2008-09 Game 59: Denver Nuggets 90 - Los Angeles Lakers 79

February 28, 2009
by Jeremy

Box Score | Highlights

Will you all forgive me?  As I am sure most of you know I said repeatedly that the Denver Nuggets had no chance to win this game.  Turns out they had a slight chance.  The only person I did see who said that the Nuggets would win this game was Nate over at my old stomping grounds Pickaxe and Roll. 

I was right about one thing though.  I said if Denver did somehow pull this one out it would be all about their defense.  Well, Denver played some of their best defense of the season holding the Lakers to 29.8% shooting and a season low 79 points.  Both teams combined to shoot 5-42 from behind the arc and the second half was flat out ugly as the two teams combined to shoot 27-84, which equates to 32.1%.

So after three such terrible defensive games how on earth did they manage to turn things around?  As I think I wrote somewhere the issue was as much mental as physical.  Great defensive teams know how who is supposed to be where at all times.  They are a step ahead of the offense.  Tonight he Nuggets played that style of defense.

They hounded Kobe all over the floor, but they did not ignore the other members of the team.  Los Angeles had very few open shots and I do not recall any uncontested shots under the basket.  It may have been the most consistently strong defense from start to finish of any single game this season.  Even when they had nights as they did against Orlando, the Magic missed a lot of open shots.  That is not to say the Lakers did not miss a few here and there to, but most of their 66 misses came as a result of being challenged. 

Kobe traditionally torches the Nuggets, but not tonight.  Dahntay Jones, J.R. Smith and Carmelo deserve a lot of credit for pressuring Kobe into mostly jumpers.  Kobe only got into the lane on five or six occasions.  Almost all of his shots came from 16 feet out or further and he ended up shooting 10-31.  He did score 29 points, but it was a very quiet 29, but more importantly a very inefficient 29. 

Dahntay Jones held Kobe to 2-11 shooting plus 5-6 from the line.  He was very physical drawing a double technical on the two of them early in the game. 

I thought J.R. Smith played perhaps the best defense of his career tonight.  Kobe shot 4-13 against him and did not get to the line on J.R.

Kobe experienced one hot streak and it was when Carmelo was covering him.  Kobe made four of his five shots against Melo and I thought the comment by Scott Hastings that Kobe’s competitive fire was stoked by Melo trying to get up in his business. 

Kobe went 1-1 from the field against Chauncey, but 0-2 from the line and he shot 0-1 against Kenyon. 

In the past the primary defender on Kobe whenever he was in the game was Anthony Carter.  Carter only found himself on Kobe a few possessions and Kobe did not attempt a shot against him, but he did get to the line twice making three of four free throw attempts. 

(I missed a free throw in there that he made instead of missed, but I am not going to go through the game again to figure out which one it was.)

Another key to the game was that the Lakers did not run very much pick and roll action and when they did the screener rarely rolled.  D.J. Mbenga was the only screener who would roll after every ball screen and needless to say they were not exactly looking for him.  The handful of times they did run the pick and roll the Nugget bigs did a good job of hedging and recovering. 

Instead of going through individual defensive possessions, you can all look for a film room segment to document the Nuggets effort on D.

Looking at the flow of the game itself Denver came out hoisting jumpers in the third quarter and they saw their six point halftime lead disappear quickly.  The final straw seemed to be when Dahntay Jones attempted an 18 footer with about 16 seconds left on the shot clock.  After that Chauncey started going to the basket and J.R. Smith came in soon after.  Billups got to the line and made a couple of baskets in the lane.  He also drained a three and that shot seemed to give the Nuggets the boost of confidence they needed.  He scored the first nine points of the third quarter and kept the Nuggets in the game. 

Denver was successful on offense when they were patient and worked the ball inside.  J.R. Smith did a great job of penetrating and either finishing or getting a teammate a good scoring opportunity.  He shot very poorly, and too often, from behind the arc, but the Lakers had no answer for him when he drove.  He finished the game having attempted a season high ten free throws and even though he only had two assists he made passes that got his teammates to the line at least three times. 

Even with the play of Chauncey and J.R. the player of the game was without a doubt Birdzilla.  Chris Andersen was incredibly active and had a good matchup in Pau Gasol.  He played very good man to man defense and was a big reason why the Lakers shot such a low percentage erasing seven shots on his own.  Birdman also did a good job of finishing around the rim and he has perfected the little dippity doo finish on the opposite side of the rim.  Perhaps the most impressive part of Birdman’s night is not only did he play the entire fourth quarter, he entered the game with 6:11 left in the third quarter and did not come out once after that.  Karl knew who was buttering his toast tonight.

This win helps erase some of the sting from the losses to the Bulls and Bucks and hopefully it gives the Nuggets some momentum heading into their quick roadie to Indianapolis and Detroit.  Plus I am sure they had my posts up on the whiteboard in the locker room before the game and took great pleasure in proving me wrong.  Congratulations to them, they deserve it.

