The balloon deflator (Nuggets/Wizards recap)
by Nate Timmons on Feb 20, 2010 9:42 AM MST
in Game Recaps
27 comments
For as good as the Cleveland win was on Thursday night, this predictable, yet gut-wrenching 107-97 loss to Washington was just that bad.
How many games are the Nuggets going to lose to sub .500 teams? Probably enough to keep them from gaining the all important home-court advantage for the upcoming playoffs.
A short list of reason why this loss was hard to take:
- The Nuggets had just made up one game on the Lakers for the top spot out West.
- Denver was coming off yet another, "best win of the season" type game against a top-tier team at Cleveland.
- The Nuggets were outscored in the fourth-quarter 34-15.
- Denver had a chance to finally go above .500 on the road.
- The Wizards stink.
How do you lose to a team that is without their FOUR BEST PLAYERS?! No Gilbert Arenas, no Caron Butler, no Antawn Jamison and no Brendan Haywood.
The Nuggets breezed through three-quarters of last night's contest and held a 82-73 lead heading into the final quarter. Denver however was unable to hold onto a 9-point lead and the Wizards swung the game by 19 points in the final quarter. How does that happen?
The Nuggets energy level in the final period was almost non-exsistent and the team bogged itself down with too much one-on-one play and only recorded 12 assists in the game. This has been a staple of the Nuggets this season ... go on the road and forget to share the ball and individual players try to take over the game.
We can keep chalking these games up to "the second of back-to-backs" and "trap games", but these losses are going to bury the Nuggets chances (if they haven't already) of getting the top spot in the West (5 1/2 games back now) and while it isn't impossible to win a playoff series without home-court, it is very difficult.
The good news ... another top-tier team comes to Denver for a early afternoon game on Sunday when the Celtics will make their only trip to the Mile-High city.
Views you can use:
- The Wizards grabbed 14 offensive rebounds ... 31% of the possible boards on the Nuggets' end (45 total boards).
- Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 3 assists last night. What? Three assists?!?!
- Clippers castoff Al Thornton finished the game 7-12 from the field and scored 21 points, while frustrating Carmelo Anthony in the second half.
ntimmons73@yahoo.com
Twitter: Nate_Timmons
Photo courtesy of Getty Images: Ned Dishman
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Wake up and go to sleep...
I think now is the time to come to understand that this type of loss is simply part of the Nuggets make-up. This is a team that thrives on challenge, and the emotion that goes along with it. This is a team that can get up for the best, and often times disregards the worst. I don’t think they feel like they’ve ever actually lost a game, they simply have run out of time.
As frustrating as this is for us fans, this is the Denver Nuggets.
So, is there any sense in getting upset about these losses? Do these losses matter? Well, sans a total Lakers meltdown, we aren’t going to win the Western Conference. So that leaves whoever is in 3rd. If the Nuggs are going to lose these games, they have to suffer the consequences of ending up with the 3rd seed.
The question here is will that awful consequence create enough emotion to make the Nuggs win on the road against sub .500 teams.
Only time will tell…
Right now the Nuggets are closer to the 8th seed (5 games ahead) than they are to the 1st seed (5.5 games back).
didnt
bother to look that far behind us w/ the jazz and mavs on us. we could easily end up as the 6th seed
by 808inDenver on Feb 20, 2010 10:29 AM MST up reply actions
the jazz and mavs
schedule look much easier than the nuggets…with only a 1/2 game and 2 game lead on both….
by 808inDenver on Feb 20, 2010 11:14 AM MST up reply actions
We have to win the Division or it will be a disaster.
Both Denver and SLC have full schedules in March:
Nugs – 10 Away, 6 Home, 4 Back-to-Backs
Jazz – 9 Away, 7 Home, 4 Back-to-Backs
Neither team plays a heavy mix of top 5-10 teams. So the schedule favors the Jazz only because the Nuggets can’t beat sub 500 teams consistently.
The time is soon upon us.
Wow this was horrible to watch
I think i blame the nonchalant attitude of every one…. really like it was ok when we were up in the first 3 quarters… but it never sparked in the 4th… BTW petro should have played like 20 min…. seriously i have no doubt now that he is better than malik and he is bigger and younger… seriously against this team he could have like 10-6 in 20 min… seriously Nene and Kmart just came off a back to back….
