Rapid Reaction: Nuggets 111, Cavaliers 103

February 9, 2013
by Joel
Denver Nuggets 111 Final

Recap | Box Score

 103 Cleveland Cavaliers
Danilo Gallinari, SF 37 MIN | 6-13 FG | 4-5 FT | 9 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK | 4 TO | 19 PTS | +1Gallo played a great all-around game tonight. His shooting was quite efficient, and he led the Nuggets with 19 points. But perhaps more importantly he played some solid defense, and he did a great job on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds, including four offensive. The only glaring problem with his game tonight was his four turnovers, and that’s what prevents him from getting a solid !.
Kenneth Faried, SF 30 MIN | 7-12 FG | 3-6 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 5 TO | 17 PTS | +1It would be a mistake to think that it’s necessarily a problem if Faried doesn’t get a double-double. His impact on this game was huge. He downplayed his performance in postgame comments, saying, “I only had seven rebounds. That’s not me at all.” But in fact he was his typically high energy self, attacking the rim and breaking through the Cavs’ paint defense with consistency. Defensively, when he got switched onto perimeter shooters (especially Alonzo Gee in the first quarter), he was sometimes late to rotate, and he had the same turnover problem as Gallo.
Kosta Koufos, C 17 MIN | 5-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +1Koufos was very effective in the first half, scoring eight points, many on putbacks from his five offensive rebounds. One thing that’s probably not said enough about Kosta’s consistency is that often what it means is when some of his teammates are struggling, he’s there to pick up the slack. George Karl decided to go small in this game, and Koufos didn’t play too much or make too big a difference in the second half, but he was a big part of Denver taking the lead into halftime.
Ty Lawson, PG 35 MIN | 3-11 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | +8Lawson got off to a slow start. Not only was his shot not falling, he somewhat reverted to the less aggressive style of play that limits his effectiveness. Fortunately, he didn’t let that get to his head and he came out in the second half with more determination. While he never really found his shot, he did a better job of pushing the pace, driving, and finding good looks for his teammates. When he was defending Kyrie Irving, he did at least a respectable (if not great) job of it. And unlike most of his teammates, he did a great job of protecting the ball.
Andre Iguodala, SG 35 MIN | 6-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 14 PTS | +8This was pretty much the prototype of the kind of game we’d like to see from Iguodala on a regular basis. His playmaking was outstanding (he logged more assists than either point guard), he executed his offense mostly within the flow, letting it come to him rather than trying to force it (with a few exceptions), and when he was assigned to Irving, he did a very good job of containing him and limiting his effectiveness. Alas, like Gallo and Faried, he gets bumped down a half grade for four turnovers.
Corey Brewer, SF 21 MIN | 2-6 FG | 6-8 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 10 PTS | +3Brewer made such little impact in his first half minutes I hardly noticed he was even on the court. But he found his spark plug in thesecond half, bringing his usual hustle and energy, and making some good fast break and defensive plays. Overall, however, this was not one of those games that he really put his mark on.
JaVale McGee, C 18 MIN | 6-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 4 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | +7McGee detractors who malign his out of control play (a criticism which admittedly often has merit) and lack of fundamentals may soon find themselves with a rapidly diminishing supply of ammunition. In recent games including this one, he more often than not has been playing level-headed, fundamentally sound basketball. It has taken time, but the work the Nuggets coaching staff (and, perhaps, Hakeem Olajuwon) has done with him is definitely starting to pay dividends. In this game his ability to block and alter shots was huge, including one very impressive block-catch-and-steal which I still do not think was a goaltend. He also shot an extremely efficient six of seven field goals. but once again, the turnover demerit is in effect.
Andre Miller, PG 25 MIN | 3-8 FG | 4-5 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 10 PTS | +2Miller was trying to force things too much when he first came out, resulting in some poor decision making and a couple early turnovers. But he did find a way to play more within the flow after that, and he made a markedly positive impact in the second half with some pretty big shots and assists that helped the Nuggets maintain their lead. And like so many above him, he would have ended up a half grade higher if not for the turnovers.
Wilson Chandler, SG 23 MIN | 2-6 FG | 3-4 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | +9Chandler is still finding his way on offense, and hopefully someday soon he’ll get there. But he was deployed in this game primarily for defensive purposes, and he held up that end of his responsibilities well. Like Iguodala, he did a good job on Irving, and he also had a couple nice steals resulting in Nuggets points the other way. Ultimately, however, if he can’t find a way to perform more consistently on offense, it will be hard for Karl to find more minutes for him than the 22 he had tonight.
George KarlKarl sent Iguodala out to cover Irving on early possessions. This was a sound strategy, and I am generally in favor of putting Iguodala on the opponent’s best player early and often. What he didn’t have a backup plan for was what Denver would do if another player heated up like Alonzo Gee did. Fortunately the Nuggets weathered his first quarter onslaught (and let’s face it, Gee wasn’t going to stay hot forever — he’s no Sammy Dalembert), recovering in the second quarter to take the lead into halftime. And ultimately the strategy to limit Irving paid off. He finished the game with a fairly quiet 26 points on a fairly inefficient 10 of 24 shooting, and at no point in the game did he ever take control of it. The Nuggets played sloppy, but it’s always hard to discern how much of that is on the players and how much on lack of preparation by the coach, especially when going on the road after a long home stretch. The Cavs are better than their reputation, and this could have been a trap game, but the Nuggets were in control of it the whole game after the first quarter, and there wasn’t much to complain about in terms of matchups and rotations. So in accordance with what we might call Kalen’s Axiom, in which ultimately winning the the thing that matters most, Karl gets an A for a successful start to this road trip, and the Nuggets’ ninth consecutive win.

