air's Nuggets dynasty

[Emiliano]

Nice job during the season but now the intensity is coming....good luck man!

[air]

Thanks for all your comments.

JoeyGraham, yeah, I realized that. But there's nothing you can do about it so I just gotta try do my best against Memphis.

Dr Funky, I decided to play a 29-game season. I wanted to play more than just one season and even with 56 games it would have been way too long for me. Also, with 29 games it really matters if you win or lose.

Playoffs are the highlight of the season so they are best of 7. Memphis preview coming up. Stay tuned.

[air]

Nuggets vs. Grizzlies matchup preview
by Mike Nugget, Denver Post Sports Writer

Denver Nuggets will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Here is a closer look at the matchups in the series.

Centers: Marcus Camby vs. Pau Gasol
Gasol is a very skillful and agile player for his height (7'0). He is a big scoring threat so it will help Denver if Camby is able to hold him to average figures. Camby is no pushover, though, and should also again be the Nuggets' top rebounder while helping out Martin with inside scoring.

Power forwards: Kenyon Martin vs. Stromile Swift
This is a matchup the Nuggets must take advantage of. Martin has showed no signs of slowing down and must keep going in the playoffs. Swift is not a bad player, but one that Martin should be able to overcome with his talents.

Small forwards: Carmelo Anthony vs. Shane Battier
Anthony has stepped up offensively at just the right time. He has scored good numbers in the last games, driving to the hoop at speed. He likes to hustle and go for the steal, but has to stay patient and stay with Battier on the arc to disrupt his three-point shooting.

Shooting guards: Joe Johnson vs. Mike Miller
A battle of two shooters. Miller will probably have a bit more of an offensive role than Johnson, but whoever managed to get his shot to fall out of these two will give a huge boost to his team.

Point guards: Jason Williams vs. Andre Miller
Two point guards who swapped teams in an early-season trade. Williams must keep Denver's game quick to make it effective, and try to cut into Miller's ball distribution. Miller had 12 assists in the teams' regular season game which was won by Denver in OT, and Williams must make sure Miller is unable to orchestrate.

Bench
The Grizzlies have a very strong bench, maybe stronger than Nuggets. Bonzi Wells can step off the bench and score, while James Posey, Lorenzen Wright and Hakim Warrick add to the group of strong players. The Nuggets will be hoping for a few points from shooter/small forward Wesley Person, while power forward Nene needs to find his early-season form. Earl Boykins' height disadvantage will not cause much problems as Grizzlies point Andre Miller is not known for his outside shooting.

It looks like it will be a tough series for the Nuggets, who fell to second place in the conference after a defeat to Sacramento. It could be closer than anyone predicts and it might even go down to game seven.

Denver Post prediction: Nuggets to win in six games.

Send in your predictions for the series today!

[joeygraham]

Denver wins it in 6. I'm confident in your abilities to win. I am tempted to say 5, but they do have good interior defenders which means you might have to go outside a little more than you might like.

Good luck - I'd like to see the 5-game prediction come true

[air]

Well, their interior defence sure wasn't up to it in the first game...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DENVER EASE PAST MEMPHIS IN GAME ONE

Memphis 83
Denver 102
Denver lead series 1-0

The Denver Nuggets team was on fire in the first game of the first round of playoffs. They played with determination from the tip-off and scored an
incredible 65 points in the first two quarters, a feat they didn't manage during regular season. It could have gone all wrong for them, when Kenyon Martin was injured in the second quarter. Fortunately the Nuggets had everything going for them, and when Pau Gasol got his fourth personal foul late in the second quarter, it didn't prove a hard task for Denver. In Gasol's absence, the Grizzlies had trouble in the paint and were outrebounded by 23 to 42. Martin returned to action late in the game and provided a further boost for the team.

"It's always important to win the first game", said player of the game Marcus Camby. "We got the momentum going for us and hopefully we can continue playing the same way in the second game."

Starters:
Memphis
C P. Gasol
F S. Swift
F S. Battier
G M. Miller
G A. Miller

Denver
C M. Camby
F K. Martin
F C. Anthony
G J. Johnson
G J. Williams

Player of the game:
Camby DEN 20/11/2 ast/2 blk

Team leaders:
MEM: Battier 19, L. Wright 11/8, M. Miller 10, A. Miller 10/3 ast
DEN: Martin 19/5, Anthony 18/5, Nene 10/7, Person 11

Box scores:
HOW TO?

