No magic light switches here... (Game 3 recap)
by Andrew Feinstein on Apr 24, 2010 12:02 AM MDT
in Denver Nuggets: Game Recaps
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The Nuggets have been playing poorly for two months and most unfortunately, there's no magic switch that will turn them back into the team we saw when they last played in Salt Lake City.
A friend and fellow season ticket holder called me halfway through the third quarter of the Nuggets/Jazz Game 3. Upon answering my phone, he went on an immediate rant about how gutless and cowardly the Nuggets played tonight. After five or so minutes, realizing that I had said nothing yet, he finally asked: "Aren't you upset about this?!!" You see, by the time he had called, I was so beyond upset that I had already fallen into a state of resigned acceptance of this loss. I just knew the Nuggets didn't have it them tonight.
Readers of this site and Nuggets fans worldwide will spend the weekend debating and discussing why the Nuggets lost tonight. And I suppose I could join that conversation. I could tell you that they lost because they dished out a mere 12 assists; an unacceptably low number for a playoff game no less. I could tell you that Carmelo Anthony was too hesitant on offense, allowing the Jazz double teams to find him and disrupting the Nuggets offensive rhythm. I could tell you that making matters worse, Melo was careless with his fouls again and had just four free throw attempts in Game 3, which means he got to the charity stripe twice. Twice?! I could tell you that Kenyon Martin, Nene and Chris Andersen put forth one of the more embarrassing performances by a Nuggets front line in the franchise's playoff history. And that's saying something for a team that was once anchored up front by Danny Schayes and Blair Rasmussen. I could tell you that while Chauncey Billups' 25 points might look good in the box score, he was too shot-happy and didn't look to distribute the ball enough. You know, the point guard's job. I could tell you that interim head coach Adrian Dantley has proven to be incapable of making in-game adjustments. He looks like a genius when the Nuggets can't miss a shot, but otherwise he's over-matched by whomever is on the opposing team's bench. I could tell you that the Jazz have no answer for Ty Lawson, but the coaching staff doesn't seem to realize that. I could tell you that J.R. Smith is about as reliable and accountable as an Afghani president. I could tell you that the Jazz's Deron Williams is the best point guard in the NBA, and he's even better at home. I could tell you that playing inside Energy Solutions Arena is one of the toughest barns in the NBA, and anything short of exceptional execution won't get the job done.
I could tell you all these things, but you don't need me to. Because the details don't matter.
When this incarnation of the Nuggets are at their best - something we saw for much of last season and the following post-season, and much of this season until about two months ago - the details never mattered. Those Nuggets won games by routinely owning the energy of the games played. And for two consecutive playoff games, against a team that fields 10 players who are either second round picks or weren't drafted at all no less, the Nuggets have ceded the energy to their opposition.
Back to my opening thoughts above. My concern at this point is that not only can't the Nuggets locate that magic light switch that could return them to their swarming, high energy, up-tempo, fearless, intense selves that we know they have in them somewhere (oh where oh where did my "Thuggets" go?!), but that that switch never existed in the first place. How many times in sports have we seen teams limp their way into the post-season only to get swallowed up by a team with more fight and drive? In fact, we just saw this last season when the Hornets fumbled and stumbled into the playoffs where our Nuggets eradicated them easily. Could this year's Nuggets be akin to last year's Hornets?
On NBATV's "Game Time" tonight, hosts Rick Kamla and Eric Snow remained convinced that the Nuggets/Jazz series is going seven games. Maybe they weren't watching the same game we were. While I believe the Nuggets could win Game 4 at Utah on Sunday night, nothing I've seen from the last two games has convinced me that they can.
I hope and pray that the Nuggets prove us wrong. That they win Game 4 and regain home court advantage in this series. They may very well do so, but it won't be because of some miracle adjustment or magic switch flipped. They have to do it themselves.
Non-Stiff of the Night
-Paul Millsap: Jazz fans must now be happy that GM Kevin O'Connor matched Portland's offseason contract offer to Millsap. The undersized, backup power forward made 11 of his 14 shot attempts and pulled down 19 rebounds...off the bench.
Stiff(s) of the Night
-Kenyon Martin, Nene and Chris Andersen: The Nuggets front line combined for 15 points (on 3-for-15 shooting) and 24 rebounds while giving up 49 points (on 21-for-38 shooting) and 32 rebounds to Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap and Kyrylo Fesenko. Boozer and Millsap in particular had their way with the Nuggets big men for the second consecutive game.
Photo courtesy of AP: Steve C. Wilson
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"as reliable and accountable as an Afghani president"
good one!
by ParkHillNative on Apr 24, 2010 12:06 AM MDT reply actions
+1
n it also reminded of matt stone n trey parker (who seem to have more fight in them than the nuggets)
any news on them?
"I believe that basketball, when a certain level of unselfish team play is realized, can serve as a kind of metaphor for ultimate cooperation. It is a sport where success, as symbolized by the championship, requires that the dictates of the community prevail over selfish personal impulses. An exceptional player is simply one point on a five-pointed star. Statistics—such as points, rebounds, or assists per game—can never explain the remarkable interaction that takes place on a successful pro team."
~ Bill Bradley
~~~
http://www.youtube.com/bektur34 - denver nuggets videos
They are still awesome?
Jon Stewart ripped the Muslim extremist group (located in New York!!!!) who threatened them a new one on the Daily Show last night.
Proud member of Thuggetz nation.
just watched it
good stuff!
"I believe that basketball, when a certain level of unselfish team play is realized, can serve as a kind of metaphor for ultimate cooperation. It is a sport where success, as symbolized by the championship, requires that the dictates of the community prevail over selfish personal impulses. An exceptional player is simply one point on a five-pointed star. Statistics—such as points, rebounds, or assists per game—can never explain the remarkable interaction that takes place on a successful pro team."
