Redefining "Nuggets Basketball"?...
by Andrew Feinstein on Apr 20, 2009 1:29 AM MDT
37 comments
Nuggets/Hornets Game 1 Recap...(Photos courtesy of Denver Stiffs reader "Mordecai")
I learned a lot of things tonight. First and foremost, I learned that NBA Commissioner David Stern doesn't like to do a stop and chat. With about a minute left in tonight's amazing blowout win over the New Orleans Hornets, the Commish, alongside his wife, came trotting right in front of me. So I extended a hand to thank him for all that he's done for the NBA, he said "thanks" without making eye contact and just kept moving. Oh, well.
Secondly, and more importantly, I learned that we might be in the middle of redefining what "Nuggets Basketball" means. If there's one thing the Nuggets have been known for since their infancy in the ABA it's high flying, free wheeling, no structured offense. That's what we remember when we look back fondly at those old Larry Brown and Doug Moe teams, the most successful Nuggets teams ever. And even the George Karl Era has been renowned for its potent offense over the years, certainly not defense.
Even though Chauncey Billups shot a remarkable 8-9 from the three-point line en route to 36 points while J.R. Smith dropped in 19 off the bench (including a ghastly 0-7 shooting night from behind the arc), this game was all about defense. Maybe I'm saying this because this was the Nuggets first home playoff game in 21 years and everything is magnified. Or maybe it's because I was sitting a little closer than usual. But given the stakes and the atmosphere, I thought the Nuggets played the most comprehensive defensive game that I've ever seen in 33 years of following this franchise.
You wouldn't know it from his own stat line, but Kenyon Martin was as good tonight as he's ever been in a Nuggets uniform (there's a reason why David West's stat line reads 4-16 shooting). Not only did K-Mart shut down West completely, but made sure the Hornets thought twice before making their way into the paint with an assortment of hard fouls.And K-Mart's teammates were up to the defensive task, as well. For each of Chris "Birdman" Andersen's four blocked shots, he might have altered two more. Meanwhile, Dahntay Jones and Anthony Carter tirelessly chased Chris Paul all night and harrassed him into four big turnovers, a bad shooting night and a lot of whining to the refs. Throw in solid defensive performances from Nene, Carmelo Anthony, Billups and even Linas Kleiza, and you see why the Hornets made only 37.2% of their shots and were out-rebounded 49-35.
And as if we needed further proof that it will be the Nuggets defense that carries them through this postseason; had you told me Carmelo Anthony would have one of his worst home playoff performances to date and yet the Nuggets would still win by 29 points, I'd have checked you into a mental instituion. Had Melo mustered even a halfway decent offensive night while staying out of foul trouble and not turning the ball over repeatedly, the Nuggets might have won by 40.
Lets not get too far ahead of ourselves, though because that 29-point differential doesn't carry over into Game 2. And while Nuggets coach George Karl should be commended for getting the Nuggets to focus on this game, he'll have to do it all over again on Wednesday night.
But for now, all of Nuggets Nation can take a deep breath and enjoy this team's best home playoff win in 15 years. As my friend who accompanied me to the game said before the final buzzer went off: "This is the most fun I've had at a Nuggets game since Robert Pack dunked on Shawn Kemp."
I'll second that.
Nuggets/Hornets Game 1 Preview...
And in the eighth and final playoff game of the weekend, our Nuggets finally get to play basketball again.For those of you who watched yesterday's playoff games, yesterday taught us that these lower seeds in the Western Conference are lower seeds in number only, but not in reality. The Rockets smoked the Trail Blazers in Portland last night just hours after the Mavericks took down the Spurs in San Antonio. And whether we want to admit it or not, the Hornets could do the same thing to the Nuggets tonight.
