We got exactly what we wanted (sort of)...

by Andrew Feinstein on Apr 16, 2009 1:01 AM MDT

Nuggets/Trail Blazers Recap...

In theory, the Nuggets and their fans got exactly what they wanted tonight: a two-seed going into the playoffs with a first round matchup against a banged up New Orleans Hornets team and a possible second-round matchup against a banged up San Antonio Spurs team.

But after getting blown out by the Trail Blazers in Portland after playing poorly against the league's worst team (the Sacramento Kings, while playing their third game in four nights) on Monday night, I must confess that this fan's confidence isn't as high as it should be for a 54-win team. And yet I'm not panicking, either, and think we'll figure out a way to beat the Hornets.

Given that the Rockets/Mavericks game was no longer in doubt before tip off in Portland, losing to the Blazers isn't the biggest deal in the world. But after a season full of "big bang" moments, I just thought it was unfortunate that the Nuggets ended it with a whimper...and a 3-18 shooting night from Carmelo Anthony, a 4-10 night from Chauncey Billups and a 2-7 night from J.R. Smith. That being said, I have to admit that I was yelling at the TV screen: "Karl, sit the starters!!" with just two minutes played in the third quarter. So I can't complain too much that the reserves turned a minor blowout into a big blowout by the time the game was over.

We'll get more into the playoff matchups and analysis in the days to come. Before signing off for the night, I want to leave you all with one thought: thank god the Nuggets never lost to the Timberwolves and Thunder this season!

Nuggets/Trail Blazers Preview...

Give the NBA schedule makers credit because there are three crucial Western Conference matchups tomorrow night, the outcomes of which will dictate the playoff seeding as the night goes on. Of interest to Nuggets fans, of course, is our matchup with the Trail Blazers in Portland. But we'll be keeping a close eye on the New Orleans at San Antonio game as well as the Houston at Dallas game. In case you're still uncertain about how this can all shake out, here's the breakdown...

...if Denver wins, they retain the two-seed in the Western Conference regardless of what happens in the other games.

...if Denver loses (and thus Portland wins), but Houston also loses, Denver retains the two-seed, regardless of what happens in the San Antonio game.

...if Denver loses (and thus Portland wins) and Houston wins, Houston takes the two-seed with Denver dropping to the third-seed, also regardless of what happens in the San Antonio game.

...if Denver loses (and thus Portland wins) and Houston and San Antonio both win, Denver still retains the third-seed with Portland finishing fourth and San Antonio fifth.

...if Denver loses (and thus Portland wins) and Houston loses but San Antonio wins, Denver retains the two-seed with San Antonio moving into the third spot ahead of Portland (fourth) and Houston (down to fifth).

Got it?

But as Nuggets fans know, we're playing for more than just the two-seed. The Nuggets have the opportunity to secure their all-time NBA franchise regular season record of 55 wins. What will be interesting to see is that when the outcome of the Houston/Dallas game is no longer in doubt (around the end of the first quarter while the Nuggets are in Portland) and if Houston somehow loses, will Nuggets coach George Karl continue to play his key players heavy minutes? As a fan, I'd love to see the Nuggets secure that franchise record (and perhaps send Portland and the rest of the West a message that the Nuggets can win anywhere). But as a matter of practicality, I wouldn't blame Karl for resting his key players so they're as fresh as possible for the postseason. After all, Kenyon Martin still has lingering back and rib problems, Nene has a sore hand, Dahntay Jones has a shoulder contusion and Carmelo Anthony recently recovered from the flu.

If I were Karl, I'd ask Trail Blazers head coach - and Karl's former point guard - Nate McMillan to tell the Rose Garden score board operators not to show the score of that Houston/Dallas game during the first quarter of the Nuggets/Trail Blazers contest. Karl needs his Nuggets coming out focused (i.e. the opposite of the way they started the Kings game on Monday night), not score board watching. And, as noted above, McMillan's Trail Blazers have much to play for as well.

It's going to be a furious fight to the finish in Portland on Wednesday night. Maybe we'll get lucky and see Chris Andersen plant another "Spalding" logo on Rudy Fernandez's face.

Go Nuggets!!

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Comments

I say just go for the team record for a few reasons:

- The Nuggets will be traveling anyway. No one will come back "fully rested".

- If K-Mart isn't ready tonight then he won't be ready in 2-3 days. It's time to find out what he really has to offer now.

