Great-Ugly-Overtime-Win

(AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets may want to remember a few things from tonight’s game. First of all, make a note for next year that says the Heat are a much better team than this year’s record may indicate. Another is the feeling of coming together as a team when Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are having off nights and still finding a way to win. However, I can’t say how much of a different, and improved, team the Miami Heat looked like tonight sans Shaquille O’Neal despite losing to the Nuggets in overtime, 114-113.

In an overwhelmingly sloppy first half overall for the Nuggets, something has to be said about J.R. Smith’s effort in the first 24 minutes. J.R. was lighting it up from downtown taking a break at halftime with 13 points and two assists on 3-5 from beyond the arch in a performance which included a four-point play. Smith was also playing very solid defense on Dwayne Wade and was a visible spark off the bench.

Unfortunately, the otherwise sloppy play I mentioned was affording the Heat to enter intermission shooting 61% from the field and holding an advantage in the rebounding battle 22-14. Carmelo was the best Denver rebounder finishing the half with a team-high four rebounds with Marcus Camby uncharacteristically grabbing just two rebounds in the first 24 minutes. Carmelo Anthony scored 14 points to lead Denver in points, but the otherwise lackadaisical Nuggets found themselves down to the league’s worst team, 63-57.

In the third quarter, the Heat continued their hot shooting but the Nuggets hung around largely in part to Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith shouldering much of the scoring load. Kenyon Martin was a perfect 6-6 from the field scoring twelve points in the quarter including six straight over a four minute span. J.R. continued his torrid shooting by hitting a three to end the quarter and managed to carry over the hot hand into the start of the fourth with a total of five straight three’s to give the Nuggets a, 93-91, lead with under nine minutes to play in the game. J.R.’s eight made three-pointers for the game is a new career-high, but it was his defense on Dwayne Wade in clutch moments of the game that really sealed an overall great performance.

The game would swing back and forth over the course of the fourth quarter and with the Nuggets having the final shot in regulation and the game tied. The Denver offense went flat and the final look at the rim for the Nuggets ended up being a fade-away by Allen Iverson that was snuffed out Dorell Wright.

Enter overtime where the Nuggets would strike first and never look back. Despite having an off night shooting, ‘Melo reemerged as the Nuggets’ bread and butter scoring six of the Nuggets twelve overtime points and gave George Karl his 14th double-double performance of the season finishing with 22 points, eleven rebounds, and four assists for the game’s grand stat total. Kenyon Martin finished with 24 points and six rebounds and J.R. Smith’s team-high 28 points and career-high eight three’s were enough for the Nuggets to overcome a dreadful night by Allen Iverson who finished with just 16 points on 5-20 shooting.

Dwayne Wade led all scorers with a double-double of 29 points and ten assists and Shawn Marion grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds to compliment his 23 points, but Marcus Camby’s 14 rebound effort in the second half ended up swinging the battle of the boards back into the Nuggets' favor for the game, 49-46. And none were bigger than his 16th and game-sealing rebound as time expired. The Captain finished tonight’s game nearly missing a triple double with 12 points, the aforementioned 16 rebounds, and seven huge blocked shots.

The Nuggets averted disaster tonight because they came together as a team with individuals stepping up at the right times. Kenyon Martin’s 12 points in the third period were huge. J.R. Smith was instrumental in keeping the Nuggets toe-to-toe with the Heat late in the third and to begin the fourth. Marcus Camby turning things up on defense in the second half set the tone for the Nuggets comeback and Carmelo not shying away from the spotlight in overtime despite having a bad night shooting are all equal reasons why the Nuggets can fly to Orlando tonight to face the Magic tomorrow with an extra spring in their step.

Great, ugly, overtime,win, Denver.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. Heat: Game 51 Preview

(Boulder-CO) With all the injuries the Nuggets have had to battle so far this season I think that we should all be pretty surprised that they are 31-19 through 50 games. On the other hand, we can all be glad that we are not Miami Heat fans. On top of losing Shaq in a trade for Shawn Marion last week, the Heat are the NBA’s worst team at 9-40 and things may have just began to sink to an unfathomable low. Carmelo and crew have beaten the Heat five straight times since D-wade and Anthony first came into the league and tonight has all the ingredients needed in a stomping.

I should also mention that this Miami team has lost 22 of their last 23 games, is in the bottom five teams league-wide in offensive rebounds (29th), defensive rebounds (27th), total rebounds (30th), assists (25th), opposing blocks (28th), three-point shooting percentage (28th), field goals attempted (29th) and made (26th), the opposing team’s shooting percentage (26th), and with the ultimate smear are the league-wide loser in points scored per game at 92.3 (30th).

Whew, give me a second here...

The only two players on this Miami team (besides Wade, of course) that have hurt the Nuggets in the past are Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. In Denver's, 137-115, loss at Phoenix on Jan. 7, Marion scored 27 points by way of a three-point barrage. Marcus Banks also went berzerk from downtown off of a 7-8 performance good for 23 points as the Nuggets gave up a franchise record for three’s made in a game for the Suns. Fittingly, these two guys now play for the Heat as Phoenix’s end of the Shaq deal.

Other than those key points right there Denver better keep it real tonight and get this W.

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'34- Bill Russell is born in Monroe, Louisiana. Happy Birthday, Bill!

'87- Bill Fitch became the fifth coach in NBA history to reach 700 career wins when the Houston Rockets beat the New Jersey Nets 121-99.

'89- A crowd of 44,735, the largest in NBA All-Star Game history, turned out at the Houston Astrodome to watch the West beat the East 143-134 in the 39th renewal, as Utah’s Karl Malone won MVP honors after scoring a team-high 28 points.

'94- Cleveland’s Mark Price captured his second straight AT&T Shootout title, Minnesota rookie Isaiah Rider won the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk, and the Phenoms, led by Golden State’s Chris Webber (14 points, 10 rebounds), defeated the Sensations 75-68 in the inaugural Schick Rookie Game at All-Star Saturday, held at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

'95- In the 45th annual NBA All-Star Game at America West Arena in Phoenix, Sacramento’s Mitch Richmond scored a game-high 22 points and won MVP honors in leading the West to a 139-112 triumph over the East.

'99- Mark Price announced his retirement from the NBA at a news conference at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, where he starred for Georgia Tech from 1982 to 1986.

'99- Utah’s Karl Malone became the 10th player in NBA history to log 40,000 career minutes in a game against Golden State.

'00- NBA All-Star Saturday in Oakland had Chicago’s Elton Brand winning the Schick Rookie Challenge MVP after finishing with 14 points and 21 rebounds as the 2000 Rookies defeated the 1999 Rookies 92-81 in overtime. The Sony All-Star 2ball competition was won by Utah Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek and Utah Starzz Natalie Williams, as they edged out Phoenix’s Jason Kidd and Jennifer Gillom, 68-61. Hornacek carried his hot shooting into the AT&T Shootout, and became the fourth player in the history of the event to repeat as champion, edging out Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki and Milwaukee’s Ray Allen in the final round with a score of 13. Vince Carter took center stage in the evening’s grand finale and turned in an Oscar-worthy performance, capturing the NBA.com Slam Dunk title. Carter registered three perfect scores of 50 points and distanced himself from a talented collection of high risers, including second-place finisher Steve Francis of Houston and Raptors teammate and cousin Tracy McGrady (third).

Were you expecting Jeff Hornacek highlights?

Enjoy your day!

Memo to Marcus: Play and Get Paid

(Boulder-CO) Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News points out that as Marcus Camby’s durability grows so does his bank account. Chris writes, “That means Camby, whose base salary is $8 million, again has a good opportunity to earn most of the bonuses in his incentive-laden contract. As early as next Tuesday, Camby can secure $500,000 for stepping on the court for his 50th game.”

Wow!

So, basically, what this means is if Camby is able to actually do his job even 60% of the time than not only does he make all the money in his contract, but he also gets humungous bonuses along the way for, you guessed it, doing his job! You have got to love the NBA in this regard because, I am going out on a limb here but, I highly doubt that if any of us only came to work 60% of the time that there would be any bonuses (especially of that size) in our paychecks.

NBA basketball - where amazing happens!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'70- The Atlanta Hawks scored 97 points, the most ever scored in the second half of an NBA game, en route to a 155-131 win at San Diego. The record for any half was set by Phoenix, which scored 107 points in the first half against Denver on November 10, 1990.

