Nuggets hold Kobe Bryant under 50 points!...
by Andrew Feinstein on Apr 24, 2008 12:32 AM MDT
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We can ridicule Los Angeles Lakers "fans" all we want, but we certainly can't ridicule the Lakers players and coaching staff. As noted in great detail on this blog before the Nuggets even drew the Lakers in the first round, this Lakers squad is a group of serious professionals, emanating from the coach on down to the 12th man on the roster (who happens to be the Nuggets' coach's son).The Nuggets were out-coached, out-classed and out-everything'd during tonight's 122-107 loss to the Lakers.
Lakers 2, Nuggets 0.
firegeorgekarl.com 2, George Karl 0.
While Phil Jackson prepares his team before playoff games begin, George Karl is playing sumo wrestler with the team interns.
While the Lakers players take it easy during their own season-ending party, Carmelo Anthony is getting pulled over by the police on suspicion of a DUI.
While Kobe Bryant is dropping 49 points on the Nuggets, J.R. Smith has the audacity to talk trash to him.
The predicament the Nuggets currently find themselves in begins with management's inability to put character over characters on the floor, Coach Karl's refusal to earn his $3 million paycheck and actually try to "coach" these characters, and the characters themselves unwillingness to take on great challenges with the aggressiveness and sense of pride and professionalism worthy of a playoff-caliber team. (This excludes Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby. While I shouldn't feel bad for multimillionaire athletes in any sport, I think it's shameful that A.I. and Camby are spending the end of their respective careers getting clobbered in the playoffs without a puncher's chance).
So how do we fix these myriad of problems and beat the Lakers four times in the next five games? The short answer is: we don't. You can't take 82 games off from playing defense, and suddenly expect to hold an offensive juggernaut like the Lakers under 100 points. Moreover, you can't take 82 games off from playing a cohesive offensive set that in theory puts your stars in their comfort zones to make easy baskets, and suddenly expect the offense to jive with picks, cutting players and extra passes.
But this doesn't mean the Nuggets cause against the Lakers is totally hopeless. (Did I really just write that? I must be a masochist, a total idiot, or both).
Given that the Nuggets are only capable of playing pick up basketball under Coach Karl anyway, may I suggest the following..... let's play the BEST pick up basketball we can play for the rest of the series. Seriously! Let's start J.R. Smith, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Linas Kleiza and Marcus Camby, and just let them shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot and shoot from tip off to the final buzzer, and attempt to wear the Lakers out at 5,280 feet. For the next two games, let's rename Pepsi Center "Rucker Park."
And on the defensive end? Forget defense! (Like that'll be hard to do). Let's try to win these next few games 150-145. We'll go Paul Westhead-style on these Lakers. And yes, I know that strategy never worked for Westhead. But while Westhead had Joe Wolf, George Karl has Carmelo Anthony - although with the way Melo is playing in this series, we might want Wolf back in a Nuggets' jersey.
Since everyone in the Nuggets' organization's job is (or at least should be) in jeopardy if the Nuggets get swept or lose a playoff series 4-1 for the fifth consecutive season, the Nuggets and their coach might as well have as much fun as possible before it's all over.
As my friend Zach in Denver pointed out after the loss tonight, playing the Lakers is like a whack-a-mole game: you stop Pau Gasol, and Kobe kills you. You stop Gasol and Kobe (as unlikely as that is), and Lamar Odom or Luke Walton kills you. And so on. For once in this series - just once - I'd like the Lakers to play whack-a-mole against the Nuggets. But the only way to pull this off is to out-pick-up-ball the Lakers.
Go for it, Coach Karl. Trust me.
And if you need some game tape on how to execute this innovative strategy, I'll gladly send you footage from my Saturday morning playground game. Because our style of pick up basketball is an upgrade over what I've witnessed in this series thus far.
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Watching this game just solidifies in my mind how impossible the task ahead is for the Nuggets. We don't have a true leader, we play zero defense and stand around offense. Every player whines and cries when things don't go their way, they're constantly hanging their heads like they really don't want to be there in the first place, and even when the coach tries to do his job nobody could care less. That is not a championship team; not a playoff team; just about the worst waste of money on childish grown men.
I agree that it's a coaching problem, but I'm really starting to dislike our cocky self-centered roster as well. After imploding yet again in the first round, how about destroying this team as well?
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 12:55 AM MDT reply actions
by Kohaku on Apr 24, 2008 12:55 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 1:13 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 1:16 AM MDT reply actions
by andrew fisher on Apr 24, 2008 1:17 AM MDT reply actions
I hope we can win the next two and play with edginess in Game 5. It'd be hard but for a change I'd like to see it happen.
