ball out of bounds and, once again, John Goble choked on his whistle. Would the Nuggets have won the game with either play having a whistle blown? Probably not, but the calls were blatantly missed and AI lost his cool getting two quick techs and the early shower in a fit unbecoming of a player who tonight moved past Larry Bird and Gary Payton and into the NBA’s 21st All-Time scoring position with 21,789 career points.

And in a display even more ridiculous, J.R. Smith acted like a baby and was also tossed immediately following Iverson's ejection!

Not only had the Nuggets lost a game by playing sloppy and uninspired basketball, AI had been tossed, and J.R. Smith had acted like a fool and erased the savory taste in my mouth left by his play before the unneeded tantrum. And I’m sure George Karl wasn’t happy about Smith’s actions either… Karl had a look on his face like a father who has to go into the principal’s office for something so utterly stupid that it disrespects the family’s good name; just disgusted.

Here’s the rest of the box score if you want the individual stats from tonight’s excuse for a Nuggets game. Things seem to be going to hell in a hand basket right now for the Nuggets and I can barely stand to watch.

More News on Nene

(Boulder-CO) Here is more news on Nene's tumor from the Rocky Mountain News. It's all positive info about the condition and today's surgery. Get well, Nene.

Nene Had a Tumor

(Boulder-CO) It is being reported in the Denver Post that the medical reason Nene was unable to play in the last two games was due to a tumor that was removed on Monday in a Denver hospital. It is not being said where the tumor was located or if it was cancerous in nature, but Nene's medical team will discuss what to do next after getting test results expected by the end of the week.

In this time of recovery, The Nugg Doctor and its readership hope for nothing but a healthy and full recovery for Big Brazil.

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 15th, and on this day:

1892- The 13 original rules of basketball were printed in the Springfield YMCA training school newspaper.

'57- Attempting a length-of-the-court pass to Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman stunned an NBA All-Star Game audience in Boston Garden when his 70-foot pass swished through the net. After the shot, Cousy asked Sharman, “Don’t you ever pass?”

'65- In one of the biggest trades in NBA history, the San Francisco Warriors, in the middle of a then league record 17-game losing streak, traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, Paul Neumann and cash.

'87- Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird was named Man of the Year by The Sporting News and Athlete of the Year by The Associated Press, marking the first time one athlete had gained both distinctions.

'90- Golden State Coach Don Nelson became the second man in NBA history to appear in 1,000 games both as a player and a coach (joining Lenny Wilkens) when the Warriors lost to the Indiana Pacers 144-105.

'94- In dropping a 104-87 decision to San Antonio at Reunion Arena, the Dallas Mavericks set an NBA record with their 17th consecutive home loss, breaking the mark of 16 set by Orlando in 1990. The Mavericks’ home losing skein would increase to 19 before they would defeat Sacramento, 108-101 on January 29.

'96- Washington’s Brent Price began a NBA record streak of hitting on 13 straight three-point field goal attempts over three games. Terry Mills of the Detroit Pistons tied the record by hitting 13 straight in December of 1996.

'97- Seattle’s Sam Perkins tied Jeff Hornacek’s NBA single-game record by connecting on eight three-point field goals without a miss, during the Sonics’ 122-78 win over visiting Toronto. Seattle also set an NBA record in the game with 27 steals.

'98- Chicago's Michael Jordan notched the 28,000th point of his career in the Bulls' 106-96 loss to Philadelphia.

'00- Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan became the 12th coach in NBA history to reach the 700-victory plateau when the Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-75 at Delta Center.

That's over a century of NBA history on this day, basketball aficionados. Who loves ya?

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets vs. Hawks: Game 37 Preview

(Boulder-CO) After a tough, shorthanded loss to the Charlotte Bobcats last night I’m a little bit worried about tonight’s match-up with the Hawks. My concerns at this point are threefold: First, Joe Johnson has been playing great lately. Johnson is averaging 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 63.6 percent from 3-point range in his last three games. He is the kind of guy who’s range starts when he turns his car off in the parking lot and the Nuggets are not doing a very good job of defending the perimeter right now.

The second of my concerns stem from Josh Smith being truly a unique player. Along with averaging 17.6 points, better than three blocked shots, 7.8 rebounds, and being a mediocre three-point threat at 6’9” I’m not sure there has ever been a player like him in the history of the NBA. Sure, there have been better players in each individual category, but I challenge you to come up with a name that has all of the skills Smith possesses and someone with his athletic ability and versatility. Not to mention a dunk contest championship and the ability to guard almost any frontcourt player with equal effectiveness. My point is that Smith is going to be a tough match-up for Carmelo Anthony both offensively and defensively and, with the way things have been looking for the battered Nuggets as of late, Denver can ill afford Anthony to have a bad game with their limited roster.

My last area of concern for tonight’s game is the nature of this back-to-back set. The Nuggets looked spent down the stretch of last night’s game and this year’s Hawks are not going to be the pushovers they were in years past. Furthermore, the Nuggets have only won three out of nine opportunities on the tail end of back-to-back games this year and Denver has only been able to accomplish such a feat twice on the road with one of those occasions coming at the hand of the pitiful Timberwolves.

Now, as I pull the microscope back from this game there is a sense of urgency to win tonight because the Nuggets are now trailing the Trailblazers by half a game for first place in the Northwest division with currently one less win than Portland. Plus, the Nuggets will be playing the hated, third place Utah Jazz on Thursday night and the Jazz have just as many wins as the Nuggets despite having three more losses. All of this means that even though there are still 45 games to play, the Northwest Divisional race is going to get real tight real fast and the Nuggets can not afford to be playing catch up post All-Star break.

Somehow, someway the Nuggets need to win this game. All the cards are stacked against them, but as one of my favorite basketball guru friends always says, “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it!” Tonight we will see just what kind of character this basketball team has.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets Bitten By 'Cats

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

(Boulder-CO) Despite a gritty effort by the few that were able to play, the Denver Nuggets lost to the Charlotte Bobcats tonight, 119-116. Four Denver starters scored in double figures, but Gerald Wallace’s 40-point effort was too much for the Nuggets to overcome.

Nene is still hush-hush about what is ailing him, Chucky is going to be gone for awhile, Eduardo Najera was a game-time scratch due to a hyper-extended elbow, Steven Hunter is, well, somewhere, and Von Wafer was a DNP per usual leaving Coach George Karl a very limited roster to work with.

But despite all the available excuses the Nuggets that did play, played well. In the first half, the Nuggets overcame a nine point disadvantage from the first quarter and exploded for a 43-point second period. Paced by Carmelo Anthony’s 21 points at the half, Denver was clinging to a single point lead at intermission.

The Nuggets once again outplayed the ‘Cats in the third, but a dismal 17-point offensive showing in the forth in combination with Gerald Wallace’s continued offensive barrage were too much for the Nuggets to counter. Wallace scored nine of his game-high 40 points in the final quarter with the nail in the coffin being a three-point basket to put the Bobcats up, 117-112, with only 45 seconds remaining in the game. Denver did have one last chance to win with the score, 117-115, and Carmelo Anthony at the line, but ‘Melo was unable to tie the game with the second attempt missing and being rebounded by Anthony before he shuffled his feet and turned the ball over on the traveling violation. Ironically, ‘Melo finished with a team-high 35 points but struggled from the free-throw line all night concluding just 11-17.