Additional Game 59 Nuggets

 

  • I have wondered and wondered how the Lakers could send guys like Vladimir Radmanovic and Luke Walton out to guard Carmelo and have such good success shutting him down.  Tonight I finally noticed why and it is so simple I am embarrassed that I did not notice it sooner.  Whoever is guarding Melo crowds him.  They basically body him up even when he faces up to the basket.  That takes away his midrange jumper unless he takes it immediately off the catch.  He also overplays to the baseline to keep Melo out of the lane and to funnel him to their help spots.  Hopefully other teams are not paying attention.
  • I think we may have received a preview of George Karl’s playoff rotation tonight.  Anthony Carter and Linas Kleiza played sparingly.  Kleiza played a season low tying 11 minutes and Carter played his fourth straight game of 18 minutes or less.  Birdman, continuing to earn more burn, played a season high 28 minutes. 
  • Before the game George Karl said he wanted to keep Nene’s minutes down to 20 to 25 and he did it.  I wondered why he did not play Nene in the third, but it turned out it was because he was saving him for the fourth.  Karl handled that situation well.
  • The Lakers bench was terrible tonight.  They accounted for seven points on 3-19 shooting. 
  • It was nice to see the return of the running game.  Denver had accumulated seven straight quarters without scoring a single fast break point starting with the second quarter of the Celtics debacle.  Tonight they ended up with 18 and did a good job of transitioning turnovers and long rebounds into scoring opportunities. 
  • Melo deserves credit for the way he has been hitting the glass lately.  He snagged 12 boards tonight and over his previous eight games has had fewer than eight rebounds only once.  Of course there were a lot of rebounds to go around tonight though.
  • The Lakers completely dominated the Nuggets on the offensive boards as they corralled 22 for the game.  Of course, when you miss that many shots you are going to get some of the misses, but that is no excuse.  The Lakers actually earned 22 more shots than the Nuggets took due to their ability to get the offensive boards.  Los Angeles is a good rebounding team as it is, but I think the Nuggets rotations may have caused them to get out of position to box out.  Of course there were also several instances where they were shot watching instead of locating their man to keep him off the boards.
  • In my pregame conglomeration of data I wrote that I did not think the fact that the Lakers played last night would have an effect on the game.  They noted on the telecast that Los Angeles did not get in until 4:00 AM.  Even though they did not have a strenuous game against Phoenix I think it is safe to say getting in that late may have caused a negative impact on their performance.
  • The crowd seemed to be a little too heavy with Lakers fans and also a little too apprehensive to get involved until it became clear the Nuggets would pull the game out.  How come the slow economy helps the visiting team get more fans in the building?  It is not like most Laker fans are doctors or attorneys.  I guess they only have to save up for two tickets a season.

Mindboggling Game Stats

Pace Factor:  92.0 – Just a tad slower than the typical Nuggets home game.

Defensive Efficiency:  85.9 – Tied for the third best single game mark of the season, but this one was against the number one team in terms of offensive efficiency in the NBA.

Offensive Efficiency:  97.8 – Bad, but not atrocious.  Well, OK, it was kind of atrocious.

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Posted on February 28, 2009 at 3:19 am | filed in Game Recap | Tags: , , , , , , , , — 3 Comments

Breaking News: Nuggets to Sign Jason Hart

February 27, 2009
by Jeremy

According to a report from Chris Tomasson the Nuggets are going to sign free agent point guard Jason Hart.  I guess that puts an end to the Sam Cassell talk and it makes me wonder if this is a sign the Nuggets are concerned about Anthony Carter’s play this season.

Here is the article from Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News.  He was unable to post the story on the website due to the closing of the paper.

By Chris Tomasson
Rocky Mountain News

The Nuggets next week will sign point guard Jason Hart, multiple sources told the Rocky Mountain News on Friday.

Hart has been bought by the Los Angeles Clippers for about $300,000.  After he clears waivers, expected to be on Tuesday, he will sign a prorated minimum deal with the Nuggets.

Hart, making $2.5 million before his buyout, will give the Nuggets the third point guard they are seeking.  Hart had to be waived by Sunday’s deadline to be eligible for the playoffs with the Nuggets.  Hart has played sparingly with the Clippers this season, averaging 2.3 points in 28 games. He played for Nuggets coach George Karl as a Milwaukee rookie in 2000-01.

The Nuggets had been looking Mateen Cleaves of the NBA Development League’s Bakersfield Jam as a possible roster addition. But then the Hart situation materialized.

The Nuggets are seeking a third point guard to take some of the burden off Chauncey Billups, 32, and Anthony Carter, 33.

Thaks to Chris for allowing me to post his article.

Posted on February 27, 2009 at 12:54 pm | filed in Breaking News | Tags: , , , — 4 Comments

2008-09 Game 59: Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers Game Thread

February 27, 2009
by Jeremy

The Denver Nuggets face their current nemesis tonight as the Los Angeles Lakers roll into town.  With the best team in the west in town we needed to do something special.

Instead of a regular preview I have sought out the thoughts of some of the best Lakers bloggers on the internet.  The Nuggets are clinging to the third seed in the west and they have been receiving some good press lately about how they are ready to contend for the Western Conference title.  I wanted to find out if those people who follow the defending conference champs, who are also the favorites to go to the finals again, are buying the Nuggets as a threat.

The contributors are Brian Kamenetzky from the LA Times Lakers Blog , Jonathan from Lakers Nation and hitting cleanup will be Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold.  Look for some content from me on each of these sites at some point today as well.

The rambling setup and question from Roundball Mining Company:  When the playoff seedings were set last season and it was determined the Lakers were going to be playing the Nuggets in the first round it was almost as if the Lakers received a bye. Fans and media alike instantly began talking about the second round before the series even tipped off. The general consensus this season is the Nuggets are a much improved team, but the Lakers easily defeated Denver in their sole meeting since the Billups trade. In your opinion would the current version of the Nuggets be able to compete with the Lakers in a seven game series any better than they did last season? Do Lakers observers take the Nuggets seriously? Should they?

