Well, at least one Denver team showed up in the second half today!
I don't have time to post a lot about tonight's exciting win over the Bulls, but I think most Denver Stiffs readers would agree that this was Carmelo Anthony's best game of the season hands-down. I've always thought that trying to get Melo to become a better rebounder, a better passer and get him to the free throw line more is more fruitful than trying to turn him into a good defender, and tonight was evidence of why that's the case.
Kenyon Martin, Nene and Chauncey Billups were terrific, as well. Just terrific. And give George Karl credit for getting the Nuggets to shake off a slow start and really put the clamps on defensively in the second half.
Way to go, Nuggets! Denver sports fans desperately needed something to feel good about tonight.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Now THAT'S Carmelo Anthony basketball...
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18 comments:
double digit rebounds for him again is very nice to see.
the triple double would have been nice but lol jk
also a good point to add...
THAT'S ANTHONY CARTER BASKETBALL!
he played quite well.
The 4th quarter (or more specifically the last half of it) was the best stretch of ball the Nuggs have played this season. The only other game that comes close was the Boston win, and while that is a better win in context, closing games with D, transition and dunks including the 18-2 run was awesome.
JR played pretty well despite still not being able to find his lost stroke.
I think part of Melo's problems as a passer in the past have been due to other players on the team and Karl as well - Melo's showed on many occassions that he's a willing passer, but he's not going to pass his own 20 footer for someone else's 20 footer (and rightly so - he's better than the other players on this team at contested 20 foot jumpers). When the rest of the team moves off the ball (especially Nene and Martin) Melo has the vision and ability to pass. He's gaining more understanding of when and how to do it and Martin, Nene, Balkman Kleiza etc... are all moving better as well.
On a non-nugget note, Derrick Rose is the real deal. He's going to be a real beast for PGs to handle in the very near future, and he made some all-world moves tonight around the bucket. Billups was very impressed in his comments after the game and I am glad that he didn't end up in the NW division like all the other top picks in recent years seem to...
I think K-Mart reads this blog. He has somehow developed a mid range jumper, and after his icing on the cake 3 pointer in the 4th, he did Major Leauge "You have no marbles!" Gesture. It was F'ing great.
Wow, look at the statline for our starters ...
FG FT Points
Nene 7-13 7-8 21
C. Billups 7-16 6-7 21
C. Anthony 6-11 8-12 21
K. Martin 10-10 5-8 26
Nene is really playing well. I hope they keep getting him the ball. And Kmart, 10 of 10? Fantastic.
Where's all the K-Mart haters now???
And nice post Eric B... good points about Melo
But let's also not forget that regardless of the potential on that team... this was still just the Bulls, at home...
This is a game we fully should have won so let's not get too up in arms about how great we are. It's good to see us taking care of the teams we should be though!
8-2 in the last 10 is great especially considering there were 4 games there that were certainly losable (@ Cavs, Celts, Spurs, Lakers) and the Nuggets got 2 of those and then won the other 6 that they SHOULD have won. That is the biggest improvement - the Nuggets aren't losing games they should be winning so far this year (with the exception of the Warriors game, but that was without Billups and AI). They haven't done that at all recently which just kills winning streaks and momentum. It's really hard to win 50+ games, get home court and build confidence when you can't win more that 5 games in a row because you do things like get beat by 20 in Charlotte...
Hopefully this continues (knock on wood).
Melo has Kobe (and Bron and Wade) envy, once he gets away from the pressure of playing in their shadow(s) he does very well.
Amen to that. I thought after the Bulls went ahead by 7 in the 3rd it was over but to my delightful suprise something happened and we pulled it together to get another "ACB" win. K-Mart, Carter and Melo all had a really good game and should be given a lot of credit, especially K-Mart and Carter who get way too much shit on this blog from eveyone. Carter has got to be one of the better back up PGs in the league in terms of what he brings to the table. As for Melo, wow. I really don't care about his scoring because his passes are getting rediculous. He is now averaging 20-8-5. That is pretty impressive given the last few years he has been primarily a scorer. With Chauncy here you can really see how his overall game is developing. I am once again excited, though we do have a tough schedule ahead. Hopefully we can continue our winning ways and maybe become a threat come playoff time. I don't know about the rest of you but that's all I want for Christmas.
A great win. For a moment I thought daBulls were gonna lock it down but it was great to see Denver pull one out of their ass when it was necessary to do so. Still to me I think there is something not right.
This talent and experience should not have to do the 2 step forward and one step back dance anymore. What I see here still is a playoff contender who needs to get past a winning round for success. Currently, I see lapses of that overall success.
Face it the Nuggets cannot play LA in the distant 2009 spring when the playoffs begin because we know here how that outcome will probably play out.
The overall seeding starts now and not near the end of regulation for a final position. That means every game has to be playoff intense so when the postseason begins they will be as Full Metal Jacket puts it, " Born Again Hard ".
THESE PLAYERS ARE SEASONED BASKETBALL MILLIONAIRES !!!
Oh and Killionaires too.
Stay the course.
I am just trying to figure out why every time the team loses it's Karl's fault and when they win it's a great game by the players???? Very unfair
AMEN TO THAT!!
to the last two "anonymous" commenters, did you not read andrew's post where he gave karl credit, too?? maybe you should read the post before commenting!!!
Melo has grown into an all around player.
I like him better than ever. His willingness to grow and to do whatever it takes to get his team a W is the true trait of a winner and superstar.
He has to keep it up.
- Snake -
We are finally beating the teams we are better than! (Chicago, Minny, Memphis, etc) And shocking a few teams on the road that are s'pose to beat us! (Boston, SA)
At this moment it is great to be a Nuggs fan!!!
Great game Melo. You made everyone around you better that game....
From the Denver Post via Truehoop.
Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "The first change of many to help jump-start Carmelo Anthony's offensive game was a subtle one Sunday against Chicago. It was a turn-and-face. When Anthony caught the ball on the block, or just off the block, he immediately turned to face the defender. It gave him clear vision of any impending double-teams and the ability to make a crisper play than he could with his back to the basket. The Nuggets sent cutters through the lane, and he hit them for layups and dunks. Other times, his face-up slowed or stopped the double-team, allowing him to get a clearer look at a shot. Details like this are what coach George Karl, Anthony and the team are addressing to help their best scorer lift himself from an early-season shooting slump."
That's one small tidbit that probably goes to show that Karl can have a positive impact on his players.
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