Four Things We Saw

  1. Can’t do that against Boston. In case you missed the drum I was beating all throughout the player grades, the Nuggets turned the ball over 20 times in this game. They were also guilty of some other (mostly defensive) transgressions: slagging off from or rotating too slowly to 3-point shooters, failing to get in front of players attacking the rim, not fighting through screens. Tonight, they got away with this versus Cleveland. Tomorrow, they will not be able to do the same against the Celtics. Not if they want to win, at least. Hopefully they got the road jitters out of their system with this game, and they can hit the ground running and keep the brass tacks knocked down in Boston.
  2. Slow start for Ty. It’s easier to get energy and aggression up at home. But it’s more important to do so on the road. You have to walk into the other team’s house ready to show them that, tonight, you own it. And of all Nuggets players, Lawson is the one who most needs to take this mentality to heart. Iguodala has said it. Karl has said it. Analysts have said it. And most fans know it. As Lawson rises and falls, so does this team. He really needs to find and embrace his aggression, confidence and drive if the Nuggets are going to have a successful road trip. Going up against Boston, Toronto and Brooklyn, all games are winnable. But it all starts with Ty.
  3. Generations. The Cavaliers announcers pointed out a great factoid during the game. When Andre Miller was drafted by Cleveland in 1999, Kyrie Irving was just seven years old. The term “old man game” is thrown around a lot regarding Miller, but it’s pretty cool to think of it in those terms. For some more perspective, here is the Basketball-Reference 1999-2000 Nuggets page: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/2000.html
  4. Livingston and Stone. I couldn’t help but think about Julyan Stone’s future when watching Shaun Livingston play in this game. The way he was able to utilize his height to shoot over Lawson, rebound, mix it up in the paint — if Stone can develop into a player who can do even some of those things in addition to his already competent playmaking skills, it’s easy to see how, at least on paper, he could be a perfect complimentary point guard to Lawson in the future, especially if Karl is still around playing two point guard lineups.
Posted on February 9, 2013 at 8:55 pm | filed in Rapid Reaction | 64 Comments
  • bigelowsmalls

    sucks that Miller/McGee tip at the end of the 1st half was no good. Would of been a nasty play!!!

    9 in row!! Good stuff NUGS!!

  • Ban Johnson

    Nothing spectacular, but one of the most solid, professional, consistent road wins of the seasons. Nuggets right now are a confident team that knows its identity.

