THAT’S how you play basketball! February 28, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, Blogroll, Magic, NBA, Nuggets, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
We’re streaking baby! Two wins and counting! When you have Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony on the same team, this is how you expect the team to perform. The Nuggets beat the Magic, who were surprisingly undefeated against Northwest Division foes, 111-101. Iverson had an outstanding performance, scoring 34 points and contributing more with seven assists. ‘Melo had a quiet, but effective game with 23 points. The real difference came from the bench, where Najera and Kleiza were the only bench players to score but combined for 32 points. This is how we want our Nuggets to play. There was energy. There were fast-break points. There was chemistry.
It is hard to determine how good our opponent really was. Currently, the Magic are the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They kept it close and fought through a few impressive runs by the Nuggets. Still, their defense was nothing compared to that of the Spurs or Mavericks. The Nuggets next opponent, the Houston Rockets, will be a much better test.
A win is a win, I guess February 26, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, Blogroll, Grizzlies, NBA, Nuggets, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
Can this really be considered a good win? Clearly a win is better than a loss, but this was a close game against a bad team. Regardless, the Nuggets ended their losing streak and appear to have righted the ship, at least for one night. Carmelo and Iverson continued to impress, combining for 58 points. The difference in this game is that Nene decided to join the scoring party, adding 27 points. If the Nuggets are going to win, they need this kind of performance from a third party. J.R. filled that role sometimes, but seeing as how he is out for a few weeks, the Nuggets desperately needed someone to step up. Thank you Nene.
The bench continued their struggles, chipping in a disappointing 18 points. The opposing team’s bench continues to outperform ours and that concerns me, especially when it is the Memphis Grizzlies’ bench. The only thing I want to know is where was DerMarr? If anyone is going to fill the void that the loss of J.R. created, it will be him. Nene won’t put up 27 points a game every night. Performances like that from him are few and far between.
The Grizz played above expectations for a third straight game. Mike Miller and Pao Gasol both contributed 21 points and rookie Rudy Gay contributed 18.
There is still a lot of work for the Nuggets to do. This is a start, though. I guess that is better than nothing.
When you need to stop sliding, you either hit a wall or play the Memphis Grizzlies! February 25, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, Blogroll, Grizzlies, NBA, Nuggets, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
The Nuggets are on a slide. Four games and counting. One hopes that streak doesn’t hit five. Sure, five losses is bad, but it’s more the fact that the fifth loss would be against the hapless Memphis Grizz. The Memphis Grizzlies are a dismal 15-42 (second worst record in the NBA). Unfortunately for the Nuggets, one of Memphis’ 15 wins was against Denver. So they can beat us. That doesn’t bode well for a sinking Nuggets team that desperately needs to right the ship.
Memphis is coming off a dramatic win against Portland and also two days rest. The Nuggets are coming off a very disappointing weekend in which they lost games against the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. Still, the Nuggets should put on their happy faces because this is a game they should win. For the Nuggets, it would be hard to find a bigger discrepancy between your last opponent and your next opponent. With this is mind, the Nuggets need only to play slightly better than they did against the Mavs and they should end their losing streak at four and start their winning streak at one.
This will be an excellent opportunity for the Nuggets’ bench to start contributing. With J.R. Smith out for a bit, DerMarr Johnson will continue to get increased playing time and the Nuggets desperately need him to start performing. Even when J.R. is healthy, having an improved DerMarr on the bench will increase bench production for the Nuggets. I’d say this game could be a trap game for the Nuggets but you have to be playing well and winning to have the possiblity of a trap game. That said, nothing is a lock so neither is a win for the Nuggets.
The Grizz have a young team and a solid player in Pao Gasol to build around. Gasol was involved in a lot of trade talks before the deadline but Memphis opted to keep him. That was definately the right choice. With all the distractions of the trade deadline out of the way, the Grizzlies will be able to focus. Not on winning games, but on their top five pick in the NBA draft. Memphis is all but “mathematically” eliminated from the playoffs. Most of the time this is a testament to how bad a team is. Sometimes it allows a team to reach a potential they never knew they could reach. Memphis seems like the kind of team that has the talent to cause problems for teams like the Nuggets.
The game should be good. The Nuggets aren’t playing their best ball and the Grizzlies have put together a little win streak. Let’s just hope the Nuggets can start a win streak of their own.
Sunday’s Fireside Chat: Where’d the bench go? February 25, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, Blogroll, NBA, Nuggets, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
It was ugly. It was disappointing. It was a weekend of Nuggets basketball. Friday night, I watched the Nuggets get creamed by their division rivals, the Utah Jazz. The final score read 114-104 in favor of Utah, but it was never looked like the Nuggets were only 11 points away from a win. They were outplayed and out-hustled by a superior team in the Utah Jazz. At the start of the season, there wasn’t much talk about the Utah Jazz. The Nuggets were the easy favorite to win the Northwest and the Utah Jazz were looking like a team going through a quasi rebuilding mode. Don’t put too much stock in preseason predictions, just ask the Nuggets.