Marcus Camby grabbed a game-high 23 rebounds, swatted six shots, and scored 20 points and Allen Iverson scored 23 while passing out six assists.

Up next for the depleted Nuggets is a trip to hot-lanta tomorrow night to play a very talented Hawks team that is on the verge of getting back to .500 after starting the year 3-7. Eduardo Najera is expected to be ready, but the Nuggets will need to search deep for the fortitude needed to stop a potential slide before getting back to Denver on Thursday night to play the division rival Utah Jazz.

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 14th, and on this day:

'66- The Philadelphia 76ers, led by Wilt Chamberlain, won the first of what was then an NBA record 36 consecutive home games, defeating Boston 112-110. The Celtics broke the mark by winning 38 games in a row at home during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 seasons.

'93- Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz blocked two shots in a 96-89 win over Seattle, becoming only the second player in NBA history (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to record 3,000 career blocks.

'93- Uniform #77, symbolic of the Blazers’ 1977 championship season, is retired in honor of former Coach Jack Ramsay. He joins Harry Glickman, Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas, Geoff Petrie and Larry Weinberg in being selected to the organization’s Walk of Fame in Memorial Coliseum.

'94- Boston’s Robert Parish scored 21 points in the host Celtics’ 102-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming the 12th player at the time to score 22,000 points in his career.

Enjoy your day!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 12th, and on this day:

'66- Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics recorded his 1,000th career victory (regular season and playoffs), 114-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston.

'71- 33-year-old Lenny Wilkens of Seattle became, at the time, the oldest MVP in All-Star history as he scored 21 points in the West’s 108-107 win in San Diego. Michael Jordan became the oldest All-Star Game MVP when he captured the award in 1998, nine days short of his 35th birthday.

'96- Boston’s Dana Barros misses all nine of his three-point attempts during the Celtics’ 105-92 loss to visiting New York, ending his NBA record streak of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer at 89.

'00- Charlotte Hornets guard Bobby Phills died in an automobile accident near Charlotte Coliseum, following the team's shootaround. He was 30 years old. The Hornets' game that evening against the Chicago Bulls was postponed and rescheduled. The nine-year NBA veteran became a member of the Hornets on August 19, 1997, when he was signed as a free agent. In 1998, he was one of four finalists for the NBA's Sportsmanship Award and started the Bobby Phills Educational Foundation.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets Not Fooled by Magic

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) It took three Nugget starters recording double-doubles, but the Nuggets weren’t going to fall for any parlor tricks by the Orlando Magic. The Nuggets beat the Eastern Conference’s best road team, 113-103, and as I previewed, did so in a tight game by out blocking, out stealing, and creating more turnovers than the Magic.

The Nuggets and Magic were air tight throughout the first half, and if it weren’t for a Keyon Dooling buzzer beater from 30 feet the game would have entered intermission tied at 53 a piece. Nene was a game time scratch citing an, “indefinite leave due to a personal medical issue” as the reason for his inability to play. And as a result of the shorthanded frontcourt of Denver, Dwight Howard was all over the Nuggets interior defense and scored 13 points while grabbing nine rebounds. He even scored a basket for the Nuggets after nearly stealing a pass and batting the ball back into the Nuggets goal for the easiest two points Kenyon Martin ever scored in his NBA career. For the Nuggets, the main source of energy in the first half came from Linas Kleiza. LK scored 13 points in the second quarter including ten straight points spanning over three minutes in the second period.

It was more back and forth in the third period with the Magic keeping the Nuggets at bay by a handful of points throughout. The Nuggets were able to bring the game within two points to finish out the third, but it wasn’t until Linas Kleiza hit a 17-foot jump shot at the nine minute mark in the fourth quarter that the Nuggets were able to bring the game to a tie at 90 points a piece. From there it was time for Anthony Carter to step up his offensive impact and AC scored 14 of the Nuggets final 19 points to close the show on the Magic.

The Nuggets were led by Carmelo Anthony’s double-double of 32 points and eleven rebounds. Denver also received double-double efforts from Anthony Carter and Allen Iverson. Each guard scored 21 points with AI dishing 13 assists and AC flipping eleven dimes, respectively. Marcus Camby just missed a double-double with a team-high twelve rebounds and eight points while Linas Kleiza was the only player to score coming off the bench with 18 points and five rebounds.

But the real reason why the Nuggets won this game was because they picked up the intensity on the defensive end in the fourth quarter limiting the Magic to only 17 points thanks to numerous clutch steals and blocked shots. Denver was able to out block the Magic 7-4 overall while coming up with three steals in the final three minutes to extend their lead to ten points by game’s end. And with tonight's win, the Nuggets are now 22-13 overall and back in a tie for first place in the Northwest Divison with the Portland Trailblazers. Good night, Nuggets Nation and your welcome!

Go Nuggets!

Indefinite Leave Due to Personal Medical Issue

(Boulder-CO) Nene was not available for tonight's game against the Magic because of an, "indefinite leave due to personal medical issue" and there is no word as to when he might be back in the fold or what the medical issue is. This is just great! Dwight Howard already has 13 points and nine rebounds at the half and the Nuggets don't have a clue as to when their best low post defender is returning to action. I swear, sometimes I think the door to trainer Jim Gillen's office is a revolving door!

This Just Occured to Me

(Boulder-CO) The Nuggets have absolutely no one who can stop Dwight Howard one-on-one with any sort of consistency. The chances of him having a 20/20 game tonight are extremely high and I wouldn't be surprised if he scores way more than 2o points.



Nene better be ready for some serious minutes...

Reading Between Bobby’s Lines

(Boulder-CO) Recently, the Denver Nuggets waived Bobby Jones, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t capable of still shedding some light on the situation in the Mile High City. In today’s article in the Rocky Mountain News Jones is quoted saying, “Some of it was money and some was so they could have some open roster spots” for what Tomasson hints at could be for, “Possible future moves”.

And now that Chucky Atkins is basically all but a loss for the rest of the 2007-08 season, I think that Tomasson may know more than he is letting on.

It’s no secret that the Nuggets are way over the salary cap at $79.9 million and with the league’s third highest overall payroll, but what isn’t known is how Stan Kroenke and the rest of Nuggets brass intends on handling the situation at hand that looks strikingly similar to last year’s. The Nuggets are once again shallow at point guard and if management wants more out of their money than the most recent run of first round bounces they are going to have to make a move to solidify the Denver backcourt.

So, does that mean a trade is imminent? Hard saying, not knowing, but if there were to be a trade made I have some ideas as to who may be shipping out of Denver.