- Snake -
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 1:21 AM MDT reply actions
I was actually at the game tonight and I have to agree that George Karl should be fired. I don't understand your team at all. I watch you guys play and it makes no sense to me. When the Lakers missed shots or had turnovers, then the Nuggets were scary, but so long as we scored and the Nuggets played half court basketball, it was just a relentless stream of one-on-one match-ups.
Look at the assist numbers: Lakers 33, Nuggets 12. And that's with Kobe having one of his "I'm taking fifty shots or else" games.
Carmelo and AI are tremendous weapons, and I find the idea that your team has no set half-court offense shocking considering the tools available. If this were my team, I'd put Carmelo in the post all day and night for the rest of his career and let the rest of the league go crazy dealing with him. Then I'd build my offense around that. As is right now, you have tremendous players but no set offense that generates open looks from those players.
So I kind of don't think that going completely run-and-gun will work because every time the Lakers score or get fouled, that slows the game down. What's really kills the Nuggets (in my outsider's opinion) is that they don't play defense yet their offense is only at its most efficient when they're running off steals and missed shots and putting a ton of pressure on the other team.
Well that's just what I think. See y'all in Game 3 (I am expecting a Nuggets win).
by Simon on Apr 24, 2008 1:33 AM MDT reply actions
And I know some people might be mad at my post for saying this...but Carmelo is a fraud. And I am tired of seeing Nuggets fans walk around calling this dude a real "Franchise player" or a "leader". Because at this point he is neither. And I don't care about him being "young", he's in his 5th year and you can usually get a feel of what type of player a person is going to be in his 5th year. This is who Carmelo is. And as a b-ball fan and a long time Nuggets fan, I hate to see some other Nuggets fans have the nerve to question a player like Iverson (who is a proven player and at least shows up and plays hard every game), when Carmelo has yet to even have a breakout playoff series and the guy is in his 5th year in the league! There is no more time, his time to step up is NOW! I never thought I would say this, but maybe Iverson should have stayed in Philly, because at least some of his teammates there played with HEART.
Yeah, AI makes his mistakes, but he has the ability to make up for them as well. Ive seen fans online saying Iverson doesn't pass the ball enough, when that team had 12 assist tonight..12! And Iverson had 6 of them. There is something that is not right about that. It really irritates me that that guy goes out and performs everynight and some of the fans question him? Give me a damn break. That guy is the least of that teams problems at this point. If it wasn't for having that guy this season the Nuggets probably wouldn't even be a .500 team this year in the West. And probably wouldn't even be in the playoffs. Sometimes I feel like some Nuggets fans don't deserve a player like Iverson (a player like him needs to be playing b-ball back in a larger market anyways), maybe he should opt out and walk, hell take JR Smith with him. JR may be a knuckle head at times but he has a lot of potential that shouldn't be wasted. They can keep Carmelo, because Denver is the only place he is going to get away with giving half effort. He wouldn't last one minute in a larger b-ball market.
I honastly feel like Iverson, while he has made some mistakes, has come to that that team and did all he can do to help them succeed. I am proud of him for at least trying to fit into this team system (whatever that is). But he was never set up to succeed in the first place. They have him in the backcourt basically by himself all season. I respect AC for trying to step up, but he is not a starting PG. So many players have been out on injuries this season, and here Iverson is playing through injury. I don't know, I have seen some fans say online that Iverson has let them down, but as a fan I feel its the other way around. And as a long time watcher of this team, I am dissappointed and embarrased that the guy has come here to a team that wasn't ready to do all they had to do to win, and has wasted another season of his legendary career. I understand that he still has some years left, the guy is only 32 yrs old and seems no where near slowing down...but I just don't want to be selfish and see him on this team if they are not going to do anything to help him and themselves contend.
I feel Karl should be the first to go, because he has made too many mistakes not to. And they should go from there. But I agree that I hate to see Camby and Iverson on a team like this that doesn't seem 100% commited to just wanting to win. The team does not play the right way and it is painfully obvious.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 1:53 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 2:02 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 2:06 AM MDT reply actions
Enjoyed my 'stay' so far... I will be back. Might even link to you guys on my own blog! ;)
Anyway, subject at hand:
It would be entertaining to watch a game unfold as you suggest... do you think that Enver can beat LA doing that tho'?
by With Malice on Apr 24, 2008 2:53 AM MDT reply actions
Denver Deserves to Lose to the Lakers
How the Nuggets should defend the Lakers
There were a lot of things throughout the season that could have been fixed if the Coaching and Staffing surrounding the players was right.