Brian Kamenetzky:  I don’t know if it’s a sagging economy grinding up newspapers and those who work for them like corn meal, global warming, or a potentially nuclear Iran, but these days it seems like everything has me worried. When it comes to the Western Conference, that includes the Nuggets. Denver ‘08-’09 deserves to be taken seriously (certainly moreso than last year’s group, which had all the cohesion and unity of Fleetwood Mac), primarily because they’re (I almost said “again,” but I’m not entirely sure it’s ever happened) playing defense.  Fourth in opponents FG%, a respectable eighth in defensive efficiency.  Nene is making a big impact- his on/off court splits are impressive- and Chauncey is certainly an upgrade over A.I. in that regard.  On the other side they still can fill it up, except with Billups there’s more method and less madness.  Plus, Melo has been playing, at least in my intermittent viewing, a more complete floor game.

That said, I don’t think Denver is one of the two teams in the W.C. that could knock off LA in the playoffs, especially if the Lakers have Bynum back.  (My list is comprised of the Spurs and a newly healthy Jazz squad. With AK47 and Boozer back, they’re scary, and create some interesting matchup issues for the Lakers.)  The Nuggs are in that second tier with Houston and Portland. I admit, though, my view could still be colored by biases towards previous incarnations of the team.  Those can be hard to shake.  I’d say that’s a pretty common thing across the media, and certainly among fans.  Denver’s current winning percentage isn’t light years ahead of last year’s pace, but the team’s ability to compete in the postseason is much stronger and they probably don’t get the respect they deserve.

In fact, you’ve inspired me with your question.  Unless you tell me different, I’ll start adding “…and don’t sleep on Denver” to my Western Conference evaluations.   

RMC:  In your opinion would the current version of the Nuggets be able to compete with the Lakers in a seven game series any better than they did last season?

Jonathan:  Potentially this Nuggets team could be a tougher match up this year than last year, but I’m not entirely sure about that. 

A healthy Nene has done wonders for your interior D, and that was probably where the Lakers most took advantage of the Nuggets in the playoffs. I mean, God bless Marcus Camby and all, but Nene and K-Mart are doing a much better job of.. you know.. playing defense.

However, that doesn’t take into account what the Lakers were able to do defensively in the playoffs last year, and have continued to do this year. 

Last year Luke Walton and Vlad Radmanovic were able to do a much better job on Melo than we could have possibly hoped for, holding him to 36% shooting. This year he’s shooting an even more abmysal 29%(!). in two losses, he’s shot 5-15, and 5-19. For the Nuggets to have a shot at beating the Lakers in a 7-game series, he’ll have to play a lot better than that.

RMC:  Do Lakers observers take the Nuggets seriously? 

Jonathan:  I don’t think so. Lakers fans are an arrogant bunch to start out with, so I doubt any of them/us really consider the Nuggets a threat at this point.

Also of note, Derek Fisher does a lot better guarding bigger point guards like D-Will, J-Kidd and Billups, and so Lakers fans really weren’t too concerned by AI leaving in that trade (let’s all stop and laugh at the Pistons for a moment =D).

RMC:  Should they?

Jonathan:  I think so. Billups on Kobe is a lot more plausible than K-Mart on Kobe, that’s for sure. This year’s Nuggets are better than last year’s Nuggets, but at the same time, this year’s are better than last years Lakers as well. I wouldn’t put too much stock into Denver’s Billups Era loss, as we had Bynum then and it doesn’t look like we’ll have him for this playoff run either. Truely, the game on the 27th will be a more accurate reflection of how these two teams match up.

I expect that a 7-game series would ultimately end with the Lakers being victorious, but it wouldn’t be considered a bye.. not anymore.

RMC:  Can the Nuggets compete with the Lakers and do Lakers observers/fans take the Nuggets seriously?

Kurt:  There are two questions in there that get different answers. Yes, this Nuggets team can compete much better with the Lakers than last year’s version, and the Lakers had better take them seriously. With Billups at the point this just appears to be a smarter, more controlled team that plays better defense, picks its spots and attacks mismatches better, not to mention can shoot the three ball better. The pushing of the pace last year seemed to lead to almost reckless play, now things appear more steady. That is why if the Lakers and Nuggets were to meet this year it would be in the second round, the Nuggets are a better that nobody wants in the first round. I will add, I don’t think there is a team in the West that can beat a healthy Lakers squad, they are too talented and too deep, not to mention they can play good defense when they want to. But certainly a series between these team’s this year would be more competitive.

However, to your second question, I don’t think most casual Lakers fans and observers think of the Nuggets differently than last year. I think for much of the fan base the expectations would be a sweep going in, and some media members would happily feed into that. But the Nuggets will change that perception this playoffs, both for Lakers fans and anyone thinking that league wide. They are a legitimately good team and people will get to know that.

Prior to the first matchup between these two teams with Chauncey Billups leading the way for Denver I was very excited.  After the game I was much less so.  Due to the Nuggets poor play as of late coupled with their inability to defeat the Lakers I have already marked this game down as a loss.  Any assistance Denver hoped to get from Phoenix did not materialize as the Suns were not able to challenge the Lakers when they played last night in Los Angeles.  The Lakers were not overly taxed and the fact that the Lakers are playing on the second night of a back to back set will probably not be a factor.

Right now the most recent news we have on whether or not Nene will play is a quote from George Karl provided by Chris Tomasson, “there’s a chance he will play.”  Check out the article to see what Lakers players are saying about the Nuggets and whether or not they have closed the gap between the two teams.

Update:  As Stumbleweed told us in the comments, Benjamin Hochman from the Denver Post is reporting Nene will play, but he will come off the bench leaving Petro as the starter.