For starters, let’s talk about Eduardo Najera. From a marketing stand point it would be insane to trade this guy, but from a winning perspective it’s not that crazy of an idea. He is in a contract year, meaning that his nearly five million dollar salary could be easily dealt to a team that is either A) looking to rebuild or B) looking for a relatively productive power forward that would be willing to negotiate a new future contract. And back to that perspective of winning, especially in late April, Eduardo is only averaging 6.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and about a steal per game; which is not all that spectacular when considering Denver’s most dire needs and crowded frontcourt. Now, I know he’s a fan favorite, but which would you rather have as a fan? A fun to watch hustle player that doesn’t really show up consistently in the box score or a deeper run in the playoffs?

Next up on the seemingly obvious trading block is Linas Kleiza. Granted, Linas has been coming on strong lately, but the fact still remains that he is a small forward with a limited and streaky shooting ability on a team with quite possibly the best small forward in the game. Karl has tried to use LK as a big shooting guard, but it seems to disrupt the tempo of the game when Linas has the green light to shoot at will and he is unable to create for himself off the dribble unless he is slashing to the cup from the wing. Plus, defensively Kleiza has not been the most successful in his showings against quicker, smaller shooting guards. Furthermore, LK has a high trade value and a relatively low salary making him a likely candidate for a trade if one should go down.

Next on the list of potential trade stock is J.R. Smith. George Karl has all but said he dislikes J.R. despite Smith’s reports of trying to work things out man-to-man with Karl and desire work on areas of his game that are struggling. The sad thing, and what makes J.R. a tasty piece of trade bait, is how Smith could have a tremendous upside if placed in a situation and with a coach that is willing to cultivate his abilities. But it doesn’t seem like Denver is the place for either of those two things to happen, thus making J.R. a potential piece of any trade that may go down in or around the All-Star break.

And last, but certainly not least, is Yakhouba Diawara. Where the Yak fits in with the Nuggets is a bit of a mystery. He has been a starter, and he has been lost at the end of the bench. He’s contributed solid minutes, and he has looked completely lost out there. But, when it comes down to trade considerations, Yakhouba Diawara is a hybrid between Eduardo Najera and Linas Kleizas’ situations. At just barely over $600,000 a year in salary, and in the last year of his current contractual situation, a team could either A) take the Yak in a trade because he is worth next to nothing in the payroll department and waive him next year in their rebuilding process or B) use him in their rebuilding process knowing that he could easily be negotiated a new contract at a relatively limited cost. Now, is he the same kind of talent as J.R. Smith? The answer is obviously an emphatic, “NO”, but that doesn’t mean that his potential upside couldn’t mean he gets packaged into some kind of deal that would solidify the Nuggets backcourt situation.

Ultimately, it is of my opinion that the Nuggets need to do something to stabilize and solidify their backcourt as soon as possible. As to who management is willing to pay for, and who is realistically available is a another article’s focus, but unless the Nuggets want to be yet another first round lamb for a complete Western Conference contender something has to happen. Otherwise, the elite teams in the Western Conference (who by the way all have elite point guards) are going to once again dispose of a four-piece Nuggets team that will once again enter the off-season looking for a point guard.

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 11th, and on this day:

'47- The NBA voted to outlaw the use of zone defenses. When the league began play two and a half months earlier, it did so under college rules that permitted zones. But league officials felt that zones were slowing down the game and allowing teams to clog the middle and thus voted that they be prohibited.

'67- San Diego was granted an NBA franchise to be called the Rockets. The franchise moved to Houston for the 1971-72 season.

'84- Denver defeated San Antonio 163-155 in the second-highest scoring non-overtime game in NBA history. Golden State and Denver then combined for 320 points on Nov. 2, 1990.

'00- Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks, Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons and Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat were selected as the final three members of the 2000 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team, scheduled to participate in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Named previously to the USA Men's Senior National Team were Vin Baker and Gary Payton of the Seattle SuperSonics; Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs; Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves; Tom Gugliotta of the Phoenix Suns; Tim Hardaway of the Miami Heat; Allan Houston of the New York Knicks; Jason Kidd of the Phoenix Suns; and Steve Smith of the Portland Trail Blazers.

'00- David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs is among seven inductees to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, in ceremonies taking place in Waco, Texas. Robinson, chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history is an eight-time All-Star and three-time U.S. Olympian who helped lead the Spurs to their first NBA championship in 1999.

'01- The New York Knicks held an opponent under 100 points for an NBA-record 29th straight game when the Knicks dropped a 76-75 decision to the Houston Rockets. The streak snapped the 46-year-old NBA record of 28 straight set by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the 1954-55 season.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets vs. Magic: Game 35 Preview

(Boulder-CO) The Orlando Magic are in town on a west coast road trip that is already two games in the making. Additionally, when comparing these two teams side by side I think that this game could potentially be decided in the final minutes.

The most obvious reasons for my assertion are the numerous different facets of statistical breakdown that have the Nuggets and the Magic almost identical in so many ways. For instance, Dwight Howard is leading the league in rebounding at 15.2 boards per game and right behind him in second place is Marcus Camby at 14 rebounds even. Even more surprising is how the Nuggets are currently the second best defensive rebounding team in the NBA with 33.4 glass cleaning rebounds per game while, you guessed it, the Magic are right on their tail in third place at 33.3 defensive boards per game. And since we’re looking at which team is superior in rebounding, let me just add that the Nuggets are averaging a total of 45.2 rpg, while the Magic once again are right on par with 43 total boards on any average night.

But the eerie similarities don’t stop there.

Both teams turn the ball over an average of 14 times a game. The Nuggets are getting to the free-throw line a league best 30.4 times a game with the Magic ranking second at 29.5 attempts from the charity stripe nightly. And both teams are allowing their opposition to make an average of 44% of their field goal attempts, while also standing neck and neck as to how many made field goals they surrender at a number around 38 made baskets per game.

So now that I have illustrated how similar these teams are statistically, allow me to also point out a couple of key stats that could hold the answer to who is going to win this game and how.

The biggest statistical discrepancy in these two teams can be found in two defensive categories with the Nuggets holding the edge in both facets. Denver comes into tonight’s match-up with the number one average of blocked shots per game at 7.3 rejections a night. On the other hand, the Magic are currently ranked the ninth worst team in the league at blocking shots. If Denver is to win tonight they need to block shots and, most importantly, control the swatted attempts to sway the game in their favor. The other area that the Nuggets seemingly have a large advantage in is steals. Denver is also tops in the league in steals per game at 9.38 thefts nightly. The Magic are not as adept to stealing the ball and are the fifth worst in the NBA in this regard. Furthermore, the Nuggets are best in the league at forcing turnovers while the Orlando Magic are in the bottom third. This highlights just how important things like steals and blocked shots, that sometimes get overlooked, are going to be to the Nuggets if they are going to be able to pull out a win tonight .

But overall I have a feeling that tonight’s game is going to be close. These two teams are both on the cusp of entering that upper echelon of teams considered to be NBA contenders. The Nuggets need this win to once again move back into a tie for first place in the Northwest Division with the Portland Trailblazers and the Orlando Magic currently have a four-game cushion on the Wizards for first place in the Southeast Division. Oh, and I almost forgot… the Nuggets are one of the NBA’s tougher teams to play at home with a record of 14-5 and the Magic are one of the league’s best road teams with a record of 16-6.