What a waste of talent.
Thoughts?
#6 NuggSter [ http://nuggster.blogspot.com ]
by NoYPi on Apr 24, 2008 3:25 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 3:27 AM MDT reply actions
Get the ball 10-15 ft out iso. Either:
a)Post up, turn around fade away jumper. Smirk.
b)Triple-threat position, jab step, jab step, jumper. Smirk.
c)Triple threat position, head down, cheese to the basket, get the contact but don't get the foul cuz u just got a DUI and the refs despise u. Smirk
d)Pass the ball. Just kidding. Smirk
Not once tonight and in game 1 did i see him get the ball and look to set his teammates up for an easy basket. He's probably passed to Kleiza once this entire series and Kleiza's man is cheating off him every time Melo touches the ball.
by tonystarks on Apr 24, 2008 3:31 AM MDT reply actions
by Dan on Apr 24, 2008 5:47 AM MDT reply actions
and, for all his defensive accolades, he's part of the reason the nuggets are so bad on defense. instead of rotating quickly and stopping penetration at the FT line, he likes to "invite" the player into the lane so he can attempt to block the shot....which works about 4 times a game...and doesn't work the other 31 times.
i'll be happy to see Camby traded this offseason, even if it's for a bag of rocks
by blue on Apr 24, 2008 7:45 AM MDT reply actions
by markp on Apr 24, 2008 7:53 AM MDT reply actions
Even when we were doing well.
My friend was bitching at me the whole game to lighten up because "Were doing good" (when we were actually in the game in the first half) and i was like "We cant win the game doing Pass, shoot. Pass, shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Pass, shoot. Pass, pass, steal...etc. Im sure the avg number of passes the first half would be like 1/2 a possession or something. HORRIBLE!
You know every time Anthony got it he was going to shoot it regardless of the defense.
GK is horrible but since the guy must know he is going out.. whats he got to lose? He should of benched Anthony for some time. Just to send a message.
And what was up with Cambys 2 air balls in a row? How the heck does that happen?
Team is horrible. They don't pass, they take contested shots or just bad shot choices in general.. and as others have pointed out, there is no team leader.
Put a fork in us.
by Hal on Apr 24, 2008 8:22 AM MDT reply actions
Your previous post was way-off but this one was spot-on.
If this goes 5 I'll be surprised, Denver knew they were done the moment they got off the plane at LAX, obviously both a coaching and personnel issue.
Karl was basically waving the white flag at the post-game press conference.
...and if the rest of the league thinks it's bad now, wait until Bynum and Ariza are healthy.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 8:33 AM MDT reply actions
why couldn't they be playing the Hornets? then, at least, they'd be losing to a team that i don't hate! and, after watching both games of the at series, i am sure they'd be losing.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 8:36 AM MDT reply actions
His track record, as you pointed out, is very clear. This is the 4th year under his tutorship that the Nuggies will go one and out. The next out clearly should be Karl.
I’d let Adrain Dantley have a crack at the head job. I think he could coach these guys…if they’re coachable. One other thing…clearly super stars don’t necessarily make a super team. I do believe if a guy like Popovich, for example, was coaching the Nuggets, they’d be a contender. Send Karl to San Antonio, and Popovich to Denver, and it would be the Spurs on the outside looking in. It’s the coach…stupid! That should be the cry. Denver’s gone one and out for FIVE straight years…and this WILL be five. As Charlie Rosen said, the Nuggies have NO chance to beat LA. "George Karl is praying for divine intervention."
If Nuggets fans are willing to put up with this…then they aren’t basketball fans…they’re just Denver’s yuppie elitists attending another big party. Who cares who wins or how they play! It’s the party, man! Bring me another Coors Lite! Yahooooo!
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 8:39 AM MDT reply actions
I personally am sick and tired of watching the nuggets play. I mean I've played pick up and even street ball which is more organized and structured than they are.
As far as attitude, I think ever since the lost to Sacramento, Iverson and Karl have not be seeing eye to eye. When they lost that game, karl said we "played well but made some mistakes" whereas AI said "we cannot be losing games like this." When Melo was begging for Ron Artest to come thru to Denver, Karl was completely against it. When a coach and his stars do not see eye to eye, something is wrong. And the Nuggets you see today is a proof of that.
by j2y2k3 on Apr 24, 2008 8:47 AM MDT reply actions
Another yes,if George Karl is not capable of bringing any stunt to beat his opponent,go CRAZY Plz!!Copy the warriors and maintain ur dinity at least at home!