By the time Saturday night had rolled around, I had high hopes that the Nuggets were determined to show their fans that they weren’t just a bunch of pushovers. There couldn’t be a better opponent to help a team prove a point then the NBA-best Dallas Mavericks. I wasn’t delirious. I was pretty sure the Nuggets would lose this one, but I was hopping it would be a close game. Again, I was disappointed. The Nuggets lost by 20 points.
It is hard to figure out what ails the Denver Nuggets. Both Carmelo and Iverson are doing their part, at least in my opinion. In the Maverick game, ‘Melo and Iverson combined for 60 of the Nuggets’ 95 points. In the Utah game, Carmelo and A.I. combined for 69 of the Nuggets’ 104 points. Except for the occasional turnover, Iverson seems to be picking up Coach Karl’s system well and contributing more than just points. So what is the shortcoming? In short, it’s the bench. In the past three games, the Nuggets bench has provided a total of 61 points. That means the bench is only providing about 20 points per game. That just won’t cut it in the NBA, or even on a court in the park. For comparison, the Mavericks’ bench added 38 points. Utah’s bench added a grand total of 70 points! Compare these numbers to 20 and you have some idea of what’s wrong with the Nuggets. A good portion of bench points went to Milwaukee when lil’ Earl Boykins was traded to the Bucks. That fact aside, the Nuggets still have compentent scorers on the bench. The potential is there, it just needs to be realized.
Will all the Nuggets’ problems be fixed if their bench can start contributing 30 points a game? I don’t know. There is still a lot wrong with this team (turnovers and three-point shooting come to mind). The Nuggets need to kick up their intensity and play hard for more than the first five minutes of a game. With ‘Melo and Iverson contributing 60 points a game, the Nuggets have two legit threats that can carry this team. They just need a little more help from the rest of the roster.
It’s going to be a long weekend! February 23, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, Jazz, Mavericks, NBA, Nuggets, Sports.add a comment
By the time Sunday rolls around, the Denver Nuggets will definately need a day of rest. Tonight, the Nuggets square off against the fourth best team in the NBA, the Utah Jazz. Tomorrow night, the Nuggets square off against the best team in the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks. The only thing Nuggets fans can do is close their eyes and pray. It’s going to be ugly.
If you want a great preview, head over The Nugg Doctor!
In a mere 5 days, the Nuggets will have played three of the NBA’s top five teams. If the Nuggets at Spurs was any indication of the Nuggets’ ability to rise to the occasion, the next two days are going to be ugly.
Matt Millen is a great American February 22, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Blogroll, Football, Lions, Matt Millen, NFL, Sports, Uncategorized.1 comment so far
If it wasn’t for Matt Millen, NFL bloggers would have far less to write about and wouldn’t be nearly as amusing. If you haven’t heard, Millen is now resorting to mocking Lions fans. It is a pretty well known fact that for every minute the Detroit Lions are “on the clock” God kills a kitten. God, like all Lions fans, is simply frustrated by the stupidity of Matt Millen. Millen is quoted saying, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but we haven’t really looked at what people have said we should do (in the draft) too often.” Well that much is obvious. Clearly, that includes listening to reason too. Everytime you think your team sucks and you’ve got it really bad I want you to close your eyes and imagine what your team would be like if Matt Millen were running the show. It is because of this that I really do feel sorry for Lions fans. You’ll always have Barry, but Millen is coming dangerously close to overshadowing all the good that Barry was.
At least they didn’t transition tag Josh Brown! February 22, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Blogroll, Football, Josh Brown, NFL, Seahawks, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
Seeing how exciting Seahawks news is few and far between, I thought it would be prudent to report that the Seattle Seahawks have put the franchise tag on kicker Josh Brown. I can’t help but think that this should be year two of the “franchise tag Steve Hutchinson” game, but alas it is not. As most NFL fans know, Steve Hutchinson was given the transition tag last year, which is an effective player retention tool if you’re looking to NOT retain your top player. Unfortunately, the Vikings, with the help of a “poison pill” clause, were able to whisk Mr. Hutchinson away. There is no doubt that Seattle’s offensive line suffered from the loss of Hutchinson. Of course it didn’t help that Shaun Alexander was out for a number of games, but one can only wonder what the Seahawks would have been able to do had Hutchinson been suiting up in blue and green.