    Iguodala and Gallinari played their roles just about perfectly — especially love Gallo’s shot-blocking and rebounding lately. McGee was sharp (deserved more minutes.) Faried was super active. The down-court passing and vision was consistently good. Nice to see Miller pushing it as hard as he did.

  • googergieger

    Few things to complain about in this one. Refs, Karl, Miller, but nine in a row so I’ll be happy. Be worried about the game tomorrow. But happy with the win tonight. That was much harder than it had to be. Also Gallo got fouled something obvious on the last three he attempted and quite a few times throughout the game. This is about the second or third game where he has attacked the rim a few times and only had one or two fouls called for him. Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.

    • Tyler

      I really don’t like your posts. You’ll complain about Karl regardless of the results. Seriously no matter what happens, you’ll always rip him. I guess that’s why GK is in charge and not some idiot who thinks he knows best.

      • googergieger

        No.

    • Ryan

      Agree with you about Gallo. He got fouled twice on his alley-oop attempt, including getting smacked in the nose pretty hard by Zeller. Maybe the refs just don’t like him?

    • Thomas

      Agree.

  • Tonia01

    Normally you do not need to comment the referees in the NBA. This time I found them awful. The nuggets players have been raped all game long, especially Gallo. I found it unacceptable.
    Anyhow, good win, we did not play particularly well, but we had a great defensive effort. I believe McGee deserved more minutes and the rotation of the ball was not too good, Chandler Brewer, and especially Miller tend to keep the ball and shoot too much.

    • Aaron

      Agreed on Brewer, someone needs to tell him to stop shooting, and give Chandler his spot in the corner. When Brewer drives, he’s hard to stop.

      • theo

        Actually, Brewer is statistically one of the best 3 shooters in the league from the baseline. Not sure why we’d want him to stop taking those shots. I like Chandler too, but important to bow to the facts.

        • https://twitter.com/denbutsu Joel

          Actually Theo, I’m sorry but that’s not really accurate. Among the 50 NBA players who take the most corner threes, Brewer ranks 42nd at a % of .384. In fact, the only other Nuggets player on the list fares much better. Gallo is 22nd at .441.

          • mike

            well that wouldn’t suggest that chandler would be a better guy than Brewer to shoot that shot then would it….

    • Jeff

      Really bad officiating on both ends. Can’t believe they didn’t call goaltending on the Mcgee ‘grab’ (he needs a new statistical category).

  • Aaron

    Good win, that was a hot team that had just beat OKC. They’re better than their record. I think tomorrow is a loss, the Celts are on a mission right now. But, that’s ok. We’ll get in around 3 a.m. in Boston and play at 5pm, I think. sheesh. . . . .a schedule loss.

    Gallo is coming of age before our eyes. I think he’s our closer, our “star” if you will. He won’t get 25 every night. But, he’s our reliable shot maker. I want to see him do it against OKC or LAL. We thought he was doing this last year, and then he wilted in the playoffs. But, he was also a little hurt.

    Good win!

    • Thomas

      Too early for that call. Playoffs.

  • theo

    That YMCA Dre to Javale pass at the end of the 3rd was ridiculous! Still, really went backwards tonight with the turnovers–just silly, sloppy stuff the whole game, particularly in the 3rd. That we could win on the road throwing the ball all over the place and not playing great D says a lot about the kind of roll we’re on. Confidence and composure got it done tonight even with mediocre execution.

    Not as worried about the Boston game as some, though it’s a back to back and it’s historically really tough to win in Boston on Sundays and their on a roll. We match up very well with them–they’re basically a small ball team now and we have better athletes and better board work. Their age cancels out the advantage they have due to the back to back for us. Feel like this will be a ‘mental’ game–if we sustain our intensity and keep our composure, we walk out with a W.