'78- George Gervin of San Antonio scored 23 fourth-quarter points, one more than the entire Golden State team, as the Spurs won in overtime, 131-122.

'82- Houston Rockets center Moses Malone grabbed an NBA-record 21 offensive rebounds in a 117-100 victory over Seattle.

'89- Calvin Murphy scored an event-record 26 points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer, to lead the West over the East 54-53 in the Schick Legends Classic at All-Star Saturday in Houston.

'90- The TeamUp Youth Celebration started in Miami during All-Star Weekend.

'95- The Miami Heat became the first NBA team to have two of its players sweep the All-Star Saturday competition, as Harold Miner won the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk and Glen Rice captured the AT&T Shootout.

'96- The East team defeats the West 129-118 in the 46th annual NBA All-Star Game played before 36,037 fans at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Shaquille O’Neal scores a game-high 25 points and grabs 10 rebounds and Michael Jordan, the All-Star MVP, has 20 points in only 22 minutes to lead the East.

'01- Allen Iverson of the East All-Stars scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team all the way back from a 19-point deficit after three quarters and score a dramatic 111-110 come-from-behind victory over the West in the 50th NBA All-Star Game at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. Stephon Marbury of the New Jersey Nets hit a three-pointer with 28 seconds remaining to give the East the victory. Iverson was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Enjoy your day!

You've Been Blown Out

(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

(Boulder-CO) The Cavaliers were a badly wounded unit yesterday and that was before the Nuggets put a, 113-83, pounding on them. Denver led by as many as 37 points in this laugher by way of very un-Nugget like defense and absolutely phenomenal team play that resulted in a total of 30 assists. However, it should be noted that the Cavs were extremely shorthanded with Drew Gooden, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, and Anderson Varejao all unable to play with injuries pretty much running the gauntlet.

Now, before anyone gets too worked up over a game like this we should all realize that while a nice whipping like this is good for the Nuggets because it gives them some swagger. The long-term implications of a game like this are null and void. Or for the slow witted, a game like this means nothing other than a W. The Nuggets beating the Cavaliers like they did was akin to a cattlemen putting two slugs in a lame steer. The first one did the trick. Move on.

Quick highlights:

J.R. Smith torched the Cavaliers for the second straight meeting with 18 points all by way of three-pointer. Smith finished 6-11 from downtown while also grabbing five rebounds.

Carmelo Anthony scored a team-high 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds. It was your basic Carmelo Anthony performance.

Allen Iverson scored 25 points and handed out a game-high 13 assists to improve the Nuggets' all-time record in games when he double-doubles to an astonishing 22-2.

The Captain ripped a game-high 17 rebounds, scored eight points, stole the Nuggets an extra three possessions, swatted a pair of shots, and assisted twice. Fantasy monster, anyone?

But like I said before... Don't look deeper into this shellacking than what first meets the eye. The Cavs were badly depleted and anyone in the league probably would have won by double digits. As a team they shot only 34% and besides LeBron James' 30 points the only other Cleveland player to hit double digits in scoring was Larry Hughes with 14.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. Cavaliers: Game 50 Preview

(Boulder-CO) If you hadn’t noticed it, the Nuggets have won five out of their last six games. In addition to the great efforts as of late, the Nuggets have beaten King James and company seven out of the last nine times (including four straight) since Carmelo and LeBron entered the league back in 2003, and already once, handedly, this season, 122-100.

In the first game between these two teams J.R. Smith went absolutely insane. Let us revisit perhaps J.R.’s finest game of the season:

“Right off the bat, I have to mention J.R. Smith’s absolutely mind boggling performance. Early in the first half, J.R. caught an alley-oops upside your head pass from AI, (backwards mind you), and finished off the dish with an absolutely ridiculous slam that had me so pumped up I could have slapped your momma! I might also mention that the reason why J.R. was in that position was because he made a great defensive play and outlet pass to Iverson that got the whole thing started. But besides that one play, I have to admit that down the home stretch I was actually hoping that J.R. would get back in the game because he was just that damn exciting tonight. And luckily for me he did, and he did not disappoint. Plus, aside from scoring 29 points on 7-8 from the land of plenty, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing four assists, J.R. did the Cavaliers absolutely dirty when with only a minute left and the Nuggets up by twenty he drops not one, but two cold-blooded three-pointers to further work the home crowd into an even more rabid frenzy!”

But, Smith wasn’t acting alone back in November. In fact, he wasn’t even the teams’ high scorer. Once again, we revisit the archives for this snippet on The Answer:

“AI gave the young Daniel Gibson a text book lesson on how he got the nickname “The Answer” as he lit the second-year player up for a game-high 37 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.”

Now, I will say that, “Boobie” has been improving this year (he is shooting 46% from downtown), but if the Nuggets are going to win again tonight in Cleveland AI needs to exploit the young Cavalier guard. From there I think if Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin can keep the likes of Ilgauskas, Gooden, and Newble off the offensive boards and the rest of the Nuggets can all play help and recover defense on the almost indefensible James the Nuggets can earn their tenth win on the road and 14th win overall against the Eastern Conference.

Tip is set for 5:00 MST and the game can be viewed nationwide on ESPN. It’s ‘Melo vs. ‘Bron and the Nuggs vs. Cavs. What else could you want? A win of course!

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'49-Joe Fulks of Philadelphia scored 63 points in a 108-87 win over Indianapolis to set an NBA scoring record which would last for nearly a decade.

'52-The Baltimore Bullets played a full 48-minute game without making a single substitution, beating the Fort Wayne Pistons 82-77.

'91-The East team scored 45 second-quarter points--the most ever scored by the East in one quarter of All-Star play--en route to a 116-114 win over the West in the 41st annual All-Star Game in Charlotte. Charles Barkley of the East, the game’s MVP, had 22 rebounds, the most since Wilt Chamberlain grabbed 22 in 1967.

'95-FIBA and the NBA announced that the winner of the NBA Finals would represent the National Basketball Association in the McDonald’s Championship to be played the following October. The tournament featured many of the best club teams in the world. The McDonald’s Championship, formerly known as the McDonald’s Open, was established as a joint effort by FIBA and the NBA in 1987.

'98-Karl Malone passed Adrian Dantley for fifth place on the all-time free throws made list with 6,834.

'98-Atlanta's Lenny Wilken's earned his 1,100th career victory with a 108-100 defeat of Milwaukee.

'98-Clyde Drexler notched an assist that helped him join John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West as the only NBA players with 6,000 career assists and 20,000 career points in a 97-83 win over the Seattle SuperSonics.

'99-Golden State’s John Starks hit the 1,000th three-pointer of his career in an 89-82 loss to Seattle. Starks became the 15th player in NBA history to make 1,000 three-point field goals.

'02-The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant recorded 31 points on 12-for-25 shooting in 30 minutes and was the unanimous choice as Most Valuable Player, sparking the Western Conference to a 135-120 triumph in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Enjoy your day!

Bobby Jones: The Award

(Boulder-CO) Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News reported yesterday that former Denver Nuggets All-Star Bobby Jones will have a new award in his name presented at this year's All-Star Game. Athletes in Action will unveil the Bobby Jones Award that goes to a current or former player who has made an, "inspirational Christian impact in his community."

Click the link to see who are this year's finalist. (I personally think the man who was known to many as "The Virgin" is going to win the award this year.)

This is a little background information taken from Remember the ABA:

"Three-year regular at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (13.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg during his college career). Signed with Denver on June 15, 1974 despite being the first round pick of the Houston Rockets in the 1974 NBA Draft. Career ABA Field Goal Percentage of .592. ABA's field goal percentage leader in each of his two ABA seasons. Set ABA record by shooting 60.5% from the field during his rookie season. Named twice to ABA's All-Defensive Team. Member of ABA 1974-75 All-Rookie Team. Second-Team ABA All-Pro in 1975-76. Missed only one game in his ABA career, due to the flu. Defensive battles with Julius Erving were legendary. Scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 1976 ABA All-Star Game. Named to the NBA First Team All-Defensive Team for 8 straight seasons (1976-77 to 1983-84). "

There's that Carolina connection again...

Go Nuggets!

'Melo Is Offensive

(Boulder-CO) The video evidence that documents both Carmelo Anthony's career-high 49-point effort against the Washington Wizards and Andray Blatche's worst nightmare.



Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'80- Houston’s Rick Barry connected on 8-of-12 three-pointers in a Rockets victory over Utah, setting a record for three-pointers that would last 10 years, until Seattle’s Dale Ellis sank nine on April 20, 1990.

'86- Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons scored 30 points and handed out 10 assists to lead the East to a 139-132 win and capture the All-Star MVP Award in the 36th All-Star Game in Dallas.

'91- Craig Hodges of the Chicago Bulls set an All-Star Saturday record in Charlotte by hitting 19 straight shots in the AT&T Shootout. That streak, which helped Hodges capture his second straight shootout title, broke Larry Bird’s consecutive shot streak of 11 set in 1986.

'91- Dee Brown used his “Peek-A-Boo” dunk with his head hidden by his forearm to win the Nestle Crunch Slam-Dunk in Charlotte.



'92- Magic Johnson, playing for the first time since announcing his retirement on Nov. 7, 1991 scored a game-high 25 points and dished off for a game-high nine assists to lead the West to a 153-113 win over the East in the 42nd annual NBA All-Star Game at the Orlando Arena. For his memorable effort, Johnson was honored with the second All-Star Game MVP award of his career.

'00- Bobby Phills, who died in an auto accident on January12, 2000, became the first Charlotte Hornets player to have his number retired, as the team had a ceremony prior to their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Phills’ No. 13 is raised to the Charlotte Coliseum rafters before the Hornets faced the Cavaliers, whose uniform Phills wore for six seasons before signing with Charlotte as a free agent in 1997.

Enjoy your day!

‘Melo Rips Wizards-Nuggets Win

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) It was just one of those nights for Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets, and even mascot Rocky. Anthony came out and dropped 20 points, Denver put 30 points on the scoreboard, and Rocky tossed in a half court-backwards granny shot all in the first twelve minute period! ‘Melo would continue his offensive onslaught throughout the night to finish with a career-high 49 points as the Nuggets controlled everything down to the concession stands (Steven Hunter may have even served up a couple of nachos!). Needless to say, the Nuggets trampled the Wizards, 111-100.

In the first half, it was all Nuggets all the time. Denver went into intermission with a nine-point lead, 56-47, after Carmelo had single handedly outscored the Wizards in the first quarter, 20-16. The defense could have been better in the second quarter, which the Nuggets lost, 31-26, but the pace of the game was heavily favoring the Nuggets and Denver seemed content feeding Anthony the ball as he exploited Andray Blatche (who thinks he is the best player to come out of Syracuse) inside and out.

By the end of the third, Carmelo had already scored 40. Just six points shy of new career-high, Anthony was on the bench to start the fourth quarter with the Nuggets leading by 17 points. But, with six minutes remaining and the lead cut to ten, George Karl was not about to let an otherwise magical night go to waste. It was time for the Nuggets All-Star to come back into the game and cement the win and that is exactly what he did with nine more points setting a new career-high. Wizards’ Coach Eddie Jordan made this comment in relation to Anthony returning to the game, "I thought it was very classless to close the game out. I have my opinion. I can say what I want to say. That's what I thought it was."

Classless? Eddie, have you done your homework on the Nuggets? They have been known for blowing leads down the stretch thus making games with teams like yours a whole lot tougher than they need to be. This is the NBA, Eddie, and if you can’t lose like a professional how do you expect to ever win like one?

Actually, on second thought, I don’t care if the Wizards win another game his year because the Nuggets have swept the season’s series against Washington and a statement like that is just a bitter man venting his frustrations.

Anyways, I mentioned that it was just one of those nights for the Nuggets (despite the Pepsi Center running out of carbonation forcing me to drink my whiskey with flat Pepsi) and the box score can back me up. The Nuggets shot 56% from the field, 91% from the free-throw line, and everyone who entered the game for the Nuggets scored. Allen Iverson recorded a double-double of 18 points and eleven rebounds to improve Denver’s record to 21-2 with such an occurrence. Kenyon Martin scored 16 points and Marcus Camby hogged up all the boards with 17 huge rebounds. And, per usual, Linas Kleiza was the high man off the bench for the Nuggets with ten points and two rebounds despite going 0-5 from the land of plenty.

Anthony became the third Nuggets player to top 40 points in a game this season joining Linas Kleiza (41 against the Utah Jokes) and Allen Iverson (51 against the Los Angeles Lakers) in this elite company. It should also be noted that Denver is 11-1 against Eastern Conference teams at home and Utah lost last night, 117-104, to bring the gap to a single game in the Northwest Divisional race for first place with both teams now having 19 losses on their record.

Like I said, it was just one of those nights for Denver.

Go Nuggets!

Yesterday's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) I didn't get back to my computer yesterday, so here is what happened on February 8th in NBA history:

'92- Cedric Ceballos used his “Hocus-Pocus” (blindfolded) dunk to win the Nestle Crunch Slam-Dunk in Orlando.

'92- Craig Hodges of the Chicago Bulls captured his third straight AT&T Shootout at All-Star Saturday in Orlando, beating Sacramento’s Jim Les in the final round. Hodges matched Larry Bird’s string of three straight titles in the event from 1986-88.

'96- After hitting for 30 points in a 107-102 win over visiting New Jersey, Phoenix’s Charles Barkley moves past 20,000 career points.

'98- Michael Jordan scored 23 points, grabbed six rebounds and also dished a team-high eight assists on way to being named the 1998 NBA All-Star Game MVP. Jordan became the oldest All-Star Game MVP, winning the award nine days before his 35th birthday. One night earlier, Utah's Jeff Hornacek survived an overtime en route to winning the 1998 AT&T Shootout while Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who scored a game high 18 points, is named the Schick Rookie Game MVP. Houston Rocket Clyde Drexler and Houston Comet Cynthia Cooper captured the title in the debut of the Nestlé Crunch All-Star 2ball competition with a 73-61 win over Utah.

I hope you enjoyed your day!

Nuggets vs. Wizards: Game 49 Preview

(Boulder-CO) With Caron Butler, All-Star, questionable tonight after missing four of the last six games with a hip flexor injury the Nuggets should be able to assist Washington lose their sixth straight game- a season-high skid. Plus, the Nuggets need to start a new winning streak at Pepsi Center after losing to the Jazz in overtime (cringe) on Wednesday night.

The Nuggets are a stout 20-6 at home so far this year while the Wizards are only 9-13 on the road. Furthermore, the Nuggets already handed the Wizards a solid defeat, 118-92, earlier this year in a game that Allen Iverson only scored 15 points in. And, once again, the Nuggets statistically are the better team across the board.

Denver is currently shooting the most free-throws per game of any team in the league, making the most free-throws per game of any team of the league, grabbing the most defensive and total rebounds per game of any team in the league, force the most turnovers per game of any team in the league, and have the most potent scoring tandem in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony (3rd and 4th in scoring, respectively). But why, with all the great statistical accomplishments, is this team still only in the seventh position in the Western Conference if the playoffs were to start today? Consistency.

The Nuggets are still taking quarters, and sometimes, entire halves off and are trying to rely on an instant burst which sometimes comes on too little, too late. If the Nuggets could just find some substance that they can rely on for all four quarters, whether it be offensive or defensive, this team could be extremely dangerous. For example, the Spurs always play great defense. Sometimes Manu, Tony, or Tim lead the offensive charge, but they can always rely on their solid team defense. A team like the Suns always plays high-octane offense. Their defense can be flighty, but they can rely on their offense being consistent and providing them consistent W’s. The Nuggets on the other hand can not honestly say they do either of these things with any consistency. They can give a team like the Bobcats 60+ points in the first half, but then only allow something like 35 points the rest of the game. Similarly, they can put up 70 points in a half, or they can flounder and only score in the high twenties over two quarters of play.

So, with that reflection of the first 48 games of the season, I can tell you right now that tonight’s game will boil down to which Denver Nuggets show up to play. The motivated, high-scoring, defensively stingy Nuggets will most definitely give me, and another 15,000 of the Nuggets Nation, a victory tonight at the Pepsi Center. The flighty, often times lackadaisical Nuggets could make this game a whole lot more difficult than it needs to be and potentially lose to a (less) talented Washington club. Marcus Camby is a question mark (as he will be for the rest of the season), but irregardless the Nuggets have the fire power to torch the Wizards if, and only if, they bring it after a physically and emotionally draining overtime loss against the Jazz on Wednesday night.