Denver Nuggets Game Notes

Previous Matchups:   Game 3 – Den 97 LAL 104 | Game 13 - Den 90 LAL 104

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Posted on February 27, 2009 at 12:47 pm | filed in Game Preview, Interviews | Tags: , , , , , — 123 Comments

Offday Offerings - Condolences to the Rocky Mountain News

February 26, 2009
by Jeremy

The Rocky Mountain News has announced that after publishing the Friday edition on February 27 the newspaper will no longer be published.  The writing has been on the wall for some time now, but it is still a sad day.  My heart goes out to those who are being put out of a job during a very difficult time to find work.  There is also a significant historical impact as the News was about to celebrate its 150th anniversary.  Denver is losing a local institution. 

I will leave it to others who are much more qualified than I am to write the eulogy, but apart from the human toll taken by the closing on a much more superficial level as a Nuggets fan and blogger this is terrible news.  One of the great things about quality blogs is that they augment the coverage provided by the local beat writers and commentators.  After tomorrow that foundation that we build on will be significanlty decreased. 

The coverage the Nuggets receive will no longer include the work of the very capable and insightful duo of Chris Tomasson and Aaraon Lopez.  Benjamin Hochman at the Denver Post does a very good job and I think most of his opinions and his coverage are right on, but the features and commentary is going to take a big hit.  While the Post will still provide the breaking news we all long for the narrative will be left lacking.

Again, I do not want to come across as insensitive.  The true story here is the fact that Denver is losing a huge portion of its identity and there are people whose lives are in upheaval because of it.  Making it more personal to those of us who are consumers of what the paper provided there is no doubt this will decrease the amount of coverage and insight we receive as fans of the Nuggets (or Broncos, Rockies, Avalanche as well as high school sports). 

I cannot imagine the shock and disappointment that those who are affected by this news are going through and I pray they will all be able to transition to the next stage of their lives as seamlessly as possible.

Altitude too?

I have one more economic note I have been waiting to throw out so this seems like an appropriate place.  Has anyone else noticed the decrease in commercials during breaks in Nuggets games? 

I first noticed this during the Bulls game last week when they frequently seemed to come back from commercial very quickly.  The standard timeout used to contain four commercials and then sometimes an NBA or team promo.  Lately they are down to three and sometimes only two commercials before a team or NBA promo and then they also include a brief spot from the sideline reporter or some commentary by the announcers to fill the additional time that used to be filled by commercials. 

If Altitude has seen a reduction in their paid commercials during Nuggets games by 25% or more that is significant.  Considering their programming other than the Nuggets and Avalanche is less than enthralling I wonder how viable Altitude is going forward if their big moneymakers are bringing in reduced revenue.  If ALtitude is struggling you also have to wonder about Fox Sports Rocky Mountain as well.  Fox Sports Rocky Mountain only has the Rockies, who appear to be entering another dark age, plus some lesser college and high school sports.  As with Altitude the programming when there is not a game on leaves much to be desired. 

How far away might we be from one of those two stations going away?

Posted on February 26, 2009 at 1:54 pm | filed in News | Tags: , , , — 2 Comments

2008-09 Game 58: Denver Nuggets 110 - Atlanta Hawks 109

February 26, 2009
by Jeremy

Box Score | Highlights

I cannot decide if I should feel good about this win or not.  Honestly I do not want to feel good about it because of the way Denver played the first and fourth quarters.  The Nuggets certainly showed more activity on defense than they did against Boston, but there were still plenty of holes in their defense.  Add in the facts that Atlanta was missing two starters and was down eight with only 1:38 left in the game and the Nuggets still needed Flip Murray’s last second runner to bounce off the front of the rim in order to win and I really was left with a sick feeling in my stomach.  They were just inches away from a five game losing streak.

Denver appeared to have the game well in hand.  After trailing by as many as nine in the second quarter the Nuggets closed the first half on an 18-4 run.  They extended their lead to as much as 17 in the third and Melo threw in a deep three pointer at the third quarter buzzer to send the Nuggets into the fourth quarter up 14. 

I was thrilled to see the Nuggets had only turned the ball over seven times through the first three quarters.  They entered the game averaging 19.5 turnovers per game after the All-Star break lowlighted by their 24 turnovers in Milwaukee.  Sadly it took barely more than five minutes in the fourth quarter for the Nuggets to match their total of seven turnovers from the first three quarters.  They ended up coughing the ball up ten times in the fourth quarter alone.

Denver’s offense ground to a halt in the fourth quarter and due to a combination of the aforementioned turnovers and stagnant uninspired play they only made four field goals in the quarter.  All four were jumpers.  The Nuggets did not score a point in the paint over the final 13 minutes.  Now that is somewhat misleading as Chauncey did get to the line for six free throws on plays where he drove into, or at least in the vicinity of, the lane and was fouled and J.R. earned a pair of free throws, but apart from those four instances the Nuggets were seemingly always scrambling to fire off a jumper with the shot clock winding down.  The key to the Hawks fourth quarter comeback was their 14 points in the paint.  Fortunately for Denver the Hawks needed 16 in order to pull off the win.

I am getting off topic though.  The story of this game was not the offense, which despite all its problems scored plenty of points with a very good efficiency rating to boot, but the defense.  I wanted to see the Nuggets get back to playing tenacious defense as they had done as recently as last Wednesday in Philadelphia.  They did not quite get the job done.

I have documented the Nuggets issues with defending the pick and role here and here and I wanted to see a better scheme, increased effort and better execution in that key area of team defense.  The Nuggets did indeed come out with a better scheme and they certainly spent a little more energy defending screen and rolls than they did against the Celtics.  However, without the execution the scheme and effort are pointless.  Well, the execution left much to be desired. 