- It will be a true statement game that will allow the Nuggets to walk into the playoffs with some confidence.

- We've seen how the Nugget starters operate when they have too many days off.

- George Karl will have something to smile about if the Nuggets lose in the first round again. And if he also tries to use it as an excuse, we will see his true colors.

by E on Apr 15, 2009 2:57 AM MDT reply actions

E: Can't believe you said that last thing. Here we are finally coming into the postseason with a little swagger, a high seed, a bona-fide leader on the court, and you're still mulling over the coach? It's like you want us to fail so we can just fire him. I do agree with everything else though, I just found that last one a little offensive.

by Jack on Apr 15, 2009 3:19 AM MDT reply actions

Houston vs Dallas is on ESPN before the Nuggets vs Blazers so we will know the final score of the Houston vs Dallas game BEFORE the Nuggets game even starts.

by Anonymous on Apr 15, 2009 8:07 AM MDT reply actions

We have to play these guys heads up. We could likely end up playing them in the 2nd round, so let them know what's in store... The same thing we've delivered to Portland all season a big fat loss column addition.

If you've noticed LA has not sat their best player/MVP for any extended minutes and they've had the West locked up for the last ten games. Just because we may end up #2 based on another teams loss, doesn't mean we can just lay off for a spell. Tonight has to be a balls out effort, and a message to the Western Conference.

by joelsopinion on Apr 15, 2009 9:58 AM MDT reply actions

Beating Portland at the Rose Garden would make several statements:

1. We CAN beat you in your house.
2. We are focused on winning every game.
3. The playoffs start now!!

This is a test of mental toughness and no better time to psych up for the second season then now.

by My3Cents on Apr 15, 2009 10:27 AM MDT reply actions

Jack, if you found that offensive then you probably shouldn't look at the comments section of this blog that often from now on. I have said stuff ten times worse about Karl, some of it even had to be taken down by Andrew it was so bad.

Ok, here is what I think would be the ideal situation Andrew, tell me if this is possible. We win and sucure the 2 seed, and Houston wins securing the 3 seed while Portland loses and SA does whatever so that they end up with the 4 and 5 seeds, I really don't care who gets the 4 as long as one of them does and the other gets the 5. This would be the ideal situation in my opinion because we can't beat the Spurs even without Ginobili and Portland is more scary than Houston. Again this is just my take on things. It would be perfect because one of those teams would be eliminated in the first round and the other in the second round by the Lakers, that way we wouldn't have to play either of them. The only thing that scares me about Houston is their defense. They have 2 guys (one that we should have had) that can lock down the best offensive players in the league. If you put one on JR and one on Melo, there goes our entire offense. But, with that said, I think the Rockets are a soft team with not a lot of offense, so if we can stop them as well, which we are fully capable of, then we can at least give ourselves a chance. Plus in the scenario I laid out we would have home court as well.

If you ask me, tonight is a must win. We have a chance to break our all time wins mark, how often does that come around here in Denver? The thing that sucks is we have a coach who for some reason hates breaking records. But hopefully he just looks at this as another game and we pull out the win without him realizing we broke the record. That is really the only way. But the main reason this is a must win, is because it will shut up all the delerious Blazer fans who are starting to drive me up a freakin wall. They are so cocky and in love with their cro-magnum cave man Center who is looking like somewhat of a bust and won't ever, I reapeat, ever, admit they should have taken Durant. It ticks me off, so I hope Nene posterizes his thousand year old ass tonight or Birdman tatoos a "Spalding" on his head instead.

by Goldennugget on Apr 15, 2009 11:11 AM MDT reply actions

Jack,

I don't see anything offensive about what E said. I can't see how a team that has managed either 1 or 0 wins in each of the last five years in the playoffs can have much swagger. Win a couple of series and then they can have some swagger. The Nuggets recent history, and Karl's poor history in the playoffs in general mean that fans should be a little nervous. Plus the matchup, no matter who it is against, will be a team with almost as good a record as the nuggets, and the team will have won playoff series recently.

Go Nuggets, and win tonight, but I'm still a little nervous, especially about the coach.

