Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

[Axel The Great]

Wow! Another sweep. I still can't get over those 27 rebounds by Birdman. Hoping for another sweep in the finals! Then you could say that you swept the NBA!

[megarover]

Anytime a reserve gets a near Quadruple Double in a clincher game odds are you are gonna get the win.

[Andrew]

Awesome stuff, some great individual performances amidst the team's dominance. Good luck in the Finals, though I wouldn't be too surprised if it's another sweep.

[Sneijder]

What a game by Jordan Hill. It's incredible how your team's playing.

[Kenny]

Wow! Another sweep. I still can't get over those 27 rebounds by Birdman. Hoping for another sweep in the finals! Then you could say that you swept the NBA!

I know, it was pretty crazy. I had 11 with him by the end of the first and I thought: "I wonder if I can break a record". Sure enough though, it's another record that Chamberlain has put up that probably won't be broken anytime soon.

Anytime a reserve gets a near Quadruple Double in a clincher game odds are you are gonna get the win.

Yeah, I'm usually not one to chase individual glory or anything like that, but I had never gotten a quadruple in this dynasty and I decided to give him extra time when I saw that he had 7 blocks by the end of the third. I came painfully close.

Awesome stuff, some great individual performances amidst the team's dominance. Good luck in the Finals, though I wouldn't be too surprised if it's another sweep.

I didn't think it was going to get any better than Birdman in Game 2, but Jordan Hill's performance was equally as gratifying.

What a game by Jordan Hill. It's incredible how your team's playing.

Thanks Sneijder and welcome to my story. Jordan Hill has been a terrific pick up for me and games like that make me really happy to have him. He's definitely not a bust in my game

[Kenny]

Conference Finals Results



WEST

DEN 4 - 0 LAC

EAST

MIA 4 - 2 CHA

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A more in depth look at the NBA Finals will be up next.

[Kenny]

Road to the Finals

Denver

Round 1: defeated Minnesota 4-0
Conference Semis: defeated Portland 4-0
Conference Finals: defeated LA Clippers 4-0

Record: 12-0

Miami

Round 1: defeated New Jersey 4-2
Conference Semis: defeated New York 4-0
Conference Finals: defeated Charlotte 4-2

Record: 12-4


The Lineups



The Starters

| Chris Andersen | Borislav Perko | Carmelo Anthony | J.R. Smith | Chauncey Billups |

The Bench

| Jordan Hill | Patrick Mills | Robin Lopez | Taylor MacKenzie | Nicolas Batum | Shannon Brown | Basil Richter |

IR

| Taj Gibson | Oleksiy Pecherov | Sam Conners |



The Starters

| Marcin Gortat | Andrea Bargnani | Frank King | Nach Carlos | Jason Everett |

The Bench

| Scott Drew | Curt McNamara | Demetri Mullan | Al Thornton | Wesley Garner | Solomon Bell | Jonah Braun |

IR

| Ripley Brooks | Dom Bernard | Oren Shaw |

Keys

Denver's third scorer: One thing Denver has over every team in the league right now is depth. They are the hardest team to scout and the reason is, you don't always know where their points are coming from. Sure, J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony are likely to switch duties between first and second scorer, but shutting those two down isn't just the priority. Billups, Brown, Hill, Perko and even Andersen have had their moments in the playoffs. The scary thing is, they still have capable scorers in Batum, MacKenzie, Lopez and Mills who still are yet to have a big game in the playoffs. Miami must have all bases covered.

The Greatest Carlos?: Yes, Miami also have a guy with the last name of Carlos, but he happens to be the best of the bunch. Nach Carlos has been averaging 20 points per game and 7 assists in the playoffs so far and he will be the focal point of Miami's attack. Just as important, he will be J.R. Smith's direct opponent. While the fate of the team relies on more than one player, Nach Carlos might be the most important piece to Miami's championship puzzle.

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Here it is, the series everyone has been waiting for. Can the Nuggets complete a perfect playoffs? Or will the Heat take the challenge to them? Can Miami cause the greatest upset in NBA history?

All will be revealed soon.

[Justine.]

Oh yeah! Go for 16-0 bru. I think that Miami Heat roster is not a championship team

[MassimoV]

you should make it 16 in a row,Heat's starting C is Marcin Gortat...

[Martti.]

That Miami is one crap team, should be a sweep! Make history by going 16-0, unless you've done it before.

[Phil89]

Those Regen players must be pretty good because I can't believe that Miami got this far with just Gortat and Bargnani

[Murat]

Hope your badreligionaurus win a ring...

[dare]

16-0 man

[Kenny]

Oh yeah! Go for 16-0 bru. I think that Miami Heat roster is not a championship team

Yeah, on paper their side seems to be a bit weak; but in saying that, Nach Carlos was in the MVP race the whole year, so I guess there has to be something to their success.

you should make it 16 in a row,Heat's starting C is Marcin Gortat...

True... but he would be considered an upgrade from what they had originally. Before the three team deal that I did to get rid of Brandon Bass, their starting centre was Oleksiy "Stewie" Pecherov

That Miami is one crap team, should be a sweep! Make history by going 16-0, unless you've done it before.

