Kroenke should green-light Billups statue (Nuggets/Lakers recap)
by Nate Timmons on Feb 6, 2010 3:42 AM MST
in Game Recaps
83 comments
Basketball is a great game. Watching Chauncey Billups play basketball is a thing of beauty. Watching the Nuggets smack the Los Angeles Lakers in the mouth along my fellow Denver Stiffs was a delight. Denver’s 126-113 victory left its mark.
Before we tear into the game I would just like to mention the Denver Stiffs watch party at Chopper’s in Cherry Creek. The seating situation at Chopper’s was sort of tricky as the house was packed with Nuggets fans. The atmosphere during the game was that of a playoff contest and the Stiffs that made it out definitely made it a night to remember.
I’d like to thank everyone who was able to make it out to our first event because it was fairly short notice, but nice to meet some of the readers. Thanks to TKnuckle, 5280, Pusherman, BrianD, RPN, Mattress King, Stiffy, Vicki and her Husband, Andrew (not Feinstein) and his throwback Billups jersey and the Saudi Arabian crew who attend CU Denver. I’m sure I’m probably missing a few people and that a few folks may have slipped through the crowded bar … but it was great going nuts at Chopper’s with true Nugget fans. It reminded me of sitting up in the Melo’s Yellows section during the playoffs, loved the rowdiness in the second half.
To the game …
Chauncey Billups started the game hitting his first two three-point attempts and finished the first quarter with four three-pointers and drew a foul and hit 2-3 free throws on another. But the Lakers started out just as hot as a team and couldn’t seem to miss a shot. The Lakers shot 53% in the first half and out-rebounded the Nuggets 24-19. Denver did battle back in the first quarter, after being down 11 points they were able to tie things up at 30-30 heading into the second quarter, but the Lakers grabbed a 64-59 lead going into the half.
As hot as the Lakers seemed to be, the Nuggets were just as hot and actually shot 55% from the field in the first half. The Nuggets seemed a bit reluctant to challenge the Lake Show in the paint and were settling for jumpers and three-pointers. Typically this is a recipe for disaster for the Nuggets, but last night the shots were falling.
Whenever you play on the road you just need to keep within striking distance until the fourth quarter. Denver started to let things slip away just a bit in the third quarter as the Lakers built an 81-72 lead just under 4 minutes left in the period, but then Mr. Big Shot came alive. Billups scored 14 points to end the quarter with two free throws and four consecutive three-pointers. Ty Lawson added a bank shot three as Billups left the hoop hot for everyone else and the Nuggets turned a nine-point deficit into a five-point lead in just four minutes heading into the fourth quarter.
Like the Nuggets usually do at home … the Nuggets came out in the fourth quarter and were firing on all cylinders. Lawson, J.R. Smith, Arron Afflalo, K-Mart (then Nene) and Chris Andersen started the final period and extended Denver’s lead to 106-97 before Billups returned to the floor to help finish off the Lakers.
Denver got buckets early in the fourth thanks to Lawson attacking the rim like a freight train, Nene getting into the paint and then the jump shooting just taking over from there. The Nuggets put on a shooting clinic at the Staples Center last night and when the Lakers faithful started booing the team at about the 3:04 mark things were essentially over. But the final dagger came when Afflalo hit his final three-ball to give the Nuggets a 118-108 lead with just 1:49 left in the game.
The Nuggets improved to 34-16 on the season and got back to .500 on the road (12-12) by snapping the Lakers 8 game home win streak. Meanwhile the Lakers lost for just the fourth time on their home floor (24-4) and fell to 38-13 overall. The Nuggets could have been down 5 games in the loss column had they not won the game … as it stands now, the Nuggets are just 3 games behind the Lakers for the top spot in the West.
And did I mention that Melo didn’t step on the floor in the win? Denver is now 8-4 without their scoring leader … this team can be scary good.
Additional nuggets:
--Kobe Bryant scored 23 points in the first half, but went just 3-10 in the second half and scored just 10 points and turned the ball over four times. He did finish with 33 points, but also tallied 0 assists.
--Pau Gasol continued to dominate inside. The Llama finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds, but shot just 8-17 from the field … it seemed like Gasol had a lot of bunnies that just didn’t fall.
--Joey Graham’s most memorable play came when he tested the mental state of Ron Artest at the 6:15 mark of the third quarter with a hard foul. Replay of Graham’s hard foul under the hoop clearly show Artest form a fist and he even made a slight cock with his right arm … will be interesting to see if Artest gets a fine for the reaction.
--The Nuggets shot 15-22 from beyond the arc or 68% … that probably wont ever happen again this season, but it was fun to watch. My three-point contest article came just at the right time eh? Luck of the draw.