But a loss to the Hornets will not happen if Carmelo Anthony punishes their interior defense. Melo averaged a mere 7.1 free throw attempts per game this season, his lowest output since his rookie year. And yet in games in which Melo attempted at least eight free throws, the Nuggets were 23-7. In games in which Melo attempted at least 10 free throws (what his playoff average should be for a player of his calibre), the Nuggets were 15-3. Throw in the fact that the Hornets finished 26th in blocked shots, starting center Tyson Chandler is battling injuries and his understudies are Hilton Armstrong and Melvin Ely, and the Nuggets have no excuse not to get Melo to the line at least 10 times tonight.
There's not much more to say at this point other than repeating what we covered in the Denver Stiffs' Playoff Preview (and I have to get my day organized to get down to the stadium!).
Speaking of the game, who's going? I'll be at Brooklyn's around 4:30 hanging out during 104.3 The Fan's pre-game show (I might get interviewed, too). Then for the game I'll be sitting in Section 122, Row 1. I know it's not easy getting around the stadium with the ushers and such, but come by before tip-off and say hi if you can. I'll be wearing a blue, 1970's Nuggets ABA T-shirt and I'm 6'5" and skinny, so I'm hard to miss. Oh, and I'll have a few Bring Back Birdman petitions with me that I plan on handing to a Nuggets executive before the game starts.
More than ever...
GO NUGGETS!!
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Go Nuggets!!!
by Goldennugget on Apr 19, 2009 1:04 PM MDT reply actions
I know a lot of folks, myself included, posting here have wanted to see the Mavs beat the Spurs. After watching last nights game, I started wondering if that was what I really want. Would we really rather play a revitalized Mavs team than a tanking Spurs team? Whatever the case, I'll be rooting for the Mavs if for no other reason to have it be the Nuggets that inspire Mr. Mark Chabenisky's (i.e. Cuban) next "donation" to the NBA.
I won't be at tonight's game, but we do have tix for the Game 5 victory celebration ;>)
Enjoy the game tonight!
by JTR on Apr 19, 2009 1:16 PM MDT reply actions
by Robin Z on Apr 19, 2009 2:14 PM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 19, 2009 2:31 PM MDT reply actions
Let's get it on!!!
by My3Cents on Apr 19, 2009 2:37 PM MDT reply actions
goldennugget said it perfectly this series isnt about melo and chauncey.
ITS ABOUT JR and Mostly NENE. They have no answer for these two. NENE should get the ball 90% of the time he's on the floor. He loves to work right block to left so you put JR on the left wing high with Chauncey in the right corner and Melo high right post. Kmart stays weak side far the possible rebound. With this set NENE can dominate anyone on thier team. WHen in doubt kick it out and swing the ball. If Melo has eight rebs and at least 6 assists they will win regardless. I'LL be there section 138AA.
GO NUGGETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by JASON on Apr 19, 2009 5:03 PM MDT reply actions
"We got a job to do and we gonn ado it, baby!!!"
by Commish CH on Apr 19, 2009 5:07 PM MDT reply actions
Denver in 6.
by Anonymous on Apr 19, 2009 5:28 PM MDT reply actions
Everybody is overrating this guy.
by john on Apr 19, 2009 6:13 PM MDT reply actions
by KarlSucks on Apr 19, 2009 6:17 PM MDT reply actions
What is it w/ this guy? Do we really have to yell it to the TV......AGAIN??? Airball, after airball, after airball! WTF is it gonna take?
by KaiserSoze on Apr 19, 2009 9:50 PM MDT reply actions
by markp on Apr 19, 2009 10:06 PM MDT reply actions
by Denverson on Apr 19, 2009 10:52 PM MDT reply actions
by KaiserSoze on Apr 20, 2009 12:14 AM MDT reply actions
by Cessair on Apr 20, 2009 12:45 AM MDT reply actions
I think this game showed the bench depth advantage for the Nuggets pretty clearly. Even when the coaches were scraping the bottom of the depth chart I still didn't see any talent for talent comparisons that went in the Hornets' favor.