The Hawks got off to a very good start on offense in the first quarter thanks to their ability to get easy baskets through their pick and roll game.  The Nuggets switched their scheme from the switching defense that proved so ineffective against the Celtics to a version of the Celtics hedge and recover we looked at yesterday.  The Nuggets took it a step further though aggressively trapping he ball handler, bringing weak side help to cover the roll man and then requiring the defender trapping the ball handler to recover back to his man who originally set the screen.  If any part of the plan is implemented incorrectly the entire scheme will fail.  Pretty much every time the Hawks ran pick and roll action the Nuggets missed at least one of the three elements of the plan.  The first pick and roll action the Hawks ran the trap was strong, the weak side help showed, but Kenyon Martin lazily jogged back to his man, Al Horford, and left Johan Petro to cover both Zaza Pachulia and Horford.  The result was an easy dunk. 

The second time the Hawks ran pick and roll there was no weak side help and Pachulia scored an uncontested dunk. 

The third pick and roll set once again Kenyon slowly jogged back to recover and the result was Pachulia left all alone under the hoop.  By the time he caught the pass and gathered himself Kenyon showed up, but all the Nuggets could do was foul to prevent another easy bucket.

The fourth time the Hawks ran it, Dahntay Jones forgot that they were not switching anymore and started to leave thus negating the necessity of pressuring the ball handler with the trap.  Fortunately the rest of the Nuggets were in good position to prevent anything at the rim, but the Hawks did earn a wide open three that fortunately for Denver clanged off the rim.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.  The Nuggets were incredibly lucky that the Hawks basically abandoned the pick and roll game in the second half.  Needless to say, I am not filled with encouragement regarding the Nuggets ability to defend this simple set in the future.  This trapping scheme is something every player should be comfortable executing, but the Nuggets played like they just installed it yesterday during their off day. 

In the fourth quarter, the Hawks ran more isolation sets and had some success early with Marvin Williams.  The key to the fourth quarter though was the Hawks desire to have Joe Johnson take the game over contrasted with the Nuggets fear of Johnson taking over.  Denver doubled Johnson almost immediately when he caught the ball.  The result was they were left scrambling trying to cover either an open shooter or to collapse on the drive.  Atlanta did a pretty good job of moving the ball and getting good shots.  They had several attempts just rim out and the Nuggets should feel pretty fortunate for that.  There were a couple of possessions where the Nuggets chose not to double Johnson and he made them pay with five easy points. 

The other thing I wanted to see was some leadership and determination from Chauncey.  He certainly played the role of Mr. Big Shot more than Mr. Pass First Point Guard as he lead the Nuggets in shots with 18, but he was aggressive and was able to the line 19 times.  I could have done without a couple of the threes he forced up, but ultimately I got the impression he took a great deal of responsibility for getting a win and he came through.  I was pleased to see a shot of him talking to J.R. in the fourth quarter and filling the role of coach/mentor on the floor.  Chauncey gets a passing grade, but had the Nuggets played a tougher foe I am not sure they walk out of there with the win.

Speaking of tougher foes, I have already stated that I have written off the Laker game on Friday.  Even if Nene does play, which apparently is a possibility, the way the Nuggets are defending they will get rolled off the floor.  Fortunately the Trail Blazers lost to a Spurs team playing without Manu Ginobili or Tim Duncan so the Nuggets gained a game back on them.  That is an important game because Portland will earn it back Friday when they beat the Timberwolves and the Nuggets lose to LA.

Additional Game 58 Nuggets

  • Much like the anchor street fight in Anchorman that game escalated quickly at the end.  It also ended very quickly.  If you went to get a soda abruptly.  The Hawks were charged one timeout in the middle of the fourth for a commercial break (after watching the NBA for over 25 years I still do not know exactly how television timeouts work in the pros, but I know they happen).  They called their penultimate timeout about a minute later to avoid getting tied up for a jump ball so they only had one timeout left for the final six minutes of the game.  That one was called with 1:38 left, once again to avoid a jump ball, so the Hawks had their last three timeouts called without Mike Woodson requesting any of them.  The result was a shockingly quick resolution to the game.  There were no timeouts called after the Hawks ran out and the only stoppages in play in the last 98 seconds were to shoot a pair of free throws and to inbound the ball.  Frankly it was disconcerting to have a game end so abruptly.  After the Hawks missed the potential game winning shot I was left expecting there to be more, but that was it.
  • It is easy to look at the point total and the Nuggets’ offensive efficiency for the game, to be unveiled later in this post, and think the Nuggets played well on offense.  Well as we discussed they were far too perimeter oriented.  It took a big game from Melo who was just red hot with both his midrange jumper and three ball to pull out this win.  The fact that Melo only shot two free throws is not a good sign.  He was far too dependent on his jumper, but I guess he could afford to be the way it was falling.
  • I mentioned when Nene went down that the Nuggets should look to post Melo and Chauncey more than they have been.  Both players ventured into the post a couple of times tonight, but not enough for my liking.  The Hawks were doubling Melo pretty frequently, but I think the Nuggets could take better advantage of that style of defense by putting Melo in the post and allowing the double to come there.  Then he can hit cutters or pass out to swing the ball to the weak side.  Melo did have five assists tonight and did a good job of triggering the offense by passing out of the double team.  The impressive thing about Melo’s assists was that they all came in the lane.  He recorded assists passing to cutters, on drive and dish plays and on a pick and roll (with a beautiful bounce pass between defenders to Petro).
  • Petro played another quality game.  He shot well, defended pretty well although he did get confused a couple of times in the pick and roll defense and I think he has earned more playing time even after Nene returns.  He is a very solid third big man and with Nene, Birdman and Petro the Nuggets should feel pretty good about the center position.
  • Dahntay Jones hit two three pointers from the corner tonight, both in the first quarter.  Sorry Dahntay, that does not change anything.  I still do not want you shooting.
  • It seemed to me like the Nuggets pushed the pace from time to time, but they were not credited with any fast break points.  The Hawks on the other hand continued the trend of taking advantage of the Nuggets poor transition defense scoring 15.  There were far too many instances, especially early in the game where Nuggets players were trotting back and not really caring that a Hawk player was either passing or already behind them.
  • J.R. Smith deserves a mention as once again he did a great job attacking the rim.  He also hit two big threes in the last few minutes.  
  • One thing that does not get mentioned enough is the importance of pin point passing when kicking out to a shooter.  On both of J.R.’s aforementioned threes Chauncey made absolutely perfect passes while on the move and in traffic that hit J.R. right in his shooting pocket.  J.R. did not have to move an inch and was able to catch both passes and shoot in perfect rhythm.  Many times you can tell a shooter is probably going to miss a three because the pass is either high, low or offline.  Chauncey almost made those threes for J.R. with his two beautiful passes.
  • I expected to see the Nuggets come out of the gate possessed, but they began the game pretty passive seemingly content to exchange baskets.  That may be another reason I am a little disappointed in the game.  They really should have displayed more fire the game after getting manhandled by 38.