~ Bill Bradley
~~~
http://www.youtube.com/bektur34 - denver nuggets videos
i'm not raising the flag yet but its sitting there
we need something fast!!!!
a proud follower of pickaxes, the star, and the almighty cervelli
my word for the night
is “demoralized.”
The Nuggets just look demoralized at this point. Seems like GK’s absence is just too much for them to cope with. If I think of it that way, it’s harder to be angry at them for a game like this.
by ParkHillNative on Apr 24, 2010 12:09 AM MDT reply actions
It's true
They played harder and better when Karl was there. And when they f*cked up, he b*tched them out. Nobody was safe.
Having Dantley as a coach has done nothing for them. He doesn’t have that same mentality that Karl does, and it’s hurting them a lot. We thought getting K-Mart back as great and all, but in reality, it didn’t solve their problems at all.
What Would Brian Boitano Do?
George
I can only imagine the impact that Georges Illness and subsequent absence is having on the team. They truly have not been the same since he left. Yes AD did OK for a few games, but when it was time for adjustments they obviously miss George. Combine that with Martins extended absence (not ever close to mid-season form) and the mountain of minutes that Chauncey logged at the end of the year and in the playoffs and you get the current result.
by LongtimeNugFan on Apr 24, 2010 12:17 AM MDT up reply actions
No Excuses
Don’t bring up cancer as an excuse. The problems with this team have been around long before Karl got sick or Kenyon got injured. The offense and defense were designed long before this, and that is where the problem starts. Denver has a huge talent advantage in this matchup, with two utah starters out. Karl designed this one on one offense and this switching, unable to guard a pick and roll defense.
It is time, once again, to call for what has been needed for a long time. Fire the entire coaching staff and bring in someone who will actually design an effective o and d. Losing in the first round again in unacceptable, and Karl is the one who designed this crap. It’s unfolding exactly as expected – Billups was able to bring energy and was fresh off detroit and good coaching, so they played deep into the playoffs last year. The farther away from good coaching Billups gets, the worse the team gets.
I’ll be surprised if they win another game in this series.
by CancerSucks on Apr 24, 2010 11:14 AM MDT up reply actions
There is a major difference in how the team is playing
they looked like world beaters just a month and a half ago, they could crush any of the other top teams any given night, they had all of us hoping this would be our year. You can’t convince me that Karl not being available to coach has had no impact, this team isn’t the same anymore. They don’t have the passion, they look lost and their leaders aren’t leading. Cancer is an excuse, GK is in their lives over half the days in a year. Even if the players are annoyed by him they grow close to him and become like family, there is a human aspect here which would be ignorant to ignore. It doesn’t matter how much someone gets payed and that they are professionals, something like this hits you hard every time.
Proud member of Thuggetz nation.
They need to play like thugs again
Everybody is playing too f*cking soft now and days. Two of our players are playing injured. They’re getting in foul trouble. There’s no heart. Dantley isn’t being a good coach.
What Would Brian Boitano Do?
two things
1) Fatigue is a bigger issue than any of the others and it is because they played too short a rotation, which is on Karl.
2) Playoffs – teams step up the intensity for the playoffs and game plan more. More gameplanning by the opposition means they can more easily take advantage of the flaws in the system.
Yes, Karl is better than A.D., but in both cases the team has to overcome the poor schemes to attempt to win. Neither coach puts the team in position to do what they do best.
Fair fair
point one is the one big place I have disagreed with George this year, maybe indeed this was our downfall just waiting to happen. But I do believe these guys have more to give than what they are showing. Kenyon should be fresh but unfortunately there is some concern still stricken in his mind of injuring himself again. Melo, JR, TY should all not be fatigued though, these guys are young and have had time off or limited minutes. Bird is just a mess this year, he should sit down for the good of the team. Petro did start getting minutes under GK but for whatever reason AD has stopped using him even though our bigs are playing like shit.
Point two, yes I’m also disappointed in the effort, quite disgusted by it actually, but there mindsets are clearly off and this may be because of the emotional stress they have had to go through. Still I can’t fathom as to why winning for their ill coach isn’t a motivation for them instead of a killer, they need to grit their teeth together for this series so maybe their coach can come back and coach again this season.
Proud member of Thuggetz nation.
Lots of good points here by both CancerSucks and Phil H
I think it’s true and fair to point out the big flaws in the system that GK devised.
I would also love it if they could come out of the locker room saying “Let’s win this one fo the coach,” but I can’t help but think it’s his very absence that’s making it harder for them to compete. His system is badly flawed, but wouldn’t they be much better off if he were there to manage the games?
It all keeps bringing up for me the question of how other teams would fare without their head coach.
by ParkHillNative on Apr 24, 2010 4:20 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
+10000
the inability of the Nuggets to defend the pick an roll as been a problem for years. And for the coaching staff to let it continue is atrocious.
Sticky ball shouldn’t be tolerated. If you hold the ball you hold a spot on the bench until you get the message to pass the fucking ball.
The ability to make game time changes would be nice. Nene and Bird are ineffective at the five. Play Petro at the five and interchange Kmart and Nene at the four. If Petro gets in foul trouble you can always revert back to the status quo
Why the hell not
Might as well try that idea with Petro. How much worse could it be?
by ParkHillNative on Apr 24, 2010 4:22 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
I hope theres
Only 2 games left because I can’t stomach to much more of this garbage. This team has zero heart and is becoming embarasing to watch.fuck it I’ve lost all hope now. EMBARASING.
by tknuckle on Apr 24, 2010 12:16 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
I think they wore themselves out in the pregame layup line.