We need this one, Nuggets Nation. Who’s with me?

Go Nuggets!

Chucky Atkins Has a Hernia

(Boulder-CO) At first, it was labeled a groin pull. Now, Chucky Atkins reportedly has suffered a sports hernia and will be sidelined indefinitely.

What is there to say?

The Nuggets are always one piece short of the overall puzzle being complete. With a healthy and productive Chucky Atkins, the Nuggets are a good ten deep. Without him, the Nuggets still do not have a true starting point guard that can handle the full-time duties that this team’s workload has to offer. Now we have to wait and see if Yakhouba Diawara, J.R. Smith, or Von Wafer can support the Nuggets where they are the lightest. Anthony Carter is playing his brains out and no disrespect to him personally, but this team needs a proven veteran that has some serious playoff experience if they are going to go deep in the post season. AC can’t play the type of minutes that AI does. It’s just not possible. Therefore, he needs help.

Granted, this year we look like much more of a team. AI and Carmelo have been equally effective and having both Kenyon and Nene has been also beneficial up to this point, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The true heart of a team is its point guard.

Don’t believe me?

Maybe you’ve forgotten about what Tony Parker did to the Nuggets last post season. Or the performance of one Denver native, Chauncey Billups.

The Nuggets Cheer Crew

(Boulder-CO) Big props to Give Me The Rock for this post (you made me laugh and I appreciate being able to start my morning like that). Usually, I am only losing sleep because of what transpires between the nets, but now... I have another whole set of demons to battle. It's very funny, so click the the link.

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 10th, and on this day:

'85- Lenny Wilkens became the first person to coach in 1,000 NBA games when the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Golden State Warriors 89-86.

'86- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers scored his 34,000th career point, the only NBA player to reach that milestone.

'94- Isiah Thomas of Detroit was added to the roster of Dream Team II, replacing the injured Tim Hardaway. The team would go on to win the gold medal at the 1994 World Championship of Basketball in Ontario, Canada.

'96- In the Celtics’ 113-104 win against the Kings, Boston guard Dana Barros sank a three-point field goal in his 89th straight game, an NBA record streak that would be stopped in his next game.

'98- Utah head coach Jerry Sloan won his 600th game with a 111-84 win at Houston.

Enjoy your day!

They Do it in the West

(Boulder-CO) These teams play basketball out on the west coast. A chance to learn should never be wasted. Go read!

They Do it in the East

(Boulder-CO) These teams play basketball out on the east coast. A chance to learn should never be wasted. Go read!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today’s date is January 9th, and on this day:

‘47- Don Martin of Providence became the first NBA player to ever score 40 points in a game, in a matchup against Cleveland.

‘72- Milwaukee, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 120-104, ending the Lakers’ consecutive win streak at 33, the longest winning streak in major league sports history.

‘72- The NBA’s 2,000,000th point occurred in either the Baltimore-Phoenix or Detroit-Buffalo game.

‘91- Chicago’s Michael Jordan scored a game-high 40 points to lead the Bulls to a 107-99 win over Philadelphia at the Spectrum, reaching the 15,000 point mark for his career. Jordan reached 15,000 points in 460 games, quicker than any player in NBA history except Wilt Chamberlain (358 games).

‘93- Detroit retired Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier’s jersey #16 at halftime of the Pistons-Warriors game. Lanier played 91/2 seasons with the Pistons and finished his career in Milwaukee.

‘96- Toronto established an NBA record by becoming the first team ever not to hit a foul shot during the course of a game. The Raptors are 0-of-3 from the line during a 92-91 loss to visiting Charlotte.

‘01- Patrick Ewing of the Seattle SuperSonics scored his 24,000th career point, becoming the 13th player in NBA history to reach that total.

Enjoy your day!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today’s date is January 8th, on this day:

‘85- The San Antonio Spurs, behind a near quadruple-double by guard Johnny Moore, beat Golden State 139-94. Moore had 26 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds and nine steals.

‘93- Michael Jordan’s game-high 35 points led Chicago to a 120-95 win over Milwaukee, giving him exactly 20,000 points in the 620th game of his NBA career. Jordan was the second-fastest to reach 20,000 points behind only Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in 499 games.

‘93- Robert Parish pulled down 11 rebounds in Boston’s 102-88 win over New Jersey, becoming the ninth player in NBA history to collect 13,000 career rebounds.

‘97- The Top Ten Teams in NBA History was announced: 1964-65 Boston Celtics, 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers, 1969-70 New York Knicks, 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers, 1985-86 Boston Celtics, 1986-87 Los Angeles Lakers, 1988-89 Detroit Pistons, 1991-92 Chicago Bulls and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

‘98- Utah's Karl Malone moved past former Boston Celtics great John Havlicek (26,395) and into eighth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. In the same game Malone also started his 500th consecutive game and passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6,712) to move into sixth place on the NBA's all-time list for free throws made.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets Badly Blistered by Suns

(AP Photo/Matt York)

(Boulder-CO) This one was over about two minutes after it started. The Phoenix Suns came out like starving lions when the sheepish Nuggets took the floor and pasted Denver with a 46-point first quarter effort on their way to handing ‘Melo and the boys a, 137-115, loss.

I think George Karl kept his tie on through the first half, but don’t quote me on that!

The Phoenix Suns shot a torrid 53.8% from the field, made 20-31 bombs from long range, connected on 17-18 from the free-throw line, out blocked the Nuggets 13-4, and out passed Denver 32-17 in the assist column. About the only statistical category the Nuggets managed to win was the rebounding battle, but hey, Phoenix was busy putting the ball though the net to worry about who finished with the most boards!

Shawn Marion paced the Suns with his putrid set-shot, 27 points, a team-high 14 rebounds, and six blocked shots. Allen Iverson was his equalizer offensively by scoring a game-high 32 points, but it was an all too individual effort from the Answer who only dished out three assists. Carmelo Anthony grabbed a team-high 14 boards, but finished a disappointing 9-21 from the field good for only 20 points.

I’ll spare you the rest of the Nuggets box score. Trust me, the input is baffling.

I’m not sure why the Nuggets seem to look so good on some nights, but then still show us that they are not above completely mailing a game like this one in. Let’s be honest for a second, there was no way the Nuggets were going to win this game and the first five minutes were all I needed to see to know that to be a fact. 46 points in twelve minutes of basketball is inexcusable. Some teams, that will remain unmentioned at present time, would love to score that many points in a half, but somehow the Nuggets couldn’t button down the Phoenix goal in the first quarter to prevent them from practically ripping the net from the iron.

Could it be that the Suns were just so hot shooting the ball that any opponent would have been scalded by their first quarter effort? Perhaps, but maybe Denver was just exposed for the defensive weaknesses that have been camouflaged up to this point? I’m not sure how to interpret a scorching like this. Somebody help me out!