Oh, and to avoid offending anyone, I won't mention exactly what it is that Karl Sucks!

by KarlSucks on Apr 15, 2009 12:02 PM MDT reply actions

Lets put it this way, no way in hell am I putting my hard earned money into playoff tickets until I see more than one win in the playoffs. If we win a series, I will be at the next series for sure. But I am not paying to see the crap we have seen since Karl has been here. No way am I paying my money to see the nuggets get destroyed in the first round again. So put up or shut up is my message to Karl and the nuggets.

by CO_Nugs420 on Apr 15, 2009 12:05 PM MDT reply actions

I kind of agree with Jack - I mean, GK will have "something to smile about"? We will see his "true colors"? Why don't you guys stop complaining until the playoffs are over. Right now, we have a shot at #2 and will finish no lower than 3rd. Karl is a part of that and I really believe that he has done the best he could this year to help put the Nuggets in a position for success.

What happens next is on the players, just like it has been for the past 5 miserable years. If they play selfless, team basketball and tough defense, like Karl has been preaching all year, they should get out of the first round and have a really good chance of making out of the second. If they revert to past years where Anthony decides to jack up jump shot after jump shot, while triple teamed, and has stats like last year (32-88, .364), they're probably screwed.

Insinuating that Karl is going to be smiling if they lose in the first round is not based in reality, because he'll be fired, flat out.

by Grant on Apr 15, 2009 12:40 PM MDT reply actions

Maybe if taco-Bell sweetens up the pot to five tacos, GK will put the fear of god into these boys and wrap up the season with a win. It's truely sad we must rely on tacos as a motivating factor for our coach.

That's IT. That's the last GK shot I will take unless he biffs the playoffs.

by joelsopinion on Apr 15, 2009 12:51 PM MDT reply actions

Personally I blame AI and Melo for last years playoffs. I have nightmares of jacked up jump shots and "its my turn to take over the game all by myself and be the hero."
No way that style rears its ugly head this year. This team has come too far.
-C

by Anonymous on Apr 15, 2009 3:30 PM MDT reply actions

I would like to see this scenario play out:

The Nuggets beat the Blazers, the Spurs beat the Hornets, and the Mavericks beat the Rockets. Then the WC would look like this:

1) Lakers
2) Nuggets
3) Spurs
4) Blazers
5) Rockets
6) Mavericks
7) Hornets
8) Jazz

In the first round, the Nuggets, Spurs, Blazers, and Lakers all win. I think the Blazers are the team that could give the Lakers the most trouble (size!!!!). So let's say for fun that the Blazers win that series and the Nuggets beat a Spurs team that is suffering from old age. I would feel semi-confident that the Nuggets could beat the Blazers in the WCF with home court advantage and advance to the NBA Finals.

In the Finals, the Nuggets would have to play the Cavs, who, before this season, have been kind of owned by the Nuggets. So, the Nuggets beat the Cavs and become NBA champs (and Kenyon Martin retires out of pure joy, releasing the Nuggets from about $50 million in salary obligations).

OK, I'm dreaming now. But, who knows? Like Kevin Garnett said, "Anything is possibbbbblllleee!!!!!!!"

by Who Wants to Sex Mutombo? on Apr 15, 2009 3:32 PM MDT reply actions

I don't see what was offensive about what I said. Yes, if the Nuggets break the franchise record George Karl will have a positive to look back on if something disastrous should happen. I WANT the Nuggets to DISMANTLE their first round opponent. I hope that is understood. But it should also be understood that Karl literally took YEARS to finally start showing he cares on the sidelines.

And IF... and this is an IF that none of us want to see, but we have to be realistic... the Nuggets lose again in the first round and George Karl looks back at this game that we play against Portland as an excuse, i.e.:

"Well, looking back... I probably should have rested my starters that last game. We did some good things, but not enough to outweigh the bad and I think that extra rest could have helped"

If he pulls out another one of those "Karlisms" that led to the creation of this site, then YES we will see his true colors. If the Nuggets fight tooth and nail and just come up short, and Karl just mans up to being outcoached without the philosophical rhetoric, then fine. With that said, I hope it doesn't come to that. But I definitely stand behind what I said.

IMO, anyone who is offended by that is either Karl's blood relative or completely jaded by regular season success. I've given Karl credit for being a good regular season coach. It's documented. But April 18th marks the birth of a whole other beast. I wish the Nuggets well as they enter the belly...

by E on Apr 15, 2009 3:40 PM MDT reply actions

A loss tonight is perfectly acceptable. The ones that aren't are the ones we dropped during our post All-star break meltdown. We should already have the 2-seed wrapped up.