Mindboggling Game Stats

Pace Factor:  89.6 – Slow for a home game.

Defensive Efficiency:  121.7 – Yikes.

Offensive Efficiency:  122.8 – Thanks to Melo’s marksmanship.

Featured Blog:  Hoopinion

Posted on February 26, 2009 at 2:36 am | filed in Game Recap | Tags: , , , , , , , — 8 Comments

2008-09 Game 58: Denver Nuggets vs Atlanta Hawks Game Thread

February 25, 2009
by Jeremy

It is still February and the Denver Nuggets are playing the Atlanta Hawks at home.  Seems like just another monotonous regular season game?  Not so.  This is a must win game. 

A loss tonight means the Nuggets will finish this three game home stand with a five game losing streak (yes, I have written off the Friday game against the Lakers and I recommend that you do the same).  The Nuggets will be playing without Nene again and that means that out of the three games Nene has missed after today, two of them will have been against the Hawks.  Atlanta used a long range barrage to defeat the Nuggets 109-91. 

The Hawks are coming off a 108-89 loss in Utah where they only good thing they accomplished was to rough up the man we all love to hate Matt Harpring.  The Hawks do not always bounce back after big losses as they are 3-3 in the game after a loss by more than 14 points. 

The Nuggets are on their own losing streak and so far following games where they lose by 38 or more they are 1-0.  The Nuggets have not lost four games in a row this season and they have won three of the last four games against the Hawks in Denver.  The lone loss came two years ago as the Nuggets had a monumental collapse against Atlanta coughing up a 14 point lead in the last nine minutes of the game. 

This game is all about the Nuggets defense.  They followed up their best three game defensive stretch of the season with three straight terrible efforts.  The three great defensive games are starting to look more and more like a fluke.  The Nuggets defensive stats look solid thanks to their ability to put forth a lockdown effort from time to time, but Denver has lacked the consistent effort, physically and mentally, required to be a good defensive team night in and night out. 

I think we can expect a good effort from Denver as they will be looking to bounce back from the drubbing they received at the hands of the Celtics.  On the other hand, if they come out flat I think it is time to really start to worry about the mental makup of this team.  Nene is out, Kenyon has a sore back and Melo is banged up, but so is everyone else.  The Hawks will be without Josh Smith, who is missing the game because of a personal matter, not a suspension for his flagrant two on Harpring the other night.  Mike Bibby is a game time decision due to illness.  He tried to go against the Jazz, but was completely ineffective and had to leave the game early in the third. 

Regardless of who plays or who is sore I want to see a great effort from the Nuggets tonight.  If Chauncey Billups has any leadership cache then I expect to see him do some actual leading on the court tonight.  If not, look for more threes early in the shot clock and another sorry defensive effort. 

Denver Nuggets Game Notes

Previous Matchup:  Game 32 – Den 91 Atl 109

Featured Blog:  Hoopinion

Posted on February 25, 2009 at 2:14 pm | filed in Game Preview | Tags: , , , , , — 36 Comments

Film Room: Defending Screens

February 25, 2009
by Jeremy

The contrast between the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets in the 114-76 demolition last night was quite startling.  One of the biggest gaps between the two squads was how they defended screens.  The Nuggets continue to rely too heavily on switching while the Celtics help and recover as well as anyone in the NBA. 

I have put together several clips that display very clearly the hedge, help and recover system the Celtics use on pick and rolls and the switch and pray system the Nuggets are so fond of. 

Keep in mind the Celtics played defense like this without Kevin Garnett who is a vital defensive cog in their system.  Had KG been on the court it is possible the Nuggets would not have broken 60.

The point is as long as the Nuggets defend screens like this, regardless of the opponent, they will be lit up more often than not.  Switching does rarely work as it did against Orlando and Philly, but against most teams it is like asking Stephon Marbury to show the new female intern his truck.

Check out all my videos in the Film Room

Posted on February 25, 2009 at 2:04 am | filed in Film Room | Tags: , , — 2 Comments

Offday Offerings - Saving the Nuggets Some Time and Effort

February 24, 2009
by Jeremy

The Nuggets seem to think that they have arrived and should be in the mix for the coveted veterans who are bought out and/or released by the terrible teams that they are playing for.  So far there are two players who might fit that mold, Sam Cassell and Mikki Moore although neither is worth much on the court. 

