Nuggets Go For The Sweep!

I've been trying to keep quiet on this year's NBA playoffs as things have gone particularly well for my favorite NBA teams (the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets, in that order), but with Denver on the verge of their first ever playoff sweep, I had to jump in. Thus, I will be writing this blog as I watch the game and you will get to join me in the emotion as the Nuggets try to close out the Mavericks.

1st Quarter

- Glad to see TNT has sent the C-team to do the play-by-play for this one. Matt Devlin, Steve Smith and some guy named Marty are our commentators. Clearly, the network feels pretty sure this won't be the featured game of the night. Then again, it's not like the Cavs-Hawks game was the height of drama; everyone and their dog knew what was going to happen in that one.

- Mavs strike first with some third chance points, and the Nugs follow it up with a turnover. Billups chucks one on next possession, but the game looks like it's playing at the Nuggets pace early.

- Melo and Dirk on the board quickly, no surprise there.

- A nice bonus as Dahntay Jones hits a "three" (looked like his foot was on the line to me) and the Nuggets get on an early run. Mavs need to be very careful. My prediction coming in was that this would be a big win for Denver. The way I see it, the Mavs will get down 8-10 points at some point in the game and will give up on the game. I give Jason Kidd credit for leading this team, but guys like Howard and Terry seem the type that might hang their head with a deficit.

- Nugs run up to 10-0 (12-6 lead)...

- Both teams having early turnover problems. Psychologically, this is much more dangerous for the Mavs.

- Dahntay Jones with the steal/slam! Wow, not the kind of thing you want to see if you're the Mavs/their fans. If Denver gets confident early, they can steamroll you. As I've heard multiple times this postseason, the Nuggets are tremendous frontrunners as they really step on the gas with a lead.

- First commercial break and the Nugs hold a nice 14-8 lead. Looking good so far.

- Let me just say this about the non-foul in game 3: I completely agree that a foul probably should have been called, but for anyone to say that this cost the Mavs the game is simply preposterous. Even if they get the foul call, the Nuggets still have the ball with 2.5 seconds left, plenty of time to get a good look or even draw a foul. So don't tell me that the Mavs lost because of the non-call. By the way, if Wright wanted the foul call, he shouldn't have put his arms up will committing it in the universal "I'm not fouling" motion! Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

- What's up with this "team role" thing TNT has been using this postseason? How many casual fans watching will know what they mean when they say Chauncey Billups is the Nuggets' "Commander-In-Chief" if they didn't already know what he does? Honestly, does this help anyone?

- Dirk is coming out aggressive and looking for his shot, a good sign for the Mavs. The problem is, Dirk's been amazing all series long and he's gotten no help. It's a shame that Josh Howard has been hurt this series and really prevented the Mavs from competing.

- Chauncey Billups is absolutely amazing. I rooted for him with Detroit when the faced the Lakers back in 2004, but as the Pistons kept dominating the East, I started to get tired of him. Now that he's a Nugget, I can't get enough of this guy. He has been exactly what the Nuggets needed. He's practically a second head coach, and when the players get sick of listening to George Karl, Chauncey can help keep things together. His scoring this postseason has been a breath of fresh air, taking a lot of the pressure off of Carmelo to score tons.

- Question: Anyone else think Carmelo is trying to prove something and win a title before his buddy LeBron?

- JR Smith is 1-for-1 from three. Uh-oh.

- Mavs with a missed three, Nugs get the fast break and the fans are already out of the game. Timeout Mavs as Kleiza nails the three and the Nugs are already up by 13. Maybe they won't win by 58, but I sense this game turning out very similar to the Nuggets' game 4 rout in New Orleans in the first round. Oh, did I mention it's still the first quarter?

- 34-23 Denver, end of 1. Pressure is squarely on the Mavericks.

2nd Quarter

- First play of the quarter, JR nails his second three. I don't care who you are, if Smith gets hot, the Nuggets are very, very tough to beat.

