Double OT with an Unlikely Hero

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) The NBA’s marketing campaign this season is, “Where amazing happens”, and in last night’s double-overtime win over the Houston Rockets Anthony Carter and the rest of the Nuggets did not come up short. Denver emerged the victor, 112-111, on the tremendous efforts by Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Anthony Carter, and believe it or not, Chucky Atkins!

In the first half, Carmelo Anthony was struggling. ‘Melo was just 2-17 shooting in the first half and was way too reliant on the jumper. However, thankfully for the Nuggets Allen Iverson was on his game and scored 18 of the Nuggets first 26 points and dished two assists to keep Denver in the game.

Enter Chucky Atkins for the first time this regular season.

Chucky entered the game with the score, 23-16, with just over a minute to play in the first quarter and instantly sparked the Nuggs. There was no big ovation. There was no montage on the jumbotron. In fact, I didn’t even notice that he came into the game until someone’s shot went up that didn’t look like any of the more familiar Nuggets shot it. Atkins missed his first attempt of the season, but it didn’t take Chucky long to get it going in the second quarter. With nine minutes remaining until half, Atkins (who made a lay-up earlier in the quarter) hit two back-to-back three pointers off of AI dimes to give the Nuggets a, 32-27, lead of which the Nuggets would battle hard with to finish the half up by two, 44-42.

Enter Carmelo Anthony.

After starting the game shooting the ball horrendously, ‘Melo regained his touch and hit all eight of his shots in the period scoring 16 of the Nuggets 29 points. The Nuggets improved their advantage to, 73-69, at the end of the third, but the Rockets weren’t done fighting. In the fourth, the Rockets clamped down on defense and scored in bunches off of seven lay-ups to tie the game at 94 after scoring the regulation’s last seven points while holding the Nuggets scoreless in the last two minutes.

Re-enter Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony.

‘Melo and AI weren’t done scoring yet and split all eight of the Nuggets first overtime period’s points. Houston had more of a rounded effort with Shane Battier hitting a three, Luther Head popping a jumper, Bonzi Wells making yet another lay-up, and Rafer Alston tying it all up again by making only one of two attempts from the free-throw line with under a minute to play in OT.

Enter double OT.

The Nuggets, perhaps taking a cue from the Houston Rockets in the first OT, banded together as a team to score ten points off of Carmelo Anthony hitting the front end of two free-throws, another Chucky Atkins three-pointer, seven-foot jumper, and an assist to Marcus Camby for a ten-foot floater, and no bucket was bigger coming out of the game's final timout than the game-winning, up-and-under 15-foot jumper that the unsung hero, Anthony Carter, hit to win the game with no time on the clock!

Nuggets win! I repeat, NUGGETS WIN!

Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets in scoring with a huge stat line reading 37 points, a career-high 16 rebounds off of 12 gianormous offensive boards, three steals, two blocks, and two assists. Allen Iverson was right alongside ‘Melo with his 36 points, nine assists (only one turnover in 57 minutes), five rebounds, and two steals. The unsung hero, Anthony Carter, finished with six points, eight assists, and four rebounds and Chucky “come lately” Atkins was the only other Nuggets player to score in double figures with 13 points.

There was a Marcus Camby sighting too! The chairman of the boards finished with a team-high 18 rebounds, six blocks, and the aforementioned deuce in the second overtime period.

One sour side note about this otherwise fantastic game is Kenyon Martin left the floor in the third quarter with a leg injury and did not return. His status is questionable for tonight’s game against the Trailblazers. However, K-Mart did have an impact when he did play scoring eight points, grabbing ten rebounds, and blocking three shots.

Denver now plays again tonight in Portland against a Trailblazer team that is due for a loss after winning their last nine games.

Go Nuggets!

Anger is NOT the Answer

(Boulder-CO) J.R. Smith said today in The Denver Post that, “When I'm not angry I have a lot more finesse to my game, I try to do everything real smooth. When I'm out there angry, everything's more rugged; getting rebounds. And then my teammates get behind me.”

My initial response to this statement was, “Good, do whatever it takes, J.R.”, but after thinking about it from a perspective of someone who continues to play the game I thought differently. In fact, my perspective on the topic did a complete 180. The worst thing you can do is play the game angry with the reason being basketball is to sports as jazz is to music.

Follow me?

Basketball is played in the moment. Much like jazz music, basketball is improvisational. When you use an emotion like anger to motivate yourself, your actions become premeditated and the results are often not favorable. Especially in a game like basketball which, from one second to the next, requires you to adapt to the situation at hand. Not to mention the type of premeditative thoughts that anger usually evokes.

Instead, I feel that the problem with J.R. as of late has been his intensity, or should I say, lack there of. Remember when he was playing good? He was playing the best defense of his career and it was translating into an improved offensive presence. J.R. was getting steals that were putting him out on the fast break. Once on the break, J.R. was dishing assists when he wasn’t finishing, and he was playing within the flow of the game and with his teammates. He was also making his long ball, which additionally, is all about being ready and in the moment.

Now instead of feeling the flow, or should I say the jazz, of the game J.R. is forcing himself in a negative way both for himself and the team. When he is in this kind of mentality he hoists bad shots, plays poor defense highlighted by frustration fouls and too much gambling, and ultimately, sees his minutes taken away. So, the answer, in my eyes, is not for J.R. to get angry with the situation, but rather to focus all his intensity into the moment and situation. The best at doing this was his Airness, Michael Jordan, with that stare and body language that was so intense that it could seemingly bend steal, and the will of his opposition. But, that wasn’t the best part about it, no no no, not at all. The best part about the intensity demonstrated by Jordan was it made his teammates raise their games to new heights because while their physical abilities were nowhere near Jordan’s; nor could they be raised to equal his. Their intensity levels were capable of rising to the level demonstrated by their emotional leader, and that is what made Jordan’s intensity so contagious.

So, once again, the answer for J.R. is not to get angry and play with a negative and premeditated cause, but rather to intensify his efforts and to play in the moment. Feed off the most intense player on the floor and try to match their intensity. Heck, for that matter, it could be just an intense play - a rebound, block, or a dunk - but use its rhetorical power to put yourself into the same mindset.

Be like Mike!

Change the game as the game changes. Feel the jazz.

I know I always wanted to.

Jelani McCoy Waived

(Boulder-CO) www.nuggets.com reports today that forward/center Jelani McCoy has been waived. No big surprise here, seeing how Nene and Steven Hunter are close to returning. Jelani only saw the floor five times for the Nuggets and averaged three minutes per game when he did.

Good luck and farewell, Jelani. Somewhere, an NBA team needs a big body like yours!

Nuggets vs. Rockets: Game 25 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Damn, does it feel like a long time since the Nuggets played a game!

The Rockets come into Denver tonight on the tail end of back-to-back games after a loss last night to the Orlando Magic, 97-92. And if that was the only problem plaguing the Rockets their outlook on tonight’s game may be a little bit more positive than it is knowing that they will most likely be without their leading scorer, Tracy McGrady, who is out with a sore left knee.

On the other hand, the Nuggets have their own problems. Denver has lost its last two games and it hasn’t been because they played well and were outmatched, but rather they defeated themselves by not playing up to their ability; a trademark that seems to follow this team year-in and year-out.

In tonight’s game, there are two things that have to go right for the Nuggets if they are to stop the bleeding of their most current two-game losing streak. First, the Nuggets desperately need to share the ball to the tune of 25 or more assists. There are a lot of potent offensive weapons on this Denver Nuggets club, but unless the ball gets shared no one gets their respective offensive games revved up. Guys like J.R. Smith, Linas Kleiza, Kenyon Martin, and Marcus Camby all need to get smart touches and make them count.

The second critical point of interest in this game is Carmelo Anthony. ESPN illustrates this point perfectly in that in the Nuggets' 14 wins, Anthony has averaged 27.1 points while shooting 46.6 percent, but he has scored just 20.4 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting in the team's 10 losses. Allen Iverson may have, recently, taken the torch from Carmelo, but I’m not so sure after looking at what happens when AI leads this team in scoring that such a scenario is good for the Nuggets in the long run. Carmelo may need to be window piece of this team while AI manages things from the inside for the Nuggets to be successful.