--Chauncey Billups: 40 minutes, a career-high 39 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. 12-20 shooting, 9-13 from three-point land (career high in made threes) and 6-8 from the foul line. It seems crazy that Billups has never scored 40+ points in a game … especially since he was much more athletic when he was younger. Acquiring Billups was the perfect trade and the absolute right player to bring to this team. Billups’ mental makeup just continues to impress me and his shooting is just … … he’s the Battleship King. Billups’ 21 points in the third quarter were the second most ever scored against the Lakers in one quarter … the most … 23 points by Wilt Chamberlain when he was with the 76ers in Feb. of 1966.
--K-Mart: 38 minutes, 11 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block on 5-16 shooting (1-3 from the foul line). Martin didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but he hit some key shots in this game and pulled down some big boards. When Kenyon almost had a put-back dunk in the fourth quarter the roof was ready to be blown off at Chopper’s. K-Mart had a tough draw with the Lakers’ bigs, but like he always does he hung tough and battled.
--Arron Afflalo: 35 minutes, 11 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists on 4-7 shooting, 2-3 from deep, 1-2 from the foul line. Afflalo hit the dagger shot for the Nuggets and played tough defense on one of the most difficult covers in the league on Kobe. I watched Afflalo on a few defensive plays and he moves and predicts where his man is going quite well. He’s such a smart player and just keeps his effort levels very high.
--J.R. Smith: 35 minutes, 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists on 11-17 shooting, 3-4 from deep and 2-2 from the foul line. Swish had 16 points in the final period and just was a very efficient player tonight. It’s always a good sign when Smith has 13 more two-point attempts than his three-point shots. J.R. got to the rim when he wanted to and came up with some nice rebounds. Swish’s hot hand in the final period was fun to watch. Just big shot after big shot that the L.A. crowd even began to marvel at.
--Nene: 31 minutes, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 6 fouls on 6-10 shooting and 2-3 from the foul line. Nene has typically been intimidated by the size of the Lakers and has been timid inside against Andrew Bynum. But last night Nene was very aggressive and was attacking the rim and getting where he wanted to go. It was too bad the refs fouled him out on two phantom calls because he was having a nice offensive game.
--Chris Andersen: 26 minutes, 7 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist on 3-4 shooting (1-1 from the foul line) and 1 missing bottle of hair gel. Lisa Salters reported that Bird forgot his hair gel and perhaps he should leave it at home for the duration. Bird’s boyish hairdo lent itself to a high-energy performance. Bird had himself a monster slam early and it looked weird with his non-gelled hair, but I’m a fan.
--Ty Lawson: 19 minutes, 13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists on 5-6 shooting, 1-1 from deep and 2-2 from the foul line. Lawson was a menace and the Lakers didn’t have an answer for him. His freight train drives resulted in some pretty layups and if he starts getting some calls on his wild, but controlled drives he’ll be an And1 machine. Lawsome’s confidence was apparent and he gives Denver the biggest X-Factor in a series with the Lakers.
--Joey Graham: 15 minutes, 4 points, 2 assists on 2-4 shooting. Like I mentioned … Graham’s hard foul on Artest and then his willingness to stand right in front of Ron-Ron showed Joey has balls. The guy is built like a bull and it’s fun to watch him fly to the rim, I just with it would happen more often.
That was a hell of a win by the Nuggets in L.A., their most impressive performance of the season as far as I’m concerned. The Lakers length will be an issue in any game with Denver, but the Nuggets can combat that with aggressive offense and aggressive defense. Denver also has that swagger that they are better than anyone and that’s a dangerous thing to possess.
The Nuggets have now defeated the Lakers this season by 26 and 13 points.
ntimmons73@yahoo.com
Twitter: Nate_Timmons (if you are not on Twitter yet ... what's wrong with you? Great sports news source!)
Photo courtesy of: Francis Specker
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unbelievable.
Nuggets are on another level. Chauncey getting his career high as a Nugget, vs the Lakers, is very cosmically fitting.
Swats.
Lovely
Is there anything better than listening to Los Angeles Laker fans complain about officiating? I say no.
Living out here in El Lay, and having to suffer through these games with insufferable Laker “fans” (many of whom cannot name all the players on their own team) I have to say that this felt pretty good for an injury plagued, looking forward to the break, February contest. But though this feels good tonight, we can’t do no trash talkin till we beat these 20 million a year matinee idols in a playoff series. And that series should be a good one. The league leader in Vehicular Homicide Vs. The League Leader in (Aggressively forgotten about) Rape. Game on. Go Nuggs. Bring in that Big Fella. that we need.
A++++ can’t agree more. I love mature thinking like this.
I also do think “winning in LA without Melo is so impressive” is SLIGHTLY overrated. It actually gave us some advantages:
- It gave us a “nothing to lose” mentality… Many playoffs teams find it extremely difficult to beat lottery-bound teams who play for nothing, so they are going all out, because they have nothing at stake and can just play relaxed. We were supposed to lose this!
- We’re more focused… because there’s no Melo. While the team didn’t think it should win the game, it also doesn’t want to be embarassed. So they stepped up the level of focus and intensity a notch… because hey they’re without their best player. The question is can we play with the same high level of focus and intensity WITH when all players including Melo are healthy?
