Going through the motions... (Nuggets/Wizards recap)
by Andrew Feinstein on Mar 16, 2010 11:19 PM MDT
in Game Recaps
64 comments
The Nuggets tried their hardest to play down to the level of their competition tonight. But it's pretty tough to play as poorly as the Wizards do, and thus the Nuggets walked away with their 46th victory of the season.
To think that the Nuggets could easily win their 50th game before April even begins is surreal. As good as last season's Nuggets were, this season's incarnation is better...even with the injuries and their nasty habit of sometimes - okay, almost always - playing more like their competition than their true selves.
That nasty habit reared its head again for three quarters and change tonight, as the Nuggets found themselves mired in a low-scoring affair that unfortunately resembled a WNBA game. On the Nuggets side of the basketball, it seemed as though Carmelo Anthony was the lone Nugget giving a full effort for all of his 42 minutes. His teammates - and his Wizard competitors - were clearly gassed and flat having played last night.
Since Nuggets head coach George Karl missed his first road game on February 25th due to undergoing throat and neck cancer treatment, the Nuggets have played a startling 12 games in 20 days, including four back-to-backs and seven road games. The Nuggets record during this stretch? Try 9-3 on for size. So while it may frustrate us to watch them play poorly for quarters at a time, it sure is hard to argue with the results.
The View from the Not-So-Cheap-Seats...
...when Karl first walked onto the floor, the early arriving crowd went berserk and gave him a well earned standing ovation. Then, a few minutes later, the Nuggets PA announcer formally welcomed Karl back and Karl received a second rousing standing ovation. In addition, the crowd was littered with fans holding up "We Love Coach Karl" and "Get Well Soon Coach Karl" signs. It was good to see Nuggets fans at their best and you could tell Karl was touched.
...Wizards assistant coach Don Zierden and actor Wallace Shawn (of "Princess Bride" fame) had to be separated at birth.
...the staff from Deer Creek Middle School who performed heroically in the face of a madman shooter in late February were honored before tipoff...by getting a photo op with referee Dick Bavetta. With honors like these, who needs...
...the Wizards Al Thornton - who I thought could be a potential stud when he was a Clipper - looks heavy and out of shape. That didn't stop Thornton from pestering Melo all night on the defensive end.
...Andray Blatche looks great. He's a legit 6'11" and could be an All-Star someday. He killed the Nuggets tonight before going down with a nasty ankle sprain.
...who the hell is Alonzo Gee? I had no idea who this guy was until he hit that amazing half court buzzer beater at halftime.
...Anthony Carter played great, but you had to love his transition pass to Kenyon Martin during the second quarter. (That's supposed to be a joke. You see, K-Mart was on the bench in a suit and...oh, nevermind.)
...as noted above, no one on the Nuggets worked harder than Melo tonight. Melo was mixing it up in the trenches on offense from the opening tip onward and just had a "we're not losing this game" look in his eyes all night. I can't say enough about Melo's effort tonight.
...Chauncey Billups had two amazing passes in traffic during the third quarter - one to Nene and one to Joey Graham. Unfortunately, neither Nene nor Graham could finish at the rim.
...curiously, neither Renaldo Balkman or Chris Andersen were present with their teammates on the bench. At some point, I need to get to the bottom of why some Nuggets do and some Nuggets don't join their teammates during games when injured. And no, I still won't accept the "they're getting treatment in the locker room" at 9pm at night excuse considering the entire training and fitness staff are on the bench with the team.
...former Nugget Earl Boykins received a nice applause when he came into the game and then he proceeded to play like, well, Earl Boykins. Meaning, Boykins routinely over-dribbled until the Wizards' shot clock wound down forcing himself to take the last-second shot. Boykins remains as one of the NBA's all-time enigmas. On the one hand, he's a fascinating, inspirational story. On the other, he's a total ball hog and you'll never win with Boykins on your team.
...I'm concerned J.R. Smith thinks that the 24-second shot clock is really an 18-second shot clock, because he continuously took bad shots with plenty of time on the clock until he scored 13 relatively meaningless fourth quarter points.