Pictures:


Martin taking it to the hoop early on.


Melo shows off his skills.


This is the scene I didn't want to get. Lucky it's not serious.

[air]

I still have a question: how the hell do I get those box scores from the playoff games!?

[air]

Martin diagnosed with bone spur in foot, out for three weeks
by Mike Nugget, Denver Post Sports Writer

The Denver Nuggets' playoff campaign suffered a major blow, as star forward Kenyon Martin's injury turned out to be worse than expected. Martin was diagnosed with a bone spur in his foot and his recovery will most likely take up to three weeks. Martin wasn't in a very jovial mood despite making himself available for comment.

"There's nothing you can do about it. Things like this happen in basketball. I'm disappointed, but this is the situation and we must live with it. I'll be supporting our team every way I can."

Denver lead their first round playoff series against Memphis 1-0, but Martin's absence will definitely be felt by the team.

[Sac-1]

A nice start in the series...good luck next game.....

[joeygraham]

Oh wow...that's quite a blow...and that is also a good question, how do you get the box scores?

Good luck...apparently you will now need it...and a great showing from Nene

[air]

Thanks for the feedback. It got really interesting with the playoffs starting so here's game 2.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NUGGETS BATTLE WITHOUT MARTIN BUT LOSE IN GAME TWO

Memphis 88
Denver 83
Series tied 1-1

Denver Nuggets were dealt a major blow before the game, with Kenyon Martin's injury proving to be more serious than thought. Martin will not be playing in the series, and if things don't go well for Denver, their season might be over much sooner than expected. They started brightly, but as the game went on it was always Memphis in the lead, except for the end of the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets made great steals and got several possessions to tie the game. Pau Gasol's amazing leap and layup got Memphis a two-point lead, and when Denver blew their chance to tie the game they had to foul with 11 seconds on the clock. Mike Miller hit only one free throw, so the Nuggets still had a chance for a three-pointer. However Joe Johnson missed and it was over. The reason behind Denver's loss was clear: their bench scored only two points during the entire game. Camby and Nene both got over 20 points, while nobody on the Grizzlies scored 20. They shared their shots and had 14 from Lorenzen Wright and 9 from Bonzi Wells, both coming off the bench.

"This ain't over", said Joe Johnson after the game. "It's a blow to lose Kenyon, but we're not giving up. We're coming back stronger for the next game, I promise you."

Starters:
Memphis
C P. Gasol
F S. Swift
F S. Battier
G M. Miller
G A. Miller

Denver
C M. Camby
F Nene
F C. Anthony
G J. Johnson
G J. Williams

Player of the game:
Gasol MEM 18/6

Team leaders:
MEM: L. Wright 14/6, M. Miller 14, A. Miller 12/3 ast
DEN: Camby 29/10, Nene 23/7, Johnson 14/4, Anthony 11

Pictures:


Gasol was player of the game but it was a great Grizzlies team effort.


Anthony had a tough game and didn't reach the figures I wanted.


Heads drop, but hopefully they will be up again after game 3.

[air]

Germain James the likely number one pick
by Mike Nugget, Denver Post Sports Writer

Today we take a look at the NBA draft, some of the players we rank the highest, as well as Denver's draft options.

The most exciting prospect in this year's draft is undoubtedly Germain James, an impressive 7'2 power forward 20 years of age. He will definitely be considered by the lucky team getting the first pick. The teams with the highest odds to get it include Milwaukee, Atlanta, Charlotte, New Jersey and Seattle.

Two other highly rated players entering the draft are P.J. Workman and Mosi McGrady, both power forwards also. 21-year-old Workman stands at 6'8 while the 6'10 McGrady is already 23 years of age. They are projected to be second and third picks, especially if James is picked first and the team picking wants a power forward.

Katashiko Chow is the first guard expected to be drafted. The 21-year-old shooter who stands at 6'3 is entering the league with high expectations.

Rounding up Denver Post's probable first five picks is again a power forward. Darrick Dorman is 20 and stands at 6'8.