Also as a side note, Yao got beat up pretty bad both physically and statistically by Dwight Howard last night. Marcus Camby needs to have a solid game defensively because without McGrady the Rockets are going to have to work their entire offense through Ming making Marcus just as instrumental on defense as Carmelo or AI are on offense.

Should be a good game, Nuggets Nation. One that hopefully shows some improvement in intensity and discipline from the last two dismal efforts.

Go Nuggets!

Today’s Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) Today’s date is December, 20 and on this day:

‘66- Seattle was named the 11th franchise city in the NBA. Approximately one month later the team was named the SuperSonics, the result of a local contest won by Howard E. Schmidt. The name represents the regions historical relation to the aviation boom.

‘92- Buck Williams becomes only the 20th player in NBA history to collect 10,000 rebounds in his career as Portland defeats Golden State, 130-114.

‘97- New York's Patrick Ewing suffered a Lunate dislocation and torn ligaments in right wrist in game vs. Milwaukee Bucks and was declared out for the remainder of the season following surgery.

‘01- Chick Hearn, the Lakers' play-by-play announcer, was not be behind the microphone for the Lakers-Rockets game as he recovered from heart surgery to replace a blocked aortic valve, bringing to end an astonishing streak, one that lasted more than 36 years and 3,338 games.

Enjoy your day!

About.com Christmas Presents

(Boulder-CO) Don't ever say I didn't get you a lil' somethin' somethin'! Here is the complete NBA broken down team-by-team.

Go Nuggets!

An Open Letter to the Answer

(Boulder-CO) Sean Watts of Passion and Pride has written an open letter to Allen Iverson on the anniversary of his departure from Philly. Absolutely fabulous stuff, Mr. Watts, but here's to hoping that there is a happier ending to this story in Denver than the one you had to endure in Philadelphia.

Today’s Date in NBA History

(Boulder-CO) I’m starting a new segment today for the Nuggets Nation’s truest basketball aficionados. It's called, “Today’s date in NBA History”. Everyday, I will give you historical tidbits from the NBA’s rich history to enjoy and your going to enjoy ‘em, see? Fun for the most obsessed NBA fan in every family!

Today’s date is December, 19 and on this day:

'56-Upon his return from Melbourne, Australia, where he led the U.S. Basketball squad to an Olympic gold medal, Bill Russell signed his first contract with the Boston Celtics.

'68-The Detroit Pistons traded Dave DeBusschere to the New York Knicks for Walt Bellamy and Howard Komives. The acquisition of DeBusschere is often credited as providing the last piece to the Knicks’ championship teams of 1970 and 1973. The midseason trade also allowed Bellamy to play in an NBA record 88 games that season with New York and Detroit.

'90-Boston’s Kevin McHale scored 23 points in 29 minutes of play, helping the Celtics down Philadelphia 115-105 while reaching the 15,000 point mark for his career.

'92-New York’s 91-87 win over Miami at Madison Square Garden gave Knicks Coach Pat Riley his 600th career victory, the 12th coach in NBA history to reach that mark.

'06- Philadelphia's Allen Iverson was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first round draft picks.

Enjoy your day!

Nene Can Shoot and Dribble

(Boulder-CO) Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post is reporting that Nene has been cleared for dribbling and shooting drills and will be cleared for full basketball activity this Friday.

No word on what kind of shape “Big Brazil” is in. Don't these guys in the mainstream know what the real stories are?!?!

The More You Know!

(Boulder-CO) Here are two things you should think about, Nuggets Nation:

1. The Nuggets are only 4-9 when led by Allen Iverson in scoring, but are 17-1 dating back to this time of year last season when he double-doubles with assists.

2. The Nuggets are 10-1 when Carmelo Anthony is the leading scorer, but have lost the only game 'Melo led Denver in rebounding.

The more you know (insert annoying chime)....

Nuggets Wasting Time and Money

(Boulder-CO) By now you know that I read pretty much everything that relates to the Denver Nuggets. Most of the time it’s just to sharpen my own blade when it comes to differing perspectives on the current state of NBA affairs in the Mile High City. But, in select other instances, I find myself in either such strong disagreement or so vehemently concurring with the sentiments of other local journalists that I have to make my feelings public.

Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post writes in today’s article, “Right now, the Nuggets are a waste of our time and franchise owner Stan Kroenke's money.”

A sentiment that I can understand, and relate to completely.

The Denver Nuggets are currently on a pace to win 48 games this year, only three games better than last year’s 45-37 mark, and have not even begun to play their hardest stretch of games on the schedule.

Now get ready for some harsh and sobering realities.

“Big Brazil” is set to return sometime after Christmas. Nene is going to have to be worked into the playing fold, and without doubt, back into any kind of shape. This is going to take at least a month of games and could create a playing time quagmire which could, in turn, result in a sour atmosphere on the Nuggets frontline. Kenyon Martin is playing, well, far better than anybody expected him to this early off of yet another microfracture surgery, and having two injury-prone power forwards that have both been inconsistent at times is going to be a tricky road to navigate.

Chucky Atkins is also set to return sometime after Christmas, and that is going to create a similar situation in the Nuggets backcourt that, in all reality, only has one part-time vacancy. Allen Iverson just does not need a substitution at any one time in most games, so that leaves Anthony Carter (who, by the way, has played really solid basketball as of late) and Chucky Atkins in a predicament of who should play when, how much, and why? Chucky’s three-point shooting may be able to help the Nuggets score in bunches, but his defense is going to be a downgrade from Carter’s pesky nightly efforts to shut down the opposition’s best scoring guard. On the other hand, Atkins is more suited to commandeer the Nuggets in a more clear and direct fashion on the court than the oft-times quiet and yeoman Carter. Not to mention… what happens to a guy like J.R. Smith when there isn’t all of a sudden a direct need for his, often times, streaky shooting?

So, what does this mean for Nuggets fans?

It means that while things may (and trust me I’m hopeful because the thought of covering another 58 games like the first 24 makes me quiver) get better in the long-run. The Nuggets Nation has at least the entire month of January to wait before any sustained improvements are going to be seen. Player rotations need to be shuffled, production needs to be evaluated, minutes are going to have to be monitored, and the Nuggets are going to continue to lose games to teams they should, on paper, beat handily because of Denver’s personnel being all out of whack.

The best case scenario for the Nuggets is staying on the same pace they are on now with the correct answers, and players, emerging from the situation at hand as the season progresses.

The worst case scenario is a bunch of very individually talented and disgruntled basketball players who are confused as to the reasons why they still barely keeping this team above .500 while not playing the kind of minutes that some of their salaries might warrant. All while Stan Kroenke stares a $15 million dollar salary cap overage directly in the face.

But one thing is for sure, and Kiszla hit it right on the head, “Right now, the Nuggets are a waste of our time and franchise owner Stan Kroenke's money.”

Keon is, at Least, Honest

(Boulder-CO) Some things are bigger than basketball, but I can't help but feel a little bit cheated by former Nugget Keon Clark after he admits, "I never played a game sober, unfortunately."

Keon was a favorite player of mine while he was with the Nuggets because I enjoyed the charisma that he played with. Plus, Keon always had a way of smiling at just the right time. I hope he can get the help that he needs and can find the strength to overcome his addiction while in search of a better, sober life.

NBA Round Table

(Boulder-CO) So, a bunch of us "self-proclaimed" basketball gurus got together at the season's 1/4 completion mark and talked pebbled round ball. Here is our take on the NBA so far this season. Enjoy!

Martin to Appeal Suspension

(Boulder-CO) Kenyon Martin did not deserve to be suspended for inadvertently elbowing Melvin Ely last week. The Denver Post is reporting that Martin will file an appeal for the one-game suspension handed down by the league that would entitle K-Mart to re-collect the estimated $118,181 lost, but I doubt he will win back one thin dime. The suspension has been served and the NBA rarely issues "refunds".