Melo: “Our effort wasn’t there. It didn’t even seem like a playoff game out there tonight.”
Totally Agree!
A lot of them looked tired after 4-days off? What are they doing on the days off?
by LongtimeNugFan on Apr 24, 2010 12:21 AM MDT up reply actions
After 4 days off everyone's timing could be a little off
but more importantly look at AD’s substitutions, he’d sub out players after they were on the floor for two minutes. JR wasn’t in the game long enough to even get comfortable. 17 total minutes meanwhile Chauncey again over 40. When the Jazz bring out Millsap and run Boozer at the 5 with CJ, Matthews, and DWill, I wouldn’t be against seeing a Lawson, CB1, JR, Melo, Nene lineup. It’s better matchups, than having KMART or birdman having to chase Millsap around.
"I know the game of basketball is one-on-one (oriented), but the pain of beating a defense by the pass — it confuses and frustrates the defense more than just going by a guy one-on-one." George Karl
by NuggetsLife on Apr 24, 2010 10:25 AM MDT up reply actions
Healthy Players
If Bird and Kmart are not Healthy let Petro burn up some fouls against their big second team center.
Get Billups more rest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by LongtimeNugFan on Apr 24, 2010 12:24 AM MDT reply actions
Billups had 4 days rest before this game
As did the entire team.
He’s just proving to be inferior in every way to Deron Williams.
twitter.com/skitalicious
by runningdonut on Apr 24, 2010 12:33 AM MDT up reply actions
Almost every PG
is inferior to Deron Williams in every way, the guy is a top ten player in the league
Why live life on the edge, when you can jump off?
Billups - 3 assists.
Fesenko – 3 assists.
by Bouncy Phillips on Apr 24, 2010 9:09 AM MDT up reply actions
Hate to be superstitious
Nate take over the previews or the next three games. Just cause the Nugs have won under your previews.
Now I know something is not going right for the Nugs when I ask for this.
Darn it cancer, darn it Bynum, damn it knee tendonitis.
I think those jazz injuries are irrelevant. D will can make anyone look good. If d will got injured then I would guarantee a Nuggets series victory
by JR15 on Apr 24, 2010 12:45 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
superstitions continue
and please take down that John Hollinger thing from the “Stiff list” Maybe add a few Nuggets
"I know the game of basketball is one-on-one (oriented), but the pain of beating a defense by the pass — it confuses and frustrates the defense more than just going by a guy one-on-one." George Karl
by NuggetsLife on Apr 24, 2010 10:27 AM MDT up reply actions
Rest
Unfortunately the rest that Billups needed should have occurred during the last couple of weeks of the regular season. Note how well he played after his injury earlier in the year.
by LongtimeNugFan on Apr 24, 2010 12:45 AM MDT reply actions
yes
and I hope people aren’t getting tired of me saying this, but I really wish he’d spent the All Star break in Cabo.
by ParkHillNative on Apr 24, 2010 12:50 AM MDT up reply actions
Agreed, Chauncey was asked to do too much
By Michael Wilbon
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/21/AR2010042104483.html
The club executives went to Billups a couple of weeks ago and enlisted his help.
One Nuggets executive said, “We overloaded Chauncey at one point.” And Billups admitted he initially went home after games and practices drained physically and mentally from the extra preparation and the stress of new responsibilities.
Just Not as Good as Last Year
As many of us have suspected much of this year, this year’s team is just not as good as last year’s Western Conference Final team. What are the key differences between this year and last?
Healthy Front Line vs. Banged Up Front Line – - Last year, Bird was playing for a contract and blocking shots right and left, K-mart was healthy and explosive, and Nene was healthy and consistently imposing. This year, Bird has been hobbled most of the year (and grounded), K-mart is hurt and won’t survive the playoffs, and Nene has taken a step back from his solid play in last year’s playoffs. Bottom Line – - Significant Drop
Bench – Last year, Kleiza, JR, Bird, AC and Dahntay provided explosive defense and were a true difference when on the floor. Many times last year, the starters dug an early hole, and the Nuggets bench got them back in the game with hustle and energy. This year, Ty has been a great addition, but he is young, and has not quite been the same since his injury. Bird is a medical mess. JR is, if anything, more inconsistent than ever. And, the Nuggets just don’t have that second guy on the bench that can give you explosive scoring like Klieza did. (though AAA is a nice addition) Bottom Line – Significant Drop in bench play this year.
Coaching – AD vs. GK. Enough said.
Billups – Chauncey has taken a slow step back this year due to age. He just is not as explosive driving the lane, which has always been his bread and butter. WIthout his explosiveness, Chauncey relies on getting fouls and shooting 3 – pointers. And, he seems less-focused on running the team and setting up others. Bottom Line – Slight Drop.
So, with the significant drops in Bench play, Front Line Play, and Coaching, and CB’s slight step back in this year’s playoffs, this team is just not as good as last year. And, hate to say it, CB, K-mart and Bird are not getting any younger. This squad, with the current front line players, peaked last season.
that all sounds right
And also, there was some intangible thing going on last year, they had something going for them mentally that has disappeared of late.
by ParkHillNative on Apr 24, 2010 1:56 AM MDT up reply actions
They also caught some breaks . .
Playing a banged up Hornets teams that barely managed to stay in the playoff race and thin Dallas team in the second round. Portland and Houston both would have given Denver more of fight last year (and Utah as well). The seeding couldn’t have worked at better in last year’s playoffs.