This is the first dynasty I've played that I've done the 7 game series of I believe, so it will be a first for me in any dynasty if it happens. I wish Miami held onto D-Wade... the team roster looks so weird without him.

Those Regen players must be pretty good because I can't believe that Miami got this far with just Gortat and Bargnani

Well, I think their gun players are Nach Carlos and Frank King. Carlos was in the MVP race the whole year and remember King picking up a rookie of the month in his rookie year (same year as Taylor MacKenzie actually).

Hope your badreligionaurus win a ring...

I hope so too

16-0 man

Everyone shall find out very soon.

[Kenny]

NBA Finals
First 4 Games

Game 1: Nuggets claim new record with narrow victory



The Denver Nuggets now have the longest winning streak in playoffs history... but they didn't have it all their own way with their 98-94 win over Miami. At one point in the final quarter the Miami Heat were up by 5 on a 17-4 run. They were sparked by Jason Everett and Andrea Bargnani who had 23 and 20 respectively. Bargnani was able to complete his double-double with 12 rebounds. Wingmen Frank King and Nach Carlos scored 17 each, while Marcin Gortat had also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

However a 5 point lead isn't enough of a deterrent for a side who has won 12 in a row. J.R. Smith (22) and Carmelo Anthony (21) worked together to help Denver get out of the hole and regain the lead in the last minute of play. Miami had to resort to intentional fouls and with Chauncey Billups one of the greatest free throw shooters in the history of the game, there was no looking back for Denver. Billups ended the night with 17. Chris Andersen continued on his stellar form, narrowly missing a double-double (13 points, 9 rebounds) and Shannon Brown provided energy off the bench as he scored 11 in the 3rd quarter.

This was one of the closer games Denver has had in the playoffs and might be a sign that they might not have things all their own way in this series. However, they did manage to prove that they are still the best closing side in the league.

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MIA@DEN

DEN: 98 (Smith 22, Anthony 21, Billups 17)
MIA: 94 (Everett 23, Bargnani 20, Carlos 17, King 17)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Carmelo Anthony 21 points 5 rebounds 5 assists 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Hill 10
MIA: Bargnani 12

Assists

DEN: Anthony 5
MIA: Everett 9

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Game 2: Denver burn the Heat



Denver kicked their game up a gear as they scorched the Heat in game 2 by 102-67. Carmelo Anthony once again inspired his team with 32 points. J.R. Smith was explosive once again with 21, including the sweet poster dunk on Bargnani pictured above. Chauncey Billups finished with a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists, while Shannon Brown proved to be useful off the bench once again with 12.

For the Miami Heat, they had very little to be happy about, however Andrea Bargnani had a positive game. He registered another double-double with 22 points and 16 boards to lead his team in both categories. Frank King managed 13 and Jason Everett was the only other significant scorer with 12.

After giving Denver a scare in the first game, the Miami Heat have to be disappointed with their effort in this one.

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Game 3: Denver extend streak; one more win for the ring



The Nuggets extended the streak to 15 as they accounted for the Heat in Miami with a score of 95-86. Once again it was Carmelo Anthony who came up huge; he scored 45 points in the game and looked to be unstoppable. J.R. Smith played the second fiddle role once again with 22, while Aussie Pat Mills was active off the bench with 12 points and 7 assists.

Andrea Bargnani was once againt he Heat's best with 24 points and 10 rebounds. 3 other players for Miami scored double figures (Everett 13, King 11, Mullan 10), but none of them were able to make the significant impact that both Anthony and Smith did for the Nuggets.

Denver are now one away from their 4th title.

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DEN@MIA

DEN: 95 (Anthony 45, Smith 22, Mills 12)
MIA: 86 (Bargnani 24, Everett 13, King 11)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Carmelo Anthony 45 points 7 rebounds 1 assist 4 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 16
MIA: Gortat 15

Assists

DEN: Andersen, Mills 7
MIA: Everett 10

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Game 4: Nuggets sweep the playoffs!



Denver have made history by being the first team to be undefeated in the playoffs in the 7 game format (correct me if I'm wrong) with a 103-79 win over Miami in the 4th game. It would be fitting that the MVP of the regular season would be the star of the final game of their campaign. J.R. Smith scored 32 points in the demolition. He had unlikely support from bench player Nicolas Batum, who exploded for 29 in the second half. After 3 fantastic games, Melo was allowed to have a quiet night with 13 points. Patrick Mills rounded out the scorers again with a nice contribution of 11.

For the Miami Heat, Jason Everett was close to a double-double with 21 points and 9 assists. Andrea Bargnani and Frank King were solid once again, scoring 17 each, while Nach Carlos and Scott Drew both scored 13.

Although the first game was close, it seemed that the Miami Heat were simply in the way of Denver's destiny in this series. With this win, Denver's record for this playoffs was 16-0 and they have a chance to extend their winning streak even further if they make the playoffs next year.