Denver is So Mediocre

(Boulder-CO) I have seen pretty much all I need to see out of this Nuggets team of present. After getting thoroughly blown out by the Portland Trailblazers, 116-105, last night at the Pepsi Center it is pretty clear to me that the Nuggets, despite having a tremendous roster, will not be anything but a mediocre club this year. Denver has too many individuals on offense, not enough discipline on defense, no clear-cut team leader that is capable of doing the job at hand, and is not – I repeat – not going to accomplish what Stan Kroenke is paying nearly 15 million dollars over the NBA salary cap to have accomplished.

All you need to know about last night’s game was that the Portland Trailblazers mopped the Pepsi Center floors with our beloved Nuggets from opening toss to final buzzer. In the first, the Nuggets were outscored 30-25. In the second, the Nuggets were bullied, 31-24. In the third, the Nuggets were once again trumped, 31-24. And in the fourth, the Nuggets mustered what I like to call the old, “Too little, too late”, self-respect effort to outscore the Blazers, 32-24, in hopes of camouflaging a pathetic effort. Portland even led by as many as 21 points at one juncture of the game after Martell Webster made a technical free throw for delay of game on Marcus Camby.

Carmelo Anthony continues to struggle offensively after what I thought might have been a return to offensive normalcy against the Hornets two games ago. Against the Trailblazers, Anthony finished with 19 points on 6-17 shooting, but what irks me the most about Anthony’s performance was his inability to rebound when the Nuggets were getting abused on the boards, 41-31, overall, including 18 offensive boards by Portland. Why a guy as big and strong as Anthony can’t turn and box out his man is beyond my understanding; especially when nobody else on the team finished with more than seven rebounds.

Allen Iverson exploded, again, offensively notching 38 points, six assists, three steals, and two rebounds, but he still hasn’t found a way to get the rest of the Nuggets to play with the same fervor as he does, which at this point, is not his fault. AI is going out there every single night and leaving it all on the floor, and no one is stepping up their game to help him. Can you imagine what this team would look like without him?

From the Portland side of the coin, Brandon Roy torched the Nuggets for 26 points and a career-high tying eleven assists while Channing Frye added a season-high 20 points on 10-13 shooting. Furthermore, the Blazer bench outscored the Nugget bench, 49-22, with George Karl only playing reserves Eduardo Najera and Linas Kleiza any substantial minutes. Plus, the Trailblazers have now won seven straight games, which is only second best in the NBA to the Boston Celtics current eight-game winning streak.

Let this serve as your notice, Nuggets Nation: Denver will not be doing anything spectacular this season.

Bah humbug!

About.com Eastern Conference Report

(Boulder-CO) These teams play in the Eastern Conference. You should know what happened this week with them too, courtesy of About.com.

About.com Western Conference Report

(Boulder-CO) Have at it, hoop hounds! I present the About.com weekly Western Conference report.

Nuggets vs. Trailblazers: Game 24 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Tonight’s game is a set-up. The Nuggets looked like garbage in San Antonio against the NBA’s defending champs last night, and tonight have to face a surging and vastly improved Portland Trailblazers team that has won their last six straight games. And as if that isn’t enough to make all of us leery, the Trail Blazers have to come to Denver where they've lost nine in a row since 2003 and 15-16 since 1999. The Nuggets always seem to drop games in bunches, and I’m starting to feel like somebody is standing behind my back about to push me down the stairs!

Wait, what’s that? What’s that you say? Out with the negative vibe and in with the good karma…

O.K, I guess things aren’t that bad when you consider Portland has already lost at the Pepsi Center this season, shooting a season-worst 39.0 percent in a 110-93 loss on Nov. 14. Portland is not going to have leading scorer LaMarcus Aldridge (18.7 ppg) available due to plantar fasciitis. Plus, Steve Blake has never been able to hurt us, Marcus Camby always plays great against Joel Pryzbilla, and the Nuggets are 10-3 thus far in the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center.

Be sure to head over to www.blazersedge.com for what I am sure is going to be a much more in-depth look at tonight’s game and be sure to tell my www.probasketball.about.com homie Dave happy holidays.

I think the ship holds the load tonight, Nuggets Nation. It's been a while since I gave a prediction so what the hey? Denver by at least seven.

Go Nuggets!

Denver Not Ready for Big Test

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

(Boulder-CO) The Nuggets teased their fans for the first twelve minutes against the Spurs before going into a classic Denver Nuggets funk that last 24 minutes and sealed their doom, 102-91, in San Antonio. These types of uninspired stretches of basketball have been, and will continue to hold the Nuggets in a state of mediocrity for as long as the Nuggets A) continue to allow them to occur, and B) do not have any idea how to get themselves out said stretches until it is way too late.

The first quarter was fantastic with the Nuggets outscoring the defending NBA champs, 27-22, by result of playing good defense and getting high percentage shots on the offensive end. Even at half, with the score 56-50, I liked what the Nuggets were doing because they had shot 57.1% from the field, had limited the Spurs to only five offensive rebounds, had recorded six steals, and managed six blocked shots. The only area for concern at this point was the Nuggets low total of assists (13) of which nobody had more than two of individually.

Even after surrendering 34 points to the Spurs in the second quarter, I still liked the overall feel of the half. But, what I didn’t see foreshadowed in that second quarter was the collapse that was about to ensue.

34 points is way too many baskets to allow a great team like San Antonio to plaster you with, and when you come out on their home floor in the third quarter and allow them to bombard you with another 36 you have officially mailed it in. Evidently, noting that San Antonio is quite possibly the best three-point shooting team in the league wasn’t on George Karl’s points of halftime emphasis because the Spurs came out in the third and hit five long range bombs on the Nuggets, and at one point, seemed to be alternating lay-ups with threes. And per usual… There was not a single timeout called by George Karl and his bench full of silent wise men as the Nuggets not only played terrible defense, but also went completely stagnant on the offense only scoring 18 points in the quarter.

It was then at this point that I too mailed this game in!

I had high hopes for this match-up. Not only because it was a rematch of last year’s playoffs. Not only because I thought, maybe, the Nuggets might be making a push into the Western Conference’s elite. But, really because the Nuggets schedule up to this point has been less than challenging and I wanted a "reality check" game to evaluate Stan Kroenke’s big price tag product.

And as for all my pivotal points outlined in this game’s preview… The Nuggets went a disappointing 0-5. San Antonio completely dominated the game’s tempo after the first period, the Spurs completed the game with a 48% shooting percentage on 84 attempts in comparison to Denver’s 47% on only 76 attempts, AI did not double-double in dimes and scoring despite having 30 points by the game’s conclusion, the Nuggets did not get to my prescribed 25-30 assists, and my pivotal point of eleven San Antonio offensive rebounds was eclipsed by one as the Nuggets lost, 102-91.

The rest of the box score is pretty gruesome, but its main problem if you’re a Nuggets fan is how the Spurs bench outscored the Nuggets bench, 35-16. J.R. Smith was the Nuggets high-scorer off the bench with seven, and is now 1-18 from downtown in the month of December.

Whoopee!

At least Denver has a chance to forget about this game tonight as they host the Trailblazers at Pepsi Center.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets Quote of the Week

(Boulder-CO) Once again, it is Scott Hastings with this weeks Nuggets quote of the week. In a pregame interview segment with Anthony Carter, Scott said what we all are thinking about the Kenyon Martin suspension.

"Horrible decision by the league." -Scott Hastings

Thanks a lot Scott. Keep up the good work!

Martin Suspended... Late

(Boulder-CO) Kenyon Martin being suspended by the NBA for one game without pay this late after he inadvertently elbowed Melvin Ely is bull. You know it, and I know it. Scott Hastings of Altitude Sports and Entertainment even went as far as to call it, "disrespectful by the league" in tonight's pregame.

Beat the Spurs!

Nuggets vs. Spurs: Game 23 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Tonight, we will really get a good look at whether or not the Nuggets are progressing as a collective unit. The Spurs, even without Tim Duncan (who may or may not return to action tonight) and/or Tony Parker are still a damn tough basketball team to beat on their home floor.

San Antonio has lost its last two straight games for the first time this season partly because of Tim Duncan’s absence, but more so, because of both he and Tony Parker’s are now injured. Before Tony went down, the Spurs were still racking up the wins with Manu “The Flopper” Ginobili picking up Timmy’s slack and averaging 37 points in the first two games that Duncan was out for. Now that Tony is also sidelined there is just too much slack for the rest of the Spurs to untangle resulting in their most recent, 96-84, loss to the Golden State Warriors and, 102-97, defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

On the other hand, the Nuggets are a team that is seemingly starting to put all their loose pieces together with five wins in their last six games, and they still don’t even have a full roster of players.