I felt sorry for Karl 'cause I also noticed that(as an anonymous has mentioned) his players do not buy into his coaching.Even A.I. was looking at the opposite side at the time when Coach Karl was speaking!(Or maybe that's because A.I. was still having a rest 'cause after the timeout he did not come back yet)
Final yes this team has myriad of problems which can not be solved in just a 7-game series(or 4??).Stay tuned in the summer.
by joanna on Apr 24, 2008 8:50 AM MDT reply actions
Think about it. AI and Melo have to look across the floor at Kobe, with 3 rings, and wonder how they can possibly compete with such greatness. George Karl has it even tougher. He has to look across the floor and see Phil Jackson, with 9 rings, and know that he is so far out of league, he might as well be trying to defend Kobe in the low post.
But don't take my word for it, listen to Karl himself. Here is a quote from Karl about Kobe and the Lakers following the game 2 loss:
"The 3-ball he made [with 5:19 left in the game] was the big play," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I thought that kind of ended the game from the standpoint of our spirit. In a lot of ways, a great player ran us out of gas. The majority of his jump shots that he made tonight are somewhat undefendable"
If this quote doesn't epitomize what this blog is all about (firing GK), I don't know what does. Think about what this moron is saying. With over 5 minutes left in the game, he says the team's spirit was gone and the game was over. Folks, there isn't one other coach in the league, including recently FIRED Isaiah Thomas, who would say such a thing.
Then he goes on to say how Kobe was completely undefendable. What kind of message does that send to your players? He was completely undefendable with the defense that Karl has coached.
I can go on and on, but I was just blown away by the things Karl said in this quote. What a hack!!!
I'm a die hard Lakers fan, and feel sorry for you Nuggets fans.
Enjoy your summer!
by Cousin Paul on Apr 24, 2008 8:55 AM MDT reply actions
We get 2 technicals back to back and he doesn't even stand up...?
The players must love his support.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 9:44 AM MDT reply actions
Sure, he gets points (4th in the league) and is a better rebounder and assist guy over last year.
But it's the decisions that he makes that are just _stupid_. Seriously. Whenever the game is tight, if the ball is Melo's hands, I get scared, and want him to pass. There's a reason for that: Melo is immature. He's not a well-developed player. In a tight situation, he's likely to miss free throws, travel, commit an offensive foul, or turn it over in some other awful way.
Anthony Carter is okay, but he can't score, and doesn't know how to drive to the basket. He tries, but it usually ends up turning into an offensive foul.
Marcus Camby is not a post-player, which is disappointing. What's with all of the long jumpers?! He played better last night, though -- at least he got more rebounds.
I wish KMart played more minutes...
AI was probably the best player on the floor, but I didn't like that technical near the end, with about 5 to go.
Here's the new lineup, folks:
Iverson, Camby, JR, Kleiza, KMart. Melo needs to start on the bench. I'm dead serious. Once JR stops becoming effective, sub him for Melo. Maybe he'll mature better that way.
I can guarantee you, this _will_ be Karl's last year.
But there is still hope in the playoffs. It ain't over until one team wins four...
by ohxten on Apr 24, 2008 9:47 AM MDT reply actions
by SteveLaner on Apr 24, 2008 10:17 AM MDT reply actions
Iverson and Melo "look acrossed the court" at Kobe that has 3 rings because of SHAQ....yeah you forgot to leave that part out.
Andrew you were telling the truth when you said Laker fans act as if they completely forgot what Shaq did for them. LOL!!
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 10:20 AM MDT reply actions
by Real Nuggets Fan on Apr 24, 2008 10:30 AM MDT reply actions
by Real Nuggets Fan on Apr 24, 2008 10:31 AM MDT reply actions
For now I'll be rooting for two things - 1) The hiring of Jeff Van Gundy and 2) the Nuggets to goon it up on that prima donna piece of shit Kobe.
by Marmatard on Apr 24, 2008 10:47 AM MDT reply actions
by DEEZnuts on Apr 24, 2008 10:58 AM MDT reply actions
2. Our pick n' roll couldn't pick a 2 year-old boy's booger that was already hanging out of his nose.
3. Melo's problem is that when he can't drive to the basket against a defender, his ego makes him shoot the turn-around jumper instead of pass. I haven't seen the Melo-Kmart combination all series. Kmart can be a beast when cutting to the basket. If they're going to drop the ball to Melo 15 feet out. Someone else needs to be cutting to the basket while he's doing the Melo mambo.