  • http://twitter.com/xantoniooo808x D3Ntilthe3ND

    Game was a lot closer than it should’ve been because of the Miller Lawson Brewer Gallo Faried lineup

    • Ryan

      Yup. On one possession late in the fourth, when the game was still in doubt, Andre Miller literally stood out of bounds the entire time with his hands on his hips until the shot went up, leaving the Nuggets playing 4 vs 5. Something tells me that if McGee did that, he wouldn’t play again for a month…

      • http://twitter.com/xantoniooo808x D3Ntilthe3ND

        that’s EXACTLY what I noticed. 4 on 5. ridiculous. if he’s out there to run the offense….RUN THE OFFENSE.

    • Charliemyboy

      Who were the matchups? Ball control and matchups are Karl’s priority at end game… has he had any success in January and February? Huh?

  • EWilson

    Good way to start a tough, 4-in-5 road trip. I’ll be extremely impressed if the Nuggets win in Boston tomorrow, given that the weather is likely to make it a long trip to the hotel. But, this is just the type of situation where Denver needs to start developing grit. It’s the type situation you get in the playoffs where things are going against you and you need to dig deep and gut out a game. Let’s see if this young team has it in them.

  • CJP32

    Whilst Brewers 3PT shooting lately has been bad, he is getting to the FT line alot more. 25 attempts over last 5 games and hitting them at a good clip.

    But he’s still playing at a high level and giving us 11ppg off the bench. Chandler is sore again so CBrew becomes more important.

  • Jazz

    Ewilson, I could not agree with you anymore. I to would be extremely impressed!! Go Nuggets

  • Gorillabuddy

    Crazy how everyone who played scored double digits except Chandler, who was close with 7. That’s how this team needs to play.

  • Cephus

    Oh, oh I’m starting to swallow & imbue the “Gallo Kool-Aid “. I found myself wondering if he was a nascent Alex English who can drive with more aggressiveness and play better D even if he doesn’t Alex’s silky touch with 10-13 foot jumpers. I want to be wrong but if Gallo tears up Boston & Kevin Garnett w no rest, save a spot on the bandwagon for meeeee.

    • Jeff

      I think if Gallo has a huge game tomorrow and carries the Nuggets to their 10th straight, we can all put to bed the question of go-to-guy. If he drops 25+ and the Nuggets win, this is Gallo’s team, IMO.

      • Thomas

        What a bandwagon -everyone jumping in.

        Best play in this team is Faried. In a year it won’t be even close.

        • nugswin

          Faried is a role player. Sure, be very impressed by the activity, determination and enthusiasm he brings to the team. He’s a very good role player, glad we have him!

          But Gallo is the best player Denver has.

        • Jeff

          Faried is definitely not the best player on this team. He’s the worst defender of the starting lineup, can’t shoot, and has no post moves. I love Faried and I’m not knocking him at all but if your best player is just an energy hustle guy with hops, you’re gonna be in trouble.

    • trank

      corey brewer reminds me more of alex e than danillo

      • Ryan

        Blasphemy. You don’t fully understand how talented English was then. He could actually, well, shoot…

        • nugswin

          Other than being skinny I’m not sure how herky-jerky, bouncy Brewer is like the smooooooth flowing grace of Alex English at all.

  • Jeff

    I really hope we don’t trade any of our rotation players. Since Chandler has come back, bringing some size, feisty D and occasional hot shooting, it’s like everybody has just settled right into their roles. And I for one have been liking the substitutions. I know Chandler hasn’t done all THAT much but his presence along with the home schedule has just made everything feel right.
    Gallinari has become the aggressive 4th quarter guy, which is awesome considering there were a number of games last year he sat the entire fourth quarter… remember that?

    • Dubz

      Yup I couldn’t agree more. I’ve tried to hold judgement (for the most part) on Karl’s rotations this season due to Chandler’s unforeseen absence in the early months. With him back, Karl’s rotations have made a lot more sense. Even though he still uses Faried at C to close out a lot of games, it works occasionally and it definitely worked tonight. I definitely concur with Joel’s assessment of Stone as well. If we could use Stone as a backup in the future, the 2 pg system will work very well due to his size. I’ve always thought Alec Burks would have fit that role perfectly for this team even though he’s more of a SG, but he’s starting to get minutes on the Jazz so I guess that’s not going to happen. Oh well, Buffs fan speaking here.
      Also, on nights where Chandler is guarding these tall and heavy PF’s like Thompson and Speights, we should cut him a little slack offensively. Those guys have a significant size advantage over him. Anyway, I was very impressed with this win. I’m sure it was hard to go on the road after a few weeks straight at home, but they pulled it out anyway. Nicely done boys.