What else is new, right?

Things to look for in tonight’s game are which team dictates the tempo, shooting percentages (which, for the Nuggets, will also be closely tied to the tempo of which the game is played), Denver’s assist total, and San Antonio’s offensive rebound total.

If the Denver Nuggets want to leave the Alamo city with a win tonight they will need to get out and run the Spurs into submission. San Antonio is a team that likes to milk every possession for the absolute best scoring option and have been the best team in the league for years now because of how efficiently they do it. Good shots are what the Nuggets hope for. Great shots are what the San Antonio Spurs work for. Denver needs to limit San Antonio to contested, decent looks at the basket and then rebound like gangbusters to get the legs of the fast break established.

This is where things get pivotal.

From there, one team should be able to establish a favorable shooting percentage with the Nuggets hopefully doing so by getting a plethora of fast break opportunities from point number one. San Antonio wants to grind the clock and finish every 24 seconds with a deuce and shoot the ball about 80 times making about 37 of them while limiting the Nuggets to about 75 shots when all their turnovers are accounted for. The Nuggets need to get about 90 shots on their basket and make about 42 of them to win. Which, again, is why the game’s shooting percentages for both teams is so closely tied to the tempo.

Denver will also have to share the ball somewhere in the vicinity of 25-30 assists to defeat the Spurs. The Nuggets are 17-1 when AI double-doubles with assists and points and if he can give Denver 10-12 assists with at least one other person, ehh hmm Anthony Carter or Carmelo Anthony, recording at least half of what AI does the Nuggets chances of victory are greatly increased. The Nuggets can ill-afford to have Marcus Camby snatching junk off the glass and then putting the ball on the floor, so my prescription is for everyone to get the ball to a guard and run the floor like someone is chasing you. The pass is coming, rest assured of that, but the assist total can’t grow if the Nuggets get caught having sticky fingers.

My last point to take notice of is how many offensive rebounds the Spurs can grab, and If you add up all my previous points it shouldn’t be hard to understand why this is so important. If the Nuggets give the Spurs two and three chances to score on too many possessions they will surely lose because 24 seconds is a long time to play defense for; let alone trying to play respectable D for 48 seconds or, gasp, over a minute. My pivotal point in this aspect of the game is eleven. If the Nuggets can hold the Spurs to eleven or fewer offensive boards they can, and should, win this game. If the Spurs collect more second-change opportunities than that… It could be a long night!

Should be a good one. Let’s get some chatter in here, Nuggets Nation!

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets Win on/and ‘Melo’s Back

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

(Boulder-CO) The Hornets came into tonight’s game with the best road record in the Western Conference, but they proved to be unable to defeat the Western Conference’s second best home record that the Denver Nuggets can proudly say is now 10-3 after the, 105-99, extermination of the bug tonight at Pepsi Center.

The first half was hard fought with the Hornets getting the better of the Nuggets by the end of it, 59-51. In the first 24 minutes alone Chris Paul had torched the Nuggets for 19 points and seven assists to lead all scorers while also getting into early foul trouble. On the contrary, Carmelo Anthony was still continuing to struggle offensively and finished the half with only eleven points and five rebounds on a dreadful 3-13 shooting that included missing his first five shots. However, Allen Iverson was picking up his slack and led the Nuggets with 13 points and five assists.

The main problem at this point was how the Nuggets were giving the Hornets (mainly Chris Paul) way too much penetration around the goal and things got really bad with the Hornets going up by as many as 14 points with under a minute remaining in the half. New Orleans had three players score in double-figures with the aforementioned CP3 stat line, Rasual Butler scoring 14, and David West kicking in eleven and as a team were shooting a torrid 56% from the field with 13 total assists.

Thankfully for the Nuggets Nation the next three words I am about to type are probably the best holiday surprise so far.

Carmelo is back.

And it was on Carmelo’s back that the Nuggets rode all the way to victory tonight after he scored 15 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter!

Denver gained some ground on the Hornets in the third period outscoring New Orleans, 26-22, and went into the final period down by only four. Anthony Carter was the spark that lit the Nuggets on fire with nine points in the third, and in the fourth the other man named Anthony threw gas all over it. No single shot was bigger than the three Melo hit that tied the game at 86 with 8:20 remaining and when Eduardo Najera hit another one the next time down the floor you could sense the momentum had swung for the final time in the Nuggets direction. The Hornets would momentarily take back the lead, 92-91, with under six minutes remaining, but the Nuggets defense (led by Anthony Carter’s gutsy effort on Paul around the perimeter and Marcus Camby shutting down everything inside and grabbing almost every defensive rebound) was awakened and so was Carmelo’s offense.

Anthony scored the next eight straight Nugget points and with the game tied at 99 Marcus Camby grabbed two offensive rebounds with the second being tipped back in to give the Nuggets enough to win a very hard fought game against a very good New Orleans Hornets team.

The Nuggets had six players score in double figures with Carmelo’s aforementioned 32 points and ten boards leading the way. Allen Iverson scored 22 and passed out eleven assists to improve Denver’s record to 17-1 when he records a double-double. Marcus Camby had a double-double of is own with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks. Anthony Carter had 13 points and five assists to compliment his gritty defense on CP3 down the stretch, Kenyon Martin added eleven points and eight rebounds, and Eduardo Najera gave the Nuggets ten points off the bench.

Up next for the 14-8 Nuggets is a rematch of last season’s first round playoff match-up with the Spurs in San Antonio on Saturday. I hope the Spurs are still undefeated at home when the Nuggets roll into town. That would make things a whole lot more dramatic when these two division leading teams meet for the first time this season.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. Hornets: Game 22 Preview

(Boulder-CO) The New Orleans Hornets are a damn good basketball team. They are led by my favorite point guard, Chris Paul AKA CP3. And for those of you who don’t know, Chris Paul is averaging 21.8 points, ten assists, three steals, and is so other worldly fast with the dribble that if you take your eyes off of him for even a second he will be at the rack laying it in on you. CP3 is coming off of 10-for-16 from the field, scoring 29 points and adding 10 assists Sunday against the Grizzlies and just days before that he made five three-pointers and scored a career-high 43 points.

Man, can he play!

Both the Hornets and the Nuggets are coming into this game as winners of four of their last five games, but it is the Hornets that may be now coming back to full-strength. Tonight, they are expecting to have “Don’t call, I’ll” Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson return from injuries sustained on Friday against the Grizzlies. The Hornets also bring seven-foot center Tyson Chandler, who is averaging a double-double of eleven points and just as many rebounds, and a budding star power forward in David West, who is averaging 18.2 points per game and always seems to be around the ball, for the Nuggets to contain. These two guys are going to be a handful for Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin to handle because Chandler is a tireless rebounder and West is a ball of energy on the blocks, perimeter, and off the dribble. Marcus is going to have to put a body on Chandler because Tyson is a legitimate seven feet and probably has better springs than the Minster of Defense and Kenyon is going to have to play honest, square to the basket defense to keep West from scoring 30 because if Kenyon tries to cheat a go for steals and ends up in foul trouble. David will surely have a field day with any of the other defensive options the Nuggets have right now with Nene still on the sideline.

Offensively, the Nuggets desperately need Carmelo to get back on track. He said in his latest blog post that he has been showing up early to practice to get more jumpers up and tonight’s game would be the perfect opportunity for him to explode. Peja is not known for playing the stiffest defense and I think that Carmelo would be well-advised to take Stojakovic down to the blocks and use some power moves to get lay-ups and free-throws early to get his confidence going first before starting to let the jab-step and fade-away fly. There is no doubt in my mind that AI and CP3 are going to give us a show trying to definitively prove who is the fastest man on earth with a basketball in their hands, so it is going to be paramount that Carmelo returns to his regular offensive self to help offset the inevitable offensive support that Chandler and West are going to provide for New Orleans.