...Melo should send Wizards center JaVale McGee a "thank you" note for scoring his 28th and 29th point tonight, because they came on McGee mishandling a rebound rather than a Melo make (when this happens, whomever is closest to the basket for the offensive team gets credited with the make).
Non-Stiff of the Night
-Carmelo Anthony: 29 points, 12 rebounds (five offensive) and endless effort. All this considering the game was the second of a back-to-back makes Melo the clear "Non-Stiff of the Night."
Stiff of the Night
-JaVale McGee: Other than having abnormally skinny legs, McGee has a text book NBA body - obnoxiously long arms, huge hands and he's at least seven feet tall. And yet against the undersized Nuggets McGee could only muster five points on 1-for-6 shooting and three rebounds in over 21 minutes of playing time.
Opposition's Take: Bullets Forever
Photo courtesy of AP: David Zalubowski
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i always liked boykins quickness
Too bad we didn’t get to see lawson match up against him tonight. Glad we won this one. Go Nuggets!
by InboundingLobPass on Mar 16, 2010 11:42 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
Good Job Nuggets!
It’s been a trying week for the home team, spending time on the road and coming back just in time for the second game of a back to back. True it was against the Wizards that had just come off a beat down in Utah, but they came ready to play and full of confidence from the last time they played the Nugs.
Sure it was a tough loss in Houston for the Nuggets, but they fought hard just to have a chance near the end of the game. Its tough for the fans when they lose as well, but I am happy that they were 3-1 on the road trip and winners of 7 of the last 8 games. Good Job, now get some rest and relaxation for the next day. Just be ready to run the Hornets outta Denver, playoff style!!!
Side Note!
March 16,2008 Nuggets Scored 168 points in a win vs Seattle Sonics!
by distortedman on Mar 16, 2010 11:55 PM MDT up reply actions
nuggets win again but are still a flawed team
i would like to give cb1 the benefit of the doubt. it is a long season and lawson’s absence is taking a toll on him. ty’s speed will be a critical element for the playoffs. ac and ty will need to take some of the load off billups for the remainder of the regular season. melo can rebound and needs to continue to make it a habit. the scoring by quarters is the best indication of how the team played. this is only the second game since kmart has been out the nuggets held the opponent to less than 100 points. that has more to do with the washington team being in a state of flux than the way denver played. kenyon has been on the bench on the road and at home supporting his teammates. a team playing for a championship can never have enough leadership like that.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
agreed
this is only the second game since kmart has been out the nuggets held the opponent to less than 100 points. that has more to do with the washington team being in a state of flux than the way denver played. kenyon has been on the bench on the road and at home supporting his teammates. a team playing for a championship can never have enough leadership like that.
yes yes and more yes
Why live life on the edge, when you can jump off?
itll be tough
since were fighting for the 2 seed, but i wouldnt mind chauncey playing ~30min/game once ty is 100%. give ty and ac more minutes and let chauncey get rested up for the playoffs.
8 players
That is all that suited up as active last night. And only five of those are used to a ton of minutes. Everyone, including melo, looked tired to me.
by CancerSucks on Mar 17, 2010 11:00 AM MDT up reply actions
9?
My phone app says the following players got minutes last night:
1. Melo
2. Nene
3. Petro
4. Afflalo
5. Billups
6. Smith
7. Tacos
8. AC
9. Graham
by ParkHillNative on Mar 17, 2010 11:16 AM MDT up reply actions
On the broadcast ...
They said Denver had just 8 players. So the inability to count is clearly catching.
I caught this on the replay this morning and I was thinking to myself, no, this doesn’t sound right….
Member: 10-man rotation for deep playoff push advocacy group
That's what I get
for listening to the announcers and not actually counting the players.
by CancerSucks on Mar 17, 2010 12:51 PM MDT up reply actions
It was that idiot Marlowe
I told you to look at the box score last night in my post. You guys listen to an idiot when it was right their in your face who was playing.