- It made LA not take us seriously… while it looked like they played nothing like it… trust me, a certain factor like “opponents’ best player sits out” could make you take the opponents lightly… Sure Kobe was on fire early and they took a 10 pt lead… but what happened when Billups went on a tear and we took a 1 pt lead? Their body language says, “yeah our switch is off now, but we can turn it on late in the fourth and win this game… you’re without Melo, so we will win this”… turns out it didn’t work in their favor, but had it not been for Billups’ career night, we probably wouldn’t have won this game either.
I don’t think any of us should count on Billups having 4 career nights in a playoffs series against LA for us to beat them and advance.
We still need a big man, although I applaud Bird and Kenyon’s work in the paint… we still need a big man. Like we shouldn’t count on Billups’ career nights in a playoffs series vs. Lakers, we shouldn’t count on Birdman pulling down 15 boards 4 times in the playoffs series.
by SnakefromHell on Feb 6, 2010 4:49 AM MST up reply actions
Thanks DAD
We just freakin BEAT THE LAKERS! TWICE! I’m gonna bask in this for the next 6 hours, thank-you-very-much….
Fuck the Lakers.
by SternfluffsKobe on Feb 6, 2010 9:45 AM MST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
I live in LA
And I can’t STAND the faker fans complaining about the refs. They make up excuses after excuses of why they lost god damn. So glad we finally shut them up with a statement win (we aren’t even fully healthy either).
AAA is born to defend Kobe
… seriously… Kobe scored 33, but a tough 33 and some of the indefensivable three pt shots. AA defends Kobe the way no defender has defended in the past before… he plays it so clean, without grabbing, without elbowing, without kneeing, without giving cheap shots to Kobe, unlike a certain Dahntay Jones and our defensive stoppers in the past. This way, it’s tough for refs to call cheap fouls and AA can manage to stay out of foul trouble and more importantly, the team doesn’t just commit fouls to defend Kobe.
Also, a great thing about AA is although he plays clean defense, he is still very physical and active. He wouldn’t hesitate to commit hard fouls, but most of the time, he doesn’t have to. He plays defense the right way and clean.
Remember when Bruce Bowen used to provoke great offensive players like Ray Allen, Vince Carter and Michael Finley by slipping his foot underneath an air-borne player, in the past? This in turn enrages the star players, and they became extra motivated which most of the time becomes a double-edged sword. Well AA doesn’t do any of these dirty tricks… all he does is play hard, physical, active, in your grill defense without much physical contact… opponents can’t help but be affected by his defense, but at the same not get motivated because of "dirty tricks". This is just about as good defense as anyone can possess.
Like MJ used to describe Dumars and Jeff Malone as the defenders most difficult to score against, Kobe might some day describe AA in the same light if this continues.
This is just great defense on Kobe I’ve ever seen anyone does. Obviously, the similar body type between Kobe and AA also helps… I don’t think AA would be able to defend LeBron (I think Graham stands a better chance)… or point guards like Dahntay can. It also helps Kobe is nursing some injuries… but I’ve observed since Kobe entered the L, and noone has done defensive job as well as AA has done imo.
These guys deserve credits
- I do think Billups has still a lot left in his tank… I was skeptical before the season, it looked like he was getting old… but when you can shoot, and have high basketball IQ, you can play until 39.
- I do think Birdman is an improved player from he was last season. Many people think he regressed, including myself, after a sub par November and that he blocks less. But he has really worked hard to the point he battles the big men in the paint. No longer he is just a weakside blocker… the less block he makes, actually makes him a better defender in the paint. He gambles less often and makes a conscious effort to box out every time a shot is hoisted and rebound the ball. He has also worked that his FT shooting is a lot better… and only shoots those “Marcus Camby” shots when all other options are exhausted. This said, we still need a big man.
- KMart continues to be active in the paint, loving his defense as ever
- J.R. Smith, I’ve been critical about his “casual” approach for basically the whole season. But somehow, it helps him relax against the Lakers… because while he’s still casual, his focus is elevated a notch up playing them. The only problem is when facing lesser opponents… when he’s casual AND his level of focus is down, he’s highly inconsistent. But against the Lakers? A casual/ relaxed but highly focused J.R. could be the most dangerous weapon we have against them.
- Ty Lawson, thank you Minnesota… he adds to this Lakers’ list of problems against us this season… I LOVE IT. If you have a tiny rocket launcher that can follow your enemy (in this case, Lakers’ ass), that’s Ty. While Billups seems to struggle to score against or to defend Shannon Brown, Ty is our exact remedy for Brown.
- Nene, his scoring in the paint was great, although he still lacks the tenacity to rebound and his frustration when he gets called for a foul could still be his undoing when these games matter, and I fear could cost us…
- Joey Graham is burly and big, he is perfect to defend Artest (or LeBron if we make to the Finals).