The last point that I want to bring up is that the Hornets boast the Western Conference’s best road record at 8-2 so far and the Nuggets are 9-3 at the Pepsi Center. Meaning, that both of these teams are playing in their most favorable of scenarios that have made them so comparable and competitive seeing how New Orleans’ is 14-7 and Denver’s is 13-8, respectively.

Only San Antonio’s perfect 12-0 record at home is better than the Nuggets 9-3 home record mark in the Western Conference picture, but we’ll worry about putting a blemish on that perfection later this week…

Be sure to go see what’s buzzin’ over at www.hornets247.com for a different look at tonight’s game, and be sure to sting Ron for me!

Go Nuggets!

Marcus Camby is Blogging

(Boulder-CO) The Minister of Defense is now writing his own blog. Marcus has three posts so far and they are actually pretty good. There is a lot of sound basketball analysis and Marcus is very detailed in his explanations. Go check it out!

I'll also be adding a permanent link to Camby's blog in the blog roll.

Go Nuggets!

Najera & Carter NOT About the $$$ & Booze

(Boulder-CO) The Nuggets are currently the third highest team payroll in the NBA with three of their four highest individual salaries all running through the 2010-11 season. Eduardo Najera is in a contract year. He is set to make $4.9 million this season and then he will be a free-agent, but instead of thinking about the free-agent market and how much his basketball services are worth. He is more concerned about staying a Nugget for years to come; even if that means becoming the ultimate “Team“ guy. That’s right, Eddie is willing to take less money to stay loyal to the Nuggets!

But, what the article linked above doesn’t tell you (and what nobody else but yours truly will tell you) is that Eduardo Najera is by no means hurting for cash. In fact, he makes some of the biggest bread on the team by way of endorsements. So, don’t worry about Eddie this Christmas. Eduardo has his money game in check.

Also included in the same article is a segment about Anthony Carter and his career-high stats. When presumably asked about what he attributes the improved play to he says some cliche things like, "Taking care of my body", and, "Eliminating fast-food", but what I didn't expect to read was, "I'm not drinking the whole season."

Go Nuggets!

A Win is A Win

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) Just because I don’t like the way the Nuggets won doesn’t mean I don’t like the win. Denver turned the ball over a season-high 26 times directly resulting in 33 Kings points, gave up a twelve-point lead after halftime to go into the fourth down by one, and shot only 2-15 from downtown which when all combined made beating the Kings, 101-97, a whole lot harder than it needed to be.

The first half was chalked full of good things. Offensively, Allen Iverson led all Nugget scorers with 19 points, three assists, and three rebounds. He got a lot of support from Kenyon Martin’s 12 points and eight rebounds and Carmelo Anthony’s ten points, six rebounds, three blocks, an assist, and a steal. Even Anthony Carter came up big with some very stingy defense at times on Ron Artest, John Salmons, and Beno Udrih while also giving the Nuggets a team-high eight assists, two steals, and a domineering block on a Salmons fade-away.

The Nuggets went into halftime with a twelve-point lead after outscoring the Kings, 25-13, in the second quarter and things were looking really good. Denver had limited the Kings to 38% shooting from the field and were badly dominating Sacramento on the glass, 29-14.

Unfortunately, the Nuggets were not primed coming into the third period and allowed the Sacramento Kings to completely erase their lead to actually go into the fourth quarter up by one point after Denver put up a pitiful 18 points and allowed 31. Denver missed twelve shots in the third, abandoned the fast break, and stood around and watched an awful lot. But, what was most disheartening about the quarter was how George Karl, once again, didn’t call timeout when the momentum was swinging Sacramento’s way or when the Nuggets went completely stagnant on offense. It wasn’t until the Kings were all the way back into the game, 69-68, that a timeout was called leaving me scratching my head as to why it wasn’t called earlier. The Nuggets were taking bad shots and the ball movement stopped, but yet there was no reorganization when the game was slipping away.

In the fourth, the Nuggets did regroup offensively, but it was their proficiency at the free-throw line that saved them. Denver hit 10-14 free-throws on route to scoring 24 points in the quarter to win by five. Allen Iverson led Denver in scoring with 23 points and ten assists improving Denver’s record when he double-double’s to 16-1. Carmelo once again struggled from the field connecting on just 5-16 from the field (including 0-4 from downtown) to finish with 14 points, seven rebounds, the aforementioned three blocks, three assists, and a steal.

However, the unsung heroes of the game were Anthony Carter and Kenyon Martin. Anthony Carter played his best game of the season finishing with 17 points, nine assists, four steals, three rebounds, and two blocks. I already mentioned that he absolutely trashed a John Salmons fade-away, but the feather in his cap was also swatting seven-foot Brad Miller’s turn-around jumper from the elbow that made Miller so frustrated that he actually threw a forearm into AC’s head for his sixth and final foul. Carter also ripped loose a steal from a penetrating Francisco Garcia that sparked a fast break scoring opportunity in the crunch of the fourth quarter.

Kenyon Martin also played his finest all-around game of the season finishing with 20 points, twelve rebounds, five blocks, three steals, and an assists in 38 big minutes of action. He was 8-10 from the field, only got whistled for two fouls, and had five of his twelve rebounds on the offensive glass. K-Mart is showing continued improvement in his bounce around the goal and is catching more alley-oops and putting back more and more tip-slams with each passing game. Does anybody remember that I predicted Martin to win NBA Comeback Player of the Year?

Up next for the 13-8 Denver Nuggets is a few days of rest before hosting Chris Paul and the Hornets on Wednesday night. Denver has a light week next week starting with the Hornets and then do not have to play again before Saturday when they face a serious challenge traveling to San Antonio to play the Spurs. Denver is now 9-3 at the Pepsi Center and is currently tied for first place in the Northwest Division with the Utah Jazz.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets Quote of the Week

(Boulder-CO) This week was a doozy! I finally got back to 100% after being blindsided by a cluster headache the week before, the Nuggets beat the Heat and the Mavericks, I rolled the hell out of my ankle playing some pick up ball at my alma mater, and the Nuggets play host the Kings tonight!

Oh well, the show must go on!

Here is the Nuggets quote of the week from Chris Marlowe’s blog.

“Also in a starring role on Thursday night was forward Linas Kleiza. He only played seven minutes in the loss to the Lakers on Wednesday night, but in Dallas he was on fire. With dunks, drives, and three-point shots, the “Lithuanian Liquidator” was tearing them up.”

-Chris Marlowe

Hmm…“Lithuanian Liquidator”, not bad, Chris!

Take Me to Your Leader

(Boulder-CO) Since about the end of 2005, the Denver Nuggets have been Carmelo’s team. He’s been Denver’s leading scorer, All-Star, and face of the Nugget franchise, but is he still maintaining that status with Allen Iverson, a future Hall of Fame shoe-in, on the team?

I ask because for the last couple of games now it has seemed like Carmelo Anthony has been more of a side dish instead of the Mile High entrée. And if you haven’t been keeping an eye on the NBA’s scoring race this early in the season; let me bring you up to speed. Allen Iverson is now the Nuggets top scorer. At the twenty game mark, AI is averaging 25.5 points (4th in the NBA), 7.4 assists, three rebounds, and 2.5 steals while Carmelo’s average of 25.2 (still good enough for 6th best in the league making he and AI the only duo in the top ten) has dropped from 28.9 points last year when he came in second in scoring to only Kobe Bryant after leading the league for most the year. Granted, Carmelo’s assist average is currently at a career-high 4.3 per game, but it’s not like any of the other Nuggets are stealing his looks with the next highest ppg average being J.R. Smith at eleven.

So who IS the leader of the Denver Nuggets?

I’m not going to try and distinguish who exactly is the leader of this team between AI and ‘Melo based upon statistical achievements (or create controversy seeing how I don’t care which player people delegate for one reason or another), but I will clearly define what kind of qualities these very inconsistent Nuggets still desperately need in one. The Nuggets seek a player that knows how to bring the best out of our worst man. A player that sparks the Nuggets when they are down by ten or on the verge of putting a team away by 20+. A player that sets the tone. Not just offensively, but defensively too. Can AI be this guy? Maybe. We have seen him take an otherwise mediocre 76ers team all the way to the NBA Finals. Could ‘Melo do it? We have seen him take an otherwise mediocre Syracuse team to the NCAA Championship but the answer is again, maybe.