Some good points, but you're off on the bench
Linas Kleiza was effing awful last year. I dreaded it every time he stepped on the floor. Also, Dhantay was a starter last year, and he was replaced by a better player in Afflalo. Lawson gives us something we didn’t have last year off the bench. The biggest difference between this year and last year is health, and that may have gone down as a result of guys being older or just bad luck (Karl’s cancer is bad luck). When we were relatively healthy this season, we were better than last year. This could’ve been a championship team if it could have stayed in tact, but it didn’t. You might be right about us having already peaked. I’d like to think there’s a way to re-tool to get us back into contention next year, but either way, I’m not optimistic about what we can do this year.
AAA and DJ
while AAA is definitely an upgrade i do think that DJ was quicker and therefore matched up better with point guards, while AAA can D the hell outa the likes of Kobe
"I believe that basketball, when a certain level of unselfish team play is realized, can serve as a kind of metaphor for ultimate cooperation. It is a sport where success, as symbolized by the championship, requires that the dictates of the community prevail over selfish personal impulses. An exceptional player is simply one point on a five-pointed star. Statistics—such as points, rebounds, or assists per game—can never explain the remarkable interaction that takes place on a successful pro team."
~ Bill Bradley
~~~
http://www.youtube.com/bektur34 - denver nuggets videos
+100
The big question is can we rebuild before Melo’s contract expires. If not he will not have a chance to win and goodbye.
by LongtimeNugFan on Apr 24, 2010 12:55 AM MDT reply actions
If the Nuggs lose to the hobbled Jazz...
The Front Office will have to think about blowing things up a bit vs. riding this current line-up out for another year. Personally, I would make some big changes, vs. winning 45 games and exiting early in the playoffs/not making the playoffs next year…
If Nuggets lose to Utah
Kenyon Martin will not be wearing a Denver uniform by the end of next season, I guarantee it (say that in the Cleveland Brown voice and it helps lighten the mood a bit in these dark times). The Nugz will deal him, most likely at the deadline, and someone will bite on that massive expiring contract. In the following three years i imagine you can expect this to happen: K-mart traded, Melo extended, Chauncey retired, Nene not re-signed, Kleiza retained. I think you will still see the likes of Melo, AAA and Lawson for years to come, JR and Kleiza could be blow up casualties but I feel like the FO will keep them too, but the rest will most likely be gone.
Why live life on the edge, when you can jump off?
If anything
I can see a crapload of Nugget fans calling for Dantley’s head.
What Would Brian Boitano Do?
You're probably right
Although I fail to see how that alone would solve anything.
by ParkHillNative on Apr 24, 2010 4:24 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
It won't solve anything
They just want somebody to take their anger on,
What Would Brian Boitano Do?
I really like the proposal of Nene being traded
What is this Dude’s problem? He is as soft as a pillow without feathers.
what "if"
they’ve already lost. There is no chance this team wins three out of four, with two on the road.
As for a blow up, the coaching staff is what needs to be blown up. Keep the current roster, add a big with the midlevel, bring Kmart off the bench. If Kmarts knee is bad, trade him. But it won’t matter what they do with the roster if the current coaches return and continue the current schemes.
by CancerSucks on Apr 24, 2010 12:45 PM MDT up reply actions
Thank god...some common sense
OH MY GOD, WE LOST THE SERIES, BLOW UP THE ROSTER!!!!
Like CancerSucks says, all we need is a better coaching staff and adding a big…that’s it. The team isn’t broken, it’s very good. We got unlucky with injuries at the worst time of the year.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
Health
If everyone comes back healthy can we compete with this team? Can Melo handle a year of missing the playoffs if this team has peaked?
Please show some character and win Sunday
everyone come back healthy?
does that include okur and kirilenko?
we don’t need to be full strength to beat this team. like we proved in the regular season, without melo and chauncey, all it takes is heart and some determination coupled with solid distribution of the basketball. can’t mess around with these guys.
be hungry, be humble.
One of the biggest differences between last yr and this year
Is our commitment to defense. Outside of AAA and Kmart, not alot of defense being played consistently.
No trust in what worked last year, will get us another 1st round defeat! Looks like the Chauncey Experience was good for season and a half.
My name is the One...
KMart didn't hasn't played defense in this postseason.
And I think that possibly other players are thinking that they can slack off because KMart is in. Bad combination.
by NuggBuckets on Apr 24, 2010 10:53 AM MDT up reply actions
"didn't hasn't"
My sentences look like the Nuggets trying to defend the pick-and-roll: sloppy and disjointed.
by NuggBuckets on Apr 24, 2010 10:54 AM MDT up reply actions
K-Mart playing like he doesn't want to get injured
is how it looks to me.
"I know the game of basketball is one-on-one (oriented), but the pain of beating a defense by the pass — it confuses and frustrates the defense more than just going by a guy one-on-one." George Karl
by NuggetsLife on Apr 24, 2010 12:16 PM MDT up reply actions
yes, I can!!
I’m a FAN…for some reason, i think that multi million dollar athletes should perform at their highest possible level every night.
but I’m also a realist, so no I don’t blame him for being human and having some sense of self preservation.
"I know the game of basketball is one-on-one (oriented), but the pain of beating a defense by the pass — it confuses and frustrates the defense more than just going by a guy one-on-one." George Karl
+1
The chemestry is off this year. Last year, the bench was standing a lot and greeting the players during timeouts, Chauncey seemed mor in synch with Melo, and Dahntay and JR seemed to be very tight. Plus, don’t downplay the impact Bird’s play had on the energy of the team and the crowd. Bird seems to be playing at 50% this year, and just has not had the same impact.
by ACEIII on Apr 24, 2010 6:42 AM MDT via mobile up reply actions
Pathetic effort by the Nugs, but I gotta give credit to where credit is due
Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. He knows how to get maximum output out of his players. For example Korver, he knows his only strength is shooting, so he creates a way for Korver to be effective and frees him up for offense. And Korver, in turn, doesn’t do much else, because doing so would be a detriment to his team.
