2008-09 Game 28: Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers Game Thread
by Jeremy on Dec 22, 2008 1:28 PM MST
in Events
117 comments
Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets, Dec 22, 2008 7:00 PM MST
The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trailblazers have never been considered rivals. Until the 2004-05 realignment they were in separate divisions. They have only played in the NBA playoffs on two occasions, after the 1985-86 season (Denver won the first round matchup 3-1) and after the 1976-77 season (Portland won in the semifinals 4-2 on their way to their only NBA title).
Last season this matchup took a step towards becoming a rivalry. They played a very intense overtime game last season on February 4th which was won by the Nuggets 105-103 on a last second shot by Allen Iverson. Had Portland won they would have won the season series 3-1 and at the time with both teams fighting for a playoff spot the tiebreaker seemed significant.
Fast forward to today and Portland and Denver are tied atop the Northwest Division and. Both teams appear to be in position to be contenders for the Northwest Division championship for the next few seasons. You can expect a hotly contested game.
Portland is a very good offensive team. They are second in the league in offensive efficiency at 114.0 and they play at the slowest pace in the entire league. What is strange about the Trail Balzers is most teams that play at a slow pace are defensive oriented teams. Portland is a poor defensive team and the slow pace with which they play makes it more difficult to capitalize on the offensive advantage they have over almost every team in the league.
Portland’s offensive dominance is especially impressive considering that they are a jump shooting team. Even their power forwards, LaMarcus Aldridge and Channing Frye, are long range marksmen. Their only interior big men Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden, are not scorers. Portland has a similar situation to the Nuggets in their starting lineup. They start rookie Nicolas Batum for defensive purposes as the Nuggets start Dahntay Jones. Both are at their best when they run the floor, but Batum is a better shooter. Portland has another European rookie, Rudy Fernandez, who plays the J.R. Smith role of instant offense. He is very similar to J.R. in that he has deep range, a love of taking shots with a high degree of difficulty, he is athletic, can penetrate almost at will and is also an exceptional passer.
However, as talented as the Blazers are they have one player who is head and shoulders above the rest and that is Brandon Roy. Roy is a dominant offensive player. He is a great shooter, is a very adept passer and just knows how to play basketball. He is an instinctive player who makes brilliant plays appear natural. In the fourth quarter he runs the show. Every time down the floor he has the ball in his hands and makes sure Portland gets whatever shot he wants them to. He loves to drive from the top of the circle and once he gets his defender on his hip he will stop, draw some contact and drain a little ten or 12 foot jumper. If the Blazers need a three, well, he will get it and usually make it. If he happens to miss he has a knack for ending up with the rebound. It is uncanny.
Defensively the Trail Blazers have good athletes, but give up too much penetration. They scramble well, but tend to be a step slow with their recovery.
Denver is going to have to find a way to get back to the way they were playing before this three game losing skid. They cannot hope that a red hot J.R. Smith will keep them in the game as he did in the second quarter in Phoenix. Carmleo is going to miss at least the next three games thanks to his sore elbow (and some input from his agent Bill Duffy) and it will be interesting to see if Denver will play with better flow without him. Chauncey is going to have to get back to directing the offense and demanding movement that will open up the floor.
Defensively, the Nuggets are going to have to play with a great deal of intensity and focus. They must rotate well in order to close out on Portland’s shooters. I think Dahntay Jones has a chance of frustrating Roy a little and it will be interesting to see if he can at least slow him down. If we see Anthony Carter on Roy Denver will be in big trouble. I suspect you will see more switching on the perimeter so as to ensure that no shooter is left open, but that will only create more issues as we have seen over the previous few games.
With Denver playing at home I think you will see a more spirited effort and hopefully a more intelligent floor game. If not, Denver will be in second place in the division come tomorrow morning.
Blazer’s Edge (one of the top handful of team blogs around has a very good outsider's point of view on the Nuggets) | Rip City Project
Last Season’s OT Game: DEN 105 POR 103
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Im actually glad melo is sitting out. We need to get back to our unselfish team ball. Lets hope alot of those minutes goto Balkman.
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 2:27 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Melo being out
As of right now is a good thing. He needs to get right. Watch Balkman log heavy minutes now and the energy of the team skyrocket. I think if Melo didn’t play in the Phoenix game we win that one. Don’t take this the wrong way though, we will absolutely need a healthy and effective Melo if we want to be serious contenders.
by RyanBuff on Dec 22, 2008 2:48 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Ill be happy
as long as Melo’s minutes don’t go to Anthony Carter. Anything over 30mins for him is just plain wack
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 4:00 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
No melo?
I’m sorry but as awful as he has been over the last few games we suck without him.