For now, the Nuggets “leader” role is one to watch because without it solidified, I still think that this year’s team is going to continue to show glimpses of greatness while also, at times, appearing like they are on the verge of falling apart. Anyone have thoughts on who, so far, has been the leader of this team? And no wise answers like “George Karl”, knuckle heads!

Go Nuggets!

Hollinger’s Computer Hates the Nuggets

(Boulder-CO) I’ll be the first to admit that I am a little bit frustrated with the Denver Nuggets so far this season. John Hollinger’s new computer generated measuring stick seemingly just hates them. Just look at this bizarre, Vegas style odds article if you need some more proof.

In his most recent computer generated, and might I add cockamamie, measuring stick Hollinger has put his name by a .1% chance the Nuggets win the NBA championship. And while I don’t think, at this point at least, the Nuggets are destined for basketball supremacy; the other odds that the article provides are actually quite maddening. For instance, the Jazz are given a 98.5% chance of winning the Northwest Division with the Nuggets only garnering the other 1.5%. This is irritating because as of this article’s post the Nuggets (12-8) are only a single game behind the Jazz (13-7) with ¾ of the season still remaining. The Nuggets could get everyone healthy (finally!) and win 45 out of the remaining 62 games. The Jazz could run into injury problems and drop eight of their next ten games. You just never know, but I would think that with the way things look right now in the Northwest that something a little bit more like a 51-49% chance either way between Utah and Denver would be more accurate.

My point is anything could, and probably will, happen. And it is my humble opinion that this kind of analysis, while mildly entertaining, is absolutely moronic.

I mean, c’mon now!

How Hollinger could put his good name by anything that has three teams optimistically winning 70 games is absolutely preposterous. Furthermore, we might as well just give the Celtics the Larry O’Brien trophy because according to Hollinger’s computer generated odds they have a 71% chance of being crowned kings of the NBA.

The bottom line is the “Worldwide leader” definitely dropped the ball this time by publishing a piece that puts the NBA regular and post seasons on par with college football’s BCS computer rankings; as both take out reasonable human analysis and replace it with something as mindless and blind as a computer crunching numbers.

Additionally, in Hollinger’s explanatory paragraph it is stated, “Hollinger’s NBA Playoff Odds are based on the Hollinger Power Rankings, designed by ESPN’s John Hollinger. The Hollinger Power Rankings are a measure of each team’s performance in the season so far. Based upon those rankings, each day the computer plays out the remainder of the season 5,000 times to see the potential range of projected outcomes. The results reveal the most likely win-loss record for each team -- and how likely it is for each team to make the playoffs, win the NBA title, win the lottery, and so on.”

To which I reply, "Oh they do, do they?"

Furthermore, If I was writing the cleverly diguised disclaimer it would have read a little bit more like this:

“In reality, all this kind of thing does it attach some percentages to some kind of six month crystal ball reading that means nothing to those of us who watch, read, and study the NBA on a day-to-day basis. Enjoy and don't read to deep into anything!”

I hope the Nuggets players read this and use it as added motivation to win the divison that Hollinger's computer all but has them dead in the water after only 20 games.

1.5% chance of winning the divison my foot.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. Kings: Game 21 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Tonight, the Nuggets host the Sacramento Kings who have not won a game on the road so far this season. I’m expecting a big game out of the Nuggets dynamic duo of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony because ‘Melo comes into this game averaging 29.7 points lifetime against the Kings and AI has averaged 28.8 against Sacramento over the last twelve years. In addition to the lifetime averages, in the two victories over Sacramento the Nuggets managed last year the dynamic duo averaged an even 50 points. And with ‘Melo coming off of a bad night shooting and AI playing arguably his best basketball since joining the Nuggets, I’m using this background knowledge to predict a big offensive night for the Mile High crew. Plus, Sacramento blew an eleven-point halftime lead over the Clippers last night to wind up losing and then had to travel to a snowy Denver, Colorado afterwards.

To make matters even worse for the Kings, their leading scorer Kevin Martin is not going to be available to them for the next four to six weeks because of a pulled groin. Kevin was accounting for more than 24 points of the Kings 100 nightly average. Sacramento will also be without big man Shareef Abdur-Rahim for the rest of the season after he underwent surgery on his right knee Friday.

On the Nuggets side of the tape, Allen Iverson continues to be the lightning rod that makes this team play with energy with his passing serving as the catalyst. The Nuggets have now won 15 straight games when the Answer records a double-double of points and dimes, and it was right about this time of year that Denver started to enjoy having the future Hall of Fame guard on their team. In fact, it was a snowy December match-up with the Kings last year that we all saw the debut of AI, but unfortunately that game ended up in a loss for the Nuggets.

This game is a game that the Nuggets have to win to make me a devout believer. The Kings are going to be weary after the late arrival to Denver last night, are bitten by the injury bug, and have not had any success away from noisy Arco arena. And all of those reasons are what make me wince as I predict a nine point victory, at home, tonight. Denver is known for fumbling opportunities like tonight’s game and it is missed opportunities against struggling teams like the Kings that have the Nuggets looking so mediocre thus far.

Be sure to head over to www.sactownroyalty.com for the best Kings blog in the business. The boss over there sure runs a great site!

Go Nuggets!

Denver Out Duels Mavericks

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

(Boulder-CO) The Denver Nuggets proved to me once again that they are one of the hardest teams in the league to understand. I predicted that they would lose to the Mavericks by eight after losing the night before by four to the Lakers at home. I was banking on Denver coming out sluggish on the tail end of back-to-back games against a very talented Maverick team, but instead they some how muster up the kind of effort that puts 39 points on the scoreboard in the first quarter and cruise to a, 122-109, victory. Damn, at least I was wrong and the Nuggets won. It’s the other way around that really has a way of eating at me.

The box score finally looks like we all have expected it to look since the beginning of the season with Allen Iverson continuing to play amazing basketball. The Answer finished with 35 points, 12 assists, and six steals to follow up his 51 point outburst against the Lakers the previous night. And the main difference from the loss to the Lakers the previous night was how the rest of the Nuggets supported their teammate. Carmelo scored 23 despite finishing 9-30 from the field, Kenyon Martin logged 18 points and seven rebounds, Linas Kleiza emerged from an ankle sprain that had his game derailed for over a week and scored a season-high 23 points, and Marcus Camby bounced back from a one dimensional game the night before to finish with 14 rebounds, eight points, and five blocks.

In addition to all the statistical help Iverson received, the Nuggets played a tremendously improved defensive game against the Mavericks. They out stole the Mavericks 13-3, out blocked them 6-3, and forced 18 turnovers resulting in 16 points and a 50% shooting mark from the field due to all the fast break opportunities that the D produced. Denver also, finally, did a good job taking care of the ball and only turned it over eight times.

A final note about this game was how George Karl only went three deep into his bench and played all of his starters (except Anthony Carter) 30+ minutes.

Denver is now 12-8 at the season’s 25% completion point and on pace to win close to 50 games, which is not bad for a Nuggets team that is still incomplete and inconsistent.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. Mavericks: Game 20 Preview

(Boulder-CO) We all know that the Mavericks are going to be somewhere in the Western Conference’s top four teams when playoff time comes. And I think that it’s pretty safe to say that the Nuggets, while not quite in the upper echelon of the west, are a pretty safe bet to at least make the playoffs. But, did you know that the Nuggets are currently in some pretty bad company in some statistical categories? Get ready for a very sobering look at how Denver is stacking up so far this year.

For starters, Denver is the second worst team in the league turning over the ball. The Nuggets average 16.6 give-aways a night. Only the Seattle Supersonics are sloppier (16.8 tpg) and they are definitely going to be a lottery team again next year. Maybe this is attributed to having two of the game's best one-on-one options in Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, but it is also an aspect of Denver’s problems that is contributing to their rapidly approaching mediocrity.