The beauty, and sometimes the beast, of the NBA is that you get to play almost every other day. Losses can easily be forgotten with wins or they can pile up and become a burden. Which is it going to be, Denver? You’ll show me tonight.

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'69- Rick Barry of the Oakland Oaks set an ABA and professional basketball record by going 23-for-23 from the free throw line as Oakland defeated the Kentucky Colonels 124-122 in overtime. Dominique Wilkins of Atlanta later matched Barry’s feat and set the NBA mark on December 8, 1992.

'78- The Nets were snowbound by a blizzard in New Jersey, forcing their game in San Antonio to be postponed. This marked the first time a basketball game in south Texas was snowed out. The game was rescheduled for March 7. The Nets lost to the Spurs, 129-98.

'87- In Seattle, Michael Jordan started at the opposite foul line to get a running start and took off from the near foul line to dunk without touching the floor in the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk.

Enjoy your day!

OT Fuels My Dislike for the Utah Jazz

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

The Nuggets went through another 53 minutes of basketball with the Utah Jazz tonight with a less favorable outcome than Monday night’s victory over the Portland Trailblazers. It was apparent early in this game that the play was going to be physical and that the tougher, both mentally and physically, team was going to emerge the winner. And it pains me more than you know to report the Nuggets lost, 118-115, to the foul happy Utah Jazz.

In the first half, it was truly a matter of who George Karl put on the floor that dictated the flow of the game (both good and bad). When Karl would play the starters, the Nuggets maintained a lead. When George went to his bench, at one point producing a line-up consisting of Diawara, Kleiza, Najera, Carter, and Iverson, the Nuggets got eaten alive. The most clear indication of this being how the Nuggets led by three after the first quarter with the starters holding it down. Enter the reserves at the start of the second, and the level of execution dropped dramatically resulting in the slim Denver advantage evaporating quickly before turning into a fifteen point deficit by the end of the half.

The defensive intensity was just not their without Kenyon Martin or Marcus Camby in the game, and when Carmelo was on the bench the rebounding suffered even further. Deron Williams was getting free-passes to the basket with two or three Nuggets just watching him drive by their teammate without even an inkling to step up and support their fallen man. Kyle Korver heated things up off the bench with 15 points on 3-5 from beyond the arch. Mehmet Okur was all over the offensive boards leading to eight points and nine rebounds, and as a whole the Utah Jazz blistered the offensively stale Denver Nuggets in shooting 52-42% for the half.

In the third quarter the Nuggets showed poise and when the time was right they made their move. They trimmed a 15-point lead down to seven points after getting duped out of a deuce and having to settle for one made free-throw by Kenyon Martin after a late call erased an offensive rebound and put back by Marcus Camby. Four minutes remained in the third quarter and it was obvious both teams were starting to get ornery and things boiled over, albeit momentarily, when Eduardo Najera intentionally fouled Matt “Pepper Spray” Harpring with Harpring giving his best “Don’t tase me, bro” impression on top of Najera. Seriously, Harpring has got to be one of the most annoying and antagonizing players in the league and I pretty much lost all respect him and Jerry Sloan after Sloan ran on the floor like a punk kid to a school yard tussle and Harpring flopped around like a fish out of water. I digress only because the Nuggets had brought this game back to a manageable deficit entering the fourth quarter down by only six.

The six point advantage quickly became only one for the Jazz after back-to-back three-pointers from Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson brought the game to, 83-82. Linas hit a another trey from the right wing and knotted the game at 85 with under nine minutes remaining. Six lead changes, six ties, and countless clutch shots later and the Jazz and Nuggets ended regulation tied at 106 after Carmelo missed a golden opportunity to win it at the buzzer.

In overtime, like I knew from the start, the tougher team was going to win and the Utah Jazz proved to be the physically and mentally tougher team by staying focused on Allen Iverson on defense and going to their best player, Deron Williams, on offense to outscore the Nuggets 12-9 in the extra period to maintain first place in the Northwest Division and I'll spare you the expletives

About the only silver lining I see in this game is that Denver gets to play Sloan and his crew two more times. I’ll admit it… I’m bitter! This game just raised my distaste for the Utah Jazz and all their franchise stands for to an all-time high!

All five Nugget starters scored in double-figures, but unfortunately the Nuggets dropped just their second game (20-2) when Allen Iverson records a double-double in points and assists. Iverson finished tonight’s game with a game-high 34 points and ten assists. Carmelo added 29 points and eight rebounds, but fouled out early in overtime on a ticky-tack foul trying to front Kirilenko. Along with Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby each recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds with K-Mart finishing with 18 points and ten rebounds and the Captain scoring eleven and grabbing 17 rebounds.

The biggest difference in the game tonight was bench scoring. The Jazz received 50 points from their bench with Kyle Korver leading the way with 27 points and three rebounds in comparison to the Nuggets reserves only mustering eleven points of which Linas Kleiza scored nine of. Deron Williams gave the Jazz a double-double of 29 points and eleven rebounds, and Mehmet Okur fouled out in the fourth quarter after scoring 15 points and ten rebounds.

Did I mention I really don’t like the Jazz? I can’t wait for March 8th when the Nuggets get a chance to avenge this loss in Utah!

About.com Does Reports

(Boulder-CO) Merely a public service announcement here. About.com's Dennis Velasco serves as our warden, but I'm afraid to say the prisoners are running this party! Breakout the Slip 'n' Slide, here is the entire NBA broken down by division.

AI Makes Portland Cringe

(Boulder-CO) I wrote, "...The Nuggets then battled back with a 14-7 run to finish out the third after Allen Iverson heaved in a 35-foot three-pointer to conclude the third sending both teams to their benches with 78 points apiece. Heavyweight championship worthy? Maybe not, but this game had some great individual efforts, a lot of intensity, and about as much on the line as a game can have at this time of year."


What transpires next will make Trailblazer fans cringe, "...With less than a second remaining and the game tied at 103, AI pulled up and faded his way into a game-winning 15 footer. And after all the heavy punches were traded, the Nuggets were the last ones standing."

And now I present the video evidence for those of you who didn't have the ability to watch the game.



Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'70- Buffalo was granted an NBA franchise to be called the Braves. They later moved to San Diego, then Los Angeles and changed their name to the Clippers. Cleveland and Portland were also granted NBA franchises.

'88- Larry Bird, who defeated Dale Ellis by two points, left the floor with his finger extended in the #1 sign as his last shot swished in the AT&T Shootout at Chicago Stadium.

'88- The Bulls’ Michael Jordan won the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk with a perfect score of 50 on his final dunk, in front of an appreciative hometown crowd at Chicago Stadium during NBA All-Star Saturday.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets vs. Jazz: Game 48 Preview

(Boulder-CO) The Jazz will enter tonight's game looking for their tenth straight victory. Since reeling off the last nine straight wins by an average of 13.7 points, the Jazz have taken control of the Northwest Division and currently lead the second place Nuggets by one game while both teams have the same amount of losses (18). And just in case the hyped Jazz have forgot... The last team to hand them a loss was, you guessed, the Denver Nuggets!

Tonight's game is equally important in relation to the tightest divisional race in the league and to each team individually. The Jazz are looking to win ten consecutive games for the first time since the stretch of April 2nd through the 18, 1999, when they won 11 straight. On the other hand, the Nuggets are looking to win their fourth straight game while having to battle inconsistencies in their line-up due to a plethora of injuries ranging from a twisted ankle to testicular cancer. The Jazz are enjoying the benefits (15-2 since the trade) of shipping disgruntle forward Gordon Giricek to Philadelphia for Kyle Korver. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have been enjoying the benefits of emerging third scoring option Linas Kleiza and the solid play of reserve center Steven Hunter. A win for either team tonight will surely carry over into the swagger of the respective ball club, and for the Nuggets, would give them a very important jump on controlling the divisional series in the event that there would be a tie between the Jazz and Nuggets since Denver already beat Utah once on the back of Linas Kleiza's 41-point performance.

Now, with all that being put out on the table, the one aspect of Utah's current winning streak that has to come to an end if the Nuggets are to knock off the Jazz has to do with three-point shooting. In the last nine games, Utah has made 41.7 percent of its long range attempts which is a full 5% higher than the cumulative average for the entire team up to this point in the season. And while Kyle Korver has certainly had something to do with Utah's recent high percentage from beyond the arch, even he is only shooting an even 40% (a team-high) from downtown leading me to believe that this recent rash of heat from downtown is due to cool off. The only thing that scares me about this is the Nuggets have not been the best team when it comes to perimeter defense. And in all actuality... Denver is one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to opposing teams' long distance connection rate with the sixth worst clip of 37%, which is only a tenth of a percent behind the worst team in the league.