Having Josh Brown back is definately a good thing. The guy won few games for the ‘Hawks and without those wins Seattle would have looked downright pitiful. Now one has to wonder what will happen to some of the other top free agents on the Seahawks. TE Jerremy Stevens and S Ken Hamlin have been hit-or-miss throughout their careers but losing them would definately be a blow the Seahawks can ill afford. The last two off seasons were works of magic (despite the Hutchinson blunder) as Tim Ruskell signed the Seahawks three biggest names in Walter Jones, Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck, all to multi-year contracts, and added key free agents and draft picks like Julian Peterson and Lofa Tatupu. This off season should be more low-key.
I’m sure the pressure is starting to mount as people claim the “window” is closing on the Seahawks and their Super Bowl aspirations. This team still has a solid core and with the addition of a few key free agents, this team could be playing in Super Bowl XLII. Now that Brown is taken care of, it is time for the front office to focus hard on getting the top free agents at positions like TE, CB and S. I definately believe in Ruskell, just as long as he doesn’t whip out the transition tag.
Winner of the next “Madden Nation” could be performing your appendectomy! February 21, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Blogroll, Medicine, Sports, Video Games.1 comment so far
In an interesting study, surgeons who played video games were less likely to make mistakes during a surgical procedure. This was compared to surgeons who didn’t play video games. This is great news because all the time and resources I’ve wasted playing Madden will finally pay for themselves once I’m a world-renowned surgeon.
All kidding aside, next time you go in for a coronary bypass perhaps you should pick the surgeon who has the highest Halo 2 score over the “more experienced” surgeon. Or check to see if your surgeon plays Madden on All-Madden or simply All-Pro. If your surgeon needs auto-assist to beat the computer, you could be in for a world of hurt when you go under the knife.
Seeing how I play a lot of video games, I’m clearly destined for the OR. So I’ll see you in surgery!
Nuggets at Spurs, a sad realization February 20, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, NBA, Nuggets, Sports, Spurs.add a comment
The Nuggets/Spurs game just wrapped up which also means I’ve just finished my first installment of “How NOT to Play Basketball, Featuring the Denver Nuggets”. The video will be selling for $9.95 and I strongly encourage young folks to purchase my fine educational video on basketball and basketball related skills. The idea is simple. Watch the tape, which is just a recording of the Nuggets/Spurs game, and whatever the Nuggets do, do the exact opposite. I guarentee your skills will improve and you will protect your house. Now that my promo is out of the way I’d just like to congratulate the Nuggets on a strong effort. They say you can’t win them all, apparently you can’t win enough to get over .500 either.
I’m not even going to get into the personal stats (or lack thereof). I’ll just post this link to the ESPN box score. Take a moment to read the box score and you’ll see that the Nuggets’ attempt at futility continues. The dynamic duo of ‘Melo and Iverson was about as dynamic as a tree stump. The Nuggets were so horrible and got so far behind that the Spurs were able to test some new defensive schemes and some of their third string players. The Spurs got ahead early and got ahead big. This allowed them to fax Commissioner Stern a proposal that would allow the Spurs to suit up, and play, some potential draft picks. Mr. Stern had enough time to call an emergancy meeting to debate the proposal. The proposal passed with enough time for the equipment manager to make up some jerseys and get the potential draftees some on-court time (I swear I saw Greg Oden and Joaquin Noah shredding the Nuggets porous defense). After all this, the Nuggets still lost by 15 points. Simply put, it was ridiculous.
I know that this is only the seventh time that ‘Melo and Iverson have played together, but one has to wonder if they can get it together and become a force. There are still 30 games left for the Nuggets. I just hope it doesn’t take 29 of those for the Nuggets to find their groove. Hopefully ‘Melo and Iverson start walking the walk and not just talking the talk. Hopefully Coach Karl’s scar heals (I’m pretty sure he cuts himself after performances like these). Hopefully Nene and Eduardo finally master the English language. Until all this happens, I’m thinking the Nuggets will be one-and-done in the playoffs.
Nuggets at Spurs, at the half February 20, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, NBA, Nuggets, Spurs.1 comment so far
I wish I could be a fly on the wall at half time in the Nuggets locker room during a game like this. The Nuggets started the game with a dominating a presence. That didn’t last. About three quarters into the first quarter, it would appear as if the Nuggets completely forgot how to play basketball. The Nuggets were throwing balls right at Spurs defenders like they thought it was still All-Star weekend and they were all teammates on the West. They were making shots about as often as Nate Robinson makes a dunk in the dunk contest. Tony Parker went off in the second quarter and the Nuggets didn’t have an answer for it.
I’m guessing not much goes on in the locker room during half time. George Karl probably puts some vitamin E salve on his scar, ‘Melo and Iverson continue on about how good they can be together and Nene and Eduardo practice their English. This is mere speculation, but seeing how the Nuggets usually respond to a brutal first half butt kicking, I’m guessing I’m not too far off.
Let’s get it together Nugs!