4. (I know this sounds cliche but...) We are really missing out on a lot of calls.
5. Even bounces are not in our favor (re-watch last nights game).
Overall, the nuggets had too much distraction and little momentum going into this series. They have lapses in play where they look lethargic and without confidence. It seems as though they couldn't buy a bucket at times. The starting lineup change was a good thing even though the result wasn't any different. They just need to gel. AI is so frustrated, you can see it in his eyes. He's being accused of dribbling too much, but that's just an effect of everyone else not cutting to the basket. Going back to Denver will help. It's not over by any means.
by Viracocha on Apr 24, 2008 11:38 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 11:45 AM MDT reply actions
Thank god that espn now gives access to fans to the hudle during the game. Has anyone ever seen G. Karl break out a pad and write X's and O's on it? I never have. He sounds like a good motivational speaker but he does not provide his players with any specific direction on what the should do. He tells them to play better defense as a team but doesnt explain to them specifically how or what they are doing wrong. If this team had a coach like Larry Brown, it would be very very scary.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 1:17 PM MDT reply actions
Thank god that espn now gives access to fans to the hudle during the game. Has anyone ever seen G. Karl break out a pad and write X's and O's on it? I never have. He sounds like a good motivational speaker but he does not provide his players with any specific direction on what the should do. He tells them to play better defense as a team but doesnt explain to them specifically how or what they are doing wrong. If this team had a coach like Larry Brown, it would be very very scary.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 1:19 PM MDT reply actions
No class whatesoever.
And even if we did try to play pick up basketball against the Lakers we would still lose because they would get more defensive stops then us. We're screwed either way. Karl will get fired after the series ends.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 2:17 PM MDT reply actions
I'll just say to 'anonymous' - love how prolific your comments are. -_^
Perhaps you're showing an inordinate amount of intestinal fortitude there by taking a swipe at a group, and doing so 'anonymously'.
Look, every team has bad eggs as fans...
by With Malice on Apr 24, 2008 3:30 PM MDT reply actions
by Not anonymous? on Apr 24, 2008 3:36 PM MDT reply actions
by Murl on Apr 24, 2008 3:41 PM MDT reply actions
by Advice on Apr 24, 2008 3:56 PM MDT reply actions
That's just a crude joke. But hey sport fans at times are not known as logical people. It's funny a black man and white woman have sex and everybody has an opinion. Rape or not all of us have had sexual encounters that we would prefer to never been revealed or erased from history.
But hey if that's the only thing that fuels the hate against Kobe keep it going, success will always be accompanied by envy and jealousy.
by Anonymous on Apr 24, 2008 7:30 PM MDT reply actions
But if you want to turn this into a conversation about Lakers fans forgetting what Shaq did as a Laker, then let's have that discussion. Shaq was dominant, unguardable, and made everyone around him better because he demanded a triple team in the low post. But don't kid yourself by thinking that this alone wins championships. This same Shaq failed miserably in Orlando, and couldn't win as a Laker until Kobe came around. Why is this? Because Shaq can't win games down the stretch. He can't make free throws, he can't shoot 8 footers, he can't defend the pick and roll. In fact, he can't even be in the game from the 6 minute mark to the 2 minute mark of the fourth quarter because of the Hack-A-Shaq.
The bottom line is this: Without Kobe on the Lakers, Or D-Wade on the Heat, Shaq wouldn't have any rings. And that's a fact. In addition, if Shaq had just worked a little harder, not been so lazy, worked on his free throws, developed a good hook shot or face up jumper (like Hakeem, Duncan, Russell, Jabbar), he could have been sooooo much better and soooo much more dominant and had soooo many more rings. This is the frustration we Lakers fans hold.
I am thankful for what Shaq brought, but also aware of what more he could of brought.
by cousin paul on Apr 24, 2008 9:59 PM MDT reply actions
by markp on Apr 24, 2008 9:59 PM MDT reply actions
Kobe's game developed very quickly because he was able to play with Shaq, who gave him a lot of one on ones situations. Same thing with Wade, Wade was not an all-star until he was playing with a lesser Shaquille O'neal.
When Shaq went to Phoenix recently, Amare Stoudemire's game exploded to another level.
This is consistency, Shaq makes people better, back then and even now, nobody should ever be criticized for that.
by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 5:22 AM MDT reply actions
Hey, "Advice." How's life under the pointy, white hood?
by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 10:43 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 25, 2008 5:35 PM MDT reply actions
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