In addition, whether or not Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera play will also be huge, but if there is anything the first 47 games should have taught the Nuggets it is that regardless of who suits up the players that do have to bring it.

Other aspects of tonight's game to keep an eye on are the defensive efficiency of Anthony Carter on Deron Williams and Kenyon Martin on Carlos Boozer, and vice versa with Ronnie Brewer on Allen Iverson and Kirilenko on 'Melo. It is probably not too far of a stretch to proclaim that the team whose All-Stars out perform the others will most likely win.

It would also bring me great pleasure for the entire Nuggets Nation to head over to My Utah Jazz for some spirited trash talking which I'm sure there is going to be plenty of here, and over at their blog.

This is a big game any way you want to look at it. C'mon Nuggets, get that W!

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'60- Bill Russell ignored a charley horse to grab a personal best (and second best in NBA history) 51 rebounds in a 124-100 win over Syracuse. Fourteen years later, Russell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

'78- In what proved to be John Havlicek’s last All-Star Game, Philadelphia’s Doug Collins relinquished his starting spot so Hondo could be in the starting lineup. Havlicek scored 10 points in a 133-125 East win.

'93- Boston’s Robert Parish scored 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 105-93 win over Philadelphia, his 1,304th NBA game. That moved Parish into second place on the all-time games played list, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 1,560 games.

Enjoy your day!

A Great Win for So Many Reasons

(AP Photo/Steve Slocum)

(Boulder-CO) Sure, last night’s game was great for the Nuggets’ outlook in Northwest Divisional race , but it was more important than just a win or a loss to this Denver Nuggets franchise. By beating Portland in overtime, 105-103, the Denver Nuggets, even without Marcus Camby, proved they have some solid character on this team. Character that I think can be built upon.

This game overall was fantastic. Let me just say that first and foremost. There was playoff atmosphere in the Rose Garden even before the officials threw the tip and both teams managed to come back from sizeable leads in the first three quarters. Denver led by as many as 17 points in the first half before finding themselves down by seven with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Nuggets then battled back with a 14-7 run to finish out the third after Allen Iverson heaved in a 35-foot three-pointer to conclude the third sending both teams to their benches with 78 points apiece. Heavyweight championship worthy? Maybe not, but this game had some great individual efforts, a lot of intensity, and about as much on the line as a game can have at this time of year.

Carmelo was hit with a technical foul with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter for arguing with Steve Javie after getting hacked on the previous play three times on three separate, and consecutive offensive rebounds and you could tell the war was on. Neither team was showing retreat, and things were just starting to get hot.

With :39 remaining, and the Nuggets down by two, 97-99, Allen Iverson made the most clutch basket of the season yet when he drained a 25-foot trey off of a Carmelo Anthony assist. An otherwise raucous crowd of better than 20,000 Trailblazer fans had never been so quiet. Portland still had a chance to win the game, but it was so quiet in the Rose Garden it was as if they had already lost. After both teams were unsuccessful on their next possessions, Kenyon Martin was forced to foul Travis Outlaw which resulted in Outlaw splitting his free-throws and overtime.

In overtime, it was only fitting that the lead would switch back and forth one more time before Allen Iverson reminded us all why he is still an All-Star. With less than a second remaining and the game tied at 103, AI pulled up and faded his way into a game-winning 15 footer. And after all the heavy punches were traded, the Nuggets were the last ones standing.

Both All-Stars from Denver performed at their highest levels. Allen Iverson played in a game-high 50 minutes while scoring 25 points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing eight assists. Carmelo managed to score a game-high 28 points while recording his 13th double-double of the season with 15 big rebounds and five assists. Kenyon added a double-double of his own of 13 points and eleven rebounds and Linas Kleiza got things cooking off the bench finishing with 15 points and three boards.

Sure the dramatic win is great, but it’s the things that can be built upon a game like this that are invaluable later in the season and, hopefully, come playoff time. This is one of the few games this year that Denver has had to really persevere through four quarters of basketball to win. The overtime win against Houston was another that comes to mind but when you think about it… there hasn‘t been a ton of really hard fought games this season so far for the Nuggets. Usually they either control things for much of the game and never really wince as the opposition strikes its best attempt or they never really show the kind of fire it takes to win on that night from jump street. So, a win like this provides an example of how it feels to not only play tough for nearly a full 48 minutes (and in this case, 53) but also how a game that is so intense gets won. Which, for a team that has still not been able to tie together enough consistently intense basketball to win a playoff series, is once again, invaluable.

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'87- The Sacramento Kings managed only four points in the first quarter of a 128-92 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the fewest points in the first quarter by a team since the inception of the shot clock in 1954.

'93- In a special two-hour ceremony celebrating his storied playing career, Larry Bird’s #33 Celtics jersey was retired at sold-out Boston Garden.

'96- Denver, behind 32 points from Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, knocked off visiting Chicago 105-99, snapping the Bulls' franchise-record 18-game winning streak, tying for the third-longest winning streak in NBA history.

'96- Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson became the 13th coach in league annals to record 700 career victories with a 100-85 triumph over Memphis.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets vs. Blazers: Game 47 Preview

(Boulder-CO) There is no statistical breakdown needed for tonight’s game. If Denver wins, they will maintain their second place seeding in the divisional race with a chance to overthrow Utah for first place in the Northwest on Wednesday night. If Denver loses, they will fall into a tie for second place with the Trailblazers and loss their current momentum going into Wednesday’s match-up with the Jazz. If that isn’t enough to get the Nuggets fired up at this point in the season nothing will.

The Blazers are a tough team. They have already beaten the Nuggets twice in the three meetings this season so Denver needs to win to keep the series even in the event that there is a tie at the end of the year. Plus, the game is in Portland where the Nuggets will attempt to be only the sixth team to come into Oregon and leave with a victory.

Carmelo says the ankle didn’t bother him at all against the Bobcats as he recorded his 12th double-double of the season, but it is Marcus Camby who worries me. It’s only six games into the second half of the season and Camby is already sitting games due to swelling in his left knee. I’ll be checking with my inside sources up until game time to keep everyone informed as to whether or not Marcus will play, but I think it goes without saying that the Nuggets sure could use him against the Blazers. Another guy who the Nuggets could use tonight is Eduardo Najera. The Grout did not play against the Bobcats with a sore rib, but is averaging seven points and five rebounds against the Portland Trailblazers this year.

Other than an injury report that I will update later today there really isn’t much else to say about tonight’s game. Both teams know the future implications of this game and how important how you fare against those in your division is. Head over to www.blazersedge.com for the best Blazer blog in the business and don’t forget to give me some feedback about doing a group outing at the ESPN Zone in downtown Denver sometime down the stretch of the second half of the season.

Go Nuggets!

Happy 18th Birthday to "Rocky"

(Boulder-CO) The Nuggets' mascot "Rocky" turned 18 last night during the Nuggets win over the Charlotte Bobcats. He's known for many things (i.e. stealing racks of cotton candy and tossing them to sections in the Pepsi Center, "caking" people with birthday cake, and shooting the ball from halfcourt backwards and making it amongst other hilarious pranks), but this little diddy right here takes first prize! Enjoy.

Put Your Damn Hand Down and Finish!

(Boulder-CO) I don't know about anyone else, but J.R. Smith blowing dunks and prancing around with his hands up after made three's is starting to really wear me out. He blew two in a row against the Grizzlies (one that he was blatantly showboating on) and last night missed another two slams trying to take off from too far away. Now, I've stuck up for J.R. in the past, but his most recent rash of blown dunks seems to have been just enough reason for Coach George Karl to bench him and leave him there.

I just don't know why Smith insists on having to be the guy that persists to give George Karl reasons to shake his head. If he played with the mentality of Eduardo Najera or Yakhouba Diawara he would be a big star in this league, but until he realizes that he is the only person standing in his way the situation with Karl and J.R. is going to continue to be what it is: A progression inhibitor. For both J.R. and the Nuggets.

