| 30 April 2009
(Denver-CO) The 800lb gorilla in the room can get up and leave. The Nuggets don’t need him around anymore because Denver is moving on to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years! The Nuggets easily disposed of the Hornets at home in game five, 107-86, to conclude the series 4-1 with their fourth blowout.
The Hornets reacted just as I thought a team that was embarrassed 48 hours prior would. They came out of with a rare intensity not seen very often throughout most of this series and fought extremely hard throughout the first half and a good portion of the third quarter. Furthermore, they were playing without Tyson Chandler, who shut things down due to the gimpy ankle, and Chris Paul’s knee was rumored to be nagging him.
Nevertheless, Denver matched their intensity with the help of an electric atmosphere in the Can and were able to pull away with a 24-4 explosion in the third quarter with the game tied at 62 all to give the Nuggets Nation it’s first chance to savor closing of a playoff series at home since the 1987-88 season when the Nuggets advanced to the conference semi’s with a, 115-95, win over the Seattle Supersonics at McNichols Arena.
This game was hard fought and I can’t reinforce that point enough. New Orleans showed a lot of professionalism and downright resolve to bounce back after a 58-point trouncing just 48 hours prior to give Denver all they bargained for in the first 32 minutes of this contest. In the first quarter, I would relate the battle to two Rams squaring off and charging each other. Peja Stojakovic struck first with an easy lay-up off of a great feed from David West. That first score was quickly shaken off. Kenyon Martin countered with another freakishly athletic two-handed, put-back slam. The score actually tied on three separate occasions and the lead changed back and forth five different times as these two teams stood square in the middle of the ring and traded haymakers in the first quarter.
The familiar battles were waged. Dahntay “The Hound Dog” Jones continued his harassment of Chris Paul. CP3 failed to score with Jones all over him again in the first quarter. Kenyon Martin and David West locked horns too with West scoring nine points in the first quarter and K-Mart firing eight right back. And with neither team backing down, Denver was first to wince after falling behind by nine with under two minutes remaining in the first before landing a flurry of scores to close the quarter trailing by just three, 27-24.
After closing the first quarter with an effective flurry of three field goals that were all assisted, the Nuggets opened the second with another quintet of field goals off of crisp passes. And it should come as no surprise that Anthony Cater was the catalyst of the ball movement. AC handed out four of the eight assists that carried the Nuggets offensively over the final 90 seconds of the first and three minutes to start the second and his contagious offensive effect led to the Nuggets handing out ten assists on their eleven field goals in the second quarter to pull tied with the Hornets, 49-49, at halftime.
Defensively, tightening down with a more aggressive contest on jump shots and out rebounding the Hornets in the second quarter also helped the Nuggets pull even. The Hornets shot 52% from the field in the first quarter by connecting on 10-19 field goal attempts before the Nuggets extended their perimeter defense to hold the Hornets to just 38% from the field in the second quarter. In addition to fewer shots going through the net for the Hornets, the tighter defense displayed by Denver limited NOLA to just three assists in the second quarter as the Nuggets kept the Hornets to one shot per possession and out rebounded the Hornets 9-7 in the period.
Offensively, the Nuggets were well-balanced with Kenyon Martin leading the way with 13 points. ‘Melo added ten and Nene and the Bird offered eight points apiece as the Nuggets shared the workload with 16 assists in the first half. What I really liked about an otherwise very tightly played half offensively is the level of execution Denver displayed. Anytime a team records 16 assists on 20 made field goals it highlights how positive a team’s chemistry is and is also a good barometer for gauging how well a team is playing. For the Nuggets, both are at a pinnacle and with six different Nuggets in the assist column it shows how many Nuggets are playing with such a cerebral connection.
The second half started just as hotly contested as the first, but the Nuggets soon took control of the momentum with three consecutive three’s (one by Chauncey Billups and two by J.R. Smith) which were part of a 14-0 run spanning nearly four and a half minutes of the third quarter that rocked New Orleans to sleep. The Nuggets would push their lead to 20, 86-66, within in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter and led by as many as 24, 106-82, with under two to play in regulation.
Now with the 800lb gorilla leaving the room critics of Carmelo have a one less thing to criticize him with. ‘Melo’s 34 points in game five set a new post season high. Anthony added six rebounds, four steals, and three assists in his team-high 46 minutes of action while proclaiming, “This is MY house” to the fans in the Can during the fourth quarter. J.R. Smith scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half in another brilliant performance off the bench. The Prodigy was 5-8 from downtown and was the perfect offensive compliment to his defensive minded counterpart, Dahntay Jones. I think this also commemorates the perfect parting jab to the former coach who was so quick to give up on him, Byron Scott.
Chauncey Billups offered the quiet double-double of 13 points and eleven assists in a very unassuming, and team-best, +26 +/- performance overall. For the series, Mr. Big Shot out performed CP3 with averages of 25.5 ppg, 6.5 apg, and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 69% from three, 94% from the free-throw line, and not averaging a single turnover. CP3’s stats are solid at 17.8 ppg, 10.5 apg, and four rebounds, but Paul averaged an unbecoming 5.25 turnovers per game and was just 30% from downtown. Not to mention he didn’t have nearly the same kind of help that Chauncey did throughout the series.
The average margin of victory by Denver in this series is a bloated 31 points per game. That spread sets a new franchise record by breaking the old record of 20 points per game set back in the 1985 playoffs when the Nuggets advanced past the Spurs in five games, 3-2.
Cheers, Nuggets Nation!
This is certainly a sweet morsel to savor for now, but by no means a satisfying meal. We know the Nuggets will now face the Mavericks in the second round. The same Mavericks that they were able to dismantle in all four meetings in the regular season.