Chauncey, who is used to going deep in the playoffs will obviously be a big factor. They shouldn't "need" nights like this behind the arc to win, and I'm not fully convinced they really needed it tonight. IT was just blessed assurance. One thing this team has definitely lacked in previous years has been perimeter threats. Now we have Chaucey and JR who could lose conciousness behind the arc on any given night. It would have been nice to seem them both go off tonight though.
The Silver lining to JR Smith's performance is that he shut up a lot of the critics who labeled him an "either-or" inside/outside threat with no mid-range game. As Marv albert put it all he needs is a little confidence to turn in "JR Swish".
All in all, to win the way they did with such glaring negatives (Melo's scoring, JR cold from 3pt land, etc.) can only be seen as a positive. Here's hoping they can do it again on Wednesday. Having a 2 game lead when a team is only used to winning (maybe) one in the first round will be huge for the psyche of the Nuggets from the past few seasons.
And Birdman's energy from the bench was just crazy. The crowd loves him. He has more than nullified any complaints about the Camby release, regardless of how it was handled.
by E on Apr 20, 2009 1:56 AM MDT reply actions
by E on Apr 20, 2009 2:00 AM MDT reply actions
So, yeah I ended up going to the game at the last minute, and I as well can definitely say that was the most fun I have ever had at a Nuggets game by far. Of course I don't have a lot of games that I have been to to compare this one to, but let me just say, I would much rather watch Billups and JR torch people in the playoffs than I would Sac Randolph burn calories at the Pepsi Center on a Tuesday night. Anyways, the game. I have so much I could write about I would probably take up more space than all the previous posts combined so I will try and mention the biggest thing I noticed about tonight's game. It was Chauncy running things. You saw him moving his hands, telling people where to go to, you saw him talking to his teammates on the sidelines when timeouts were called (surprisingly very well tonight) and then you saw him after the game at the press conference explaining everything he did tonight to get the win. He was coaching tonight. Sure maybe George Karl had a whiteboard and a suit, but Chauncy was the one coaching, and look at what he did. All I can say is I hope Chauncy tests coaching when he is done playing, I could see him being very successful. But the whole thing is, when Melo tries to be the leader we don't play near as good as a team. I swear Melo is one of the most talented dudes in the NBA but he doesn't know how to play "team" basketball worth crap. Even though JR and Chauncy were the ones doing most of the scoring (did you see that chemistry?) the whole team was moving, passing, boxing out, ect, which lead to a more dominant performance on the defensive end as well. Everything was clicking on all cylinders as they say. When Melo is the primary focus of the team this rarely happens. So, my big point is, this team is better off moving forward with Melo as the 2nd option on the team. Melo just isn't the type of player who can be the primary focus of the team and still be a great team player like Lebron, Wade and CP3 (not so much Kobe). So, if we wish to have success in the next month lets hope we can emulate what we did tonight.
Another thing, I am watching the replay on Altitude right now and it just so happens that the moment we start to separate ourselves from the Hornets in terms of points comes right after K-Mart (as D.J. Augustine put it) doesn't let CP3 try and "punk" him.
by Goldennugget on Apr 20, 2009 2:10 AM MDT reply actions
by Goldennugget on Apr 20, 2009 2:35 AM MDT reply actions
You have to be careful to not get carried away, and I assume things might be called differently if we were playing the Lakers or Cavs, but you have to be relentless. This team has been dubbed the "Thuggets" by some, so let's show them how determined and angry this team can really be.
by Cessair on Apr 20, 2009 3:01 AM MDT reply actions
by Eric K on Apr 20, 2009 7:07 AM MDT reply actions
1) Again we have a player who hit a large # of 3s--Chauncey's 8--but I hope we remember that driving is a good idea too. JR's atrocious 0 of 7 night should offset Chauncey's big night, but will it?