The Real Anthony Carter

(Boulder-CO) There is a new guy in the game of Nuggets blogging and he likes to specialize in statistical breakdowns. He has only been in the game as long as Steven Hunter, but I really think he is a great resource for all of us who love the Nuggets. Go check out 5280 Hoops sometime and be sure to read this great piece on Anthony Carter. And I quote, "Who the hell is Anthony Carter, and why is he running my team?"

Great stuff!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is February 3rd, and on this day:

'80- Boston rookie Larry Bird scored the first three-pointer in All-Star history, hitting from the corner in the East’s 144-136 overtime victory at the Capital Center. Magic Johnson, playing for the West, became the youngest All-Star ever at 20 years, five months.

'96- Visiting teams were 7-0, the first time in NBA history that road clubs went undefeated in more than five games.

'98- Bill Fitch tied Red Auerbach for second place with 938 all-time coaching victories as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz, 111-102.

'00- The Houston Rockets honor Clyde Drexler by retiring his No. 22 in a ceremony held before the Rockets’ game against Philadelphia. Drexler becomes the fourth Rocket to have his jersey raised to the rafters of the Compaq Center, joining Calvin Murphy’s No. 23, Moses Malone’s No. 24 and Rudy Tomjanovich’s No. 45.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets Band Together for Eighth Straight

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera were game-time decisions that didn’t suit up for the Bobcats, but worry not, Nuggets Nation, because the rest of the Nuggets banded together to avoid breaking their home winning streak. Steven Hunter started in the place of the precautious Marcus Camby (sore knee) and Eduardo Najera’s (sore rib) bench spark was filled by the ever fiery Linas Kleiza as the Nuggets won their eighth straight home game against the Bobcats, 117-101.

In the first half, the Nuggets were trailing the Cats by ten after the first 24 minute’s conclusion. The combination of getting badly out-rebounded on the defensive glass gave the Bobcats a huge advantage (Marcus was sorely missed in this regard) and the extra possessions kept the Nuggets without the ball for a disproportional amount of time. At this point, I was thinking the home court was about to be compromised and Denver was about to lose to the Bobcats, again. The Nuggets had surrendered 67 points on 61% shooting to a team that is not known for scoring, and without, arguably, their best player (Gerald Wallace). But, if there was anything to be positive about in the first half it was Carmelo Anthony going reverse for a filthy slam that proved to me the extra games missed were well worth his full, and 100%, return to the line-up.

In the third quarter, the Nuggets once again looked uninspired with the score, 87-77, when they exploded with a 23-3 run which included 15 straight at one point! These are the Nuggets are I’m used to seeing smoke out their opponents at home with a dizzying barrage of offense and the kind of defense I know they are capable of playing. The only thing that confuses me still is what snaps in the minds of these players that makes them so different from one quarter to the next. In ESPN’s game recap George Karl is quoted as saying, “There are too many times where I walk into that locker room and we are letting a team shoot over 55 percent on us. Then, we change our face and personality and we look like the San Antonio Spurs on defense.”

And the Spur-like defense proved to be exactly what ignited the Nuggets’ offense. The Yak put the clamps down on Jason Richardson (who, by the way, would tie a season-high with 38 points) but the Bobcats as a team only managed to score 14 points in the money quarter as the Nuggets put up a 35-point effort that cemented the win. Carmelo Anthony led all Nugget scorers with a double-double performance of 25 points and ten rebounds, Allen Iverson was right behind his All-Star Starting comrade with 24 points and 13 assists which brings the Nuggets to a 20-1 all-time record when he double-doubles in said categories, and Linas Kleiza continues to be Denver’s most reliable third scoring option finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. Steven Hunter, in a rare playing role never mind the start, scored eight points, snared six rebounds, and blocked two shots in a very quiet but effective outing as Kenyon Martin and Anthony Carter each scored ten to round out the starting five’s offensive production. And if there is any other aspect of the Nuggets eighth straight home victory that I can directly attribute this win to it is the Nuggets lack of turnovers (only eleven) and the ability to not allow those turnovers to translate into points (only six) for the Charlotte Bobcats.

With the win, the Nuggets (28-18) are now only a game behind Utah (30-18) with Monday’s trip up to see the currently third place Portland Trailblazers (27-19) ahead of them. A win would put the Blazers another full game behind the Nuggets in the Northwest Divisional standings, while a loss would bring Portland into a tie with the Nuggets for second place. Denver will then host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday in a game that could potentially decide who emerges as the division’s top dog. But first, the Nuggets have to take care of Portland. One game at a time, Nuggets Nation. One game at a time!

Go Nuggets!

The Rumor Mill is Still Spinning

(Boulder-CO) The latest and greatest rumor out of the Nuggets rumor mill says Denver has had talks with the Los Angeles Clippers about Sam Cassell-which should be no suprise to anyone seeing as Coach George Karl and Sam Cassell have been forlorn without each other since splitting back when the two were together in Milwaukee.

To me this kind of rumor is akin to high school age kids speculating as to who is going to win homecoming queen. They all know who is the prettiest girl in school, but it should be no surprise when she doesn't win the damn tiara for the ninth time in four years!

Which, when translated back into relavance to Nuggets basketball, means that Sam Cassell and George Karl can think about rekindling their love affair some other time because I just don't see this trade happening. This stupid rumor surfaces every year, and, every year nothing materializes. Not to mention Sam Cassell, at this point in his career, is not capable of making the kind of difference that moves the Nuggets from the middle of the road into the NBA's elite. Maybe three years ago, but definitely not now...

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'68- Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers dished out a club-record 21 assists in a 131-121 win over Detroit. Maurice Cheeks tied this mark October 30, 1982 vs. New Jersey.

'92- Milwaukee’s Alvin Robertson collected four steals in the Bucks’ 122-106 win over Seattle at the Bradley Center, giving him a career total of 1,700 steals, at the time moving him into second place on the NBA’s all-time list, behind Maurice Cheeks.

'93- Dominique Wilkins scored 34 points to help Atlanta defeat Seattle 118-109, becoming the Hawks’ all-time leading scorer with 20,885 points, surpassing Hall of Famer Bob Pettit, who previously held the franchise scoring record.

'94- Atlanta’s Lenny Wilkens became only the second coach (along with Red Auerbach) in NBA history to win 900 career games, after leading the Hawks to a 118-99 win over visiting Orlando.

'95- The Houston Rockets ended Utah’s 15-game road winning streak with a 121-101 victory at The Summit. The Jazz’ streak, which began at Sacramento on November 27, came within one game of tying the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA record 16-game road winning streak, set during the 1971-72 season.

'96- Chicago’s 99-84 road win over the LA Lakers--with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson meeting on the court for the first time since Game 5 of the 1991 NBA Finals--sets, at the time, a record as the highest-rated NBA game ever on cable TV. The telecast on TNT earns a 7.1 rating and a 13.1 share, being viewed in an average of 4.75 million homes. The rating mark stood until the May 21, 1996 Chicago-Orlando playoff game.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets vs. Bobcats: Game 46 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Welcome to a game with more ailing ankles than the film Misery. Carmelo Anthony is going to make his return tonight after a twelve-day absence since spraining his ankle back on January 21st on Kobe Bryant’s foot and the Bobcats’ Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace are both questionable after sitting out last night’s fourth quarter against the Warriors with a couple of unfortunate twists too. High-tops anyone?

Tonight’s game will be a homecoming of sorts for recently acquired “Earl” of the big men, Earl Boykins. The former Nugget was just recently signed to the Bobcats two days ago and should receive a very warm welcome from Denver fans who used to go crazy for the five and a half foot Boykins.

But aside from that side story, the Nuggets need to be thinking revenge on the Bobcats for a, 119-116, loss handed to the Nuggets back in mid January. And with Carmelo (who I will guarantee has not forgotten how the last meeting between these two teams played out in the final seconds) making his return, I think the Nuggets are primed to payback the Bobcats.

On January 14th I wrote, “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.”

So, in addition to losing their last two straight games, the Bobcats played last night in Oakland and should be weary on the backside of back-to-back road games. Plus, the Nuggets have won seven straight on their home court which is their longest home winning streak since a 12-game run from March 16 through April 19, 2005. Other notable statistical facts that have fruited the Nuggets wins as of late are when Marcus Camby rejects five or more shots Denver is 14-4 so far this season, the Nuggets are 19-1 now when AI records a double-double of points and assists, Linas Kleiza has scored in double figures in the last six games of which the Nuggets are 3-3, and the Bobcats are 4-15 so far this season on the road which should play into the Nuggets favor.