- No, Melo! NOOOO! Carmelo takes a swing at Antoine Wright, trying to get his arm untangled from Wright after a rebound. The last thing the Nuggets need is for Melo to get tossed or, much much worse, suspended for a game (especially a game in the next round). Hopefully the league will agree that it was fairly harmless. Steve Javy, one of the better officials I've seen this postseason, reviews the play and... Technical foul on Melo, but he stays in the game. Now it's in the league's hands.

- Quick whistle on the next play as Melo drive to the hoop. I agree with color man Smith that it was a smart play by Melo to attack the hoop and make the officials make a call.

- Dallas gets energized by a play by JJ Berea, and the Nuggets need to sense this and try to calm down a little, not let the Mavs get on a run.

- Nice pull-up by Melo, but Berea strikes again and the Nuggets still up 12. Meanwhile, Nene is playing very well and making the Mavs big men work hard on defense. Unfortunately, he misses two free throws and wastes his hard work.

- The refs are calling everything right now, and both teams are attack the rim to try to get calls. We'll see if we get another foul-fest like game 3. This would seem to favor the home team as the refs tend to call more fouls on the visitors, plus the Nuggets aren't nearly as deep in the frontcourt as they are in the backcourt, particularly with Chris Andersen m.i.a.

- Mavs crawl back within 9, 40-31, as we head to the under 9:00 break.

- Nuggets are playing a little sloppily this quarter, and with the Mavs within 7, things are getting tighter. Then again... next thing I know, Anthony "I'm not a three point shooter but I chuck 'em up anyway" Carter drains a 3, Kidd air balls one on the other end, and the Mavs momentum is fading again.

- The Mavs can't buy a 3, and as I said before, the pace of this game continues to favor Denver. Suddenly, that little Mavs run has turned around and Carlisle has to burn a timeout down 49-35.

- Brandon Bass has been huge for Dallas so far. He is playing with much more energy and intensity than the rest of his team. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are getting sloppy on offense again. 6-0 run out of the timeout for Dallas.

- Ridiculous foul called on Billups as Howard creates contact, gets the call and the bucket for a big three-point play.

- Four quick, BIG points from Melo and he gets Denver back up by 10. Teams are trading baskets right now. Nene continues to do his work down low, getting to the line yet again for free throws 9 and 10.

- Big final 3 minutes here as the Mavs need to stay in single digits going to the half.

- Nuggets get another technical as Billups whines to the refs. I agree the Nuggets haven't gotten (m)any calls in Dallas these two games, but you need to be careful not to give the Mavs free points by complaining.

- Flagrant foul on Howard. Hmmm, maybe Chauncey made an impact after all? Forget what I just said, Nuggets, whine away!

- Each team misses some golden opportunities and the game is still rather sloppy for both teams. Nugget's lead is down to 5... Big slap by Dirk on Kleiza, but Linas misses both, wasting the call. Mavs turn around and give it back with a turnover, though. Nuggets holding for the last shot.

- Another aggressive drive by Kleiza and he returns to the line with 3.8 to play, and Terry is actually called for a flagrant on a play that Smith claims he didn't even see the foul. Really, Steve? Terry basically threw himself into Kleiza, not exactly going for the ball. Nuggets make 2 of 3 free throws (Terry also got a tech) and get the ball again for the last shot.

- Amazing put-back by Carmelo as time expires and the Nuggets manage a little run to take a 10 point lead to the half.

- 63-53 Nuggets at the break. Mavs are still fighting, for now.

Halftime

3rd Quarter

- The Mavs had 9 turnovers and 20 points allowed off those. 20! That's more than 2 per turnover! That's almost impossible. To say that's the difference in the game is an understatement.

- 15 seconds in and we have our first foul. Yay.

- Foul #2 14 seconds later. This is going to be a long half.

- Another quick start for Dirk. The Nuggets really can't guard him much better, but he's just making some incredible shots.

- Jones has been much more active offensively tonight than I recall him being this postseason. He's contributing well.

- 3 by Terry, deuce by Dirk and the Mavs cut the deficit to 1. Nuggets need a timeout as they have been discombobulated on offense and the Mavs are clicking on offense themselves.

- Nuggets get 6 quick points from Melo and pull back up by 5 until Terry knocks down a pair of free throws. The Nuggets are just refusing to let the Mavs take a lead, but credit the Mavs for not going away.