Lets hope we win v the Celtics, who are doing bad now so mayb the Nuggets play down to again!!! lets hope not tho
Petro playing
That’s what I was trying to say last night.
The Nuggets won’t lose tomorrow. They know what’s at stake, a least…I hope so.
Actually the celtics are starting to get in the groove
They just won back to back games in LA and then the next night in portland. That’s pretty impressive
by Cargo5 on Feb 20, 2010 1:50 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
Melo took himself out of MVP contention last night
his selfish play in the second half set the tone for their 4th quarter collapse.
Surely you jest
Melo played selfish?
Did he try to make it a point that Thornton wasn’t any good at defending him? Wrong!
Thornton was awesome D’d up Melo something fierce. Then the Me took over in Melo and it was a complete collapse of the effort
There are times when he’s capable of putting the team on his back and carrying them then there are times when he needs to trust his team mates
Where is the maturity and leadership?
If it was JR this site would have eaten him alive
Here we go again...
It’s all Melo’s fault when we lose. Give me a break. Everyone played poorly last night. Chauncey could easily take some of the heat for his “selfish” play as well.
I don’t understand all this panic run amok here. We have what 20+ games left?
Troy Tulowitzki - Best SS in the MLB - 2010 MVP
"With a guy like Melo, it’s tough to stop him with one person. You can’t. I don’t know one guy who can stop Melo on a consistent basis."-CP3
Brad Hawpe - Will prove the doubters wrong
PS Let's win the NL West in 2010, shall we?
50+ games in and we're still
telling ourselves that we need to focus EVERY game….at some point it looks more like thats just how we are. we arent going to focus every game. we shouldnt even be talking about the 1st seed already, we’re going to have to play lights out just to hold onto the 2nd, 3rd and 4th seed.
and yes, i did place some blame on chauncey last night bc he kept feeding melo.
chauncey 9-15 60%, 3-5 3pt, 7-7 FTs, 3 TOs
melo 7-20 35%, 0-2 3pt, 9-14 FTs, 5 TOs
by 808inDenver on Feb 20, 2010 10:42 AM MST up reply actions
I don't think it's Melo's fault every time we lose
(e.g. I thought Chauncey was a disaster in the SA game), but Melo was the cause last night.
I'll be the first to say Melo doesn't matter as much as you guys think...
But give the guy time. He just came back from a couple weeks off, he’s trying to force things a little bit. It was the 2nd night of a back to back and it looked like he didn’t have his legs, etc.
the back to backs dont get eaiser....
Portand – W
at NJ – W
at Atlanta – L
at Milwaukee – L
Chicago – W
at Minnesota – W
at Charlotte – L
at Sacramento – L
Philadelphia – L
at Sacramento – L (ridiculous we played Cleveland the night before)
Clippers – W
at Utah – L
at Washington – L
remaining
Detroit
at Memphis
Washington
at Boston
at Dallas
Lakers
at Phoenix
i missed
Sacramento – W
remiaing
@ Phoenix
by 808inDenver on Feb 20, 2010 11:28 AM MST up reply actions
Good vs Great
Nuggets are a good team.
Great teams don’t lose to sub.500 teams on a consistent basis
Great teams have an owner that does what it takes to get a championship
Great teams are teams with out the ME factor
Great teams know how to defend against the pick and roll.
Great teams have good ball movement and their spacing is exceptional.
Great teams have the ability to know how to finish off their opponents
Will the Nuggets become great? When?
Just trying to put my mind in 2008 mode
We should all be happy to just make the playoffs. Apparently that’s where the players are at too.
its really hard to lower expectations
but this might be the reality. lets get that 4th seed in the west!
back to back excuse getting old
Tired of hearing about the back to back excuse. It is not like they’re walking to their next game. Extend the bench!….Petro for sure…..and Balkman’s energy if he ever returns and is allowed to play. No more excuse making….play ball!
earl smith
struggled on offense. on the bright side he took only 3 shots from 3 point land for the second game in a row. it will be a major step for him not to compete with cb1 and melo for shots when things get selfish on the offensive end.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
12 assists
does not tell the whole story. nuggets had 9 assists in the first half. 82 to 73 lead to start the 4th quarter. the 34 to 15 score in the 4th sums up the game. denver stopped playing on both ends of the court. the weakest part of denver’s game is executing in the half court offense.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
a little throw up remaining in my mouth...
the nuggets… so exciting but so frustrating sometimes.. UGH
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