The Jazz has a big advantage: coach. Although I don’t blame Dantley, because it takes years of experience to do what Sloan is doing.
Dantley is being outcoached right now. That said, it’s not over yet. This game will wake the Nugs up. Because if it doesn’t, it’s gonna be too late.
Go… Nuggets.
In the words of the late Richard Crenna in Rambo...
It’s Over Johnny!!! I don’t see any signs of this team turning things around. JR looked like he has already booked his trip to Cabo as he sat stone-faced with his shoes off in the 4th quarter…
by ACEIII on Apr 24, 2010 6:47 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
If we do come back and win this series
I don’t see how this team could beat any of the teams left in the playoffs if they can’t beat a depleted Jazz team. This team has no heart or pride and very little leadership. We have an old worn down team with no depth.
I thought with the GK news this team would rally and have a purpose to win games for their ailing coach but they have mailed it in and have been impossible to watch for two months. Stick a fork in them, the only hope is to somehow get through this series, get Karl back and maybe things will change but I just don’t see it happening.
Well said Andrew...
After last night’s game, you called it how it is. After all these consecutive years in the playoffs, and reaching the Western Conference finals last year we thought they would be “given” a trip to the WCF against the Lakers again.
Even Nuggets Managment felt that way too. They didn’t think they needed another big man; why fix it if it isn’t broken?
I too am beyond upset. It’s dis-heartening to see the Nuggets get beat by inferior opponents during the regular season. When it happens in the playoffs, to the Utah Jazz, it is out right depressing.
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out
The one thing that concerns me, and has concerned me even throughout last year, is that the Nuggets have no way of stopping the big man. Even if they get past the first round they are going to have to deal with this problem for the remainder of the playoffs. Sure, having K-Mart back helps a bit on the boards, but Nene is letting Millsap walk to the net every time. Send a message. Make sure he feels the hack and let him think about it at the line.
If it doesn’t start getting more physical in the paint, then Utah is going to walk all over Denver for the remainder of this series.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
BIRD
!!!!!. He hasn’t played good since March. Give Petro his damn minutes. God I hate this coaching staff
The key to winning is quite fucking simple.... DEFENSE
at least make an attempt not to go for the steal every play and play solid defense basketball…. we all know this team can beat any team in the NBA when they play defense… come on…. we got this fucking shit
i might have been so disgusted with last nights game that I shut off the TV in the middle of the 4th (one of the first times ive ever during a nuggz game)…. We should be ashamed of our performance last night…
If we dont come out aggressive tommorow we will be looking at being forced into a Game 5 Game 6 and GAme 7(in UTAH) elimination games
you know how hard it would be to comeback from down 3-1… we need to regain homecourt!!!
after all my ranting…
i will say… I think we can still do this… but this team needs to want it… be aggressive, shove some ppl on the floor (KMART), get in ppls heads and dont take it out on the refs…. LETS GO NUGGETS LETS FUCKING DO THIS SHIT
I beg to differ It's the other way around.
Nene has skipped games more so than JR.
Also i just watched the post game interviews (Melo, AD and Chauncey)
they seemed to share that same feeling of disgust as me… i think they understand that to win sunday… we need to out hustle Utah
We've heard them talk the talk after every shitty game
and then they come out and lay an egg in the next one.
by NuggBuckets on Apr 24, 2010 10:57 AM MDT up reply actions
Frontcourt disgrace
I remember hearing how our frontcourt was one of our strengths. First off am i the only who thinks nene could go right by Fesenko everytime. Last night in the second half we didnt give nene the ball once when Fesenko was gaurding him and then once Fesenko went out we gave nene the ball with boozer on him. K-Mart seriously can not do anything out on the court. crowds the floor cuz he cant shoot, cant cut to the hoop cuz the knee and cant move his feet on D. of his 13 rebounds last night i dont think any of them were in traffic or tough rebounds so that stat is very misleading. Bird needs to retire. I think we gotta go small with only 1 big and play graham or melo at the power forward. Graham seems to be the only one with a little toughness. I also think our team really misses dahntay jones attitute and toughness. Remember how he shut down cp3. maybe he would do something on deron williams. Maybe afflalo was an upgrade on paper with his better shooting but jones brought the intangibles that afflalo does not bring
by Birdman and Jay arah on Apr 24, 2010 10:12 AM MDT reply actions
+1
Agree that the Nuggets are forced to give Petro and Graham some minutes, due to the horrible play of Bird and K-mart. It’s sad that the Jazz front line utterly dominated the Nuggs front line with 3 days rest. The Nuggs are just not bringing on defense. And, Dahntay was our defensive MVP last year, so yes, they do miss him. I still think AAA has lots of upside, but Dahntay made Denver the Thuggets….
-100
I can’t take you guys seriously who say we miss Dahntay. He wasn’t our defensive MVP last year…our team defense was better with JR on the floor.
Afflalo IS a GIANT upgrade, not just on paper. Better defender, better shooter, better player, better person.
This year’s team was way better than last years. Last year’s team had a point differential of 2 and this year’s team had a point differential of 4 or 5. This team would be a contender with George Karl coaching and if our bigs were healthy…something we lucked out on last year.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
"Bird needs to retire"?
For the season, yes. For his career? No. Thet’s just out of line.
What Would Brian Boitano Do?
surprised we haven't seen Melo at the 4 once this series
this team misses Dahntay. His attitude was infectious. Afflalo might be better offensively, but that was the last thing this team needed: more offense. Dahntay was the guy who could go bitch at Melo or JR for not D’ing up. Arron just stands there quietly.