- AAA, best acquisition of the season… great defender, great outside shooter… I really believe within one year, he would be in the conversation of All NBA defensive team. He’s our Bruce Bowen who doesn’t piss off opponents like the old Bruce used to (VC, Ray, Finley all wanted to fight him and they became extra motivated playing against him)… or Dahntay Jones…
- Melo for staying true to his injury and his maturity at an all time high… like Feinstein, I thought there was something fishy about his injury and he would suddenly appear on ESPN against the Lakers. Now he could also miss the All Star game and has said he thinks the Nuggets are more important than the ASG. That won me over. Respect.
You gotta love Kobe's quotes from the AP Recap
He said that although he’s injured, he’s a tough bastard and can still draw double teams. Um, Kobe, meet Afflalo. He may think that he can still draw double teams, but Afflalo guarding him + kobe’s lack of ability to pass means that oftentimes he’s not double teamed. But whatever. Kobe also said that having the Nuggets think that they’re better than the Lakers is exactly what the Lakers want the Nuggets to think.
"Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious." - Charles Shackleford
"If the NBA were on channel 5 and a bunch of frogs making love were on channel 4, I'd watch the frogs, even if they were coming in fuzzy." - Bobby Knight
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
I read this in a LA forum and I could agree more :
( Great read)
“Aside from Denver being a matchup nightmare for LA, the scariest part about that team is their mental makeup. Sometimes your greatest strength is your greatest weakness, which is the case for Denver mentally. Psychologically they are combustable at times with egocentric and unpredictable players, but conversely, their uber confidence and “swagger” is equally as vital to their success Simply put: psychologically, as oppossed to other teams, Denver isn’t intimidated by LA. They truly believe they are the better team and that confidence has been fully reflected in their two blowouts over LA this season. As stated above, overconfidence can sometimes be a vice, but against a team as talented as LA it is actually the most necessary attribute, which is a scary thought.
Matchup wise, Denver has every component neccessary to beat LA: quality point guard play, multiple defenders to throw at Kobe and size/length. With Chauncey and Ty Lawson Denver has a glaring advantage over LA at the position. Fisher cant defend either, nor can Farmar, and both play the majority of the minutes of which they are a total liability. In effort to not beat a dead horse and rip Fisher, I’ll leave it at that, though I must say Fisher single handedly cost us the game tonight by helping off/not closing out on Billups which got Billups into a groove early and ultimately amounted to 8 made threes at Fisher’s expense. Overall, Lawson would be the best point guard on LA’s roster, which is telling in itself. Regarding Kobe, Denver can start out with Aaron Afflalo, who actually did the best job of any defender this year at defending Kobe in the game at Denver, and have the ability to throw either JR Smith or Melo at him if needed, both of whom have shown the ability to contain Kobe. Up front, Denver’s "three headed monster of Nene/K-Mart/Birdman while not as talented as LA’s three man rotation is certainly more physical. Andrew cant guard Nene for Nene is far too agile/quick and burns right by him, as seen tonight but Phil taking Bynum out of the game as a result. K-Mart’s toughness and speed bothers Pau if he doesn’t get extremely low in the post, and Birdman’s weakside D alters penetration. In essence, Denver’s bigs, much the same as Boston, try to punk LA to exploit their “softness”, and so far its worked.
The best testament to Denver’s superiority complex is their performance tonight sans their best player. Few teams have the confidence to go on the road without their star and execute in that fashion. While some may say Denver’s shooting was a mirage or one time event, think again. When you give great shooters (Billups and Afflalo are both +42% on the season and JR is deadly left open) open looks repeadtedly you can expect the majority to fall. While another 68% effort isn’t likely, they are more than capable of hitting 50% from deep against LA’s suspect perimeter D. Also, those who think Melo’s absence actually benefited Chauncey and aided his performance are mistaken. Whoever watches Billups consistently knows he shoots when he’s open regardless of who is on the court, and with Carmelo drawing the defenses attention he would have even more open looks.
Overall, at this point after a 26 point loss at Denver and tonights loss to a Melo-less team, its safe to say Denver has LA’s number. Furthermore, they have already shown the ability to win at Staples in the playoffs and more often than not blow LA out at the Pepsi Center. People can continue to make excuses about health and for Fisher’s clutch shots outweighing he deficiencies, but the time will come when excuses will no longer suffice, and while I may be in the minority IMO I’m fearful of that day if LA doesn’t acquire a perimeter defender to fill the crippling void on the perimeter. "
by NV23 on Feb 6, 2010 7:44 AM MST reply actions 2 recs
Ditch the hair-gel!
15 boards….
"Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious." - Charles Shackleford
""He’s a stiff." - The Legendary Doug Moe
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
"I really didn't want it, but now that I've won it, it's nice. It's an honor. It's nice to know people don't think you're a total idiot. ... It must have been a poor year for coaches." - Doug Moe...talking about winning 1987-88 Coach of the Year award.
"We're just tough, man" - Chauncey Billups
Could you say there is kind of a parallel to be drawn?
The night he doesn’t fix his hair up and put on the “Birdman” persona he gets gritty and snatches 15 boards to go along with 2 blocks. I don’t criticize what other players do with their hair, or bodies, but maybe Birdman shouldn’t go for so the act so much, and be more concerned with just doing his job.