- Melo adds another pair, but then he gets beat on defense by a guy with two bad ankles and Howard gets the Mavs back within 1.

- As has been the case throughout this series and the playoffs in general, the refs are making their presence felt with many close calls. So far, it doesn't seem to be favoring either team, which I suppose is all we can ask for.

- With 5:13 to go in the third, the Mavs have been called for 20 fouls and the Nuggets 15. As you might imagine, Denver leads by 7, 80-73.

- Dallas has gone cold and the Nuggets are rebuilding their lead. Dallas needs to get Terry back on the floor as the deficit grows back to 9.

- Kleiza cannot guard Dirk, and he compounds his mistake with a technical foul giving the Mavs a four-point play as Dirk hits a shot and both freebies.

- Big bucket by JR to stem a little Dallas run and Smith has a chance at the three point play (only to miss another free throw). JR has got work work on his free throw shooting.

- Again, the game is within 1 and the last 2:00 of the quarter loom large. Once again, the Mavs cannot get out of their own way with Dirk turning the ball over with a chance to take the lead.

- Bad jumper by Carter, followed by a bad 3 by Kidd. Neither team wants to score it seems. Under 1:00 to go, Melo heads to the line and gives Denver a 2 point lead (29 on the game already for Melo).

- JJ Berea strikes yet again, tying it up at 85. Nuggets get a pair of freebies from Smith to retake the lead and, after a missed trey by Howard, Melo makes a circus shot plus one to put Denver back up 5. Quick action to end the period; now it's Berea to the line. He misses both.

- 90-85, Denver. Twelve minutes to the WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS for the Nugs. Wow, didn't think I'd be writing that this year.

4th Quarter

- Denver: Win the quarter, win the game. Simple.

- Holy moly. Erick Dampier gets whistled for a technical 28 seconds into the quarter, and already Dallas has a foul and a turnover in the period. Rather inauspicious start, I would say. Nuggets up 3-0.

- Nice hometown call as Dirk flops when Melo strips him, and Dirk gets a questionable foul call, leading to another Berea score. 3-2.

- And we have foul #3 of the quarter, just 1:29 in. Insanity. Dampier is done with 10:31 to go.

- Foul #4! Wright does a good job of drawing a foul and will head to the line. Nails them both, 3-4.

- Beautiful runner by Kleiza. 5-4.

- Foul #5, third on Denver (4th on Melo) with 9:33 to play. Dirk nails 2, 5-6.

- Kleiza 3 rims out, then Terry does the same. Every possession counts.

- Denver turnover then Dirk swishes a 2, 2 point game. 5-8.

- Smith goes to the bank! 7-8.

- Bass misses from point blank, Bass then fouls out of frustration and picks up a T. Big blow-up from Bass, and this could be very costly for the Mavs. 97-93 as we go to the under 9:00 break at 7:59.

- Melo drains the T, 8-8.

- Bucket for Wright, 8-10.

- Melo drains another huge J. 10-10. Melo with a career playoff high of 36.

- Dirk wastes no time, throwing in a circus shot with an and-1, cutting the deficit to 2. 10-13. Dirk has 32.

- JR with another cold-blooded deuce. 12-13.

- Wright back to the bucket, 12-15. Non-stop action and the crowd is really getting into this one.

- Wright with a foul on the other end, and suddenly we have ANOTHER technical foul. Unbelievable. The call on Wright certainly looked a bit questionable, but if anything the foul might have been that he flopped. Regardless, the Mavs' mental errors are keeping them from closing the gap indefinitely.

- Seven. Seven! Seven technicals in this game. Incredible. Billups hits the T, 13-15.

- On the technical possession, Smith hits another ridiculous jumper. 15-15 (105-100).

- 5:39 to go and Dirk is back at the line, swishing 2. 15-17.

- Late call on Nene for a push off after a bad jumper by Melo. Dirk back to the line as Denver has long since been in the bonus. 15-19.

- Nuggets up just 1, huge possession and Mr. Big Shot drives for 2. 17-19.