My last point of emphasis tonight is concerning the Nuggets unexplainable predisposition to giving up season, and career, high performances to players on the opposing team. The last time these two teams met, Gerald Wallace scored a season-high 40 points on the Nuggets which are also the most points Denver has surrendered to a single player all season. With that being said, if the Nuggets can avoid allowing any of the Bobcats to break loose like Gerald Wallace (who might not even be able to play tonight- fingers crossed)did in the first match up, Denver should be able to get a win in tonight’s game. Once again the Nuggets are the far superior team in most statistical categories, including scoring all but straight across the starting fives, and a loss tonight would be a real stub of the toe. I’m going to go ahead and say Denver wins by at least six on the back of Carmelo’s return while playing spoiler to Earl Boykins’ home coming in the Mile High City.

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

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

'67- The American Basketball Association was born. The league, which fielded 11 teams in its first season, lasted until the 1975-76 season, when it was forced to disband after facing financial difficulties. Four former ABA clubs joined the NBA in the summer of 1976--the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, New York (now New Jersey) Nets and San Antonio Spurs.

'84- Bernard King scored 50 points for the Knicks at Dallas, equaling the 50 he tallied the night before in San Antonio. He was the first player to score 50 points on consecutive nights since Wilt Chamberlain did it 20 years earlier.

'84- David J. Stern officially took over as the NBA’s fourth Commissioner, replacing the retired Larry O’Brien, who had served as Commissioner since 1975. Stern had previously served as the NBA’s first General Counsel and later as Executive VP of Legal & Business Affairs.

'95- With a crisp bounce pass to teammate Karl Malone, who hit a jumper from the corner, Utah guard John Stockton became the NBA’s all-time leader in assists with 9,922, surpassing the mark previously established by Magic Johnson. Utah topped visiting Denver 129-88 and Stockton finished with a game-high 16 assists.

'96- Chicago defeated host Sacramento 105-85, giving the Bulls a 40-3 record, the most wins ever in a season with just three losses. That broke the 197 1-72 LA Lakers’ record, who started the season with a 39-3 mark but then lost their 43rd game to give them a 39-4 record.

'98- Karl Malone scored 20 points to pass Oscar Robertson (26,710 points) for sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

'01- Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz grabbed the 13,000th rebound of his career in an 87-76 win over Charlotte, helping him become the sixth player in NBA history to record 26,000 points and 13,000 rebounds in his career. Malone joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Enjoy your day!

Camby: Snubbed!

(Boulder-CO) The NBA All-Star reserves were named today and Marcus Camby was amongst others who also took a snubbing. Henry Abbott from TrueHoop writes this about "The Captain".

"There are ten teams in the West that are all still bunched high enough in the standings to be theoretical candidates to win the conference. Each has a team leader who is a strong candidate to be an All-Star. (Indeed, only Golden State missed out). Denver only the middle of that pack, but already has two guys starting on this team! How greedy can you get! I know, it's not fair to exclude a guy because of what his teammates do. But has Camby really been better than David West, Brandon Roy, Baron Davis, or Manu Ginobili?"

Usually, I take what Henry writes as basketball scripture, but in this case I am going to have to respectfully disagree with him about Manu Ginobili being more deserving than Marcus. Manu is averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and a career-high (or is it a low?) 2.7 turnovers per game. Camby is averaging 9.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, and 2.9 assists with his rebounding, blocks, and minutes played per game (35.2) all being career-highs. Granted, to be fair, Manu's averages are all career highs too, but are any of them really all that "All-Star" worthy?

In comparison, Camby's reboudning clip is only .6 fewer boards per game less than Dwight Howard's league leading 14.9 rebounds per game, his 3.9 blocks is #1 in the league, and his 1.05 steals per game and assist average are ranked second and third best amongst all NBA centers. Throw in the fact that he is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year (Plus- there isn't another player even close to removing Camby's belt so far this season) and I think things start to look pretty clear.

Now you tell me, who was a more deserving All-Star given all the aforementioned statistical facts, Manu or Marcus?

A Rumor I Really Don’t Like

(Boulder-CO) TZ over at www.sactownroyalty.com is pondering what Nugget(s) might be involved in a potential trade for Ron Artest. Let me just go on the record right now as saying I do not like anything that has to do with Ron Artest in a Nuggets uniform. To be honest with you, I don’t even like when he comes into town to play the Nuggets. But, I think the writing is on the wall and Nuggets brass is looking to make a move before the February 21st trade deadline that could potentially put the Nuggets into elite NBA company. However, like I’ve already stated, I do not want Ron-Ron in Denver. Period.

The NBA's Week in Review

(Boulder-CO) The homiest of homies, Dennis Velasco, runs this little site called About Pro Basketball and he gives me the weekly opportunity to say I write for a company owned by The New York Times. Here is the entire Eastern Conference and Western Conference broken down by those who know it best. Go give Dennis a piece of your mind!

Two Years and Running

(Boulder-CO) Whether you're new to the site or have been reading since day one. Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you for making this Nuggets blog a massive success on the eve of its second birthday. This includes those of you who run other blogs and link to work that I publish, comment regularly, or just visit The Nugg Doctor everyday and never join the on-going dialogue that is always going on. Many of you might remember the first anniversary of the site and how this whole thing was started, but now after nearly 1,000 posts, almost 250,000 hits, and all of the other larger projects that I have had the pleasure of working on this whole "Nugg Doctor" thing never ceases to amaze me.

Now, there is one other thing that I want to run by you, Nuggets Nation, and it is the chance to, in my opinion, truly unite for the first time. I have been in contact with the ESPN Zone in downtown Denver and if enough of you would like to we could all view a game, as a unit, out in the public spotlight. Now, I know a lot of you are from places other than Denver, but for those of you who are or are from the neighboring areas this is an invitation to the first ever and still pending, "Nugg Doctor" group outing. If enough of us want to make it happen I'll start working out the details. I know I would really enjoy it, but ultimately, it's really in the hands of all of you. So I'm asking for some feedback here. You can either comment on this post or you can send me an Email (my Email info is in the profile).

But above all, this is your humble "Nugg Doctor" Nick saying "Thanks" for all the continued support.

Go Nuggets!

Today's Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today's date is January 31st, and on this day:

'94- Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins became the 11th player in NBA history to score 23,000 career points, netting 24 in the Hawks’ 90-85 win at Dallas.

'97- San Antonio’s Dominique Wilkins scored 27 points in the Spurs’ 97-95 loss to Minnesota, giving him 26,009 career points. Wilkins was only the sixth NBA player to score 26,000 points.

'01- Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach George Karl guided the Bucks to a 116-111 win over Denver, notching his 600th NBA coaching victory. Karl became the 17th NBA head coach to reach the milestone, and he was the sixth-fastest to 600 wins in NBA history.

Enjoy your day!

Nuggets Escape the Grizzlies

(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets were sleep walking through 45 minutes of tonight’s game with the Memphis Grizzlies, but found a way to ignite late in the fourth quarter to win, 106-102, and end their road losing streak at seven games while avoiding a season-high tying three straight losses overall.

The start of this game was full of news that players from both teams were not going to be able to play for a range of assorted reasons. For the Grizzlies, Stromile Swift was unavailable due to an incident with coach Iavaroni, Pau Gasol was a scratch with a sore lower back, and Mike Conley wasn’t going to play either due to a rib injury. For Denver, Carmelo missed his fifth straight game after once again not feeling confident in the injured ankle during pre-game workouts.

So despite being shorthanded, two crews from both teams threw up a tip and just because the Nuggets led by two at the half doesn’t mean I liked much about their effort. The Nuggets started out the game with seven turnovers in the first quarter and were taking a ton of poor shots. Plus, the little things like throwing the ball away with baseball passes four times, Kenyon Martin swatting a shot in to the fourteenth row when he could have just corralled the shot and kept possession, and J.R. Smith missing back-to-back dunks in the second quarter when the momentum was just starting to swing in favor for the Nuggets were really eating at me. The two blown dunks, in particular, were aggravating because they translated into five points for the Grizzlies, destroyed all the momentum the Nuggets had built in the second quarter, and completed a nine-point swing in Memphis’s favor when you consider the Nuggets came away with nothing instead of a sure four points. Needless to say, J.R. Smith was quickly benched after going 1-7 from the field in a mere nine minutes.