Denver Nuggets will be drafting their players at the end of each round. It is not easy to guess who they will want, and it depends a lot also on other teams' choices. Looking at the Nuggets roster, they could be looking at a small forward, since they only have one genuine player for the position in Carmelo Anthony. A shooting guard could also come into question, with many shooters on the last year of their contract.

[joeygraham]

Still a close game. If 'Melo isn't doing what you need him to do, perhaps you might want to sub in Person at the 3 and kick it to him for open 3 pointers as a means of making up for it. You've got the bodies up front for the o-boarding too.

Will you be putting up a mock draft, or just leaving it at the 5?

[Sac-1]

tough loss...i have a feeling this is going to either game 6 or seven...good luck next game

[Keo]

Series looks interesting. Good luck bro.

[air]

ANTHONY STEPS UP, NUGGETS WIN GAME THREE IN MEMPHIS

Denver 84
Memphis 80
Denver lead series 2-1

Having lost the second game of the series in Denver, it looked as though everything was slipping out the Nuggets' hands. With Kenyon Martin out, few were expecting the team to bounce back. But they did. Despite several things going against them, such as another poor performance by the bench and being down a few points throughout the game, they managed to pull off a great win. The Nuggets were down by nine at the half, but started the third quarter with an amazing 15-2 run. They ended the quarter down by one, but with only minutes to go in the fourth, the game was again tied. Marcus Camby and Nene made huge plays towards the end and Jason Williams kept his cool to hit the final free throws right at the death. It wouldn't have been possible without Carmelo Anthony, who had to step up after a very mediocre second game. He had 30 points and six rebounds tonight. The whole Denver bench had another off night with another two-point performance between all the substitutes. It is a major problem which needs a quick solution, although Francisco Elson had a good showing with seven boards. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, were sharing the points as always, with good outside shooting by Shane Battier and Bonzi Wells.

"I wasn't happy with what I did in game two", said Anthony. "I'm glad I was able to help the team with more points tonight, but there's still a lot more work to be done."

Starters:
Denver
C M. Camby
F Nene
F C. Anthony
G J. Johnson
G J. Williams

Memphis
C P. Gasol
F S. Swift
F S. Battier
G M. Miller
G A. Miller

Player of the game:
Anthony DEN 30/6

Team leaders:
DEN: Camby 21/11, Nene 18/8
MEM: Gasol 14/6/3 blk, Swift 15/6/6 blk, Battier 17, Wells 12

Box scores:
Any tips on how to do this still appreciated

Pictures:


Gasol has had a good series so far.


Anthony goes up and draws the foul.


Nuggets celebrate. I'm having trouble holding Swift when Najera is on.

[air]

O'Neal is MVP, Nene takes home sixth man award
by Mike Nugget, Denver Post Sports Writer

Shaquille O'Neal of the Miami Heat has been named MVP of the regular season. Shaq averaged 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4.3 assists per game. He was most impressive towards the playoffs, leading the Heat to fifth spot in the conference. Denver Nuggets' Kenyon Martin reached higher numbers in points but couldn't match O'Neal in other categories.

Meanwhile, another Nugget, Nene, received the award for sixth man of the year. The Brazilian averaged 13.6 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Other awards went to Orlando's Grant Hill for most improved player and Detroit's Ben Wallace for defensive player of the year. Hill averaged 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists, while Wallace had 10.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 steals in addition to his 7.7 points per game.

Milwaukee Bucks' Andrew Bogut took home the rookie of the year award with 14.2 points, 9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

All-NBA team one
C S. O'Neal MIA
F A. Walker BOS
F L. James CLE
G K. Bryant LAL
G G. Arenas WAS

All-NBA team two
C A. Stoudemire PHO
F K. Martin DEN
F P. Pierce BOS
G R. Allen SEA
G A. Iverson PHI

All-defensive team
C B. Wallace DET
F K. Garnett MIN
F A. Kirilenko UTA
G K. Bryant LAL
G A. Iverson PHI

[air]

PLAYOFFS ROUND ONE

WEST

1 Sacramento 2
8 Portland 2

2 Denver 2
7 Memphis 1

3 San Antonio 1
6 LA Lakers 3

4 Phoenix 3
5 Golden State 1

EAST

1 Detroit 2
8 Orlando 2

2 Philadelphia 2
7 Boston 1

3 Washington 2
6 New York 1

4 Indiana 2
5 Miami 1

As you can see there will be no sweeps in the first round. The games are very close with both eigth place teams able to hold the conference winners. The surprises are Lakers' 3-1 lead over Spurs and Kings and Trail Blazers tied series.