Im gonna defend Marlowe
Everybody makes mistakes. Anyways Hastings and Marlowe are 10 times better than Bollerjack and sidekick on the FSN Utah network for the jazz, and definitely 100 times better than the ESPN Crew especially that jack ass Jeff Van Gundy.
by distortedman on Mar 18, 2010 12:10 AM MDT up reply actions
Didn't get to watch this one
but i am curious on the thoughts people have about Petro. From the box score it looks like he did what he’s there to do, clean the glass and otherwise stay out of the way. Here’s hoping the stream for the next game is better, cheers brothers on the win!…And happy St. Patty’s day! I know I’m a day early but over here in NZ we are 19 hours ahead of you guys so its the 17th for us!
Why live life on the edge, when you can jump off?
Petro
Has been impressive as of late. Really, I’m happy for the guy. He messes up here and there, but it looks like he’s been improving game after game. I hope he continues to play after K-mart returns.
Where the hell was Andersen today? I know he was out and all, but he should be on the bench with K-Mart and the team. When I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him on the bench whenever he’s hurt. What’s up with that?
Andrew, since you don't seem to mind corrections
I believe you mean “formally welcomed,” not “formerly welcomed.”
I didn’t get to see much of this one either, but was following the score on my phone through the first half. It was pretty frustrating, so I just said to myself “Maybe after halftime the Wizards will be more tired and unaccustomed to the altitude, and the Nugs can get past them.” Whew, guess it all worked out. Nugs are gonna have to play better than that the next two games.
by ParkHillNative on Mar 17, 2010 12:14 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
Fixed and thank you for catching that!
Andrew Feinstein | DenverStiffs.com | denverstiffs@gmail.com
by Andrew Feinstein on Mar 17, 2010 7:44 AM MDT up reply actions
I'm suffering from Lawson withdrawl.
It’s only slightly mitigated by Petro’s awesome play as of late. Anyone think that we may have our counter to Brendan Haywood in him? He may not put up tons of points but he knows how to board and that is the Nuggets’ biggest issue.
Swats.
Interesting statistic here
Nuggets have been outscored by 29 points total in the first half of the past 5 games, not a very good statistic at all. Yes granted we did only lose 1 of those games, but if we are going to play that sluggish in the playoffs on the road we would have a much harder time coming back and we might have series’s lasting 6-7 games, and if we do manage to make the WCF we might not have enough energy to play whomever it is, presumably the Lakers.
We seriously need to play much more consistent even if it means not going to the extra gear in the 4th quarter because if we played 4 quarters of consistent ball we won’t have to.
Don't assume this team is the same one in the playoffs
First, the season is starting to wind down and the Nuggets are just trying to win games with as much effort as necessary to win.
Also we were without KMart, Lawson, and Bird for some of those games. The dynamic will change once Kenyon gets back and we have more motivation. So don’t be worried melloyello.
by JR15 on Mar 17, 2010 8:39 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions
+1
Agree completely … the playoff team will be considerably different to this one. Not only in personnel (once we get everyone back from injury) but in attitude and effort as well.
in the WCF against the lakers last year
the team that got a decent lead in the first half ended up losing the game. in literally all the games, if i am not mistaken. it got to the point where I was hoping LA would go up big in the first half. (i’m superstitious like that)
coincidence? maybe. but remember what the Rockets guy said on Monday.
This team (denver) plays better when they are behind.
i think he was right.
Wait
Isn’t Melloyello the same guy who put up the “Nuggets Season is Over” crap after K-Mart went down? You said you were a Laker fan, and even if you were kidding about that, that’s enough to piss people off. Calling the Nuggets “we” after saying you were a Laker fan. Go to hell.
Link is as followed to the post, if anyone has forgot it:
http://www.denverstiffs.com/2010/3/6/1359577/and-the-nuggets-season-is-over
Stop getting worked up over the outcome of something you can't control.
~Anonymous
by billybobjoe22 on Mar 17, 2010 2:24 PM MDT up reply actions
Yep, one in the same
I think I’ll call him Panic Button from now on.
by Joelsopinion on Mar 17, 2010 2:26 PM MDT up reply actions
Andrew, I know you were at the game so it feels a little different
But, I thought JR helped quit a bit on the Nugs 4th quarter run. .he made a number of key floaters in the fourth quarter that helped put Denver in control. The late three sealed the win (3min to go) but before that he also put in 8 pts in the first half of the 4th quarter . . I dodn’t think those we meaningless buckets as Washington was winthin 4-7pts the whole time and Denver was struggling to score. In addition, he drew a charging foul at the end of the third quarter . . .he had the best +/- per minute on the team and given that the game wasn’t over until 3 minutes left and a 10 pts lead, I think it bears mentioning.