Oddly
I think that Kleiza could help this team a little bit too. In a weird way I hope this team does get blown up in the off season a little bit and kleiza comes back. I hope the nuggets take full advantage of trading kmart at the deadline next season and then bring him back ie big z this year. Ugh some many thoughts so little patients to type
by The U.N. Fab Five on Apr 24, 2010 10:59 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
DJ? really?
good lord. i can’t begin to describe how much happier i am without him on the team. he didn’t play defense; he was a complete idiot who ended up hurting the team way more than he helped on both ends of the floor. tripping and flopping and getting the team into quick foul trouble doesn’t constitute helping on defense in my books, or in any category for that matter. afflalo is way better than jones defensively. for all this talk about how DJ made this team better defensively because of his “intensity”, last year’s series against the mavs saw the mavs score 100+ in all but one game, and the lakers score 100+ in all of their games. big difference between this year and last year; we had a healthy k-mart and an actual birdman and not some idiot named chris andersen, and GK was still around to keep the team in check and hold themselves accountable.
prior to GK, k-mart and ty all going down at the same time, this team was looking significantly better than last year’s. DJ was garbage, and that’s the bottom line. he had one series last year where he looked like a competent defender; big whoop, he sucked the rest of the way and didn’t make a difference to this team, on the court and in its makeup. as a matter of fact, he may have hindered the team more than helped.
i don’t mean to attack people, but let’s not go too far here. DJ hurt this team far more than he helped.
That's not fair...he played defense...
He just fouled a lot while playing defense…which is almost as bad as not playing defense! Oh, and he was a negative asset on the offensive end.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
All the evidence you need of this is to look at what happened in Indiana this year..
At one point, he was one of the worst offensive starters in terms of efficiency. They were getting blown out every single game, badly. He had a few 20 point games but took like 100 shots to get there. Anyways, they took him out of the starting lineup and that, combined with Danny Granger coming back, allowed them to finish as one of the hottest teams in the league.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
At the time Portland picked up Camby...
and there were rumors that Denver would possibly bring him back I thought, that’s crazy. He’s too old. Now look at him. He looks pretty good in Portland and our so-called big players look they should be collecting social security.
designed to fail
The problems with this team aren’t health (Denver is more healthy than Utah), they aren’t a lack of talent (any question that denver has more talent than a depleted utah), they aren’t poor in game management (really, does A.D. call any fewer timeouts or adjustments than G.K.) or any of the other excuses put out there.
The problem is with the design of the offense and the design of the defense. Karl has specifically designed the offense with a lot of one on one plays and very poor pick and rolls. The only way this offense works is if you have several hot players, and really the nuggets only have one consistently hot offensive players. The defense is designed with a lot of switching, which allows the opponent to decide who they want to guard the player with the ball. So they run a screen for their point guard against the center and wind up with a massive mismatch. So either the point guard goes by the center, or denver doubles him poorly, which results in assists for layups or dunks. The only way this defense can work is if the other team doesn’t take advantage of it. This works okay in the regular season, but has no chance in the playoffs.
The entire coaching staff needs to be fired and replaced with competent people who will design schemes to win rather than the current schemes that are designed to fail. Phil Jackson is a free agent this summer. Bring him in.
Actually, yes the schemes, accountability, and in game adjustments are all poor
Say what you want about Karl, but he was very good at scheming on defense, and adjusting to what other teams were doing.
The only thing I’ve been impressed with Dantley is his trapping of Deron in game 2 and trying to Deny him the ball.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
The schemes are Karls
Not Dantley’s. He’s just continuing what Karl did. Dantley is poor in game, no doubt, but so was Karl. Karl even said so. You do your work in practice, according to Karl, and if you do much during the game, it shows you didn’t do your work in practice. So rather than appear unprepared, Karl prefers to act prepared and do little in game.
I don’t think there is any reason to believe that things would be at all different if Karl was on the bench.
by CancerSucks on Apr 24, 2010 12:41 PM MDT up reply actions
You're making an assumption that schemes are fixed...
Yeah, we practice the same base schemes and base offense (lots of isos), but I think you underestimate how many adjustments are made from game to game in a 7 game series and even from 1st half to 2nd half.
In the playoffs, a lot of times you’ll see different looks, and there’s ways to counter those looks. If a team comes out with a look we’re confused about, Karl calls timeout, tells them how to adjust, and we adjust. Dantley can’t do that.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
Karl calls timeout?
Really? Very, very seldom does Karl timeout. He’s proud of it. Compares himself to Phil Jackson. He thinks not calling timeout is a sign of a good coach, and calling timeout is a sign of an unprepared coach.
And even if he did make an in game adjustment, which he very seldom does, it can only do so much. If you practice one thing, you can make some adjustments, but the basic problem is the scheme. Switching is an unsound scheme..
Surprisingly, we make a ton of adjustments...
Moreso at halftime, but some in game adjustments as well. We definitely adjusted from game to game in the playoffs last year with Karl.
I completely agree with the switching sucks argument. I’ll be the first one to say that. It’s why Phoenix owns our souls…and, for the most part, why we suck against teams who execute well.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
You don't win over 900 games in the NBA w/o understanding the game inside and out
Karl does and when other teams change things up he adjusts to counter, he understand the integral parts of the game while AD does not. He sticks with the game plan even when it’s not working, he doesn’t read NBA games well and that’s why he is a poor head coach.
Proud member of Thuggetz nation.
no argument
Completely agree that Karl is better than A.D.