2) Again Coach Karl tells the media that Chauncey doesn't have many skills. The first time he said it, about 2 weeks ago, I chalked it up to him simply misspeaking--it happens. But since then he's used every opportunity to say that Billups "isn't that skilled" over and over again. Does Karl not realize how insulting that is, especially given Billups' tremendous success in this league? Karl's full quote is something like "I usually say that Chauncey doesn't have many skills, but tonight he had skills." So karl doesn't value the day-in, day-out steadiness and leadership, but he does value chucking up lots of threes. Great message to send the team, coach!
by keeperdesign on Apr 20, 2009 7:57 AM MDT reply actions
The best work Melo did all night was as cheerleader in the 4th quarter. I hope we get to see him in that role often through out the rest of this series.
Is LK really out of his shooting slump? It sure is looking like it.
by JTR on Apr 20, 2009 8:23 AM MDT reply actions
We got some home court calls. That is a first, and it was nice. The Stoorm Troopers followed protocol and gave the higher seeded team the calls they otherwise wouldn't get. It was also good to hear Kenny, Barkley, and Webber eat their words after the game, with a slice of humble pie. And Reggie Miller giving JR a new nickname "The 4th Quarter Closer" was kinda sweet.
by joelsopinion on Apr 20, 2009 8:42 AM MDT reply actions
I've never seen a player try to draw fouls as much as Chris Paul. If anyone is within two feet of him he jumps forward, backward, sideways into them and then flops on the ground. Literally every time he has the ball he initiates contact and then flops. Amazing. Then when he actually gets fouled by Kenyon Martin he still whines to the refs because an actual foul should be extra for him.
I say Kenyon opens the next game by bitch slapping him into the third row, a la Shaq a couple of years ago on the Kings center.
by KarlSucks on Apr 20, 2009 9:16 AM MDT reply actions
SO, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE NUGGETS DIDN'T HAVE A GREAT GAME, THE HORNETS HAD A BAD GAME.
(OK, i'll stop screaming)
It seems to me that until the 21-0 run, the Hornets looked to me like they came to play. At the end of the half the score was 55 to 47. Now that's not great, but it doesn't show a team that "THEY DIDN'T COME TO PLAY."
Ever since the All-Star coverage these guys have made themselves known as the pukes they really are.
So, with this i say my prayer:
"Dear God,
Maketh the announcerith's eatith their wordith and i hope they have to swallowith their wordiths and have notith the strength to puke their words up they are sucm and they don't deserve to live for dissing my beloved Denver Nuggets who showed what they are made of and i hope your women sleep with D-League players and leave Italian League jisim in your beds.
I God's name, I pray..."
by SpokenWar on Apr 20, 2009 9:19 AM MDT reply actions
After last nights game, I guess we can end any debate about whether it's Billups or the "coaching" that has changed the team. No way they win last night without Billups.
by KarlSucks on Apr 20, 2009 9:24 AM MDT reply actions
1. Carmelo got a star call from the refs on a play that should have been a no-call.
2. K-Mart finally playing like what he is being paid. He keeps this up for the entire playoffs he'll be worth all 14.1 million he's getting this year.
3. Melo going hard to the basket on several plays. When the primary focus of the other team is to stop Melo's drives it opens up a whole other world of offense.
Things I'd like to see differently
1. Relying so heavily on the three ball early.
2. The silly fouls (like Melo putting his shoulder into Chandler)Keep the aggression without the childishness.
I can hardly believe Chauncey is that big of a difference maker. Will this hold up throughout the playoffs?
by NugzD on Apr 20, 2009 9:31 AM MDT reply actions
@ Spokenwar- Yes the announcers suck, the TNT broadcast team sucks, the ESPN commentators suck, and everyone else who doubts or down talks the Nuggets suck. If Mike Vick had any killer dogs left, I'd lock it in a room with The Jet and Stephen A. Smith, then post that shit Youtube.
@ NugzD- Chandler was also part of that collision. He wasn't setting a screen or a pick. He just tried to bully Melo, and Melo let him know that he's wasn't going to be bullied.