JR takes some bad shots . . .but so does CB and no-one raises an eye on him ’cause CB does some much right. Well, JR is doing a lot of little things right as well, not withstanding a 40 footer with 3 seconds left for tacos.
JR stepped up
When everyone else seemed content with a 3 pt lead. Again I have to give Carter AKA Rod Smith AKA The Dominoes NOID, a whole lot of credit. He again played smart esp late in the game. Melo did seem very tired and CB was visibly fatigued. Aside from JR’s late game shooting, he notched a few assists to Nene as well. I think the last two wins would have been losses with out Earl killing it in the 4th.
by Joelsopinion on Mar 17, 2010 11:43 AM MDT up reply actions
Avoid the Noid
He ruins pizzas.
JR did have a couple nice dimes. I remember one in particular to Nene in the paint that was sweet.
by Artimus Mangilord on Mar 17, 2010 12:02 PM MDT up reply actions
He ruined Tacos for us last night
not really but you know I gotta blame somebody for my lack of tacos.
by Joelsopinion on Mar 17, 2010 2:37 PM MDT up reply actions
Just like JR lives and dies by the three
I live and die by those tacos. I am a sad, poor man.
by Artimus Mangilord on Mar 18, 2010 9:46 AM MDT up reply actions
yeah, the meaningless points comment was strange
we were up only 2 points I think going into the 4th! as we’ve seen so often, JR led a 4th quarter charge that put the game away. points don’t get much more meaningful.
by Rainbow skyline on Mar 17, 2010 12:14 PM MDT up reply actions
Swish Is Sweet
J.R. played another brilliant game. Sure, he takes uneccessary shots sometimes, and doesn’t alway think team first, but that’s how he plays… from the heart. And that’s why he’s such a threat. Even in the first half, he had a nice assist to Nene, a bother on defense and then drew an offensive foul all in one sequence. And his hot shooting in the fourth definitely helped seal the deal. Personally I think J.R. is the heart and soul of this team and I’m just loving how his play of late puts all those grumblings during his so-called “slump” earlier this season to rest.
http://www.thuggetsnation.com
by ThuggetsNation on Mar 17, 2010 4:03 PM MDT up reply actions
It wasn't a so called "slump"
It was a SLUMP
by Artimus Mangilord on Mar 18, 2010 9:47 AM MDT up reply actions
To be quite honest....I'm just happy the team gutted out the win
Only 8 players were suited up. Bird was out. Extended minutes for everyone. Melo played the ENTIRE second half (big ups to Melo for giving effort the whole game and grabbing 12 rebounds) but we really missed Birds “energy”. And once again French Fry is nice surprise. If he can work on his stone hands a little more I think we may have a keeper.
Chauncey looks tired and he’s making mistakes. The sooner we get back TY the better. The silly fouls you commit often come when you are exhausted, and I’ve noticed that CB is committing alot of them the last two games.
"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
btw....I still think the sitting on the bench thing is a red herring
insofar as how it affects the rest of the team. In fact…I dont think Andersen has been on the bench at all during the games hes been injured
"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
+1
+1 not only because I feel the same — I’m just glad they managed a win, no matter how ugly — but also, my phone app said that 9 players got minutes last night, not 8…
by ParkHillNative on Mar 17, 2010 10:38 AM MDT up reply actions
you are correct sir...9 not 8....
"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
Good luck
I took a new job that will actually mean that I have to work during the day so will not be very active on the boards any more but I will continue to follow the discussions and the Nuggets and comment when I find a moment or two. It will be great end to the year.
Good luck to all. Go Nugs.
Ugly win
But Denver deserves an ugly win after a pretty loss the night before to Houston.