Just don’t think Karl is helping the team win. He’s taking the easy route rather than forcing the players into a good system. Look at L.A. – the coach has a constant battle to keep the players in the system as much as possible. Karl just says, screw it, let them do what they want.
Karl is actually similar to Phil Jackson in that regard...
He definitely does a little too much of let them do what they want, see that it doesn’t work, and then they’ll have a come to jesus moment and do things the right way.
Remember the season where PJ let Kobe throw up every single shot he possibly could to get it out of his system? I think the Lakers didn’t make the playoffs that year. The offseason conversation probably went like this:
“You did things your way, we didn’t make the playoffs, do you want to win championships or score points? You’re still a few titles behind Jordan.”
Ever since that season, Kobe has been playing more within the team.
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
Assuming GK is correct when he says the work is done in practice...
I worked for this company where my boss got really sick and was out of work for like 2 months. During that time, I somehow remembered how to do my job. I didn’t forget how to sweep the floor just because my boss wasn’t there.
WTF? GK is not there so nobody remembers how to snag a board!?!
No Heart
I moved to Colorado a few years ago but, grew up in NJ and watching the Sixers and eastern conference basketball. When Iverson came to the Nuggets, I knew he would give this team 100% and all of his heart. As I got familiar with some of the players, already knew K-Mart from the Nets, I really saw no heart in most of the players. Then they got Billups and I saw some heart from him. He got that team together and had them play as a team. Something was still missing. As I watch them play throughout the year, all I hear from Scott Hastings is, “they’re still in this thing…all they need to do is box out, defend the pick and roll and play solid defense”. Sound familiar? Well these are fundamental basketball skills I’m sure you all know. Really? All they have to do? Really? As I’ve watched them over the past 4 seasons, I really started to think they were one of the best teams in the NBA. Really? Hold the lakers to 8 points in a quarter and lose to the Kings…REALLY? As I watch this team, I’ve come to a final conclusion. This is not the NBA of the 80s and 90s. I didn’t see the Celtics hugging and kissing the Lakers after they got their ass kicked. I see fire in Billups eyes, I see it in K-mart, I see no respect for Carmello..yet..maybe one day. As a whole, I see No FIGHT in the denver nuggets. Taking plays off, losing your man on defense, no boxing out on the glass, not being aggressive in the paint (Nene), missing layups, whining and complainig to the refs instead of getting back on D, losing to scrub teams, taking too many jumpers instead of taking it to the rim (Carmello, K-mart, Nene, JR etc..), and on and on and on. I loved Dantly as a player but, he’s not a head coach. This team needs a kick in the ass not a few mumbles under your breath A.D. This team has all the potential and non of the important things you need in a championship team. Know what that is? Of course you do, you see it in the Lakers, Spurs & Celtics. HEART
Really
+1
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out
by CSprings_Tommy on Apr 24, 2010 6:14 PM MDT up reply actions
No Leadership = Sinking Ship
What I haven’t seen in any form this last month is leadership. Not from Chauncey, not from Melo, not from Kenyon and certainly not from AD.
Last season Chauncey took the lead and both vocally and physically lead this team in every way; emotion, decision making, execution and “intangibles”. Remember “win every time out” and “close out every quarter”? Not so this year.
Lat season Kenyon was the anchor of the defense. Toughness; mentally, physically and verbally changed opponents games. Remember Dirk being put on his ass? Not so this year.
Last season Melo brought his A game, got his teammates involved and created difficult match-ups for his opponents. Not so this year.
This team lacks inspiration, lacks hunger and lacks credibility and Andrew is right, this is ingrained behavior (or lack thereof) and there is no switch to flip.
to think a cancer ridden coach wouldn't be inspiration enough
a proud follower of pickaxes, the star, and the almighty cervelli
Las Vegas Nuggets
I don’t know if this team lacks heart or if by and large they are simply uninterested in winning a game if it is too hard. The last 20 games or so I sit there watching our players shoot from outside and NOBODY is there to get a rebound. Do they assume the shooter is 100% gonna make that shot or are they just lazy as hell. I’m always surprised when a 3-second is called on Nuggets because it’s rare to see them in the paint these days.
being down
the nuggets seem pretty clueless when they go down in games, let’s just hope they know how to rebound we they are down in a playoff series. has everyone really stopped listening to chauncey?
A few thoughts on what went wrong and the series in general...
Statistically, the Jazz are the better team and subjectively, the Nuggets struggle with teams who execute well and are well coached. However, with Kirilenko and Okur out, they aren’t better than us and we should win this series.
Here are a few observations:
* Dantley shouldn’t have taken Afflalo out early. If you notice the Jazz made a huge run with him out of the game. His reasoning when interviewed was just as retarded “I wanted to leave Chauncey in because he was hitting shots” and Lawson gives the Jazz problems…yes, but having 2 point guards in at once is stupid when you have 2 very capable 2’s. That Lawson + Chauncey lineup was pretty terrible by Dantley (why do you need to play 2 PGs???). It’s obvious that Afflalo does really good things for us and giving the Jazz fits by setting teammates up for opportunities, defending, and spacing the floor. He’s also not stupid enough to foul out, and even if he does, we have JR as a backup shooting guard!
* Our offense relies heavily on FT’s and getting to the line, and in the postseason, we’re not getting a lot of those calls.
* Utah shot abnormally high from 3 and we shot abnormally low
* Someone mentioned this earlier, but we need to get the ball to Nene more to open things up
* Milsap destroys us…probably because an injured KMart isn’t quite quick enough to keep up and box him out.
* Too much running down and taking a jumpshot, early in the shot clock.