Go Nuggets!

Iverson Named Player of the Week

(Boulder-CO) Allen Iverson was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Dec. 31 through Sunday, Jan. 6 today by the NBA. Iverson led the Nuggets to a 3-0 week, as they defeated the Spurs, Timberwolves and 76ers with AI averaging 33.3 points over that stretch. Iverson shot .531 from the field, .471 from distance and .923 from the foul line, while logging 43.6 minutes per game.

Here are Allen Iverson's complete boxscores for all three games he is being honored for:

Jan. 3 vs. San Antonio: Scored 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting and added three assists in Denver’s 80-77 win over the Spurs.

Jan. 4 at Minnesota: Tallied 33 points, three rebounds and four assists as the Nuggets posted a 118-107 win over the Timberwolves.

Jan. 6 vs. Philadelphia: Poured in 38 points and dished out eight assists in a 109-96 win over the 76ers.

Congratulations, AI!

Go Nuggets!

Bobby Jones Waived

(Boulder-CO) Nuggets.com is reporting that Bobby Jones has been waived. Jones appeared in 23 games for the Nuggets this season, averaging 3.3 ppg and 1.4 rpg in 9.0 mpg.

Good luck, Bobby. You're talented enough to help someone else in the league!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 7th, and on this day:

'51- Just one day after playing in the longest game in NBA history, a 75-73 win over the Rochester Royals in six overtimes, the Indianapolis Olympians were defeated by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, 83-79, with each of the Olympians’ five starters playing all 48 minutes.

'72- The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 134-90 for their 33rd straight win, the longest winning streak in major professional sports.

'95- Larry Brown posted his 500th career NBA coaching victory, following Indiana’s 88-83 road win at Houston.

'98- Los Angeles Clippers head coach Bill Fitch tied Dick Motta (935) for third on the coaching victory list after a 110-102 win over Vancouver.

'98- Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal blocked three shots in a 114-102 win over Milwaukee to bring his career total to 1,002.

'99- The NBA Board of Governors unanimously ratified the new six-year collective bargaining agreement between the league and the National Basketball Players Association, setting the stage for the 1998-99 season to get underway. The agreement runs through the 2003-2004 NBA season, with a league option for the 2004-05 season.

'02- Anthony Johnson of the Mobile Revelers was signed to a 10-day contract by the New Jersey Nets, becoming the first NBDL player to sign a NBA 10-day contract.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets Too Powerful for Sixers

(Boulder-CO) Despite having only three players score in double-figures in comparison to Philly’s six, the Nuggets systematically disposed of the 76ers, 109-96. Allen Iverson played like he had something to prove as the rest of the Nuggets, while bending at times, proved too strong to break against old friends now turned foes like Reggie Evans, Andre Miller, and two other lesser known local products.

The Nuggets won every quarter except for the third when they let a once ten-point lead transform into a tie game before going on a run to finish the quarter with yet another ten-point lead.

Allen Iverson scored a game-high 38 points and handed out eight dimes against his old franchise, but the real story that has been shaping up for a couple of weeks now is Anthony Carter. The former Hawaii Rainbow, in all honesty, has been the difference in this latest stretch of six wins in the last seven games. Why might you ask? Simply put, he makes this team go offensively by kick-starting the offense with his good passing and floor leadership and, if it weren’t for a monster like Marcus Camby (who had 12 rebounds, 11 points, and seven blocked shots) , he would be making a strong case for himself as the Nuggets defensive MVP so far too! Against the Sixers, he quietly scored five points while assisting his teammates to get buckets a game-high 15 times. AC is constantly coming up with defensive hustle plays evident by his three blocks, two steals, and five rebounds, and when he is on the floor the Nuggets look twice as strong as without him.

Guys like J.R. Smith, Yakhouba Diawara, and (I hate to say it) Chucky Atkins are seeing less and less playing time right now because George Karl just doesn’t need to play them. For instance, against the Timberwolves the game before, the instant George Karl took a struggling Chucky Atkins out of the game and inserted Carter the game’s momentum swung and the Nuggets came out on top. Furthermore, the former high school drop out is quickly becoming a staple of the Nuggets defense and he is proving to be just what the Nuggets have needed for quite some time now; a low maintenance, high efficiency, workhorse guard that doesn’t need or want a whole lot of time in the spotlight.

Now the Nuggets have won three straight games, are undefeated so far in 2008, and face another serious test in the Phoenix Suns on the tail end of a back-to-back set on the road. Even if they lose for whatever reason tonight in Phoenix they have still weathered the storm of last week’s scheduling consisting of four games in five nights by winning three out of four. But, if the Nuggets happen to beat the Southwest Division leading Suns on their home floor at least you’ll be able to say you’ve been on the bandwagon since it started rolling back on Halloween of ‘07 now wont you? That just leaves you one thing left to do. Tell a friend about the Nugg Doctor and let’s see how crowded this wagon can get!

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. 76ers: Game 33 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Tonight the Denver Nuggets play yet another team that comes into this match-up not even coming close to scoring 100 points per game. And do I think that Philadelphia is going to be able to hold the Nuggets to their average points surrendered of 95.3 points? Only if AI or Carmelo gets lost on their way to the Pepsi Center!

Looking back on the trade that will always link these two teams, Allen Iverson is averaging just a shade over a half an assist less than Andre Miller while outscoring Miller 26.6 ppg to 16.1 ppg. And where is Joe Smith? And how is Jason Smith out of Colorado State University, my alma mater, working out for you? Do I even ask about Thaddeus Young?

Alright, enough of the antagonistic questions. Let’s take a look at how these teams stack up.

Right off the bat it occurred to me that the Nuggets will not have to worry about where Kyle Korver is because… he’s in Utah now! Granted, K squared was only averaging ten points per game while in Philly, but he was still one of those guys that could really do some damage to the Nuggets from the three-point line. Further down the roster I find, “The Joker”, Reggie Evans! Reggie is averaging an impressive 8.1 rebounds per game, but is still not an offensive threat with only a five point per game average. And if he thinks that he is going to come even close to his nightly average on the boards against the likes of Kenyon Martin, Nene, or (laugh) Marcus Camby than maybe Reggie needs to be reminded of the reasons why all three of the aforementioned used to get playing time before him.

Now, the bigger guns of the 76ers should give the Nuggets some concern because Andre Iguodala just scored a season-high 30 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists and four steals in Wednesday's loss to the Jazz. Plus, Iguodala is having a career year in scoring and has proven to be the difference between Philly’s wins and losses with the fulcrum being whether or not he shoots a high percentage. When the 76ers win, Iguodala has a shooting percentage of 48%, but when they lose Andre’s connection rate drops to just barely above 40%.

Andre Iguodala’s main scoring mate is Andre Miller. I mentioned before that Miller’s scoring average is 16.1 points per game (only a half point shy of a career-high), but what has got to be a disappointment to fans in Philly is his average of 6.3 assists. With the Nuggets, Andre was averaging better than nine dimes a game in the 2006-07 season which proves to me that a set-up man is only as good as the guys he is setting.