      • Dubz

        P.S… I do remember a few games last year where Gallinari was benched during the 4th quarter and it infuriated me every single time Karl did it. Gallinari needed to push through those hard times en route to eventually becoming the player he’s starting to be. I’m betting he’ll be an all star next season.

      • Jeff

        I think the Jazz are going to make some big trades, so getting Burks isn’t out of the question.

    • mike

      I really hope that Chandler does end up traded because it would signify the team made a significant upgrade as they aren’t trading him otherwise. The teams play is more about the home/road stuff than chandler who has been decent.

  • CJP32

    Any word on the seriousness of Chandlers groin? He is questionable for tomorrow.

    • mike

      chandler’s groin is as serious as they come.

  • Ckwizard

    Only thing I don’t like is Miller finished the game instead of Brewer, Chandler, or a center… I guess it probably has something to do with his crying game of an interview where he cried about his minutes and role on the team. I thought the coaching staff had taken a step forward finishing games with stronger defensive lineups then the interview and back to a bad defensive lineup. Googergieger may be a negative nancy most days regarding Karl but a fan that wants a championship is who Googergieger is and this game is one of those that calls into question Millers and Karl’s commitment to team and getting closer to winning a championship playing team basketball. On positive note at least GK was showing emotion about the officiating against a supposed to beat opponent.

    • Charliemyboy

      We see the game but are not on the court. Did you notice how Iggy praised Miller’s understanding of defense priorities and how he liked playing in tandem with him?

      • Ckwizard

        Yeah I saw what Iggy said however like you said we watch the games and for the majority of this 9 game winning streak the closing lineup didn’t include Miller. Not a problem unless it results in defensive breakdowns which as witnessed by watching games was a problem previously this season…. Just saying it was interesting to see after the Miller interview… Coincidence maybe or maybe not… Miller played ok but come on man like a previous poster said he literally took an offensive position off in the final two minutes.

  • allAround

    Nuggets is fun to watch end of discussion .
    We played great and I can speak bad only for Ty.
    I was disappointed by him . Too much holding the ball and it seemed that he does not give the ball to Gallo so much. A lot of times it seemed that Gallo was not like part of.

    Gallo and Iggy were very effective and they were there when you needed them .

    McGee played good and Faried the same. Kostas when it comes to offense was bad even if his stats are showing the other way around . It was a play that you were expecting him to finish with authority, but on the other hand he was blocked with authority. I think Koufos is getting started in the second half .

  • Giovanni

    If Faried match the intensity of Pepsi Center when he play away we can beat the world…

    Twp players are key of Nuggets Ty and Faried…

    Why Gallo has 0 assist?

    Good win…

    • monimo

      Giovanni some times you remember me a little bit of GIANLUCA with you’re total admiration for Ty and Faried. Don’t understand me wrong, I like them both, but there are still important holes in their. Gallo and Iggy are more complete players and are key to the Nuggets success at least at the same way. And I don’t like the subtil criticisme of Gallo’s 0 assist. Why don’t you ask about his rebounding. Gallo was the best Nugget tonight, he had too 4 TO, I agree, but two of them would not have been called by another ref and generally he has a very good TO to A ratio.

      • Giovanni

        No you don’t understand me..
        I ask for curiosity why Gallo has no assist not for criticize him..
        Because i don’t saw the game…

        I admire Lwason and so?

        Do you not admit that Ty and Faried are the Keybof the Nuggets?

        For me speak english is difficult e sometimes maybe i can appear sarcastic..
        But for me the team is most important of player..

        • monimo

          It was a missunderstanding, sorry – perhaps we should speak Italian but this would not be nice to our hosts :) I agree with the idea that the team is more important than one single player and I think that coach Karl is doing a tremendous job assembling different key players with specific attributs.