* KMart should never take a 3
* Careless turnovers at inopportune times killed us
http://www.bluefirepoker.com/blog.aspx?blogid=68
twitter.com/chantech
refs have scared the shit out of us
We’re having to try to alter our game drastically because of the way the refs started calling the games. Thats fucked us up real good. its not our lack of defense alone thats killing us, its that our Offense can’t compensate for our lack of defense because we’re afraid to take it to our opponent. either way fucking pissed off about this whole deal
by InboundingLobPass on Apr 24, 2010 1:22 PM MDT reply actions
Tired of all the excuses
How good do they want to be? Veteran leadership and heart are two things I did not think we needed to question out of this group. But as Andrew mentions there have been warning signs recently of completely falling apart in the biggest games of the year. It’s not that they are just losing, it’s the way they are laying down and refusing to fight. Not even worth pointing fingers at these guys anymore. Nothing will get fixed if you don’t have the mental fortitude to resist giving up.
twitter.com/skitalicious
Not shocked at all!
Despite the run last year, a part of me has always been wary of this team. Implosions vs the Lakers last season, lack of smart bball IQ in crucial situations, & an alarmingly persistent immaturity that often manifested itself on the court- have all led to this 1st Round disaster scenario.
It was always easiest to just blame Melo, then Karl, but those 2 antagonists have largely fulfilled their roles in this opera; Melo’s a consistent star & Karl’s a good coach. So why no surprise?
Hard 2 answer that ? This team as presently constituted, has never made us feel secure. And now that CB has seemingly lost a step, & Nene has remained consistently inconsistent, losing to a vastly undermanned & therefore INFERIOR Jazz team, is not a shocker. In fact, with this generation of Nuggets…….its just par for the course. (sigh)
We still don't know how we want to guard them
I think Andrew made a good point in his preview when he said that double-teaming Deron and forcing it out of his hands was not the solution. That’s exactly what they want, especially when we double team with a big man and vacate the paint. All Deron has to do is pass before the trap can get to him, which he does really well, then they usually have a big man open, cutting to the rim. Instead of doubling, especially on the pick-and-roll, the big man just needs to hedge, let his man recover from the screen, then rotate back to his man. That’s textbook pick-and-roll defense for a reason, and we need to use it. The key is to keep Deron in front of you and out of the paint, force him into tough shots, and prevent him form getting his teammates easy looks. When he does give the ball up early in their set, he’s usually trying to come off of another screen to get it back. That’s when we need to work hard to try to deny him the ball, fronting him and chasing him around screens, and playing everyone else straight-up. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to make him occasionally run through a screen or two at the defensive end (or any other Jazz player for that matter, I just want to see any Nugget set an effective screen at this point).
I think once we figure out our strategy, we can defend more confidently and aggressively. At that point, it’s up to them. We know what they run. It hasn’t changed in my lifetime. We can still get after this team, and our season isn’t over yet, but it has to start with something resembling competent defense.
can someone explain why we have barely tried afflalo on D-will?
remember the job dahntay did on CP3? aren’t these two similar players?
by Rainbow skyline on Apr 24, 2010 7:50 PM MDT up reply actions
He was in foul trouble
Then he was benched in favor of Anthony Carter
twitter.com/skitalicious
by runningdonut on Apr 24, 2010 8:53 PM MDT up reply actions
Nuggets better slow down
They’re using too much quit too fast. If they keep this up, they’ll have no choice but to win the series.
lets go Thunder!
Up by 16 right now before halftime!
by InboundingLobPass on Apr 24, 2010 8:25 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
Thunder are looking good
I hope this is one of those series where the eight seed beats the one seed.
Nuggets aren't coached like the Thunder
Scotty Brooks had a blank canvas with no ego’s
When did everyone start thinking Durant was egotistical
by Uh on Apr 24, 2010 9:29 PM MDT up reply actions
I don't think he's egotistical
The dude is humble. If they beat the Lakers he might get the big head.
But look at these guys ( Thunder) They are protecting there home court and giving a hellva effort.
Defend and Pass the ball says Scotty Brooks
Maybe the Nuggets are watching an can get the hint
Yeah or someone like Birdman
oh wait…
that sucks.
like ibaka man
that kid dont back down from no one, hes tough
by 808inDenver on Apr 24, 2010 11:03 PM MDT up reply actions
Lakers put up an even worse effort than us
Not saying much really, but we did play 20% or so of our game.
twitter.com/skitalicious
if the lakers go down in the first round
I won’t feel nearly as bad if we go down too.
by InboundingLobPass on Apr 24, 2010 10:42 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
Lakers did this last year too
in the Houston series. So, they can handle it. But OKC is good enough to beat them, there’s no denying it.
twitter.com/skitalicious
by runningdonut on Apr 24, 2010 10:49 PM MDT up reply actions
flipping the switch
Andrew, don’t underestimate the power of the switch…we have seen it with my Celtics and we can see it with the Nuggets, too. Go, Nuggs. I am jumping up and down cheering for you! All year, I have been hoping for a Celtics/Nuggets final…and I am still hoping for that! The Nugget have a great team core, and just have to ride that belief in each other and the group as a whole. No one promised that it would be easy, but the Nuggets are still in the mix and I will continue to cheer them on until the finals…If my heart didn’t belong to the Celtics, I would definitely be the Nuggets loudest fan!
by thirstyboots18 on Apr 25, 2010 6:51 AM MDT reply actions 1 recs
Good thinking
“We have to do a better job passing the ball,” Denver acting coach Adrian Dantley said. “We only had 12 assists for the whole game. We have to do a better job playing post defenders. In the second quarter they had like 18 paint points.”
Slaps forehead.
He's wasting his time
What makes us think the team is going to listen to him now?
What Would Brian Boitano Do?
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