George Karl has spoken about his desire to bring in his old buddy Cassell to add all of those special things that veterans can add.  Apparently the special veteran point guard/coach on the floor/championship experience Chauncey brought to Denver is wearing off.  More importantly with Nene and Kenyon Martin having missed games in the last couple of days the search for additional big man insurance, apparently the safety blanket that is Johan Petro is not keeping the nightmares away, and Denver was hot and heavy after Moore.  Surprise, surprise, despite the Nuggets best efforts, Moore signed with the Boston Celtics.

The other big man that all the contenders are panting over is Oklahoma City’s Joe Smith.  Of course Denver is interested in him too.  In the effort to save the Nuggets’ front office a lot of work and disappointment I have crafted the following note:

There is a good chance that the Thunder will release Joe Smith and you will envision how much high quality veteran-ness he can bring to the Nuggets.  Treat the potential addition of Smith to the Nuggets roster as a fleeting thought like eating your weight in Thin Mint cookies or pushing the person next to you onto the light rail tracks right before a train approaches.  No good will come of your efforts.  Smith’s agent will take your call and make you feel warm and fuzzy, but there will not be a second where he will consider joining the Nuggets.

Denver is not on the same level as true contenders such as Cleveland, Orlando, Los Angeles (not the Clippers), San Antonio, Boston or even New Orleans.  Do not take solace in the fact the Celtics have signed Mikki Moore.  Even though that is one fewer team you must compete with it will not change a thing.  As long as any of the previously mentioned teams have interest in a player, he is not coming to Denver.  

Approaching Smith’s agent will only serve to remind you, and us, that Denver is still not considered an elite team, nor is it an elite destination.  Whatever time you put into the pursuit of Smith, or any other quasi-useful veteran player will be time that could have been better utilized doing something else.  You might as well try finding a cure for cancer because as unlikely as it is that you might be successful the chances are better than the 0.000% chance you persuade a waived veteran whose play is worth the contract he signs to join the Nuggets.

I hope you find this advice helpful, but more than that I hope you follow said advice.

P.S.  Sam Cassell will probably sign with you should you make the inane decision to offer him a contract.  Do not let that go to your head.  

Nene out one or two weeks

As expected it was determined that Nene did not have any structural damage to his knee.  Unfortunately, the bruise is bad enough that he might miss up to two weeks (see link above).  Considering the Nuggets Pythagorean projected record is 3-79 without Nene in the lineup this season missing him for two weeks, with Portland and Utah breathing down our necks is not something I want to think about.

Let’s move on.

Hurricane Rondo

I certainly did not give Rajon Rondo enough credit for his play last night.  He is quickly developing into a player who can do whatever he wants on the floor.  He has tremendous instincts, a great handle, superlative vision and has a mean streak.  He is afraid of no one and did not think twice about challenging Chris Andersen for rebounds or attacking Birdman off the dribble.  Rondo is quickly making a name for himself and has been endorsed by TrueHoop contributor Kevin Arnovitz and Henry Abbott’s mother.

When rough is not tough

Another thing I forgot to mention in my game recap for the blowout to the Celtics was how after already having been manhandled by the Celtics the Nuggets tried to get physical.  Kenyon was called, and I think rightly so, for a flagrant one on the shot he gave Ray Allen and Anthony Carter ran through Allen on a three point attempt late in the third quarter.  Maybe both Nuggets felt like they sent a message and felt like they had exhibited toughness.

To me the player who exhibited true toughness was Ray Allen who after getting knocked off the court by Martin made both free throws (the start of what ended up being a five point possession) and on the play he was drilled by Carter he made the three and the free throw.  

Sports movie Oscars

Denver Post Nuggets beat writer Benjamin Hochman put together a great post on his personal list of nominees and winners for the all time sports movie Oscars.

Posted on February 24, 2009 at 4:53 pm | filed in Random Stuff | Tags: , , , , , — No Comments

2008-09 Game 57: Denver Nuggets 76 - Boston Celtics 114

February 24, 2009
by Jeremy

Box Score | Highlights

There were three simple differences between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets tonight.

  1. One team played all out on both ends of the court for 48 minutes and the other did not.
  2. One team played aggressive trap and recover on ball screens and fought through on other screens while the other switched most screens.
  3. One team made their shots and the other did not.

One team was the Celtics and they won by 38.  The other team was the Nuggets and they lost by 38.

Playing hard for 48 minutes is a cliché.  Every team has slumps of a few minutes here and there where the effort wanes and they get lazy.  I promise you the Celtics played their bums off for all 48 minutes.  The collective competitive spirit puts the Nuggets to shame.  Kendrick Perkins was bickering with the refs with about a minute left after he was called for traveling.  These guys do not care what the score is.  The score is almost immaterial.  They are giving it their all from start to finish.

For the Nuggets the built in excuse is that they have been on a three week long road trip and it was unfair to ask them to play the Celtics a day after they played in Milwaukee.  I am not buying it.  As has been pointed out by many people, including myself, the road trip they just finished was only a three game trip.  Sure they played five road games in a row before that, but they had six whole days off during the All-Star break.  The Celtics were the team that had to check into hotels last night after playing in Phoenix. 

Honestly it did not matter who suited up, how many days in a row the Nuggets had played or what strategy the coaches asked the players to implement.  Boston played with confidence and determination while the Nuggets looked like a scrawny book worm getting ready to ask out the prom queen. 

Denver has now lost by 40 points, give or take a couple of points, twice in their last seven games.  Does that scream contender?  The game in New Jersey could be written off as a fluke, but for it to happen again just seven games later is shocking.  I guarantee you the Trail Blazers and Jazz are licking their chops right now.