          To me, Iggy (defense, leadership), Gallo (heart, leadership, closing abilities) Ty (speed, shooting), Manimal (hustle, rebounding, energy) are the 4 untouchable cornerstones of the team.

          At the next level, I add Brewer (hustle, speed) and Miller (leadership, FT-shooting). I would not like to loose them. Chandler, McGee, Koufos are very nice pieces, perhaps a little bit more expendable. What Even if I don’t understand all GK decisions: he has the principal merit for creating this teamspirit of fun, toughness, speed and unselfish attitude.

          • Giovanni

            I agree 100 with you…

            So i’ll give a chance a Mcgee for another year..
            Beause his potenzial is enormous…

            And i think that this team is a player that become a juggernaut…

            A player like Garnett or Duncan…

            Ciao…

          • magster

            Go ahead and speak Italian. We can always translate your conversation on Google translator. That’s what I use when Al68 posts in Spanish.

            I think it is very cool that the Nuggets have international fans. There are a lot of Filipino fans of the Nuggets on DenverStiffs too.

            • Giovanni

              Nah…

              I ‘ll try to speak english..
              Maybe i can learn something…

              Nuggets are an international team..

  • ryanvdonk

    a win is a win, but the two PG lineup hurt the team at the end…again. one undersized big does not cut it, cavs were able to make it somewhat interesting cause of their advantage rebounding and the lack of paint presence. ty has looked a little better moving without the ball than he did earlier in the season, but miller still parks himself when he’s not the point.

  • nugswin

    I had the feeling there would be vibes about a slow start from last night’s game after being down 17-15. But I thought the whole team played with a lot of energy early. This is the NBA and every team has very talented players. Yesterday Alonzo Gee went off over the first 3/4 of the first half, sometimes that’s going to happen, nothing you can do about it. If we can consistently open games with the kind of effort from last night we will erase the memories of November completely.

    Today’s game against Boston will be a real test for that area of the game (that Denver has been anything but consistent in). With Bradley and Lee hounding perimeter players from the opening tip it will be important to match their fight and grit — not have one of those 15 point quarters and play from 8 to 10 points down all game. Another key will be Gallo staying out of foul trouble guarding Pierce. If he can use his size to bother PPs one-on-one game without fouling I like our chances of pulling off the road win.

    Another thing I’d like to see is JaVale on Garnett — can he stay on his feet until KG commits to the patented turn-around? If so, he’s sure to bother him and force some misses. Also, I’d like to see Faried get some good minutes as Bass isn’t likely to do much more than shoot jumpers and leave Kenneth free to dominate the paint (and hopefully piss of Garnett into a technical!).

    • nugswin

      Gee went off for the first 3/4 of the first quarter, not half. D’oh!

  • http://yahoo.com prospector

    I will go on record again to say the small ball lineup sucks.. Mcgee & KK played well yesterday.. Their is no excuse for not having a center on the floor for at least 45 mins… Faried is a warrior.. His stats would be better if he was forced to play center every game… He is a young player finding his way… Having him play out of position game after game, and then getting blamed for poor defense is complete BS… Andre Miller is a punk and should have been traded yesterday… The walk of the court after his 3 pointer the other day was a punk move.. His comments he made to the colorado springs sports hack about his minutes and our lack of a superstar shows his true colors… Any guy that slacks on defense game after game, while still yelling at teammates.. Give me a break, If that punk said something to me, I would say “”Shut your trap and get out of the paint and guard your perimeter player”.
    All he is doing is stunting the growth of our team.. In order to grow as a player YOU MUST PLAY…… Dumping him would free J Stone, and maybe JHAM for Siberia… Andre never plays D… NEVER .. You’re telling me Stone can’t do at least what DRE is doing on D??? And you can bet Stone won’t be launching lame 3′s when he is shooting like 19% from beyond the arc….. YO MILLER… YOU ARE A SLACKER!! Take your lame game to orlando w/Harrington. Karl is still a stubborn (NO TITLE) coach…. Karl coaching 101, Should I play small for 30 minutes or 35 minutes? Oh my gosh, we gave up a run… Quick break out the 2 guard lineup fast….. A center scores on Faried, quick throw Chandler out there fast… Let’s play even smaller…. Yeah this is going to work in the playoffs……
    And Chandler, 1 good game every 5 or 6 games… The model of consistency…… Chandler is not a power forward…. UNDERSTAND……. MASAI go money ball and make some stuff happen… Oh wait MASAI is probably busy buying another suit… How about Joshy??? Oh he is in the back playing with his dog…..
    Look I love our team… I love the players minus MILLER..
    Karl not so much.. (I am sick of our switching defense)… But I will admit that most NBA coaches suck.. So I would prefer the MONEYBALL tactic of trading the coaches security blankets and forcing his hand… 9 wins in a row… Great.. But there are still flaws in KARL’s coaching and I will continue to point them out until they are addressed… Why win by 10, when you can win by 20 plus?????