I think K-Mart has been sharing his secret juice with the other guys, because NO ONE was backing down or letting a foul go unanswered.
by Joelsopinion on Apr 20, 2009 11:45 AM MDT reply actions
I loved the intensity of the teams' play after the initial first quarter "get to know you", Super Bowl-like nervous dance. Now that we put the smack down on the Hornets, it'll be interesting to see how they adjust their playcalling or matchups. Billups' game not included, some of the best Nuggets moments came with Melo on the bench. I don't mind the new look, defensive minded Nuggets (who still score 100+)!
by Tim on Apr 20, 2009 4:14 PM MDT reply actions
Here's my recap:
- Karl: We'll be doing it like *this*
Team tries to do it that way, but that way sucks. Everybody is off their game.
- Chauncey: F you, Karl, we'll be doing it like *this* (sinks 3)
- Team: I like this way better. Let's just follow Coach Billups.
- Karl, now disgruntled: I'll be making some insulting comments about Chauncey later tonight.
- Guy Who Threw Beer Bottle: WOOOOOOOO!!!
- Crowd Who Was Attempting To Applaud Nuggets Effort: WTF?
- David Stern: Time to leave. These Denver fans are idiots; no wonder I instruct everybody to disrespect their team. Huh? No, I won't shake your hand.
Or something like that. I've had the flu all weekend, and reality has been questionable for me.
But I did enjoy that game. Karl had a great look on his face after an early JR miss. It cracked me up. And it was fantastic to see Kleiza de-zombiefied.
I thought we played well as a team, with the focus on defense. There is no denying that we looked unstoppable on offense, as well. And of course all the post-game commentary was about how poorly the Hornets played, not how good the Nuggets looked.
I'll be at Game 2, and I hope to see the same kind of effort out of the team. With Game 1's outcome this could be a trap sort of game, and hopefully the Nuggets can adjust accordingly. I also hope to have as much fun as you guys had going to Game 1.
But, most of all, I hope I'm close to a bathroom. It's been a loooong weekend...
by Do We Have Any Plays? on Apr 20, 2009 6:26 PM MDT reply actions
The role players were solid as well (although I did cringe when AC threatened the full court baseball pass), including LK who I thought played his best game of the season.
I have lost all respect for C3PO (Chris 3 Pissed Off), especially after his mini-tantrums and his Ginobili-like flops. Fire your team up, that's cool, but he looked like a punk.
New game on Wednesday and I think we'll be looser from the jump.
by My3Cents on Apr 20, 2009 8:32 PM MDT reply actions
We need to hear you in real time.
I saw a Denver team who as usual were playing to lose a first round playoff once again. Many stupid airhead turnovers, several airballs ???? Melo, Kmart, JR Swish.
But !!! Superman Billups shows up and raised the bar for the entire team. I believe the team needed to find a new level of confidence they never knew they had. They were guided by the larger than playoff life Billups. Finally during the third I think the team started to believe. They dominated the Hornets. Our talent level kicks the Hornets ass. Piss poor CP3 was bullied till he was bruised and what a puss on the court. Who the fuck does he think he is, a pretty pink prima donna. It was great seeing Dhanty and Kmart have their way with him.
I think the TNT guys were fair to Denver. They were all about Bird and JR. I'll take anything over Marlowe and his band boy screams during the Nuggets run.
Even Hastings has become tired over his ever present foul call-outs that the refs fail to see Denvers way. No wonder NENE is always giving the Stink eye to the refs, he probably hears Hastings on the continuous whine that the Nuggets once again got robbed off a foul call. Of course Hastings is usually correct but still.....
And I saw the Karl interview saying that CB had limited talent.
Amazing, to me Karl can't be held responsible for what he say's. The dude smokes dope , I swear it.
I really enjoyed the 21-0 Nuggets run. A little more of that sweet pie please.
by markp on Apr 20, 2009 9:57 PM MDT reply actions
by SamIam on Apr 20, 2009 10:59 PM MDT reply actions
by Zachm219 on Apr 21, 2009 10:17 AM MDT reply actions
by Anonymous on Apr 22, 2009 12:34 AM MDT reply actions
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