[air]

Thanks for all your feedback once again.

If 'Melo isn't doing what you need him to do, perhaps you might want to sub in Person at the 3 and kick it to him for open 3 pointers as a means of making up for it. You've got the bodies up front for the o-boarding too.

Well, Person's been very quiet and it all changed with Anthony in game 3. For some reason it keeps bringing in DerMarr Johnson with the auto-sub system.

Will you be putting up a mock draft, or just leaving it at the 5?

Uhh.. what's that??

Again, thanks for your support, game four is not a long way away...

[Keo]

Nice win, Air. Check your PM. And a Mock Draft is pretty much when you give an intelligent prediction of the outcome of the upcoming Draft. He means will you be doing that or just quit after this season?

[Sac-1]

Nice win...you needed that one...i predict that you are going to win next game but good luck you might need it

[nbalive744]

great win

[air]

DENVER SET THINGS UP FOR A WIN BUT THROW IT ALL AWAY

Denver 80
Memphis 83
Series tied 2-2

Denver Nuggets suffered a very tough loss at the hands of the Mephis Grizzlies tonight. They had everything going for them, leading by margins of eight, four and six after the first, second and third quarters. Marcus Camby challenged Pau Gasol right from the start, and before long the Spaniard had two fouls and the Grizzlies had to remove him from court. The Nuggets' bench was doing a much better job than in the first three games of the series, with an especially good performance from Eduardo Najera, who had four points and five rebounds. Wesley Person hit two important three pointers. Jason Williams was scoring well and finished with 11 points. Denver were leading by a comfortable eight-point margin before the final minutes of the game, but they were unable to score any points in the last minutes. The Grizzlies cut down the Nuggets' eight-point lead and with just over half a minute on the clock, the game was tied 80-80. Up stepped Pau Gasol, who had scored only two points during the entire game. He put up a delightful alley-oop pass to Stromile Swift who finished it off. The Nuggets had time for a final shot, but Marcus Camby was unable to convert from down low. Denver fouled Andre Miller, but with only a fraction of a second left, it was over.

"This is definitely the toughest loss we've had to endure all season", said Eduardo Najera. "But we've bounced back before and we will do it again. Everyone knows we have the ability to win this series."

Starters:
Denver
C M. Camby
F Nene
F C. Anthony
G J. Johnson
G J. Williams

Memphis
C P. Gasol
F S. Swift
F S. Battier
G M. Miller
G A. Miller

Player of the game:
Battier MEM 16/4

Team leaders:
DEN: Anthony 21/3 ast, Camby 19/7, Nene 13/9, Williams 11/3
MEM: Posey 11, M. Miller 13, A. Miller 11/3 ast, Wright 12/7

Pictures:


Swift goes up.


Williams was scoring well.


Melo lands after another dunk.

[air]

ADELMAN NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR

Sacramento Kings' coach Rick Adelman has been named the NBA Coach Of The Year. Adelman guided his Kings team to top spot in the Western Conference and the league.

LAKERS FIRST TEAM TO REACH CONFERENCE SEMIS

Los Angeles Lakers are the first team to have reached the conference semi finals in the NBA playoffs. In a surprising series, the Lakers beat the favoured San Antonio Spurs 4-1 and will face the winner of the Denver-Memphis series in the next round. Spurs coach Greg Popovich will have a lot of explaining to do concerning his starting choices. He stuck with playing Tim Duncan at center, forcing Robert Horry to start at power forward, while top defender Bruce Bowen and Argentinean sensation Manu Ginobili both had to come off the bench to replace Brent Barry and Glenn Robinson.

[air]

Sensation, I doubt I'll be doing that, I probably wouldn't be very good at predicting what's going to happen in the draft. But once the draft is over I suppose I will introduce the first ten picks or so, and of course the two new Nuggets.

SAC-1, not a bad prediction. Those damn final minutes ruined it all.

[Sac-1]

tough loss....wow Sacramento is tied with Portland at 2 .....well i think your are going to win in game 7....good luck