Overall, this game’s weight is actually much heavier than just one win or loss. The Nuggets have to immediately travel to Phoenix after tonight’s game to play the Suns tomorrow on the backside of a back-to-back set. With a win, the Nuggets carry over a four-game winning streak and an unbeaten feel in 2008. The plane ride will not be as long, the mood will be upbeat, and the food will taste better (not to mention Scott Hastings is buying…). But should the Nuggets lose, they will have to enter the lion’s den in the desert on little sleep with a somber feeling. Now, I don’t know about you, but I have a sixth sense that tells me that if the Nuggets can take care of business against the Sixers tonight that they are much more likely to go into Phoenix and beat the Suns to extend their current three-game win streak to five (by the way, the Suns lost last night to the Hornets). Lose tonight and the Nuggets Nation will most likely be looking at a two-game skid. And in this tight early divisional race with Portland and Utah every game is starting to count even though it’s not even February yet.

Let’s hoop, Nuggets Nation.

Go Nuggets!

Today’s Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today’s date is January 6th, and on this day:

‘51- The Indianapolis Olympians defeated the Rochester Royals 75-73 in six overtimes--the longest game in NBA history.

‘91- The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 114-111 before a sellout crowd at the Portland Memorial Coliseum. It marked the Blazers’ 600th consecutive sellout at home.

‘95- Atlanta Coach Lenny Wilkens passed the legendary Red Auerbach to become the NBA’s all-time winningest coach, with 939 career victories, after the Hawks defeated Washington 112-90 at the Omni. Wilkens reached the victory record in his 22nd year as an NBA coach, including four as a player-coach. In tribute to Auerbach, Wilkens puffed on a postgame victory cigar.

Enjoy your day!

Eat Your Heart Out, Philly

(Boulder-CO) Admit it, Denver stole Allen Iverson from the 76ers! Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and a couple of first round picks is not fair value for a GUARANTEED first ballot Hall of Famer. I'm not complaining though, with any luck AI will be the piece the Nuggets Nation has been waiting for since this franchise entered the league. Here is a tribute to the 76ers and their generosity to the Mile High City. Enjoy!

And here is AI's debut for the Nuggets against the Sacramento Kings. Some might even say it's the exact moment that the dawn of a new basketball era began in Denver. Enjoy!

Today’s Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 5th, and on this day:

‘62- Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia began a streak of 47 consecutive complete games, an NBA record.

‘88- Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died at the age of 40 after suffering a heart attack while playing in a pick-up game in California.

‘95- Bill Fitch became the fifth coach in NBA history to register 850 career victories with the Clippers’ 95-93 home win over Philadelphia.

‘01- Tim Thomas of the Milwaukee Bucks connected on eight three-point field goals in the second half of Milwaukee’s 119-115 victory over Portland, breaking the record of seven three-pointers made in one half shared by 10 players.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets Fear No Wolf

(AP Photo/Tom Olmscheid)

(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets are now 3-0 this season against former division rival Minnesota and its Timberwolves. Denver came into this match-up on the tail end of back-to-back games after a huge win against the Spurs the night before and trampled the T-Wolves, 118-107, for only their second win on successive nights so far this season. On the other hand, Minnesota has lost seven straight games (and 13-14 spanning the month of December) and is looking like they might give the 1997-98 Nuggets eleven-win season a run for its money.

About the only thing that I can say wasn’t very good about this game was how the Nuggets would build sizable leads in the first six or seven minutes in the each quarter only to allow Minnesota to somehow tighten the game back up by the quarters end. In the first quarter, the Nuggets jumped all over the Wolves with a 12-0 start. Anthony Carter was playing fantastic, Carmelo Anthony also got out to a hot start, and the rest of the Nuggets were all being utilized in their appropriate manner. Unfortunately, Minnesota came roaring back and finished the quarter down by only five, 30-25.

In the second quarter, it was more of the same flashes of brilliance from the Nuggets, but just when the score would start to get way out of hand the Timberwolves would fight their way back into the game. At just under the four minute mark, Carmelo Anthony hit a long jumper to give the Nuggets a 14-point lead. I thought to myself, “Well, the Wolves are howling now”, but as soon as I thought Denver was going to extend their advantage to 20 or more points Minnesota would rally again and close the half only down nine, 61-52.

The purest Nugget at the half was Anthony Carter. AC (because everyone needs a nickname) was conditioning the Nuggets with a double-double at intermission consisting of eleven points and ten assists. Carmelo added 16 points and Allen Iverson chipped in 14 as the Nuggets looked thoroughly in command.

Entering the third quarter with a nine-point lead, Denver once again lengthened the distance between themselves and the Timberwolves to 14 points with less than four minutes remaining before allowing Minnesota to yet again go on a 14-3 run in the last two minutes to tighten the game at, 83-80. There needed to be a timeout called way before Coach George Karl signaled for one at the, 82-76, mark, but as usual George waited too long and the Timberwolves had already gained the momentum they needed. Against a team that is struggling to do much of anything right like the Timberwolves this may not seem like much to get distraught over, but it is this exact kind of game mismanagement that has proven time and time again to be costly to the Nuggets against superior teams. Games that Denver, perhaps, could have finished with a W frequently come to mind when I rewind the memories of the first 30 contests as this facet of the game plan still perplexes me as to why Karl refuses to, or is oblivious of, situations where calling a timeout is necessitated. However, I digress because as much as I sit and watch while begging for George Karl to assume a controlling position in games where, momentarily, the Nuggets lose said command. All the complaining in the world isn’t going to change the fact that Karl, in this realm of the job, is still failing the Nuggets time and time again.

In the fourth quarter it was the same old story for the Nuggets. A lead once as large as thirteen was widdled away to as little as six with just under three minutes remaining, but Denver again hung tough and pulled out the victory. Free-throws made and good decisions passing are the reasons why the Nuggets can hang their hats on this eleven-point victory, but had it been against a savvier opponent I’m not so sure that the result would have been as favorable for Denver.

The Nuggets had five player score in double figures paced by Allen Iverson’s 33 points and four assists. Carmelo finished with 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Linas sparked Denver off the bench with 17 points on 7-10 from the field, Marcus Camby swatted a game-high seven shots to fit nicely with his twelve rebounds and eight points, while Anthony Carter was the Nuggets only double-double of the night with 16 points, eleven assists, and three steals.

Denver has today to rest before former Nugget Andre Miller and the 76ers come to town on Sunday. It will be nice to watch Miller play again, but even nicer if the Nuggets can extend their 2008 winning streak to three games.

Go Nuggets!

Today’s Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today’s date is January 4th, and on this day:

‘75- The New Orleans Jazz set a then NBA record (for games played with the use of the 24-second shot clock) by scoring only 20 points in the first half of a 111-89 loss at Seattle. The record stood for nearly 25 years before the Los Angeles Clippers scored 19 points in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 14, 1999.

‘84- Adrian Dantley tied Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most free throws made in one game by converting 28 free throws (in 29 attempts) in Utah’s 116-111 victory over Houston at Las Vegas.