- Nice little jumper from Howard, 17-21. Billups quickly answers with a 3, 20-21.

- Fast and furious, Kidd to the line makes 2, 20-23.

- Melo with another great steal off Dirk, but the Nugs can't cash in.

- Howard air ball on a three and the Nuggets have the ball, still up 2. 110-108 with just over 3 to play.

- Dirk ties it with 2:43 to go. 110-110. 20-25 in the quarter. The series comes down to just under 3 minutes. I am mentally exhausted and extremely anxious. I do NOT want a game 5.

- Here we go. Melo is rejected by Bass, then Howard misses a J. Still tied.

- Billups to the rack, misses but Nene cleans it up, Nugs back on top. 22-25.

- Dirk goes to the rack and draws yet another foul. Not surprisingly, the German makes them both. 22-27.

- Melo misses a close shot, and the Mavs get it back with a chance to take the lead.

- Unreal jumper by Dirk, Mavs take the lead, 22-29.

- Under 1:00 to play. Dirk again. Dirk finally misses one, and Melo is ridiculously called for a loose-ball foul on the rebound, Howard to the line. He of course drills them both. Mavs up 4. 22-31. The Nuggets have not played well this quarter and it's looking like they'll pay for it by having to play another game. 31.4 seconds to play.

- Awful foul by Josh Howard, and Melo heads to the line. 2 huge free throws here. First is good. Second... swish. Nugs within 2. This is looking eerily like game 3...

- Timeout. Denver must guard Dirk on this next possession. If someone else beats you, so be it.

- Great D by Martin, and a HORRIBLE touch foul is called on him. Dirk goes to the line yet again. Very weak call. Argh. He makes them both (obviously). 118-114.

- Just reviewed the replay, and it is confirmed: awful call on that last play. Should cost Denver the game. There you go, Mavs fans. No more bitching.

- Amazing 3 by Melo, and Denver is back within 1. This has been an incredible dual between Melo and Dirk, both making insane shot after insane shot. Great game. 3.1 to play.

- Terry to the line. 1.1 to go. He drains the first. Mavs up 2. Terry intentionally misses the second, and Melo can't even get a shot off before the buzzer. The Mavs improbably force a game 5 that they really had no business winning. Damn shame, but a damn good showing by Dallas. The refs made a big impact, but I'd be reluctant to say that they were the difference in this one. Certainly some calls went against Denver, but some also went against the Mavs, so it is what it is. Denver had better win game 5, because Dallas won't give up and the last thing the Nuggets can afford is for this to go 7.

Hope you enjoyed, because this was nerve-wracking and frankly, extremely disappointing. No live blog for game 5, because clrealy it was bad luck for Denver.

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Just Short or Not Even Close?

It's a depressing time to be a Denver sports fan. I've covered some of the local teams' failings ad nauseam in this blog (well, maybe not that much but close) and watching yet another late-season swoon by the Nuggets has lead me to a question that I've debated many times in my sports life: is it better to have the teams you root for be perpetually awful/mediocre non-contenders, or to have them get close and always come up short?

Here's how this applies to the Denver sports scene. The last championship in the city of Denver was won by the Avalanche in 2001, shortly before hockey became irrelevant in the United States. Before that, we were blessed to get back-to-back Super Bowl victories from the Broncos in 1998-99, so I know it may not have been long enough since our last major title to really start the complaining process, but we're going on 8 years here! Since the Avs' last title, the team has gone from very good (immediately after the title) to good to mediocre to the point where they likely won't even make the playoffs this season, for the second time in the last three years, a far cry from the nine consecutive division titles the Avs won immediately after moving to Denver from Quebec in 1995.

The other local teams have been equally as frustrating. First, the aforementioned Broncos have had one realistically good season since the Super Bowls (and coinciding retirement of John Elway), a 13-3 season in 2005 that ended with an embarrassing 34-17 home conference championship loss at the hands of the sixth-seeded (and eventual champion) Steelers. Also in that span the Broncos gave us the Brian Griese era, consecutive blowout playoff losses to the Colts (2003-04, along with the much-"enjoyed" (read: endured) Jake Plummer era), the soon-to-be-infamous blown three-game division lead with three to play (capped by a wonderful 52-21 loss to the rival Chargers in the final game to seal the collapse), and now the Josh McDaniels era that is off to an inauspicious start as he seeks to alienate his young franchise quarterback in his first month on the job. Certainly not a fun time to be a Donkeys fan.