From the cheap seats it looked just as ugly. But that second half turnaround was nice. But even that didn’t look that great. It looked more like Washington finally hit a wall than Denver got something special going.
Um….
Member: 10-man rotation for deep playoff push advocacy group
Oh....
I just wanted to say that Blatche indeed looks like a legit baller. He toasted the Nuggets in February, so you think the team would be a bit more on top of the scouting report on that guy. Great mid-range jump shot for a big guy,
Member: 10-man rotation for deep playoff push advocacy group
seems like he's practically all they've got left
by ParkHillNative on Mar 17, 2010 11:39 AM MDT up reply actions
Yep
And all he has is one spin move that Nene, Frenchie, and The Good Twin, couldn’t figure out.
by Joelsopinion on Mar 17, 2010 11:46 AM MDT up reply actions
Andrew thanks for the recap
Mabye Im getting spoiled, but I have got used to the recaps and miss them when they dont get written. Glad to see you still get it done.
Dont agree with your ¨13 meaningless points by JR¨ comment though. What??
That’s been my bad. Had some stuff come up recently that hasn’t allowed me much time to get stuff done on here, but I’m hoping to get back to normal here soon.
Denver Stiffs.com: Defending the sovereignty of Nuggets Nation.
by Nate Timmons on Mar 17, 2010 1:39 PM MDT up reply actions
This, that, and some other.
I thought the the Nuggets have been gutting out some good wins lately and most of them have been won by Denver’s bench. AC and Petro have played so well that they’ve earned playoff minutes (at least in my book). Had the starters played like the second-unit in the last 6 minutes of that Houston game we’d still have a win streak going.
Andrew’s continued backhanded comments towards AC and JR are getting old, come’on man, they’re playing great ball when it counts. That “pass to Kenyon” was actually a pass to Afflalo, had Afflalo remembered to slide down the court as AC was driving. GK didn’t talk very much during the game but he barked at AAA on that one. Also, I’d like to know how 13 points in a 10-point win could ever be considered meaningless.
AC
has been playing great lately. A little early to talk about playoff minutes. Let’s see if he can maintain it. I really only want to see the “one man turnover” in the game if Lawson is unavailable. You had to love it last night when AC made a three pointer and one of the players looked at him like he couldn’t believe it. The announcers even commented on it. That’s all you need to know about whether AC should play in the playoffs – he’s not enough of an offensive threat so the other team can double off of him as much as they want. Petro isn’t much of a threat, but he’s tall enough if they double off of him he can roll to the basket for a dunk. Allen and Graham are both good enough to make a team pay for leaving them. He shoots 25% career from three and can’t finish at the rim, so that leaves him with a shot one step inside the three point line, otherwise known as the worst shot in basketball. AC tries hard, but let’s not act like he’s not the last player on the roster and likely in the last year of his career.
AC is our best backup point guard
because he’s a good fast break distributor. You don’t see any alley-oops when Lawson is in. Putting him out there with JR and Birdman and getting fastbreak after fastbreak for 10 minutes after the starters have gone out can really help this team tremendously. I don’t know how many times last year the backups would come in during a close/tie game and push the lead to 10 or 15 with the combined energy of AC/Birdman/JR. Then when the starters come back in all they have to do is keep scoring. I personally think Lawson’s game is more suited to playing with the starters.
guard rotation
each player brings a distinct skill set that makes the position the strongest on the team WHEN EVERYBODY IS HEALTHY. affllalo can defend and is one of the best spot up 3 point shooters percentage wise. smith can drive to the basket and rebound along with unlimited shooting range. billups is a hall of fame combo guard that can do it all. lawson has speed that can only be matched by maybe 2 other player in the nba. his strength and ball handling puts pressure on teams in the transition. ac has the most experience running the half court offense. he can force players to pick up their dribble and plays the passing lanes on defense. his team first attitude can never be taken for granted or underestimated. monta ellis complained BEFORE THE PRESEASON STARTED about stephen curry being in the starting line up. rafer alston was plaing for the worst team in nba history. he was traded to a playoff team and right away started bitching about playing time. ac started, came off the bench and went long stretches without playing in any games. ac was starting at the beginning of the year when smith was suspended. he was asked if he wanted to start or come off the bench. his reply was he just wanted to win. the guards had injuries, a suspension and 2 new players. anthony carter was always ready to give the team whatever it needed.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
I agree and disagree.