‘85- The Boston Celtics honored Team President Red Auerbach by retiring uniform #2 in ceremonies prior to a game against New York.

‘92- Boston’s Robert Parish became the fifth player in NBA history (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mark Eaton, Wayne Rollins and George Johnson) to register 2,000 career blocks during the Celtics’ 100-96 road loss at Minnesota.

‘01- Fayetteville, North Carolina was named as the first city to be granted a franchise in the National Basketball Development League, the NBA’s new minor league. The NBA announced the NBDL would begin play in November 2001.

‘01- Michael Jordan of the Washington Wizards, by hoisting the second of two free throws with 5:28 remaining in the second quarter of an 89-83 victory against Chicago, became the fourth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves: Game 32 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Seriously, the Timberwolves are the NBA’s worst team at 4-27, they have lost twelve out of their last thirteen games including their last six straight, and the Nuggets have already beaten Minnesota twice this season.

The Nuggets are now 19-12 after last night’s win against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and are sitting atop the Northwest Division. Denver has won five out of their last six games and is just starting to get to a point injury-wise where we can start to really see what this team is all about.

The only preview you need to read is the Nuggets SHOULD win tonight in Minnesota. The Timberwolves have no answer for The Answer or ‘Melo and the Nugget frontline should have a field day against the Minnesota bigs.

The Nuggets Nation is behind you. Don’t let us down tonight against the league’s doormat.

Go Nuggets!

Not in Our House! Nuggets Beat Spurs

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets are off to a good start in 2008. With stellar defensive efforts from Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, and Nene, the Nuggets pulled out a, 80-77, win against the Spurs that was the result of superior execution in the game's final two minutes.

In the first half, the Nuggets were enforcing their will on the Spurs and jumped out to an early 16-point lead, 33-17, with seven minutes to play in the second quarter. Denver was playing San Antonio’s game and beating the reigning NBA champs handily, but unfortunately would go through a lackadaisical stretch to finish the half only up two, 42-40. Kenyon Martin was leading the charge defensively with four blocks while limiting Tim Duncan to a mere nine points at halftime, and offensively the Nuggets were led by Allen Iverson’s 12 points and three assists.

In the third period, Denver continued to play at San Antonio’s pace, but did so in a fashion that proved to me this year’s team is far more adaptable than those of the past. Denver only scored 18 points in the quarter and in year’s past probably would have allowed something like 30 to their opposition, but the Nuggets defense held strong and only allowed the Spurs 19 points thus preserving the slimmest margin of advantage for the Nuggets to work with in the fourth quarter.

And in the fourth, I couldn’t have been happier with the Nuggets composure and execution.

The final quarter was tight and with only two minutes remaining the Spurs were looking as if they were going to once again stymie the Nuggets per usual with a, 77-73, lead. But before I recreate what was to unfold, let us rewind the clock for a moment and look at the most critical decision of the game. With just under four minutes remaining, George Karl made the game-winning decision to substitute Anthony Carter for Chucky Atkins. Chucky may have came off the bench in the first half and made a couple of buckets, but in all honesty he was killing the Nuggets with bad shots and even worse defense on Tony Parker. Atkins just isn’t 100% and, at this point, when given the opportunity to play he hurts the Denver Nuggets because his offense isn’t up to game speed and his defense was never the reason why Nuggets brass acquired him. Regardless, the substitution was made and Anthony didn’t waste much time making George Karl look brilliant.

Now, with less than two minutes remaining the Spurs were clamping down on Allen Iverson around the perimeter and double-teaming Carmelo Anthony in the post. After AI dribbled down most of the shot clock and dished to Marcus Camby in the high post, Marcus passed the ball from the left elbow to a wide open Anthony Carter who hit a clutch three-pointer on the wing to bring the Nuggets within one. The Spurs brought the ball right down the floor and put the game in the hands of Tim Duncan, but once again it was Anthony Carter coming up huge with a steal from the blind side to give the Nuggets a chance to reclaim the lead. The Nuggets then calmly brought the ball up the floor down by one and after another series similar to the one finishing with Anthony Carter hitting the three it was Carter faking the three this time to open up a penetrate and dish situation to a wide open Kenyon Martin for the bunny to put the Nuggets up for good, 78-77!

Carter may have been the cool hand that commandeered the Nuggets to victory tonight, but without Kenyon Martin’s game winning bucket and career-high seven blocks (including the game-preserving block on Tony Parker's last effort baseline drive) the Nuggets aren’t even in this game with a chance to win down the stretch. Marcus Camby added four blocks and 18 rebounds and Nene also swatted three shots while grabbing six rebounds, but what has to excite Nuggets fans is how Denver was able to beat the Spurs in a game that was played at San Antonio’s tempo.

Carmelo just missed another double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds while Allen Iverson paced Denver offensively with a game-high 29 points and just one turnover. As a team, the healthy Nuggets frontline out rebounded the Spurs, 48-35, (as I predicted in my preview) and the Denver block party of 14 swats dwarfed the three rejections the Spurs tallied.

Up next for the Nuggets is a tricky game up in Minnesota against the Timberwolves tomorrow night. It would appear to be the type of game that you pencil in a win before hand, but trust me; Minnesota (despite being one of the worst teams in the league statistically) hasn’t forgotten all the reasons why this used to be big division rivalry game. The Nuggets will need the same type of execution displayed tonight against the Spurs if they are to continue to carry this momentum through the next stretch of three games in four days.

Go Nuggets!

AI “Framed”

(Boulder-CO) It has been brought to my attention that Allen Iverson will be “Framed” on an original entertainment series from Reebok set to premier on IFC Friday, Jan. 4 at 10:30 PM EST

Check out this video teaser.

Also, ah never mind, it would be better as a surprise...

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. Spurs: Game 31 Preview

(Boulder-CO) If there was ever a game the Nuggets should win against the Spurs tonight’s home game should be it. San Antonio comes into tonight’s match-up with the Denver Nuggets as the loser in five of their last nine games and with the lowest scoring average of any team in the NBA’s Western Conference.

When team stat leaders are examined, the Nuggets personnel looks superior in everyway. Allen Iverson is outscoring Tony Parker 26.3 ppg to 20.3 ppg. Marcus Camby is out rebounding Tim Duncan 14.2 to 10.2. Allen Iverson is passing better than Tony Parker at an assist rate of 7.1 to 6.7 helpers per game. AI is also a better thief than Manu “The Flopper” Ginobili at a robbery clip of 2.4 to 1.6 steals a night, and Marcus Camby is blocking twice as many shots as Tim Duncan to lead the league in nightly rejections at 3.7 swats to Duncan’s 1.8.

But, does any of this matter when these two teams face each other?

The answer is “no”, because as my hoop buddy Jimmel would say, “The Spurs have already been there, done that, and have the rings to prove it!”

San Antonio is still the team to beat in the Western Conference despite what anyone may tell you because they have the coach and the discipline to put any team away with their heady style of play. They dictate the way a game is played by Coach Gregg Popovich controlling the game through Tony Parker and Tim Duncan acting as almost a player coach on the floor.