Still, when your a Nugget's fan, you can't complain too much when your worst-case scenario is a 3-seed.

by JTR on Apr 15, 2009 4:03 PM MDT reply actions

It's truely sad we must rely on tacos as a motivating factor for our coach.

--

This is the funniest thing I've read in months.

GO NUGGETS!

by Do We Have Any Plays? on Apr 15, 2009 7:07 PM MDT reply actions

Well- the point is officially MOOT!!! The Nuggs are indeed, #2 seed. Personally, I'd start resting the key guys. The franchise record is an "oh-by-the-way" achievement that won't even be remembered if they lose in the 1st round again. Rest who you need to- & get ready for the playoffs. Go Nuggets!

by KaiserSoze on Apr 15, 2009 8:40 PM MDT reply actions

so much for gaining confidence going into the playoffs

by Josh on Apr 15, 2009 11:10 PM MDT reply actions

Something I noticed when reading Andrew's post is that he stated the fact Melo and Chauncy had bad games but so did everyone else on the team. Not one person from the Nuggets had even a descent game. But look at Portland's side of things, eveyone on their team had a great game (well, maybe except for Sam Bowie, I mean Greg Oden) and they played some of the best basketball I have seen all season. This is an indicator that we rely too much on our superstars instead of looking at it through a team perspective. I remember some of the best games we have played all season have been when Balkman had a great game, or Birdman had a great game like against L.A., or even when friggin Jones had an OK game. I'm just saying, in my opinion, we play best when Melo lays low. This is the same strategy Portland uses with Roy and L.A. (IMO) with Kobe, sometimes. I mean, Roy didn't really stand out from any of the other Blazers last night did he?
It was a terrible game in general and there were tons of things I would have done differently but to end the season on that was kind of sour, even with the 2 seed secured.

by Goldennugget on Apr 16, 2009 3:11 AM MDT reply actions

Well, we are back in the playoffs. We are about to find out if these Nuggets have backbone. Did they learn how to play as a team this year? Has Karl really got their attention?

There have been times this year I would have said yes, we are a playoff ready team, but I agree with Andrew, lately I've lost a little confidence.

One thing we have definitely learned about this team is that they don't do anything the easy way. I expect to see more come from behind victories and 1 or more 7-game series.

The pressure is definitely on for the Nuggets to get out of the 1st round. I'm sure no one on the team has to ask, "Can you feel it?"

by JTR on Apr 16, 2009 8:10 AM MDT reply actions

I think last night was the worst field goal percentage our Nuggs have displayed all season. I think it may have been under 33%. That was before the starters were benched. 33% will not get you far in post season play. And after last night's outing I saw that several, hold on...SEVERAL NUGGETS are not ready for post season NBA.

The refs are not going to call all of the regular season ticky tack fouls, and last night was a prime example of the refs just letting guys play. Jones, Nene, Smith, and even Melo to a degree, were simply dumbfounded when they'd go to the rack, get mangled, and not hear a whistle. While they stayed back court in utter disbelief of what just happened, Portland was already running a 5 on 4 or 5 on 3 screen and roll.

If any of the Nuggets "insiders" or even players check in here from time to time read this next part very carfully...BASKETBALL IS A 5 ON 5 SPORT. DO NOT LET YOUR TEAM PLAY SHORTHANDED BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WORK THE REFS OVER.

That's the epidome of selfish gameplay, leaving your team to play with a man down so you can make a display of what you considered a foul. Work the refs at a dead ball. Not when the rest of your team is scrambling to cover your ass-ignment.

by joelsopinion on Apr 16, 2009 8:28 AM MDT reply actions

Andrew,

God had nothing to do with us beating the Thunder...that was all Melo.

by Anonymous on Apr 16, 2009 9:05 AM MDT reply actions

To all,

Karl defintely has to prove himself. He is not regarded on this site as an excellent coach whom we have faith in. He is a coach who let the inmates run the asylum and then suddenly realized that might not be the best idea.

We are all waiting for him to LEAD this team passionately and get this talent all on one page like McMillian seems to have done.