0-2 over these 2 games making for a 1-5 six game stretch record. We’ll have to suck it up and absorb these losses as best we can.
by joshhopp on Dec 22, 2008 4:12 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
No
I think that Denver actually improves without Melo these two games. He has been clearly injured (as evidenced by this sit) and has been a liability on both the offensive and defensive end in the last three games. This will allow him to rest and allow one of our most talented bench players to get more minutes.
If Melo WERE to play, we probably would lose both – because he would be playing hurt.
by BeefySwats on Dec 22, 2008 6:03 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
I disagree,
The way he has been playing the past 3 games. JR, Nene, chaunc, and Kleiza, give us plenty of fire power. And with balkman hopefully pickin up more minutes we should get better one on one defense and just as good of rebounding as melo.
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 4:25 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
nice analysis of the PTB
Its always good to get an outsiders view of the PTB and this one seems pretty spot on. I havent seen the Nuggets play this year, but am interested in seeing Billups run the show. Too bad Melo is out, I’d rather these two teams hash it out both being at full strength. Good luck from a Blazers Edge contributor.
Oh yea, Im a little miffed your game thread is already up and running and ours isn’t.
If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for?
by bow4meow on Dec 22, 2008 5:11 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Portland Trail Blazers - Denver Nuggets
Portland Trail Blazers – Denver Nuggets
Live
http://www.iddaliyim.tr.gg/Canli-Mac-izle-_-salon-3.htm
www.iddaliyim.tr.gg
by milleniumprince on Dec 22, 2008 7:09 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Jr looking good already. Playin overall some nice D
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 7:24 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
THERE WE GO, takin it to the rim tonight, JR and Chauncey ballin.
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 7:32 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Woa
I like The quarter, cept for some hot shooting by the blazers near the end
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 7:38 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
actually playin good with chucky and Ac, probably helps that nene and bird are also in. Im liking karls rotations.
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 7:48 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Thats strange,
Everything seems to be working without Melo
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 7:49 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Bird and nene together causin alot of havock
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 7:46 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Not many ppl posting today.
too bad, its a pretty good performance by the nuggets
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 7:48 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Kleiza is shooting well
but he’s a bit of a gump.
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 7:51 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
I see Carter guarding Roy
Guess Karl still doesn’t get it
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 7:53 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Karl lineups
So Karl thinks a combo of Atkins/Carter/JR is better than 1 PG/JR/Balkman? Are you kidding me?
by cessair on Dec 22, 2008 7:59 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
I agree
Though the Nugs arent lacking hustle at the moment
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 8:04 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Great. Airball 3 by Martin at the end of the half.
Just what we needed.
Props to Chauncey for passing to him
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 8:09 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
K-mart has been hittin that three this year though so its excusable
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 8:11 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
if anyone want to watch the game
http://linksadoor.com/showtime/index.php?params=game/494/DENVER/
works best on IE
by Jester76 on Dec 22, 2008 8:25 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
denver is clearly outmatched in this game
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 8:30 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
outmatched? is that why portland is only in this game because they are hitting threes?
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 8:52 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
skecth officiating
isnt helping the blaze.
blake got pounded in to face and got called for the foul.
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:08 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
are you a blazers fan by any chance
because the blazers have had their share of breaks too
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:10 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
so that was a foul on blake
in your opinion?
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:25 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
ew
elbow blake in the nose and its a defensive foul?
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 8:43 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
It does not matter what part of your body hits the shooters elbow, contact on the elbow or arm of a shooter is a foul
Pickaxe and Roll - An SB Nation Denver Nuggets Blog
by Jeremy on Dec 23, 2008 12:40 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
With Kleiza and JR
Who needs Melo? :P
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:21 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
nuggets have twice as many free throws
good job refs
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:28 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Maybe if your blazers would stop fouling?
Blaming the refs is as low as you can get
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:29 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
relying on the refs
is much lower. well played denver. hard to beat the refs
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:30 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
the refs
which is by default, the nuggets
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:33 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
cant fault the nuggets
for the refs being on their side
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:35 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Well seeing im not going to change your opinion
we can decide this in the game tomorrow :)
gg
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:37 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
i wish there was some way
i could bet my life on tomorrows game. blazers win in a rout
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:53 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Nugs have this in the bag
Finally a win :)
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:30 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
you know youre bad
when you feel good about a win that was given to you by the refs
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:32 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
denver loses by 25+ tomorrow
as long as the refs arent so biased
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:34 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
we will see soon enough
for now though it’s a D win
by markph on Dec 22, 2008 9:35 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
D as in Don't you know who won
let’s catch up tomorrow and see how the home team plays
by markph on Dec 22, 2008 9:40 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
easy way to determine this
if the refs were bad all around tonight… who got more free throws? wayyyyyyyy more free throws
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:39 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
you have no idea what you are talking about
and you obviously don’t know basketball – foul calls are only part of the picture. The Blazers are a jump shooting team and didn’t have aggression or fire, and didn’t drive much. Those factors mean they get fouled less, and have less free throws.
