Let it sink in and savor it a moment, Nuggets fans, but realize that we’re only half-way to the summit. The next obstacle in our path is the formidable Los Angeles Lakers - the #1 seed in 2009, and looking to repeat their trip to the NBA Finals from last year.

After a total of 4 wins in the previous 5 years in the playoffs (since 2004) this year’s playoff run has topped the magical and improbable run in 1994 when the 8th seeded Nuggets knocked off the #1 Seattle Sonics and took the Utah Jazz to 7 games in round 2.

Hearing, “First time in the Western Conference Finals in 24 years” will never get old for me. 

The similarities beween the 2009 Denver team and that 1985 squad:

• Both teams faced the Los Angeles lakers in the Western Conference Finals
• Both teams pulled off a blockbuster trade near the beginning of the season that paid major dividends - 2009 team getting Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson, and the 1985 team getting Wayne Cooper, Calvin Natt, and Fat Lever for Kiki Vandeweghe.
• Both teams had a rainbow warrior connection - 1985 via their rainbow cityscape log, and 2009 team with Anthony Carter, who was a Rainbow Warrior for Hawaii in college.
• Doug Moe (1985) and George Karl (2009) are the two winningest coaches in Denver Nuggets franchise history

Differences:

• If the Nuggets are going to advance to the Finals, they will need to stick with the “defense first” mentality that got them here. The 1985 team averaged 120.2 points a game against the Lakers but was eliminated 4-1 in the series. Trying to “outscore” the Lakers in an offensive shoot-out in 2009 would go equally bad.
• The 2009 Lakers team only has one future hall-of-fame player (Kobe Bryant) as opposed to the 1985 version that had four (Kareem Addul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo)

Since joining the NBA (the Nuggets were originally an ABA team) in 1976, the Nuggets have never been to the Finals. To do it this year, the Nuggets will have to do two things that Coach George Karl has been preaching since a key turning point in March, when he told the team they could do “special” things this year - “Stay Hungry, Stay Humble”.

It will also take a perfect storm of things going the right way, but why not - it’s been happening all season. The Nuggets miracles started with aquiring point-guard Chauncey Billups from the Detroit Pistons for Allen Iverson. Iverson is an incredible NBA player, but his need to have the ball in his hands, and the fact that he had started to lose a step or two did not mesh well with the Nuggets focus on offense and defense this season. Billups, on the other hand, fits both like a glove - his floor leadership is exactly what the Nuggets helter-skelter offense of seasons past needed to gel, and his infectious focus on defense helped lead the way for the rest of the team. The next miracle was the Nuggets front-office recovering from trading away Marcus Camby to reduce costs by signing/re-signing 3 minimum contract players that all had huge impacts on the success of the season - Anthony Carter, Dahntay Jones, and Chris “Birdman” Andersen. Andersen alone filled the huge void Camby left behind with his energy, post-defense, and shot blocking, but did it all for $14 million less this season. Lastly, the Nuggets needed a different kind of coaching effort from Coach Karl than they had in seasons past - and they got it, a return to defense-first, and a return to Karl making the right calls/decisions all season long - something he’s been doing for many years in the NBA, but hadn’t done much of the past few years. Karl finally took a firmer stance with the team this season and with Chauncey echoing that on the court, Carmelo, JR and the rest of the Nuggets have fallen into line.

If the Nuggets continue to focus on defense first, bring a consistent high level of energy and focus to *every* game in this series, trust each-other on offense, and Carmelo continues to be patient and bring the same kind of game he showed in the first two rounds… Amazing will continue to Happen In Denver. 

Western Conference Finals Prediction - it will take 6 game for the Nuggets to get 4 more wins and advance to the Finals

Just 8 more wins nets the ultimate NBA prize.

The Disposable Superstar

Written by Tom Friend for ESPN.com Outside The Lines

The annual award reflects the ideals of sportsmanship — ethical behavior, fair play and integrity — in amateur and professional basketball, a key focus of the league’s NBA Cares program efforts. The trophy is named for former Detroit Pistons guard and Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, the award’s first recipient in 1996.