In the first match-up between these two teams, the Spurs kept Marcus Camby off the glass to the tune of a season-low six rebounds. The Nuggets also had to face San Antonio without their two power forwards (Nene and Kenyon Martin were both injured) and as a result were badly out rebounded, 43-29, with the Spurs grabbing twelve offensive boards. Carmelo only scored 15 points and the Nuggets bench was outscored, 35-16, by the Spurs reserves. It was a tough game to watch for the Nuggets Nation because it did not represent Denver the way we all know this team should.

In tonight’s game, both Nene and Kenyon are set to play; meaning don’t expect the Spurs to out rebound the Nuggets again tonight. Marcus Camby will certainly be a lot freer to roam the glass from the weak side with the other two bigs having to be accounted for by San Antonio’s frontcourt. Also, don’t expect Carmelo to score anything less than about 25 points while flirting with his sixth double-double in this his seventh game since making a conscience effort to rebound more. Bruce Bowen may still be a great defender, but his game is slowly going downhill and Carmelo is still not playing at his pinnacle yet.

But to me, the pivotal match-up to watch tonight is Tony Parker vs. Allen Iverson. Tony is the motor that makes Popovich’s championship machine run. As Tony goes, so do the Spurs making it of the up most importance that Allen Iverson tire out our French friend by running him ragged on defense. AI doesn’t even have to score to be effective just as long as his assist total grows steadily throughout the game.

And as for the rest of the Nuggets, I have some ideas on how they too can help start of the new year with a win:

Marcus: Do not ever dribble the ball more than three or four times. If after your fourth dribble you do not see a guard to pass to; make a jump stop, keep the ball high, and waive for someone to come relieve you of your ball handling duties.

Nene: Do not ever shoot the ball from more than ten feet from the basket. You are not Karl Malone (yet) and the offense becomes highly ineffective when you hoist bad shots with no one to rebound the inevitable miss. Get yourself on the offensive boards and leave the Spurs battered and bruised from having to keep you from eating them alive on the glass.

Anthony Carter: Try not to shoot the ball off the dribble. You have such a tender stroke off of a good pass with some space to operate in. Make the most out of your offensive looks, but do not forget that you are Denver’s peskiest defending guard.

J.R. Smith: Let the game come to you, and be ready for when it does. You can be the difference in the game when you allow yourself to be.

Linas Kleiza: Play at 100% intensity 100% of the time. If you foul out, George Karl has a sub and a pat on the rump for you!

Eduardo Najera: Find a way to impact this game with your hustle. Tangible stats are not your game. Take charges, tap out long rebounds, and get on the floor for loose balls. You have a cult following in Denver. Don’t forget why!

I want the win tonight, Nuggets Nation! We are due to beat these guys.

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today is January 3rd, and on this day:

'85- The best Lithuanian basketball player ever (wink, wink DK) Linas Kleiza is born in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR, USSR.

'98- Los Angeles Clippers head coach Bill Fitch coached his 2,000th NBA game.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Birthday Linas Kleiza!

(Boulder-CO) Linas, it's your birthday! Happy birthday, Linas! Trust me, it sounds so much better if you sing it in a high-pitched, Michael Jackson voice. Anywho, today is Linas Kleiza's birthday and with any luck (or a ton of it) the Nuggets will beat the Spurs just for Linas!

Go Nuggets!

About.com Western Conference Reports

(Boulder-CO) These teams are guilty of keeping me up late at night. Curse you league pass! I love you so much, but yet you make me late for everything! Here is the Western Conference broken down to the bare basics of what will be on the test next week. If there is any questions, head over to About.com and give Dennis your undivided attention.

About.com Eastern Conference Report

(Boulder-CO) You can't blame these teams for being on T.V. earlier than the rest of the NBA. They just play in the Eastern Conference and think they are so special!

Today’s Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today’s date is January 2nd, and on this day:

‘87- The Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 116-106 to give Coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory, at the time one of only two coaches (along with Red Auerbach) to reach that plateau.

‘00- 19,600 fans watched the Miami Heat defeat the Orlando Magic, 111-103 in the first game at the Heat's new American Airlines Arena.

Enjoy your day!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today’s date is January 1st, and on this day:

‘74- Ernie DiGregorio of Buffalo handed out 25 assists in the Braves’ 120-119 win over Portland, establishing a single-game record for assists by a rookie. Seattle’s Nate McMillan tied DiGregorio’s mark in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 23, 1987.

‘79- John Y. Brown attended his first game as owner of the Boston Celtics. Brown, the former owner of the Buffalo Braves, and Irving H. Levin, who had owned the Celtics, decided to “trade” franchises in June of 1978. This unprecedented maneuver brought about the eventual relocation of the Buffalo Braves and the name change to the San Diego Clippers before the 1978-79 season.

Enjoy your day!

Somebody Hit Fast Forward, Please!

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) I have to tell you, Nuggets Nation, that of all the games that I have been to in the past five years this last loss to the Warriors was the least entertaining. Honestly, I could barely even get into it because there was absolutely no offensive rhythm by either team and the Nuggets only shot 34% in a, 105-95, loss at home.

Allen Iverson was the most notable struggle of the night. AI came into the game averaging 26.5 points per game, but managed to only score 13 points with Baron Davis guarding him rather than Stephen Jackson. AI was 2-12 from the field with five assists and just as many turnovers.

Other things I didn’t like about this game were Marcus Camby trying to do way too much after the rebound, Anthony Carter’s shot selection, and Chucky Atkins going scoreless in twenty minutes of the bench.

Things to look forward to in the new year are more double-doubles by Carmelo Anthony, who recorded his fifth in six games with 26 points and ten rebounds despite a team-high seven turnovers, Nene continuing to improve despite his eight rebound and single point effort that included three offensive fouls, and a healthy Kenyon Martin. Chucky Atkins’ shot isn’t going to become consistent until he gets his legs completely underneath him, but you have to like what Linas Kleiza and J.R. Smith have been giving George Karl off the bench. LK and J.R. each scored 15 points and as a duo outscored the Warrior reserves, 30-15.

However, the bright side about a loss like this is the Nuggets played ugly and lost ugly. They can chop this tape up and forget about it because everyone flat-out has to forget about that kind of effort if the Nuggets aren’t going to be embarrassed by the defending NBA Champions on Thursday night on national television.

The Nuggets finish 2007 with a half game lead on the Portland Trailblazers for first place in the Northwest Division. The Trailblazers finally lost a game after winning 13 straight games before faltering in Utah, who coincidentally are in third place and only 2 ½ games back in the pack.

Time to regroup and restart, Denver. The Northwest isn’t going to be a cake walk.

Go Nuggets!

Happy New Year!

(Boulder-CO) Did you have fun last night? Maybe you need a resolution? Maybe the Nuggets need to bounce back after that dismal home loss to the Dubs and beat the Spurs to kick-off 2008?

Happy New Year, Nuggets Nation!

Go Nuggets!