They are a good team, but tonight they got outplayed. Tomorrow should be entertaining, i’m interested to see what the match up looks like with the nuggets going against a fired up blazers team.
by Missing Lynx on Dec 22, 2008 10:49 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
that helps the nuggets
melo is my least favorite player in the history of sports. I think he is so unbelievably overrated and he only hurts the nuggets, who otherwise could be much better without him.
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:43 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
lost a close game
to a good home team, with shit refs… i’d say the blazers were better tonight
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:42 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
The nuggets are a way more agressive team man, the blazers are a jumpshooting team you don't get calls when you only shoot jump shots.
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 9:43 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
well
billups got the call when he shoved his elbow in blakes face on his 3 point JUMPER
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:44 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Blake never shoots
wouln’t have made any difference
by markph on Dec 22, 2008 9:46 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
it was a shot by mistake
Certainly Blake would have wished he could have taken it back
by markph on Dec 22, 2008 9:47 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Look if thats all you can cry about
We can take the 3 points away.
Who still got the win?
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:46 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
thats a veteran move, you are really hung up on that huh? How bout when aldrige slammed Jones to the ground when he was driving and no call? or when aldridge pushed birdman and they called the foul on Bird? seriously shut up with the calls man
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 9:46 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
its not a veteran move
its a bush move.
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:49 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
What really makes beating the Blazers more satisfying
Is a crying blazers fan afterwards.
I am TOTALLY FEELING THIS WIN PEOPLE
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:53 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
you wont feel much
after tomorrows game
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 9:54 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Well in case we lose
Dont count on me to be crying on all the blazer forums about horrible reffing
by Lethalturnip on Dec 22, 2008 9:56 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
What is this guy gonna say if we win again tomorrow with out melo?
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 10:03 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
wont be able to say much
if hell is frozen over
by Hockey on Dec 22, 2008 10:04 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Hell is frozen over
Nuggs fan living in Portland and it’s reminding me of Telluride at the moment. Makes me miss home, since Portland sucks in almost every conceivable way.
Hipsters don’t know how to drive in snow. Not even their crappy fixed gears.
by MontyIII on Dec 22, 2008 11:20 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs
hipsters don't drive
they take public transit….or something
no captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.
-horatio nelson
by WhiteRabbit on Dec 23, 2008 1:47 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
I am so ashamed
that I didn’t watch this game. I was sure my Nugs would lose without Melo and I totally lost faith in our guys; I am sorry about that.
As someone has already said, the whiney Blazers fan makes this win all the more satisfying.
GO THE NUGGETS!
by joshhopp on Dec 22, 2008 10:05 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Just the opposite,
We played awesome with out melo actually.
by CCH on Dec 22, 2008 10:41 PM MST reply actions 0 recs
Hey guys,
thought I would check out the game thread over here cuz blazers edge is pretty depressing right now, (thanks a lot kleiza). Anyway, can’t help but see that you’ve got yourselves a troll! Well Dave over at blazers edge gave us a couple of pointers, and seeing as this troll has been on the Phoenix game thread during that game doing the same thing, I thought a troll alert would be good. Anyway, Dave recommends that you do not feed the troll. Don’t respond to it and it will go away on its own.
by premthegrem on Dec 23, 2008 1:34 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
I'm pleased
that Blazer’s edge has itself a better representative here. It is a superb blog, hence its enormous activity. Looking forward to the sequel in Portland.
by joshhopp on Dec 23, 2008 2:27 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks premthegrem
I was going to make the same recommendation. If you just let their silly comments slide they will get bored and go bother someone else. I responded to one of his earlier comments when I was going through the thread and after I saw more of his input wished I hadn’t.
Pickaxe and Roll - An SB Nation Denver Nuggets Blog
by Jeremy on Dec 23, 2008 2:38 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry. Noted.
Wont do it again. Couldn’t resist however :(
by Lethalturnip on Dec 23, 2008 3:13 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Yea, the dumber and more annoying they are the tougher it is to ignore
Pickaxe and Roll - An SB Nation Denver Nuggets Blog
by Jeremy on Dec 23, 2008 4:10 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs
Great game tonight
I loved it. What does it say when I was not at all upset when I found out Melo would not be playing tonight and liked our chances even better? Still pissed off not to see Balkman get a single minute, but winning curbs the disappointment a little.
btw, I usually do not talk to or about trolls so this is all I’ll say. Blaming the refs is about as lame as you can get. Only losers blame the refs. End of story.
by RyanBuff on Dec 23, 2008 1:44 AM MST reply actions 0 recs
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