It was the first time receiving the award for the Nuggets 12 year veteran, and the first time for a Denver Nuggets player. Chauncey beat out Ray Allen and Antonio McDyess, among others.

Chauncey was presented the trophy at the Pepsi Center in front of the hometown fans right before Game #2 against the Hornets.

I personally love the fact that this award goes to a Denver Nuggets. For one, I love being able to fully root for my team as a bunch of “good guys” and not just good athletes. Two, a lot of Dallas and even some national media has suddenly started trying to label the Nuggets players with ugly words like “thugs” and “punks”. Not sure where this came from and why but it seems to stem from the fact that our players are very good (we hit threes in the 4th quarter when we have a lead - oh, the horror!) and have a lot of tattoos.

Sorry, but that does not seem to warrant those types of labels. If you know something different - Nuggets fan, or other fans, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Back to the subject at hand though… well deserved congratulations to Chauncey!

• Largest margin of victory on the road, in NBA playoff history (58 points)
• Tied the largest margin of victory (Minneapolis Lakers - 1956) in NBA playoff history (58 points)
• The Nuggets held the Hornets to the lowest score in a half in NBA playoff history (24 points)
• The Nuggets held Chris Paul to one of the worst games of his career - 4 points, 6 assists, 6 turnovers.
• It was the first time Chris Paul had scored less than 14 points in a playoff game
• Using a swarming, active defense, the Nuggets forced New Orleans into 27 turnovers and capitalized on that with 41 points
• The Nuggets shot nearly 57% from the field while holding New Orleans to less than 32%
• The Nuggets previous largest margin of victory was 30 points in 1985
• Not a single starter for either team played in the 4th quarter
• Nuggets playoff opponent all-time low - total points (63)
• Nuggets playoff opponent all-time low - assists (10)
• Nuggets playoff opponent all-time low - field-goal percentage (31.5%)
• The last time the Nuggets won a best-of-seven playoff series was 1985

Chris Paul: What just happened?

Some quotes after the game:

“In a strange sort of way, being up by that much is kind of embarrassing for the team that’s up sometimes,” Chauncey Billups‘ said Tuesday, 12 hours after the Nuggets’ 121-63 shellacking of the Hornets. “Only because, you play the game with integrity and you don’t want to show anybody up. But at the same time you want to play hard and you want to compete.

“Every coach talks about playing a playoff game, every possession having value, every possession having intensity to it,” Coach George Karl began. “I thought my team, probably in my career, I’ve never seen a team probably do that on every possession - do what they were supposed to do and play the game the right way - as much as they did tonight.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a team play defense like that,” Coach George Karl said. “Defensively, when you play this well, offense just happens.”

My take:

I have never seen a less competitive NBA playoff game, and I’ve watched 100’s over the past few decades. I’ve been to every home Nuggets playoff game since 1994 (yes, there were quite a few years in there where they had zero!) and I have never been more proud of my favorite home team. This even includes the amazing run we had in 1994 as the #8 seed, when we upset Seattle and took Utah to 7 games. We just trampled a playoff team that won nearly 50 games by playing the kind of defense that this town has not seen in many seasons, and by playing “the right way” on offense by passing the ball and sharing. From Chauncey and Carmelo all the way down the bench to backup-backup-point-guard Jason Hart, this team took both of those things to heart and kept it up for the entire game, even when it was basically over midway thru the 3rd quarter.

David West - the Hornets 2009 All-Star forward was playing the kind of defense that Carmelo Anthony used to play - namely, not moving his feet or ever helping as a Nuggets player drove past his man. I had forgotten how frustrating that was to watch.