How long can this Rocky Mountain High last? For now, the answer is all night. More to come in the morning...
The Hornets reacted just as I thought a team that was embarrassed 48 hours prior would. They came out of with a rare intensity not seen very often throughout most of this series and fought extremely hard throughout the first half and a good portion of the third quarter. Furthermore, they were playing without Tyson Chandler, who shut things down due to the gimpy ankle, and Chris Paul’s knee was rumored to be nagging him.
Nevertheless, Denver matched their intensity with the help of an electric atmosphere in the Can and were able to pull away with a 24-4 explosion in the third quarter with the game tied at 62 all to give the Nuggets Nation it’s first chance to savor closing of a playoff series at home since the 1987-88 season when the Nuggets advanced to the conference semi’s with a, 115-95, win over the Seattle Supersonics at McNichols Arena.
This game was hard fought and I can’t reinforce that point enough. New Orleans showed a lot of professionalism and downright resolve to bounce back after a 58-point trouncing just 48 hours prior to give Denver all they bargained for in the first 32 minutes of this contest. In the first quarter, I would relate the battle to two Rams squaring off and charging each other. Peja Stojakovic struck first with an easy lay-up off of a great feed from David West. That first score was quickly shaken off. Kenyon Martin countered with another freakishly athletic two-handed, put-back slam. The score actually tied on three separate occasions and the lead changed back and forth five different times as these two teams stood square in the middle of the ring and traded haymakers in the first quarter.
The familiar battles were waged. Dahntay “The Hound Dog” Jones continued his harassment of Chris Paul. CP3 failed to score with Jones all over him again in the first quarter. Kenyon Martin and David West locked horns too with West scoring nine points in the first quarter and K-Mart firing eight right back. And with neither team backing down, Denver was first to wince after falling behind by nine with under two minutes remaining in the first before landing a flurry of scores to close the quarter trailing by just three, 27-24.
After closing the first quarter with an effective flurry of three field goals that were all assisted, the Nuggets opened the second with another quintet of field goals off of crisp passes. And it should come as no surprise that Anthony Cater was the catalyst of the ball movement. AC handed out four of the eight assists that carried the Nuggets offensively over the final 90 seconds of the first and three minutes to start the second and his contagious offensive effect led to the Nuggets handing out ten assists on their eleven field goals in the second quarter to pull tied with the Hornets, 49-49, at halftime.
Defensively, tightening down with a more aggressive contest on jump shots and out rebounding the Hornets in the second quarter also helped the Nuggets pull even. The Hornets shot 52% from the field in the first quarter by connecting on 10-19 field goal attempts before the Nuggets extended their perimeter defense to hold the Hornets to just 38% from the field in the second quarter. In addition to fewer shots going through the net for the Hornets, the tighter defense displayed by Denver limited NOLA to just three assists in the second quarter as the Nuggets kept the Hornets to one shot per possession and out rebounded the Hornets 9-7 in the period.
Offensively, the Nuggets were well-balanced with Kenyon Martin leading the way with 13 points. ‘Melo added ten and Nene and the Bird offered eight points apiece as the Nuggets shared the workload with 16 assists in the first half. What I really liked about an otherwise very tightly played half offensively is the level of execution Denver displayed. Anytime a team records 16 assists on 20 made field goals it highlights how positive a team’s chemistry is and is also a good barometer for gauging how well a team is playing. For the Nuggets, both are at a pinnacle and with six different Nuggets in the assist column it shows how many Nuggets are playing with such a cerebral connection.
The second half started just as hotly contested as the first, but the Nuggets soon took control of the momentum with three consecutive three’s (one by Chauncey Billups and two by J.R. Smith) which were part of a 14-0 run spanning nearly four and a half minutes of the third quarter that rocked New Orleans to sleep. The Nuggets would push their lead to 20, 86-66, within in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter and led by as many as 24, 106-82, with under two to play in regulation.
Now with the 800lb gorilla leaving the room critics of Carmelo have a one less thing to criticize him with. ‘Melo’s 34 points in game five set a new post season high. Anthony added six rebounds, four steals, and three assists in his team-high 46 minutes of action while proclaiming, “This is MY house” to the fans in the Can during the fourth quarter. J.R. Smith scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half in another brilliant performance off the bench. The Prodigy was 5-8 from downtown and was the perfect offensive compliment to his defensive minded counterpart, Dahntay Jones. I think this also commemorates the perfect parting jab to the former coach who was so quick to give up on him, Byron Scott.
Chauncey Billups offered the quiet double-double of 13 points and eleven assists in a very unassuming, and team-best, +26 +/- performance overall. For the series, Mr. Big Shot out performed CP3 with averages of 25.5 ppg, 6.5 apg, and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 69% from three, 94% from the free-throw line, and not averaging a single turnover. CP3’s stats are solid at 17.8 ppg, 10.5 apg, and four rebounds, but Paul averaged an unbecoming 5.25 turnovers per game and was just 30% from downtown. Not to mention he didn’t have nearly the same kind of help that Chauncey did throughout the series.
The average margin of victory by Denver in this series is a bloated 31 points per game. That spread sets a new franchise record by breaking the old record of 20 points per game set back in the 1985 playoffs when the Nuggets advanced past the Spurs in five games, 3-2.
Cheers, Nuggets Nation!
This is certainly a sweet morsel to savor for now, but by no means a satisfying meal. We know the Nuggets will now face the Mavericks in the second round. The same Mavericks that they were able to dismantle in all four meetings in the regular season.
How long can this Rocky Mountain High last? For now, the answer is all night. More to come in the morning...
Go Nuggets!
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