Second, the Rockies have come the closest to breaking the title drought with their improbable run to the 2007 World Series, but a four-game sweep at the hands of the heavily-favored Boston Red Sox put an end to that dream season. The Rocks made a significant splash in the Denver area as they won the first NL Wild Card ever in 1995, the franchise's third year in existence. After that, mediocre would be a generous way to put things as they wallowed in the cellar of the NL West for the next 11 years, rarely even threatening the .500 mark before the breakout 2007 season. Even in '07, concerns lingered that it was a "lightning in a bottle" situation where a so-so team got hot at the right time with the exact right set of circumstances to make a playoff run. Of course Rockies fans will never forget the young team reeling off 14 wins in 15 games to force a 1-game playoff with division-rival San Diego, and then the 13-inning epic that game became and finally the 7-straight wins to sweep their way to the NL Pennant. Unfortunately, 2008 brought the feared back-slide, and the Rox have already begun disassembling (read: selling off) their most successful roster ever with the trade of their best player, outfielder Matt Holliday. While I still hold out hope as all baseball fans do in March, I fear this year's Rockies will be little better than last year's.

Finally, there's the Nuggets. For a team that has historically been one of the NBA's most exciting to watch, never have they been a legitimate title contender and particularly not in the last 8 years. The team only gained any sense of competitiveness in 2003 because of sheer luck, winning third in the lottery behind a Detroit team that had inexplicably fallen in love with a foreign big man named Darko. Because of that love affair, the second-best prospect in the draft (behind a certain forward currently playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers), Carmelo Anthony, fell into the Nuggets' laps and the franchise was relevant for the first time in a decade. 'Melo made an immediate impact, leading a rag-tag Nuggets team to the playoffs for the first time since 1995. Suddenly Denver began to believe they had a shot, and began making free agent acquisitions to improve their contending status, such as signing Andre Miller, Kenyon Martin and eventually moving Miller for Allen Iverson. Unfortunately, these moves (which were both lauded and derided at the time they were made) all had the same inevitable result: first round playoff losses. In Anthony's first four season in the NBA, the Nuggets lost first round playoff series's all by the result 4 games to 1. Finally, they broke the streak last year, getting swept by the Lakers.

So now I sit here watching my new hometown team, the Houston Rockets, face my true hometown team, the Nugs, and as the Nuggets trail by 12 at home in the fourth quarter, I wonder if this year will be any different. Yes, all signs point to the Nuggets making the playoffs again and if they can get hot, they might even have homecourt advantage for the first round for the first time in the Melo era. Heck, they might even win TWO games with Chauncey Billups, their first real point guard in this era, manning the 1. But will they win a series? Maybe. Two? Probably not. A title? Flatly, no.

And now finally I return to my first question with you having a full understanding of where I'm coming from: is it better for your favorite teams to be downright awful or to be good but not good enough? For Denver fans, we are smack in an era of not quite good enough for all of our teams. None are so bad that they will flat-out rebuild and try to become better in a few years, but also none seem to be close enough to winning it all to be a team to rally behind. I thought the Rockies, with considerable youth, had the talent to start a string of successful seasons. Instead, they're a team whose window may have opened and closed in an 18-month span as ownership's purse strings are too tight to make the needed moves. For the Nuggets, my hopes have been raised and dashed so many times I'm becoming numb to them. The Broncos are closer to rebuilding than winning it all. And the Avs? Well, they basically died to me at the 2004-05 lockout and don't appear to have the talent or direction from ownership/management to become relevant again any time soon.

Alright, now that I'm thoroughly depressed, let me know what you think. Which situation are your teams in, and which would you prefer?

To get updates and notices each time there's a post, subscribe above. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the blog, please post below or I can be reached at chrisf884@gmail.com. Thanks for reading.