Final thought:

Savor this win Nuggets fans, then get online and buy a playoff ticket to tonight’s Game #5 if you don’t already have one. The Nuggets have the heads on straight and will bring their “A” game to make sure that they do their best to close out the Hornets before looking ahead to matching up with the Dallas Mavericks in round 2. With a little (LOT) noise from the crowd at the Pepsi Center, the Nuggets will be an unstoppable force.

Don’t miss out on what Denver hoops fans have been craving for the past 15 years - an NBA team that’s going places in the playoffs!

GO NUGGETS!

• Share the ball
  When things went downhill during the Nuggets recent slide, they went back to their Iverson days of last year and started going with a lot of one-on-one play. Some of that works with JR slashing to the basket, but too much leads to a stagnant, ineffective offense. Unselfish, moving the ball is one the Nuggets are at their best.

• Get back to playing solid team defense
  For the Nuggets, their new-found team defense takes a lot of hard, consistent effort with good communication. During their slide they lost that focus and intensity. Karl should turn to guys like Dahntay Jones, Birdman and Renaldo Balkman to help crank up the defensive intensity when the starting unit falters. Chauncey’s defense is always pretty solid, but he can’t do it alone.

• Get Kenyon Martin back
  A healthy Kenyon Martin has also been a huge part of the Nuggets newfound defensive improvement this season. Kenyon brings a ferocity to the Nuggets defense, and he is strong enough and quick enough to guard several different positions, which really helps with switches and defensive breakdowns. Hopefully his recent bout with a back spasms will clear up in the next week or two and he’ll be ready to go for the stretch run and playoffs.

• Get Nene back to early-season form
  Another reason the Nuggets offensive efficiency has recently faltered is the dwindling effectiveness of  Nene. I think he’s hurting a bit, and tired, but the Nuggets really need him to re-find his legs and intensity for the stretch run and definitely the playoffs in order to make a run. I get the feeling Nene is a sensitve guy, and Chauncey pulling Nene aside and reminding him just how important he is to this team may just re-energize the big man in the middle. Getting a healthy Kenyon back would also do wonders, as it would take some of the focus off of Nene inside and give him more room to work.

• More Birdman, more Balkman, more cowbell!
  Coach Karl saw what Birdman could do this season way before I did this year, and I give him kudos for that. However, he’s still only playing Birdman an average of just under 20 minutes a game. Isn’t there a way to keep him on the court just a bit more? I know a guy like Andersen relies on his energy to be successful, so its a very fine line… but just a few more minutes, please? Balkman has been a revelation in the past week, mostly thanks to Kenyon’s bad back. How about 10-14 shooting with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks against the Clippers in a win? How about 14 points (6-13 shooting) and 14 rebounds in the previous game against Oklahoma - also a win? Please don’t send Balkman back to the bench completely when Kenyon comes back - find a way to keep him on the court - preferably ahead of the talented, but dreadfully inconsistent Linas Kleiza.

• Look at the past, and then play their butts off in the remaining games
  Learn from past seasons where high hopes faded away. Take the recent slide to heart and bring a renewed energy to the remaining games now that Utah and Portland are once again in the rear view mirror for the Northwest Division lead. They are very, very close in that rearview mirror, so the “A” game needs to be brought every night. Do that, and the playoffs won’t be a very big change from the intensity of the end of this season.

I don’t usually write posts like this, telling the Nuggets and their staff what needs to be done. Take it all with a grain of salt Nuggets fans, because this fan is just really tired of seeing his team get wiped out of the playoffs in the first round. Go Nuggets!

First up, is the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night, where J.R. Smith was a late addition to the foursome competing. J.R. replaced Memphis’s Rudy Gay,  who injured his hip earlier this week. Defending champ Dwight Howard of Orlando, 2006 winner Nate Robinson of New York, and Portland rookie Rudy Fernandez round out the rest of the field.

The Slam Dunk contest occurs during Saturday night festivities, along with the Skills Challenge and Three-Point shootout. It starts at 6pm MT, and the Slam Dunk contest is scheduled to air between 7-8PM MT, acorrding to TNT programming.