On another note, anyone else thinking that maybe JR having a unbelieveable shooting night wasn't the best thing? Not only for him but for the rest of the team. Everyone was throwing up contested junk all night long. Ridiculous. Inane. Atrocious. If that #$*% happens in the playoffs, I will be screaming for Karl's head!!!

by NugzD on Apr 16, 2009 9:18 AM MDT reply actions

I refuse to give a sh*t about the last two games. We start a new season on Sunday night and we're going to see if Chauncy can guide our playoff challenged team to understand exactly what that means:

1. Commit to Defense
2. Limit Empty Posessions
3. Move the Ball

Let's Go Nuggets!!

by My3Cents on Apr 16, 2009 9:32 AM MDT reply actions

I think I have mixed opinions about the last couple of games. On the one hand, we are the 2nd seed and no one can take that away. Home court advantage through the first 2 rounds is sweet. And we are healthy. I am optimistic.

But, on the other hand, we reverted to selfish basketball last night and I hate to see that. Melo's night was atrocious (by the way, in that NBA commercial where Melo says "I don't see anything except for my man and the goal" sums it up for him. I sure wish he'd see his open teammates too.). AC's turnovers were pathetic - jacking the ball of the backboard, throwing bombs into the stands. JR's 85 foot (exaggerating) ill advised 3 point attempt was just stupid... GK's mind boggling rotations... Not playing Balkman... Et cetera. You know, most of the same stuff we gripe about on this site all the time.

In the end, I think we make it to the Western Conference Finals, but we need to step it up.

by Bee on Apr 16, 2009 10:04 AM MDT reply actions

I don't know. I can't get over last night's game.

It was a pathetic display, from the one-on-one "I'll save the game" outlook to the 5-on-3 "Maybe I'll just sit here for a second" attitude to Chris Andersen strutting around trying to look badass with a noseplug (earning the name Nerdman for the evening).

As Yoda says, "Do or do not, there is no try."

Last night we should just not have done anything. What I mean is that we should have just let the team lose gracefully, but instead we got a half-assed effort from an unfocused squad who looked like they had never touched a basketball before.

It would have been better to have just let it go and not even tried, because we sure as hell didn't care about winning, or even playing, for that matter. I stand by my previous comment that we're still a post player away from finishing the puzzle. Hubie Brown wouldn't shut up about it.

It was on national tv to a well liked team, and I was just kind of embarrassed for us. The whole game could be summed up by Kleiza's backwards 3-point hook shot at the end of the half or the third, I can't remember which. That was all you needed to see to figure out what kind of an effort it was.

I guess I'm disappointed by the lack of emotion, exertion, heart, you name it. We didn't have it last night, and Portland did. We didn't play as a team, and Portland did. I wish I could be as excited as the Portland fans here on Playoffs Eve, and I'm pissed that I can't.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. To once again display my nerdiness, as Han Solo would say:

"I've got a bad feeling about this."

by Do We Have Any Plays? on Apr 16, 2009 11:01 AM MDT reply actions

I am pretty much on the same page as Do We. Out of everything we have been through this year, with all the success, we end on that? Just kind of gives me a bad feeling but I am gonna try to forget about it. Quote of the year thus far has got to be from NugzD.

"Karl defintely has to prove himself. He is not regarded on this site as an excellent coach whom we have faith in. He is a coach who let the inmates run the asylum and then suddenly realized that might not be the best idea."

by Goldennugget on Apr 16, 2009 12:52 PM MDT reply actions

Comments For This Post Are Closed

STIFF LIST (as of 4/26 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. METTA WORLD PEACE

Metta resorted back to Ron Ron last Sunday by clubbing James Hardenwith an "inadvertent celebratory elbow", landing him a 7-game suspension. Apparently, changing his name didn't prevent NBA commissioner David Stern from overlooking Metta's past behavior problems.

2. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

The 'Cats are on the verge of securing the worst winning percentage in NBA history. Given that the guy who runs the team - Michael Jordan - had previously drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison, should this really be a shock?

3. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
The team that was supposedly built to overcome the lockout-shortened season managed to lose 7 of its last 14 games, ceding the Western Conference's 1-seed to the Spurs in the process. Their reward might be a first round matchup with defending champion Dallas.

4. BILLY HUNTER AND DEREK FISHER

With report after report coming out about NBPA union head Hunter's shady, nepotistic dealings and questions arising about Fisher's own role in dealing with NBA owners behind Hunter's back during the lockout, this off-the-court scandal could prove to be more exciting than the playoffs themselves!

5. STEVE NASH AND THE PHOENIX SUNS
The Suns are on this list for squandering the last few great seasons from Nash. Nash is on this list for his stupidly stubborn loyalty to a franchise as awful as the Suns.