Denver now has a day off to prepare for an Atlanta Hawks team that was blown out by the Jazz and two days later the Lakers roll into town.  They better get their act together by Wednesday or else they will be going back out on the road with a five game losing streak.

 Additional Game 57 Nuggets

  • After the game George Karl said that they ran into a team who was, “Angry and pissed off and wanted to beat us.”  Why weren’t the Nuggets that team?  They gave away two winnable games and were returning home against the defending world champions.  Show some heart and show some pride.  I know the Celtics are good.  Accept the challenge. 
  • Ahead of the pack and bucket short of a 40 point margin of victory most people probably would not have batted an eye had Bill Walker put home a dunk with just a few ticks left on the clock.  I thought he made a classy play by pulling the ball out and running out the clock. 
  • Was anyone disappointed in the play of Johan Petro?   He cannot catch a pass in traffic to save his life (Chauncey will not even pass to him unless he has no other option), but he can has little jumper, decent touch around the rim, can rebound and had a couple of nice blocks.  He has been called on twice and in my book came through twice after playing well in Orlando and again tonight.
  • Once again George Karl lacked the “courage” to play Renaldo Balkman in the second half tonight.  Balkman was the only Nugget other than the injured Nene to record a DNC-CD.  As BeefySwats pointed out in the game thread there was a portion of the game where Anthony Carter was matched up against Paul Pierce.  Pierce just shot over the much smaller Carter and looked like he could have challenged Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 100 points in a game with Carter on him.  Could that have been a good time to dust off Balkman? 
  • Chauncey looked slow tonight.  Rondo can do that to his opposition, but it was more than that.  His pathetic point total was a result of his very poor shot selection.
  • J.R. Smith was the only Nugget who was determined and able to attack the basket.  He made a couple of terrible passes, but once he realized he could finish against whoever the Celtics had at the rim he put in layup after layup.
  • Even Chris Marlowe acknowledged that the way to beat the Celtics defense is to move the ball and dislodge their defense with quick passing and movement.  The Nuggets played almost entirely one on one basketball.  Clearly it did not work. 
  • The Nuggets cut their turnovers down to 17, but for the second straight game they finished with more turnovers than assists.
  • I mentioned in my preview that the Nuggets Pythagorean projected record without Nene this season was 6-76.  After tonight it is 3-79.

Mindboggling Game Stats

Pace Factor:  89.5

Defensive Efficiency:  127.4 – Fourth worst single game rating this season.

Offensive Efficiency:  84.9 – Second lowest single game rating this season ahead of only the 44 point drubbing in New Jersey.

Featured Blogs:  Celtics Hub | Celtics Blog

Posted on February 24, 2009 at 1:21 am | filed in Game Recap | Tags: , , , , , , , , — 5 Comments

2008-09 Game 57: Denver Nuggets vs Boston Celtics Game Thread

February 23, 2009
by Jeremy

The Nuggets have won games this season without Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen.  They have yet to win a game this season without Nene.  In fact the Nuggets Pythagorean projected record without Nene is roughly 6-72.  Before you get overly panicked keep in mind that they have only played once sans Nene this season, a 109-91 loss at Atlanta, so things may not as hopeless as the numbers would lead you to believe. 

Kenyon Martin is expecting to play tonight, but I doubt a two or three hour plane ride is good for a balky back.  Carmelo Anthony is still smarting from a bruised knee as well.  As the bumps and bruises mount the Trail Blazers are surging and Utah is fully healthy for the first time this season and is playing with added motivation after the emotional loss of their popular owner Larry Miller. 

Boston will be playing without all everything Kevin Garnett.  The Celtics have done alright with KG in business casual having racked up a 4-0 record without the Big Ticket after dropping the Suns in Phoenix. 

Without Nene the Nuggets will have to work to get points in the paint.  Look for Melo, Martin and Chauncey to post up a little more in an attempt to either get shots in the lane or draw a double to initiate a cut to the rim or ball reversal.  My fear is they will just settle for jumpers though.  That is why for the Nuggets to win I think aside from Melo and Chauncey, J.R. Smith will have to provide an efficient offensive game. 

Out of the nine games in January J.R. has scored in single digits six times.  He has gotten away from the role of set up man that was working so well and during the last two losses is back to chucking a little too much for comfort. 

On the defensive end the Nuggets will miss Nene on the boards.  Even though he is far from a vacuum cleaner on the boards he is the only Nugget with the size to keep Kendrick Perkins off the offensive glass.  Chris Andersen, Kenyon Martin and Johan Petro are all going to make sure they find Perkins every time the Celtics take a shot. 

The Nuggets do have a two game winning streak against Boston and they notched their signature win of the season in a defensive clash in Boston earlier this season.  Denver will have to get that grittiness back in their game if they want to push their streak against Boston up to three games.  The big men will have to show strongly on screens and not allow Rondo to either drive around them or cut inside of them into the paint on screens and they must be prepared to rotate and be in motion before the ball is in the air to close out on Boston’s shooters Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Eddie House and Brian Scalabrine can all drain threes).   

It is common for teams coming home after a road trip to play a little flat their first game back at home and even though the Nuggets last road trip was only three games, they have not played at the Pepsi Center since February 3rd.  Hopefully they fact that the defending World Champions are in town and the need to raise their intensity and focus in the absence of Nene will prevent that from happening.  With both teams having played yesterday and short handed we could be in for an ugly game.

Denver Nuggets Game Notes

Previous Matchup:  Game 9 – Den 94 Bos 85

Featured Blogs:  Celtics Hub (A brand new TrueHoop Network blog) | Celtics Blog 

Posted on February 23, 2009 at 4:33 pm | filed in Game Preview | Tags: , , , , , , , , — 5 Comments

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