Read more: nba.com/2009/allstar2009/02/10/smith.replacement

On Sunday night, Chauncey Billups will represent the Nuggets in the All-Star game, as a Western Conference reserve guard. The game also airs on TNT, at 6PM MT. This will be Chauncey’s fourth-straight All-Star appearance, and his first in the Western Conference.

View Chauncey’s All-Star Profile at NBA.com

Hopefully the rest of the Nuggets will be enjoying the 6 days off before they play again in Philiadelphia and healing any injuries. (Especially Chris Andersen!)

Enjoy All-Star weekend!

On Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs were in Denver for a match-up between two Western Conference division leaders. Shortly before the game, the news came out that Manu Ginobli would not be dressed for the matchup, out with a bruised hip. We were also told that we should not expect to see Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Michael Finley. For the Spurs, that’s the “Big Three” plus the some-time SF starter. This was only the 3rd time since Manu joined the Spurs in 2002 that they had played a game without all three of their top players, the last time of which, coincidentally, was also against the Nuggets.

The previous night, the Spurs had been taken to overtime by the lowly Golden State Warriors - eventually winning 110-105. Parker played 43 minutes, Duncan - 42, Finley - 36, and Ginobli 35. Admittedly, that’s a bunch of minutes for old legs like Duncan’s and Finley, but Ginobli’s around 31 years old, and Parker is 26. I know Ginobli’s still a moot case in this argument, but it seems like Popovich would have sat him anyway.

So, if the Nuggets ended up winning the game 104-96, why am I irked?

One, I’m irked as a fan because I was unexpectedly robbed of a great match-up and a chance to see the Nuggets clash with a top rival. Any chance to beat the Spurs is a chance to wash away a few of the memories of them crushing our playoff dreams twice in recent years. If I had had tickets to the game, I would have been even more mad as it ended up being somewhat of a mid-season exhibition match with the way it played out. The Spurs subs played hard, I don’t question that, but their JV’s really didn’t stand a chance against the Nuggets “varsity” squad. The Spurs have a great system and even their rookies and young players can succeed in it if they “opt-in” to what Popovich has been teaching there for many years. The Nuggets though, lost their focus from the outset and genuinely looked dis-interested for much of the game until it came down to winning time when they held off the Spurs without a major effort. I’d love to see the Nuggets be more professional and have put away the Spurs subs early in the game like they really could and should have, but that is just not the mental make-up of this team and squad. Not having two starters of our own for all or half the game (Martin and Billups) didn’t help matters on our side either.

Second, I’m actually irked at Popovich for pulling a very crafty strategy in his team’s favor. He full-well knew that the Nuggets were licking their chops and looking at the game as a measuring stick. With his squad on the road, and coming in at a definitely physical advantage, I think he took away the opportunity for the Nuggets to gain any potential psychological advantage by pummeling his team at the Pepsi Center, by basically pulling his team out of the game. Did he really need to rest all of his stars for the entire game? No - not really. Could have even put them in for limited minutes in the 2nd half when his subs had hung close enough for it to remain interesting and potentially winnable for much of the game? Sure! His team had the next 4 nights off before they would face the Boston Celtics this Sunday afternoon.

You can find today’s Q&A post at ProjectSpurs.com along with lots of other great insights into tonight’s foe. I’ve cross-posted the contents below. Enjoy tonight’s game at 7PM Mountain Time. Go Nuggets!
 

1. Project Spurs: We’ve seen quite a bit of change in Denver since the offseason. First the Nuggets gifted Marcus Camby to the Clippers, then most recently the trade that brought Chauncey Billups back home to Colorado. On a smaller scale, you guys also acquired Johan Petro and sent Cheikh Samb to the Clippers. Are you happy with the trades that were made and do you feel they have paid dividends?