    • theSoc

      Sheesh calm down buddy, its just a game. Let the pros do their jobs!

      • http://yahoo.com prospector

        Do you mean the PRO Karl taking 1 seed Seatle against #8 nuggets and GETTING BEAT… How about losing in the playoffs every year, whether it’s G. Payton/KEMP, MELLO, or these NUGGEtS?? How about the same small ball lineup against EVERY team, regardless of personel… Just because you are a “PRO” doesn’t mean you are immune to mistakes.. Why bother even voting?? Maybe we should let the “PRO’S” pick our leaders? Honest debate is what makes AMERICA great… The freedom of SPEECH means I can call out a coach incapable of change…

    • Native Nugget

      Whoa now – easy on Masai. Can’t believe you took shot at him for his suits. Dude’s taken a small market team to fourth on the Espn power rankings without a superstar. We have one of (if not THE) deepest benches in the league, we’re developing good young talent, we have tradable assets and his salary cap management is tight. Name one other team in the entire NBA that has all those things going for it.

      • http://yahoo.com prospector

        I like Masai’s suits.. I like what he has done… I am just trying to kick him in the rear right now, and have him make a move and force Karl’s hand… God knows Karl will not play STONE or JHAM on his own… It took a NENE injury to get FARIED off the bench.. Even now KARL hates using the kid… He would rather play guys like Harrington or Chandler than a guy like Faried… HOW MANY years before he considers FARIED/JHAM/STONE vet??? Karl probably would play Miller over Kylie Irving.

        • mike

          yes masai Im sure reads this site. And every night that he does that he looks out for you “prospector” to motivate him. Otherwise he would just be sitting down eating pie feeling sorry for himself and his team. Im so glad you were able to give your time to motivate him…

  • http://yahoo.com prospector

    Maybe TY would be more aggressive if the keys to the team were handed all the way to him.. Dump MILLER and tell TY this is your team baby… YOU HEAR ME MASAI???

  • http://yahoo.com prospector
  • ny nugs fan

    i think it’s safe to say that Cleveland’s record hardly reflect the kind of team they are and will be… but they had this one coming from the Nugs… so on to the Celtics…

    the celtics want to prove that they are new look and maybe better WITHOUT Rondo so they’re motivated

    Jeff Green is playing stupendously well and last time I checked they still have KG and Paul Pierce

    I would love to see Moz and McGee on the court at same time; Moz to pull KG from under the basket and hit a couple of those rainbow jumpers to keep em honest; and McGee to get some easy flushes and clean up the boards

    but if I had to guess I’d bet that the C’s are gonna test the Nugs to see if our early season inability to defend the perimeter is who these guys really are; brewer iguodala and gallo are gonna have to get a hand up

    given this is short back-to-back i’d say the recent substitution patterns of Coach Karl could play a huge role in this game; maybe even see some anthony randolph

    go Nugs; win the game!!!

  • Mark from Charlotte

    Wishful thinking NY NUGS FAN GK will continue to play small boy. If this continues the Nuggets will be in trouble tonight in Boston.

  • googergieger

    If the rest of the game is like this first quarter, going to be a pretty long I told you so rant coming from me when this game is done.


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