Thanks for the party
It was a great atmosphere to watch a game. Great recap.
Amazing game!!!
Time to worry about the Jazz
They are on fire and have won like 56 of their past 57….at least it feels like it. They’ve been creeping up on us all season, and are now in 3rd. The Mavs are 31-19, the Jazz are 30-18.
"Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious." - Charles Shackleford
""He’s a stiff." - The Legendary Doug Moe
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
"I really didn't want it, but now that I've won it, it's nice. It's an honor. It's nice to know people don't think you're a total idiot. ... It must have been a poor year for coaches." - Doug Moe...talking about winning 1987-88 Coach of the Year award.
"We're just tough, man" - Chauncey Billups
Hopefully, the latter number can change to 30-19
"Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. I'm amphibious." - Charles Shackleford
""He’s a stiff." - The Legendary Doug Moe
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors." - Weldon Drew
"I really didn't want it, but now that I've won it, it's nice. It's an honor. It's nice to know people don't think you're a total idiot. ... It must have been a poor year for coaches." - Doug Moe...talking about winning 1987-88 Coach of the Year award.
"We're just tough, man" - Chauncey Billups
Top 5 Win of the Karl Era
Considering Melo’s injury, JR’s troubles, CB being nicked up, the horrible showing against the Suns and Thunder, etc., this may have been a Top 5 win of the Karl era. The Nuggs are a pretty special team when they play hard every possession, move the ball, and get contributions from every player. This was a playoff like game for both teams (Phil, was this game more important to Denver than LA like Game 1???) and the Nuggs seem very capable of beating LA in a 7 game series if everyone is healthy.
Great great win! Now, let’s go steal one in Utah tonight.
by ACEIII on Feb 6, 2010 8:09 AM MST via mobile reply actions
Benjamin Hochman's lead paragraph...
“One by one, they popped up from their courtside seats and shuffled toward the exits, and not even their surgically squeezed faces could prevent the frowns.”
Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14346679#ixzz0elk5E2kD
Wow
I really didn’t think Denver had much of a chance, without Melo in the lineup. Especially going down big in the 1st quarter. My brain is programmed to think of the Nuggets of yesteryears. I keep forgetting this is the ‘09-’10 Nuggets.
Fantastic, team effort from top to bottom. Can’t say one negative thing about the team last night. To go into LA and beat the Lakers at full strength, fantastic.
Back to back against one of the hottest teams going…would be nice to see Melo in the lineup and give a tired team a needed boost!
My head hurts... :-)
What an amazing win for our Nuggets! On national TV… In La… With Kobe… WithOUT Melo… With a wonderful group of Nuggets Fans!
Thanks Andrew & Nate for getting us all together @ Choppers! Those lucky enough to attend will be talking about 02/05/2010 for a long time!
Thanks!
Vicki's Husband
(Russ)
WOW
Honestly didn’t see this coming. That was the best game all season. Not sure that we have the fakers # quite yet. But this helps our year immensely. Not to mention the LA economy. How much will be spent this weekend on anti-deppressants and Botox trying to recover from this one? Gasol is probably getting sheared as I type! My 8 year old son stayed up for the whole game!(talk about effort) All around great game! Let’s get up for the slack footed Jazz and snap their 8 game win streak as well!! Nuggets!
by COballer on Feb 6, 2010 8:25 AM MST via mobile reply actions
Thanks for planning this get-to-together. It was a lot of fun to meet some of the faces behind the blog (readers and bloggers). Great game, too! I’m off to SLC, where I suddenly have a renewed hope for the game tonight. Will Birdman show up again sans headband? Will Melo suddenly be healed? Can Chauncey play 2 amazing games back-to-back? Has Lawson crashed through that rookie wall? Can Nene finish a game without 6 fouls? Go Nuggets!
Welcome back toi the land of the hustling , Birdman
This reminded me of your play from last year.
Maybe you should lose the gel???
He blocked Kobe
According to NBA.com.
I must have missed it because I didn’t see it. Freaking amazing!!!
O, and one other thing...
I wouldn’t get too excited about this win… This was testament to the fact that the Nuggets know how to win. However, the way they won (jumpers) was an anomaly. Next game out – win by Karl’s rules.
Let us be excited for one day
Statement win in LA. No Melo. 126 points. Chauncey 2 new career highs. Be stoked until tipoff tonight.
by wangstu13 on Feb 6, 2010 9:50 AM MST via mobile up reply actions
I don't care how they did it
In any way, shape or form. The Nuggets just kicked the Lakers ass, twice! That win las night has HUGE.
I agree with spokenwar...
The Nuggets had great focus, which will win you games. But sometimes even with the best focus those treys don’t fall. Nene and KMart settled for too many jumpers. JR as well. Chauncey is excused because of his ankle. Afflalo did his thing.