   NuggetsHoops:
   There was quite an uproar here when we traded away Marcus for a bag of chips.To me, the Nuggets front office came across as very smug over the summer. Several times, they referred to their moves in the offseason as “the fans don’t see the big picture”. At the time, I thought they handled it poorly, but looking back now, there were some brilliant, if mind boggling moves pulled off to get from there to here.

   I still miss Camby as a person in the Nuggets organization and community (my entire family has and still wears Camby jerseys to the games) but I miss him as a player less and less. I do feel badly for him in his situation with the Clippers this season – who would have thought they would plummet out of significance so quickly this season? Still, subtracting Camby from this team ended up having two huge positive impacts for the Nuggets, on top of the less exciting but important salary cap/luxury tax relief. One – removing one of the best defensive players in the league made us a better defensive team. Before readers start scratching their heads – its really simple… the rest of the team stopped relying on Camby being the primary defender, and everyone started playing better defense, which brought the team to a much higher, more consistent level overall. Two, with Camby gone, it was Nene’s time to finally sink or swim this season. The coaches completely missed the fact that he should have been selected as a Western Conference reserve last week, but I think the rest of the league is taking notice. Two recent, near perfect offensive games will do that. Nene is a beast down low, both offensively and defensively, and he has made the Nuggets a much stronger force. The Nuggets no longer need to rely on their running game, which means they can still win games in a slowdown, halfcourt pace. Something that will be on display tonight, as the Spurs usually do a great job of slowing down the Nuggets fastbreak part of their offense.

   The other Nuggets moves have been less discussed but have been important as well. Dahntay Jones, Rolando Balkman, and Chris Andersen (for a 2^nd time) have all played key roles as starters or bench players this year, and some of these subtle moves actually cleared just enough salary cap this year to get the Nuggets completely under the salary cap for the season, something that apparently makes Kroenke a very happy man.

2. Project Spurs: The Nuggets are currently sitting at 3rd in the West. What is your outlook for the second half of the season and with Chauncey Billups having the rest of the season with the Nuggets under his belt, do you think the Nuggets will realistically be a contender in the playoffs?

   NuggetsHoops: 
   The Nuggs have a tough road trip coming up after tonight – 8 in a row, but they are winnable. We break down the season in 10 game “sprints” here, and so far the Nuggets have been above .500 in each one. They need to win 2 of their next three to keep that streak alive. I do think the Nuggets will finish the season strong and end up with one of their franchise best records – 52-55 wins. The Nuggets have shown two qualities that cause me to “believe” this season. They are winning the games they “should” – 20-1 against sub-.500 teams this season, and they are winning the close games – 8-3 so far this season in games determined by 6 or less points.
    

3. Project Spurs: Why exactly is Dahntay Jones starting? Are the Nuggets benching J.R. Smith and hoping it’ll have a similar effect to Manu Ginobili’s benching in San Antonio?

   NuggetsHoops:
   Because he has pictures of someone on the Nuggets coaching staff? Er… no, but it is another head-scratcher for me as well. I’ll take the high road on this one and try and put myself in Coach Karl’s shoes. I think the main reason he starts is to set a tone for the game. Jones is one of our best perimeter defenders this season, and while JR is improving defensively, his strong suit is still his offense and Karl likes to have that coming off the bench as an infusion of energy and scoring at one of the first subbing points in the first quarter.JR actually started several games towards the end of Carmelo’s recent stint on injured reserve, but I think Karl prefers to have him as a bench weapon, along with Kleiza. The Nuggets bench is one of the best of the league with JR, Kleiza, and Birdman playing well this season. JR ends up getting more minutes than Jones most nights anyway, so I don’t think JR has any issue coming off the bench. He’s definitely a candidate for 6th man of the year.