However, I will say that the only reason why the Nuggets were still in this game with such an undisciplined showing in the first half was Allen Iverson. He was the only Nugget to score in double-figures with 21 points and seven assists in the first half while recording three big steals that jumpstarted the Nuggets fast break in the second quarter.

In the third quarter the worst possible scenario came true for the Nuggets. AI was the only reason the Nuggets were in the game in the first half, but in the third quarter he went 0-7 from the field and didn’t score. And as quickly as Iverson disappeared so did the Nuggets as they managed only 19 points in the quarter and went into the fourth down by five.

More of the same crappy play ensued as the Grizzlies’ lead ballooned up to seven with three minutes remaining before the Nuggets flipped on the switch. With the score, 97-90, Marcus Camby tipped in an offensive rebound and started what would be a 12-0 run for the Nuggets that included five straight points (a three and a beautiful drive down the middle of the key) and an assist by Anthony Carter to Linas Kleiza for another three to give the Nuggets a three point lead. Allen Iverson would ice the game with six straight free-throws from there, but defensively good rotations, good challenges on Memphis’s shots by Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, and solid rebounding were also part of the reason the Nuggets were able to close out this game and avoid a disastrous loss.

Sigh, what a relief.

Allen Iverson led all scorers with 32 points to go along nicely with 12 assists, four steals, and three rebounds and improves the overall record when he records a double-double to 19-1 dating back to last season. His offensive help came from a quartet of Nuggets all scoring in double figures while no individual scored more than 18 points. Anthony Carter is becoming the Nuggets unsung hero with the aforementioned five straight points in the fourth quarter and a total of 18 points, five rebounds, and four assists, Linas Kleiza overcame a 1-7 night from the three-point line to finish with 15 points and three rebounds, and Marcus Camby rounded everything out with 13 points, 19 rebounds, and five blocked shots despite taken a break in the second quarter to ice his sore right knee.

For the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay scored a team-high 30 points and Darko Milicic tied a career-high with 16 rebounds, but despite having four players score in double figures Memphis proved to be unable to manage the last three minutes of the game and they take the tough loss and end the Nuggets longest road losing streak since the 1994-95 season.

With tonight's win the Nuggets momentarily move into a tie with the Utah Jazz for first place in the Northwest Division, but Utah is currently beating New York and will most likely move a half game ahead of the Nuggets in the division by the end of the night. Plus, Portland is currenty beating the Cavaliers and with a win would move into a tie with Denver for second place, but that's ok becuase the number of losses stays equal with all three teams despite the Jazz having played, and won, one game more than the Nuggets and Trailblazers as of right now.

Like I said…I don’t have to like the way they did it, but I’ll take the win any day.

Go Nuggets!

Anthony Carter was Double Crossed!

(Boulder-CO)...And Chris Paul threw it between his legs first! Seriously, this is the way I described it in the game recap and here is the video evidence to support my description:

"To start the third period, CP3 shook Anthony Carter so bad, numerous times, with consecutive crossovers before flipping a lay-up that Kenyon Martin would have to goaltend that it made me spill my drink. I’m talking about a move that made Carter yo-yo back-and-forth as if Paul was manipulating AC’s movements like a puppet. And like a basketball game puppeteer, Chris Paul played with the Nuggets for the entire rest of the game."

Poor AC, that just isn't fair!

Were the Nuggets Just Kidd-ing?

(Boulder-CO) The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that early rumors concerning the Nuggets being interested in disgruntle point guard Jason Kidd are false. The story is a little convoluted, and may just be a smoke screen, but I still don’t think that landing Jason Kidd is that far off of a fantasy.

All the reports that I have seen have included Nene, Eduardo Najera, and J.R. Smith (at least) in a potential deal and Nene and Najera both have decent size contacts that would offset some of the price of Kidd.

Right now, I think the real question that needs an answer is what is Stan Kroenke’s primary focus with this team because the Nuggets still have the third highest payroll in the league and are still not in the NBA’s elite company. If Kroenke’s primary focus is revenue, then a deal for Kidd would not lead him to immediate financial gain because the Pepsi Center is close to, or is, all but sold out most nights. Filling the Pepsi Center to capacity and selling Jason Kidd merchandise is not going to make up a ten million dollar increase in team payroll alone.

But, if Kroenke is dead set on bringing a championship to this city then that’s a whole different story.

He would indubitably make more than enough in the next couple of years to justify the payroll, especially with a championship (or maybe two), and a move this big is exactly what it would take to make the Nuggets a legitimate contender. Move the aforementioned three, and potentially a draft pick, for Jason Kidd and the Nuggets can be arguably starting the best five of any team in the league. Furthermore, we will have landed the “true” point guard that this team has been lacking for years, while not making the already thin frontline much thinner.

There’s a little joke around Nuggets circles that says, “Everybody knows Eduardo Najera is only six-five” and Steven Hunter could probably fill the void where Eduardo’s impact was felt on the boards (remember he started for a ton of games last year with Philadelphia). In addition, Jason Kidd’s headiness would more than make up for Eduardo’s hustle. Sure, the trading of Nene right now would be cold blooded, but this is a business and Nene is, most likely, going to make a full recovery and Denver still has Von Wafer collecting dust on the end of the bench. J.R. Smith would be a loss because I really do think that he is going to finally get “it” and blossom into a great pro, but the Nuggets timetable is a little bit shorter than J.R.’s case might need.

So, is it going to happen? Probably not. Could it happen? Absolutely, and Stan Kroenke’s true intent with this team is going to be shown crystal clear by the February 21st trade deadline. If he is OK shelling out the kind of dough he is for a team that is maybe a second round surprise in the playoffs, then so be it. But if he is truly dead set on owning a winner, something has to be done and Kidd would certainly be making a huge statement.

Nuggets vs. Grizzlies: Game 45 Preview

(Boulder-CO) I’ll tell you one thing right now, Nuggets Nation. If the Denver Nuggets think that the Grizzlies’ record is indicative of the talent level on this team they have got another thing coming. Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay, and Mike Miller are all very good ball players and should not be slept on. The return of Carmelo tonight would certainly help the Nuggets’ chances, but if Anthony doesn’t play the rest of the Nuggets are going to have to band together to get this win.

With that being said, a loss tonight would be a disaster. It’s one thing to lose to a very talented and red-hot Hornets team sans a superstar, but assuming Carmelo plays tonight, anything but a victory is going to be a real cause for concern. The Nuggets are a better team in every statistical category and a loss tonight would give the Nuggets their worst road losing streak since dropping eight in a row from December 17, 2004 through January 17, 2005. Additionally, the Nuggets have some serious kinks to iron out as they are now 7-13 on the road and have the fewest road victories among any teams with winning records.

Furthermore, Denver is currently in an early, but very tight divisional race and, in the stacked Western Conference, the teams that do not win their divisions are leaving a whole lot to chance concerning their postseason aspirations.

But forget all that for a second and let’s take a look at these Grizzlies.

For starters, Rudy Gay is having an amazing third NBA season by leading this team in scoring and steals at 19.6 points and 1.4 steals per game. He’s getting most of the offensive support from Pau Gasol and Mike Miller who are averaging 18.9 points and 16.7 points per game, respectively. The Grizzlies also have to be pleasantly surprised with the play of rookie guard Juan Carlos Navarro. J.C. is averaging eleven points and two assists in only 13 starts, but from there things start to get a little murky. The Grizzlies have five players averaging more than six points a game which, in turn, tells me they are an inconsistent, young bunch of players that haven’t quite yet learned how to win with any consistency. Which is probably also the main reason why the Grizzlies are a disappointing 13-32 so far this season.

The Nuggets on the other hand are an even stranger animal. So much talent, so many veterans, and so many good things to say about so many individuals, but yet they are still one of the most aggravating and inconsistent teams in the league. Why are they the way they are? The only answer that I can come up with is that while they have some nice pieces to the puzzle there are still so many nagging problems that continue to plague this team. That, and the nagging problems always seem to become distractions and then, unfortunately, they become excuses.

However, there should be no excuses tonight with the Grizzlies. Denver IS the better team, and the Nuggets need to not only prove it to themselves, but also to us, the fans. Teams that should be contended with come late April beat teams like the Grizzlies. Enough said.

Go Nuggets!