Great game, but now that it’s over, on to the next. Take the Jazz to the rack!
wow....what a win
my friggin car wouldnt start ao I missed out on the festivities….nevertheless….great win
"Groovy" Ash from Evil Dead 2
"No one came from miles around / and said man your music is really hot" No One Came...Deep Purple
Great win
Great recap Nate. Really wish I could have been at Choppers, but alas I’m in Wa state. Wish the damn Sonics were still here, so I could catch a couple Nugs game a year. This team has all the ingredients to win it this year. We pose huge matchup problems for the best teams in the league. Let’s keep this Jazz game close and steal one tonight
by wangstu13 on Feb 6, 2010 9:46 AM MST via mobile reply actions
As a Pistons fan...
Stuff like this hurts. Especially on a night we lose to the Pacers… by 24. FML.
Maybe you ought to green-light a statue of Joe Dumars in Denver.
Hi, Chauncey. Hi, Arron. Good to see you.
I agree, I've always said Dumars is the best Nuggets GM in our history(although I love Wark)
passing on Melo, giving us Chauncey while taking away one of our cancer’s, oh and lets not forget AAA. I love Dumars!
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
His track record was good
until the Billups deal last year. Now, it’s completely snowballed on the feller. Great job overpaying for Gordon, Villenueva, and Hamilton. Basically, he’s hamstrung the franchise during the most anticipated free-agency period in NBA history.
"The country is full of good coaches. What it takes to win is a bunch of interested players." -Don Coryell, ex-San Diego Chargers Coach
I've always said Dumars was overrated
I have never been impressed by any of his moves. Plus passing on Melo and trading away Chauncey make all good moves he ever had worthless.
What are you guys talking about. . .
Last I checked Detroit still have won inftinately more rings with Dumars as GM than 15 teams have in their entire existence.
Detriot has had a great run under his watch.
One? Infinitely? Lol, not exactly
He has one more than 15 teams, not infinitely more. I give him props for that ring, but look where they are now under his watch.
You're right
I give him kudos for helping to build that title team, but he has absolutely floundered since. Passing on Melo for a raw European player was pure arrogance, and bypassed the old golden rule as a GM. Always draft for value, not for need.
"The country is full of good coaches. What it takes to win is a bunch of interested players." -Don Coryell, ex-San Diego Chargers Coach
Great win
The Nuggets shot the ball extremely well, save Kenyon, but I can always forgive a power forward for a bad shooting night if he pulls down 10 or more boards.
Billups was clearly the hero tonight, but this was probably the most complete game from the Denver bench I can remember all season:
• JR scored points in bunches
• Andersen blocked two shots and altered countless more while pulling down several key rebounds in the fourth quarter to prevent the Lakers from getting those pesky second-chance buckets.
• Ty Lawson pushed the pace, giving the Lakers no chance to catch their breath when spelling Billups or playing alongside him.
Do you see those verbs: Scored, blocked, pushed. That’s always a good line for your bench.
Now the Lakers are a great team. But… The best team in basketball right now might just be the Utah Jazz. In my mind a win there tonight will be just as sweet.
Member: 10-man rotation for deep playoff push advocacy group
Nene
2 phantom calls? more than that. I sickens me to see Gasol throw his elbow in Nene’s face and Nene get called for the foul. I’d like to see Nene really foul a couple guys so the refs can see what it looks like. Could not believe how hot the Nuggets were, wow. When Melo gets back I hope he doesn’t shoot more than 12-15 x a game as the rest of the guys can obviously play and need some reps for confidence and keeping the rust off.
Random thoughts...
Artest is a loser. Bum. Whatever. I’m glad he’s not a Nugget.
Is it just me, or did the L.A. crowd specifically boo Birdman?
It was a good win, but Chauncy isn’t going to shoot like that every night. Would have liked to see the Nuggs be more aggressive taking it to the hole.
Overall though good W.
The More You Know The Less You Have To Say
They totally booed Birdman
Did you forget what happened in the last preseason game? The whole Odom/Birdman incident? They hate him because he was taunting thr crowd after he and Odom were T-ed up. :p
Whatever, I’m surprised nobody was throwing foam fingers last night. Lol!
AND because he single handedly won us the game in L.A. last year with his 10 blocks or whatever it was
I loved it when the booed him, I thought it was hilarious booing a bench player. That’s a sign you truly have a team’s number.
word is Tuesday vs. the Mavs...
Denver Stiffs.com: Defending the sovereignty of Nuggets Nation.
by Nate Timmons on Feb 6, 2010 2:40 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
I've seen a lot of things in my life...
but THAT, WAS, AWESOME!
Sorry I couldn’t be with you guys last night.
Total team win. Including the coaching.
I was most impressed by the way we battled back every time we were down by 7 or 9.
In addition to the unearthly shooting, the complementary stats of the night: 25 assists and 13 turnovers.
Looking forward to sustaining the momentum tonight.
Small note: It was Kiki’s plan to sign Billups as a free agent – that’s why he refused to do the Iverson trade. Kiki was going to package Miller’s deal to bring back bench help, then hold Camby’s contract for one more year to trade him for even more depth. Can you imagine how good we’d be with Rip Hamilton at the 2? Kiki’s the best GM we’ve ever had.