4. Project Spurs: How much of a man crush does George Karl have on Manu, and if the Nuggets win the championship, any chance we will see Karl moshing at the ring ceremony? In all seriousness, what do you see as a key matchup for tomorrow’s game? Bruce Bowen seems to have lost a few steps and got burned by Carmelo before anyway so do you go with Parker-Billups, Duncan-Nene or another

   NuggetsHoops:
   I think Manu’s face is on the office dartboard for Karl, as would be the case for most Nuggets fans. We’ve seen enough of Manu and the other Spurs star players these past 5 years, as you could easily make a case for the Spurs being the biggest roadblock to Nuggets playoff success.

   Duncan will see more of Martin than Nene tonight, based on past success that Kenyon has had. Nene is quick enough to guard Bonner on the outside where he likes to work, and still help clog entry into the key for Parker and other Spurs slashers.

   I think the Billups/Parker matchup will be a new and big key to the game tonight. If Billups can manage Parker’s playmaking ability and maintain his own offensive efficiency, I think the Nuggets will be in good shape to come away with a win.

   The YouTube video of Karl moshing at the ring ceremony with his players and coaching staff will be listed on the front page of due to its popularity if and when the Nuggets win an NBA championship.

5. Project Spurs: The season series between the Nuggets and Spurs is tied at 1-1? What do the Nuggets have to do to make sure the Spurs do not leave Denver with the series lead and what is your prediction?

   NuggetsHoops:
   The Nuggets will take this game very seriously, just as they did recently with Utah. A head-to-head edge with the Spurs would be key heading into the postseason and the battle for the top few spots in the West.

   Having Carmelo just return to the starting line-up is actually a bit of a concern for me, because his rust could have a negative impact. He alleviated some of that concern with solid all-around play against Charlotte in his first game back, but Charlotte is *not* San Antonio.

   I think the Nuggets will come away with a home win, but it will be determined by less than 10 points.

6. Project Spurs: How do you feel about Carmelo being snubbed for this year’s all-star game? This continues a trend of Carmelo not being picked by coaches. The only times he’s made the all-star team are when he started due to fan voting and when David Stern used him as an injury replacement. Do you take comfort in the fact that other all-star worthy players like Deron Williams and Al Jefferson also got snubbed?

   NuggetsHoops:
   I was more upset about Carmelo getting snubbed last season than this one. His injury in January was badly timed for an all-star campaign, and his scoring numbers are down this year a bit. 

   I feel that Carmelo is re-tooling his game this season. I kind of equate it to when Tiger Woods re-invented his golf swing. Tiger still won tournaments that year, but the payoff was bigger the next season once he got used to it and fully took advantage of it. Carmelo’s rebounding and assist are both near career highs this season and he’s focused more on them to the benefit of the team. I also see him finally playing better team defense, which has been a huge factor in the Nuggets transformation from a lousy defensive team to at least a middle-of-the-pack defensive team.

   I could also easily make a case for both Chauncey and Nene deserving All-Star berths ahead of Carmelo this year. Chauncey got his spot for saving what looked like an under-performing squad this year when he arrived early in the season. He’s made it safe for Nuggets fans to look forward to this year’s playoffs again without fear of yet another one-and-done, or worse yet, a sweep similar to last years drumming by the Lakers. If Chauncey is the driver of the team, then Nene is the engine this year, and he has a lot more horsepower under the hood than we’ve seen in a long time. His is nearly unstoppable down on the block with his variety of spins, strength mixed with quickness, and a soft touch. His 12-12 and 9-10 shooting games were two recent examples of an overall great season. He could win MIP in the end of the season awards.

   I think Carmelo has a good shot of making the team after all by taking Chris Paul’s now vacant spot, but I’d be fine with him being kept off and Jefferson or Williams getting it instead. I think Carmelo would be motivated in a positive way the rest of this season if he was left off.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-38-106/Not-on-the-Road-to-Phoenix.html

Old NuggetsHoops homepage:

NuggetsHoops as of December, 2008

New NuggetsHoops homepage:

NuggetsHoops as of January, 2009

Would love to hear your comments, thoughts, suggetions, critiques in the comments!