Next item under the microscope is how Denver has no consistent third offensive threat. Anthony leads the team with 25.3 points per game, while Iverson is averaging 24.9, but then there's a big drop-off to J.R. Smith who ranks third with 11.6 points per game, but is doing so by scoring 20 one game and then being all but non-existent the next. This leaves the Nuggets with a guessing game as to who is going to step up when the opposing team double teams ‘Melo and AI routinely as they have been for much of the season and will most likely continue to do for the rest of both men’s careers. LK has been a no-show for the last week and a half, Kenyon Martin’s consistency has been somewhat like J.R.’s this season, and without Nene or Chucky Atkins the options begin to get real scarce on George Karl’s bench.

Now for even worse news pertaining specifically to tonight’s game.

The Nuggets have lost five straight games at Dallas since 2004, and to add insult to injury, have lost the last 18 of 19 games against the Mavericks since 1997. The Mavericks weren’t even good back in the late 90’s, although they did have the "Triple J Ranch" with Jamal Mashburn, Jason Kidd, and Jim Jackson, but Denver has never been able to travel to Dallas and get the job done. Furthermore, the Nuggets are 2-3 on the tail end of back-to-back games which includes losses to the Pacers and Rockets and the Mavericks are 2-2 in the same scenario and are coming off a nail biting loss last night to the Spurs, 97-95.

My prediction is the Nuggets lose by eight because Dallas is just too deep, talented, and healthy. The Mavericks have four players averaging better than 14 points per game and shoot 84% from the free-throw line. The Nuggets have only two players averaging more than twelve points per game and shoot 73% from the free-throw line. Avery Johnson is going to earn his money as coach while George Karl patiently sucks on candy all night and if the game is close expect coaching to play an intricate part in the outcome.

I doubt we'll win, but as always... Go Nuggets!

That Effort is Notgoodienov

(Boulder-CO) This game really wasn’t about individual offense. You’ll see all the late night highlight reels talk about this game like it was, but trust me… it wasn’t. Despite Allen Iverson pouring his highest point total as a Nugget (51), Denver is a loser tonight, 111-107, because the Los Angeles bench played better both on offense and defense when the game's conclusion was in the balance.

If you would have had to guess which team had not played since Sunday smart money says that most people would have assumed the Lakers were the better rested team because they out hustled the Nuggets for the majority of tonight’s game. However, the Lakers were actually on the tail end of back-to-back games having won in Minnesota last night, but still managed to have seven more assists, four more steals, four more blocks, and shot a better percentage from the field than the Nuggets.

Sure, AI may have won the individual battle with 51 points, eight assists, two rebounds, and a steal in comparison to Kobe’s 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block. But, it was the Lakers team defense that found a way to hold him to a mere two points in the fourth quarter along with only allowing the Nuggets to score 19 collectively to win the war. Furthermore, it was the Laker bench and supporting cast where the rest of tonight’s slack was made up. The Lakers had two other twenty-point scorers in Derek Fisher (20) and Vladimir Radmanovic (21) compared to the Nuggets only having Carmelo Anthony (26) reach the twenty-point mark. Plus, the Laker reserves outscored the Nuggets reserves, 35-20.

And the Nuggets were not without their chance to win this game, but when Allen Iverson couldn’t do it all himself in the final minutes and turned to his fellow Nuggets for help nobody was home. With only three minutes to play, the Nuggets were leading, 102-99, before allowing the Lakers to go on a 12-5 run as if they just didn’t have enough gas in the tank to close the game out. Kobe Bryant scored the next six points for the Lakers after a Radmanovic free-throw tied the game. Carmelo then proceeded to have two lay-ups thoroughly erased by Andrew Bynum and missed a three-point attempt. Leaving the Nuggets no choice but to foul the NBA’s second leading free-throw shooter, Derek Fisher, and have to endure the agony that is having to watch him ice the game from charity stripe.

My only other mentionable note about this game was Marcus Camby recording his sixth twenty-plus rebounding effort of the season with an even 20 boards tonight. But, the harsh reality still reamains that he didn’t give the Nuggets much of anything else by not scoring a single point and only blocking one shot in 40 minutes of action.

Now the 11-8 Nuggets have to travel to Dallas to play the 12-7 Mavericks tomorrow night on the backside of back-to-back games. A position the Nuggets have not fared well in so far this year with a record of 2-3 in the second game. Needless to say, I don’t have a good feeling about tomorrow night.

Go Nuggets!

About.com Western Divisional Reports

(Boudler-CO) Same thing here, just these teams play on the left coast. Don't be a dummy, buckle your safety belt and read About.com Divisional reports!

About.com Eastern Divisional Reports

(Boulder-CO) Here it is... Quite possibly the best team-by-team breakdown in the business! Read or live in ignorance. You have a choice, Nuggets Nation.

Nuggets vs. Lakers: Game 19 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Today, instead of my usual breakdown I have teamed up with Kurt of, Forum Blue and Gold to give you guys a little back and forth interview between he and I. You guys should know the drill by now: I'm going to show you the questions that I asked Kurt and the questions that he asked me right here on The Nugg Doctor along with his answers. But, for my answers to Kurt's questions you will have to go over to Forum Blue and Gold a little bit later today when Kurt posts them.

Here we go, this should be fun!

ND: 1) The Lakers are currently in second place in their division. Is there any way, possibly with a trade, that they could conceivably over take the top spot from the Suns?

K: The Lakers are only four games back of Phoenix right now, but the only way the Lakers are going to catch the Suns is if Steve Nash gets injured (and as a fan of quality basketball I don’t want to see that). The best that the Lakers can do with any trade is hope to inject themselves into the title conversation in the West (a conversation the Suns are already in), but even if that happened in the next two days it would be hard to catch the Suns — they are a team built for the regular season. I like the Lakers chances better in a best-of-seven playoff series.

ND: 2) Kobe Bryant so far this season. Your thoughts?

K: Kobe has been, well, Kobe. That is to say, the most talented, driven and (arguably) best player in the NBA night in and night out. His stats this year to last are almost identical. If people thought he would pull a Vince Carter circa Toronto this season, they don’t understand how competitive he is. The other thing, if you read what Brian Cook (now of Orlando) said about team chemistry, his off-season rant humbled Kobe some around the team, but the team has moved on. I hope the fans and others follow suit. Someday.

One other thing. Sometimes I think fans can get too caught up in the soap opera, the strong emotions surrounding Kobe and we look past or forget what an amazing player he is. Watch him tonight. He is fundamentally sound like few in the NBA. He can go left or right with equal authority, shoot the deep three or dunk with authority, and can defend as well as anyone. If you don’t think he can pass (or chooses not to) watch a few games, he does and does it well. And, once or twice a game, he leaves your jaw on the floor with some move or shot. (Iverson does that for me as well.) We need to enjoy these kinds of talents, it’s part of what makes The Association special.

ND: 3) Phil Jackson just signed a two-year extension to continue coaching the Lakers. Do you agree with keeping the "Zen Master" for another two years or would you have liked to see someone else take over the helm?

K: I’m a big believer in having an organizational philosophy, meaning from the owner on down everyone understands what type of team you are building and pulling the same direction on the rope. To do that you need to get a coach that can teach whatever style of ball you want, you have a GM that gets players to fit said system, and so on.

After the Shaq trade, the Lakers were adrift for a season without that kind of structure. Phil’s return changed that. This is a triangle team. It’s taken a couple years to start to get players who fit the system (and not all the pieces are there) but the system is there. I feared that if Jackson did not return the Lakers would bring in another coach with a radically different philosophy, once again the pieces would not fit the puzzle and the Lakers rebuilding would take longer. So, I’m pleased Jackson remains.

ND 4) Sasha Vujacic - I think he came away with an Oscar for the "Choke" performance that resulted in 'Melo getting tossed the last time these two teams played. What was your interpretation of the incident?

Because you live in Denver you are probably out of the industry loop, so let me help out: the Oscar buzz this year is avid Lakers fan Denzel Wahington for American Gangster getting his second Best Actor award, not Vujacic.

Seriously, you thought Sasha was acting? I see so does your coach. Man, you are desperate to believe, aren’t you? First off, Carmelo getting frustrated, flying off the handle and doing something stupid, that’s never happened before, right? Second, the ref standing under the basket and looking right at it made the call instantly, no hesitation, because he saw it cleanly. Finally, if you’ve ever seen Sasha try to flop and draw the fake charge, you’ll know he’s no Manu. His acting just isn’t that good.