I agree with everything you said EXCEPT for the idea that AC has the most experience running the half-court offense. That is absolutely untrue. Chauncey by far has the most experience AND the best skillset for running the half-court offense, hell, that’s all he did in Detroit.
AC’s strength is that he is willing to push the ball. He gets the ball and just runs, with his head up, looking for the homerun pass. He’s terrible in the half-court because he can’t create his own shot. But on the break I’d take AC over just about any other guard in the league. Seriously.
ac has been with denver longer than any of the guards
i should have said he has the most experience running the NUGGETS HALF COURT OFFENSE. do not forget denver has a 13 player roster with 4 players that were not on the team last season. petro came to denver around the trade deadline and had less than one half season with the team. that is where ac struggles in the half court offense is because the other players lack experience in the nuggets system. coach karl has a tight 8 player rotation. that results in less court time for most of the bench players. one of the problems andersen has is he is so focused playing above the rim he is not ready for passes in the paint. in one game lawson hit andersen twice in the head with passes. the problems lawson has coming off the bench is playing along side smith. ac can stand up to earl and lawson struggles to control the offense with smith doing his own thing. the bench is improving as the season progresses. the primary function of any point guard is to set up the other player’s offense by passing the ball. creating your own shot is secondary for a point guard.
pick up a calf every day pretty soon you will be picking up a cow
The fast break is useless
in the playoffs. You might get a couple of baskets, but in the playoffs teams get back on defense and shut down the fast break. That’s why Denver has moved to less reliance on the fast break in the regular season. Same with the lob offense they used to run so much – it get’s shut down in the playoffs. A.C. in the game makes it easier on the opposition defense, period. He’s even a liability on the fast break because of his poor passing and because he is too small to finish at the basket and not a good enough shooter to spot up for threes. How many fast breaks end with someone passing to AC near the basket and him dribbling out to the three point line? Lawson in that situation makes a layup or even a dunk.
Your comparisons of AC to Ellis and Curry are laughable. Let’s compare J.R. with Jordan while you are at it. Of course AC is a team player. He has to be or he wouldn’t be on the team. He was a free agent last offseason and no one offered him a contract. He came back to Denver for the minimum. That tells you how he is perceived around the league. It’s not about being a team player, winning, losing, or anything else. It’s that if he says anything he loses his only paycheck.
No offense to Carter
But Ellis or Curry would eat him alive. They’re younger and faster, especially Curry.
I like having Ty Lawson play with the 2nd unit, but he makes too many mistakes. granted, he’s a rookie. Since Karl likes the small lineup, maybe he should play Lawson with Billups and Cater some time.
Re: creating your own shot is secondary for a point guard.
Look at all the truly successful point guards to have ever played the game. Not only do they have massive assist numbers, but impressive offensive numbers as well.
If a point guard drives the lane but never finishes, the defense won’t help. If the guy can’t make the 3-pointer, the defense is going to sag.
The successful point guards have the ABILITY to make their own shot, and because of that threat they command the defense to respect them. You think the pick and roll with Stockton and Malone would have been as successful if Stockton didn’t have the ability to score from any point on the floor? Would Magic Johnson have tallied as many assists if he wasn’t double and triple-teamed? Most defenses don’t respect AC in the half-court which makes it more difficult on his teammates. In AC’s defense, he’s been stroking the ball better and has even had some driving layups, but he’ll have to continue to do so consistently for the other teams to not sag off of him.
by NuggBuckets on Mar 18, 2010 10:39 AM MDT up reply actions
Another W for the suits at the league office
The Wiz were playing their 5th game in 6 days (unreal) and the Nugs were finishing up a 4 in 5. Wizards and Nuggets fans can’t take anything away from this game. It was played for a while and eventually the lead got big enough for both sides to call a truce and quit playing. Nuggets predictably win and everyone gets to watch 2 exhausted teams play like garbage.
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