With regards to tonight’s game….incredible. We probably won’t see another shooting performance like that, but when you’re playing the Lakers, you take what you can get. Better still is the confidence you gain by going out to LA and just totally outplaying them in the second half. Makes a potential home-court advantage in the playoffs seem much less important.
Kiki? Kiki vandewghe?
You mean the same guy who passed on Caron Butler and Amare Stoudemire to draft Skita? The same Kiki who traded 3 first rounders to Jersey and gave KMart a max contract even though no one else was bidding for him? I don’t know dude. Wark kicks Kiki’s tired ass when it comes to being a GM. Joe Dumars comes in a close 2nd.
by adub on Feb 6, 2010 1:14 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
Atlanta also offered Kenyon a max deal.
Denver Stiffs.com: Defending the sovereignty of Nuggets Nation.
by Nate Timmons on Feb 6, 2010 2:42 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
I wanted Denver to throw that max money at Manu instead of K-Mart . .
I find it kind of ironic that this season, K-Mart looks like a better deal per $ than Manu . .who’ve of thought that K-Mart would start aging backwards at 31?
K-Mart is just crazy this year . .
Averaging the most minutes of his career, best rebounding rate of his career. Do you realize that only once in his career did he exceed 75 games?
It not like he has a real post game or any shooting skills, and post two major knee injuries he is now as athletic as he was @ 26. He is not dunking as much as he did on the break with Kidd and you can see a little drop off in his steals/blocks from his peak, but his increased defensive prowess (help rotations and man on mano) more than offset it.
I struggled to come up with a more impressive injury recovery . . perhaps the NYK version of B King, but bcs Martin does all his work of the defensive end it goes unnoticed.
Sorry, my comment was not meant to discredit you.
I agree wholeheartedly with your comment. KMart is playing out of his mind lately and Chauncey has been lights out. I was just commenting on the fact that two 30-somethings are having their BEST year, the same year, on the same team. And KMart had some messed up knees.
Does Jim Gillen deserve credit for the Nuggets’ success? You bet your ass he does.
No offense taken . . all I know is I started doing Yoga
to try and extend by pick-up career. If K-Mart can get the results he has (and Camby), then it is worth trying out.
It’s all the injury history bro. K-Mart was a #1 overall, and without fluky knee issues he’s a defensive stalwart and worth every penny. I’m convinced Atlanta will have to pay Josh Smith the same amount or more for a similar skill set.
And yeah, Kiki dropped the ball drafting T-stiff over those guys (you forgot Tayshaun Prince and Carlos Boozer), but Wark dropped the ball on the Powe and Blair drafts too. Plus Kiki absolutely FLEECED the Knicks for Nene, drafted Carmelo (admittedly a no-brainer), and brought in some of the best role players Denver has ever had, including Jon Berry and the initial flight of the Birdman. Hell, at least T-stiff ended up being Najera. I can count Kiki’s mistakes on one hand, whereas Wark’s goofed about 10 times by now. We should have given Kiki two more years.
Kiki? Kiki vandewghe?
You mean the same guy who passed on Caron Butler and Amare Stoudemire to draft Skita? The same Kiki who traded 3 first rounders to Jersey and gave KMart a max contract even though no one else was bidding for him? I don’t know dude. Wark kicks Kiki’s tired ass when it comes to being a GM. Joe Dumars comes in a close 2nd.
by adub on Feb 6, 2010 2:08 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
The Two Calls on Nene Were Abysmal
First, Odom flops and Nene did not even touch him. Then Gasol grabs Nene while he is crossing the lane and Nene is called for the foul. I am not one to complain about officiating, particularly after a win, but those two calls should be sent to the League office. They were made by the same official. . .I wonder if he has Donaghey on his speed dial…
WARNING
If you feel the need or desire to go to the Lakers fan site, silverscreenandroll.com, just know that they are incredibly poor losers.
I went on earlier and said exactly this:
“Perhaps you guys should be a little more concerned with winning the Western Conference instead of whether or not you or Cleveland will have homecourt advantage in the FINALS! You guys are constantly botching about all the “laker haters” and this is probably why. Arrogance and disrespect for other teams is a bad/dangerous combination. Just sayin."
And the response to my post? I was promptly banned from the site and no longer allowed to post there!
Awesome.
by SternfluffsKobe on Feb 6, 2010 1:33 PM MST via mobile reply actions
Speaking with most Lakers fans can only result in your IQ being lowered
so be happy. Also, I said MOST because like the one Lakers fan who came on here yesterday there are a few that are reasonable and not complete spoiled aholes.
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
I actually just thought of that....
no matter what i said my screenname did the trick…
by SternfluffsKobe on Feb 6, 2010 2:45 PM MST up reply actions
Right on SFK!
Keep up the good work. I look forward to your report on the Jazz faithful tomorrow.