Now, here are the questions that Kurt asked me:

K: 1) The offense is a surprising weak link with the Nuggets so far. Is that the lack of structure (something you complained about) or what else is going on here?

K: 2) You’ve expressed frustration with the inconsistency of the Nuggets this season (a familiar refrain for Lakers fans). Can you put your finger on why the Nuggets fall prey to this?

K: 3) The Nuggets have a lot of talent, but does it have the right balance and role players to reach the next level? If not, what type of changes would you want to see? I would just like to see the Nuggets get a full roster of players healthy for once!

K: 4) Do you still see this team as a potential Western Conference Champion come the playoffs?

Go Nuggets!

How Much Says "I'm Sorry"?

(Boulder-CO) J.R. Smith's court appearance was delayed today for what the Rocky Mountain News is reporting was due to negotiations on a possible plea agreement. ESPN adds that Vince DiCroce of the city attorney's office said he could not comment on the reasons. He said he did not know the new date for the hearing.

Could this be because J.R. is going to do what almost every celebrity/athlete/rich fool does when their actions are inappropriate and just offer some loot? Maybe, but let's just hope it's the last bad publicity J.R. has to endure for awhile because he has certainly made some big strides on the basketball court this year and is definitely a valuable part of this team.

Nuggets Hotter than Heat

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) My assessment of the Miami Heat? Old and tired. The lethargic and battered Heat came into Pepsi Center and got torched by the Denver Nuggets, 115-89, in a game that got out of hand early and stayed out of hand all the way.

The Nuggets came out blistering from the tip and started out the game with a 16-4 run in the first five minutes. Kenyon Martin started it off for the Nuggets with six of Denver’s first eight points off of dunks. The Nuggets were doing exactly what I prescribed by limiting the Heat to one shot and then running their break, and the result was a twenty-point lead by the quarter’s end, 37-17.

The Nugget defense was spectacular in the first half anchored by Marcus Camby’s eleven and Kenyon Martin’s seven first half rebounds translating into the Heat being limited to only 42 shot attempts of which Miami only made 16 of. On the other hand, the Nuggets put up 53 shots by recording six steals and forcing eleven turnovers.

And when the defensive end is taken care of the Nuggets can do a lot of things on offense superbly.

Denver finished the first half with 17 assists paced by Marcus Camby’s unselfish four dimes with all seven of the other Nuggets recording at least one assist. Denver was shooting a sizzling 47% thanks to a ton of fast break opportunities and only turning the ball over four times as they went into halftime up big, 59-42.

With the Nuggets firing on all cylinders, the Heat slipped into a cryogenic state! The second half was just more of the same and then some for both teams with the Nuggets being able to rest their starters for the majority of the fourth quarter.

Carmelo would finish with 30 points, six rebounds, three assists and with Kevin Garnett only scoring nine points tonight now currently owns the NBA’s longest active streak of ten or more points scored with 148 straight games. Kenyon Martin and Allen Iverson each scored twenty with AI leading the way in holiday spirit with seven assists and K-Mart's blue light speical eight rebounds. And for the fifth time this year, Marcus Camby grabbed 20+ rebounds by tying a season-high of 21 glass-cleaning boards again tonight. Overall, Denver finished the game with 31 assists by having seven players record at least three helpers, seven players were guilty of stealing at least once, a total of ten players scored, and nine Nuggets grabbed at least one rebound.

Signed. Sealed. Delivered. A great team effort and another convincing Nuggets victory.

With this win the Nuggets are now 11-7 overall and improve their home record to a stout 8-2. Up next are the Los Angeles Lakers in a game that Nuggets should be primed for a little revenge. The last time the Lakers and Nuggets met, Denver let a 17-point lead evaporate before getting embarrassed, 127-99, and surrendering a season-high 46 points in the gruesome and hard to watch fourth quarter. Do you want my diagnosis, Nuggets Nation? It's pay-back time.

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets vs. Heat: Game 18 Preview

(Boulder-CO) Tonight’s game against the struggling Heat is going to be a test of which team can dominate the style of basketball played. The Heat can barely put the basketball in the rim and come into this game with the second lowest scoring average in the league at 88.7 points per game. Conversely, the Nuggets are one of the NBA’s highest octane offenses and come into tonight’s game averaging the fourth most points per game at 106.

The stars for Miami have yet to come out for the Heat. Dwayne Wade, who missed the first seven games of the season recovering from injury, and Shaq are only combining for an average of 37 points with O’Neal having, arguably, his worst season of his long career. However, Shaq is still a force to be reckoned with and the Nuggets are going to have to neutralize his impact early if they do not want to be in a dog fight late in the game. Too many early lay-ups for O’Neal will surely boost his confidence and a confident Shaq can be a nightmare for the Nuggets who have not been successful in years past against the Diesel.

It is also very important that the Nuggets continue to play as team if they want to continue to win. Almost every time that the Nuggets can record more than 20+ assists their chances and frequency of victory goes up dramatically. And against a team like the Heat, who struggle offensively, limiting them to one shot and then running the break is the perfect way to get the ball, and the assists, moving quickly. There is inherently going to be a fair share of half-court sets for Carmelo and AI to work their respective individual games, but when the opportunity presents itself for the Nuggets to run it is guys like Linas, J.R., and Eduardo Najera that have to get some touches and finishes around the rim.

Bottom line is the Nuggets need to collectively play defense first and the offensive explosiveness will follow. One shot and out with the Heat being limited to jump shots late in the shot clock will certainly ensure victory for the Nuggets, but if Miami gets too many second chance opportunities this game will be far more difficult for the Nuggets to emerge victorious.

My final line is Nuggets by seven. Expect AI to lead the Nuggets offensively because Jason Williams is not much of a defensive stopper. Carmelo will have to operate with Udonis Haslem, a tough defensive player, in his face, but as we all know… When the ’Melo man gets it going there isn’t really anyone in the league that can stop him!

Go Nuggets!

Nuggets Sink Clippers

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(Boulder-CO) If the Nuggets could rely on the type of, 123-107, effort every night that they mustered against the Clippers on Friday night we still might be talking about Denver winning 60 games this season. Instead, I don’t want to jump to any conclusions based upon the great overall effort last night because, as we have all seen in the past, efforts like these are not always sustainable for the Mile High crew.

The biggest difference from this game in comparison to the last time the Clippers and Nuggets clashed was the production from the Denver bench. In the loss on November 21st, the Nuggets only received 19 points in scoring support from their reserves. In the win last night, the Nuggets got a much needed boost from a bench that had been struggling to contribute offensively to the tune of 50 big points! Led by J.R. Smith’s 22 points stemming from 6-9 from long range, the Nuggets had five other reserves chip in with Eduardo leading the rebounding charge with six big boards and numerous other heady-Eddie hustle plays.

Another great statistic to look at in comparing the two times these teams have met this year is the wide margin of difference in the cumulative assist totals. In the loss, the Nuggets only finished with 16 assists overall with Allen Iverson having the majority with nine dimes. In the win, the Nuggets shared the ball much better collectively and finished with almost double (31) the amount from the loss and were paced by Anthony Carter’s ten dimes with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony recording seven and six assists, respectively. And because of the sharing, Allen Iverson finished with a game-high 26 points, Carmelo Anthony finished with 24, and the Nuggets shot a collective 54% from the field.

Denver also slashed the number of offensive rebounds from meeting one (12) by half in meeting two (6) and the transition game was the direct beneficiary. Proving once again that to be a winning, fast breaking team in today’s NBA you must limit your opponent to one shot. It is the only way to dictate the tempo of the game in your favor and the Nuggets did just that as the Clippers shot only 46% on only 79 attempts from the field.

Talk about a team with two faces and a story with two tales! Now the story line to follow becomes the consistency the Nuggets need to protract to ensure more victories like this one. And next on the schedule for the 10-7 Nuggets are the struggling 4-11 Miami Heat on Sunday in the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets are now 7-2 at home while the Heat come into the thin, cold air of Denver just 2-5 on the road.

Somebody had better tell Miami that Denver can be a bitterly frigid place to play the Nuggets!