An amazing win
I didn’t think they had much of a chance without Melo, on the road in La-la land. Billups and Earl were clutch from the outside, but Bird and Kmart did an excellent job contesting the paint. Let’s get the Jazz tonight!
"The country is full of good coaches. What it takes to win is a bunch of interested players." -Don Coryell, ex-San Diego Chargers Coach
Wow, that's all I can say
At this point in time there should be no argument whatsoever about who the MVP of this team is, Chauncey end of story. I really couldn’t comprehend what happened last night. It almost seemed like a dream at times watching Chauncey drain some of those shots, and I just kept thinking “Damn, I should have gone to Choppers!” I bet it was just nuts there because it was insane at my crib with only 5 people. That truly was one of the best Nuggets wins I have ever seen.
A few things I noticed…
- Is it me or does JR play a HELL of a lot better when Melo is out, or whenever he plays along side Chauncey? I just think to last year in the playoffs when he got to see a lot of time next to Chauncey and he had some of the best games of his career. And last night he just played fantastic. I personally believe it would be very beneficial to start JR along side Chauncey so that he is always there to look over him, or at least play him along side Chauncey whenever he subs it.
- Last night was about the first time, maybe ever, that I said to myself “Karl might actually be able to get it done this time.” Meaning, this is the first time I think he is capable of taking us to the promise land. He seems more focused these days, and more in tune with the team as a whole. Only time will tell but it’s shocking that Karl is actually starting to grown on ME of all people. I guess like they say, winning cures all.
JR with Chauncey.
You know, when this year started I would have said “no way!” I mean, if all our scoring firepower is in the starting line-up, what happens when the subs come in. BUT, the way Afflalo has been knocking down his shots, it just might work. Think about it.
Chauncey is a great spot-up shooter. JR gets his rhythm off the dribble. Let JR handle the ball a few times with Chauncey spotting up and vise-versa and you have a deadly combination.
Lawson can hit the spot-ups but is much better driving and kicking out (or posterizing Lakers). When JR and Lawson are in the game, the defense squeezes down into the lane making both players less effective. But switch Afflalo with JR, and Lawson can drive and dish to AA for an equally potent back-court duo.
In all honesty, I think Denver has the best backcourt combination in the league, no matter who is in at the moment.
By the way, gotta give my props to AC for his part in the win last night.
afflalo and lawson
make an outstanding guard tandem, starting or coming off the bench. it would be smart to keep them together. smith starting works for the following ways. kmart can QUARTERBACK earl into a stand out defensive player. billups will keep him under control on offense. smith can dish off to nene when he drives. smith can make teams pay for doubling melo. earl can do the grunt work for cb1. when billups was hurt ty and arron started. the last 2 games they played together they combined for 35 and 40 points. lawson and afflalo become the #1 and 2 scoring options options on offense coming off the bench.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
OMFG you just gave Karl credit????
actually I respect that you aren’t hell bent on not liking someone even if they do well and can change your mind about them if they start to impress.
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
Absolutely, it would be foolish not to.
That said, I’m still not 100% convinced he can beat Phil in a 7 game series, but the man is doing a great job right now.
Nope I'd smoke him in a 7 game series....
Oh you mean Jackson, right. I’m with you on that one, I believe he can but am by no means positive.
March 14, 2010: The great one returns!
Hey Phil Jackson was not making great decisions yesterday at least
I get the whole “I’m the Zen Master I don’t believe in timeouts” thing, but why the heck did he keep Sasha Vujacic in during the fourth quarter?
by Uh on Feb 6, 2010 3:34 PM MST up reply actions
Wish I had a picture
of him with a sign hanging around his neck saying “Machine Out of Order”.
He’s apparently been whining all season about PT. I say give him more of it!
Good for you Goldennugget!
Truly big of you on the Karl stuff.
I think he waaaay outcoached PJ last night.
by SternfluffsKobe on Feb 6, 2010 5:36 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
I just finished watching the second half
And wow, easily the best Nuggets win this year. Easily. Everyone contributed, no one had a bad night, shots were falling, the defense was there, the team battled back from deficits multiple times…crazy, awesome win.
Chauncey Billups is fucking amazing. One of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen.
Unbelievable
My fiance and I had the opportunity to attend this game last night. I truly don’t think a better choice for my first out of town game could have been made. Obviously, when you face someone in the WCF the year before, there’s always going to be a revenge factor.
All of the dirty looks we got while entering Staples were priceless.
Wow
That is the greatest “Date Night” EVER!
by SternfluffsKobe on Feb 6, 2010 5:38 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
joey graham IS THAT MAN
the one thing i like about the sacramento kings is jon brockman. joey grahan can play the same role for denver. after going toe to toe with ron ron in the paint he has earned it. that was old school nba hand to hand combat. graham needs only to play 8 minutes a game when melo returns. last 4 minutes 1st quarter and first 4 minutes of the 2nd quarter. he can sub for melo and kmart. taking 4 minutes each will make a huge difference in the 4th quarter a close game or in overtime.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
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