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DEN@MIA

DEN: 103 (Smith 32, Batum 29, Anthony 13)
MIA: 79 (Everett 21, Bargnani 17, King 17)

Sprite Performer of the Game: J.R. Smith 32 points 3 rebounds 3 assists 3 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Hill 14
MIA: Gortat 14

Assists

DEN: Hill 7
MIA: Everett 9

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Click the thumbnail for the slideshow of the NBA Finals series between Denver and Miami:



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The 2017 NBA Champions

This was the best photo I could get. Taken with my iPhone.

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Next will be the Finals MVP and the Championship team.

[Kenny]

The Starters

| Chris Andersen | Borislav Perko | Carmelo Anthony | J.R. Smith | Chauncey Billups |

The Bench

| Jordan Hill | Patrick Mills | Robin Lopez | Taylor MacKenzie | Nicolas Batum | Shannon Brown | Basil Richter |

IR

| Taj Gibson | Oleksiy Pecherov | Sam Conners |

Coach

| George Karl |

Finals MVP


Carmelo Anthony
26.1ppg 4.4rpg 2.3spg

Team records

Regular Season: 68-14
Playoffs: 16-0
Games simulated: 0
Total games played: 98

As I said last time... I think I need to go outside

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Well that's the end of the 8th season. I will be continuing on with season 9, but I think it'll be in a format of play-5-sim-5. I'm still very much enjoying this dynasty, but I've always wanted to try this format out and I was going to this season before I realised J.R. Smith was a legit MVP candidate.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to read my story. It makes sticking with it that much easier when you have the support of your peers

The Off-Season will be coming soon.

[Justine.]

Games simulated: 0
Total games played: 98

Maybe a record here in NLSC too? Amazing, this is how I will desribe your dysnasty. 8 seasons man And congrats for locking the trophy and Playoffs record! Still following here, wonders what will you do in the off-season

[Murat]

Hah haaa! Yess! Nuggets wiiin! Nuggets wiiin! badreligionaurus wiiin!

[Axel The Great]

Wow, you mopped the NBA. And with no simulated games! It's hard for me to not simulate games, mainly because of all the crap the CPU pulls from their ass to win.

Your dynasty is still amazing, I should nominate it for the hall of fame. Oh and for the draft, make sure you draft a player with a porno mustache.

[Clutch]

16-0

i think it was JR's karate-chop-to-the-throat-while-dunkin'-on-your-boy (game 2 pic) move that ultimately broke the Heat's confidence lol... sadly that's a record the 'real life' Miami triumvirate will probably need to conquer in order to be deemed 'worthy' champions now

98 total played and 8 seasons is equally stunning... definitely continue to season 9 if you've still got the love... would be awesome to reach the point some jersey numbers get permanently retired to the rafters while the youngbloods beginning carrying the torch

[Lamrock]

Congrats on the perfect title run. Amazing commitment you have here. Only in sim dynasties have I played against mostly computer rookies. Good stuff. Whenever you decide to call it quits, this will definitely have a place in the HOF.

[Kenny]

Games simulated: 0
Total games played: 98

Maybe a record here in NLSC too? Amazing, this is how I will desribe your dysnasty. 8 seasons man And congrats for locking the trophy and Playoffs record! Still following here, wonders what will you do in the off-season

Thanks Justine

I'm still finding this dynasty very interesting and a big part of it I think is just seeing how many generated players there are now. It's like NBA Live has created the next generation of players and feels somewhat like an insight into the future... a future where players look like they've been scouted from 70s porn movies

Hah haaa! Yess! Nuggets wiiin! Nuggets wiiin! badreligionaurus wiiin!

Indeed Badger; time for my vets to get the bus back to their old folks' home

Wow, you mopped the NBA. And with no simulated games! It's hard for me to not simulate games, mainly because of all the crap the CPU pulls from their ass to win.

Your dynasty is still amazing, I should nominate it for the hall of fame. Oh and for the draft, make sure you draft a player with a porno mustache.

Trust me, at times it was hard for me too. Particularly after that phantom charge call. This season has involved a lot of me yelling at my tv, despite the amount of wins I had.

Thanks for the kind words and the nod. With the low picks I will probably get, I'm not sure if rookies will feature too heavily in the 9th season, but as long as T-Mac 2.0 is in the game, there shall be a porno mustache in my story

16-0

i think it was JR's karate-chop-to-the-throat-while-dunkin'-on-your-boy (game 2 pic) move that ultimately broke the Heat's confidence lol... sadly that's a record the 'real life' Miami triumvirate will probably need to conquer in order to be deemed 'worthy' champions now

98 total played and 8 seasons is equally stunning... definitely continue to season 9 if you've still got the love... would be awesome to reach the point some jersey numbers get permanently retired to the rafters while the youngbloods beginning carrying the torch

I liked the fact that in each of the 4 games in that NBA Finals series, I had one shot of either J.R. or Melo posterising a player off the Heat team. The fourth game pic is probably my favourite, but I never realised Earl karate chopped someone in the throat until you mentioned it.

At the moment I have retired Marcus Camby's jersey, but Mr Big Shot and Birdman are shoe-ins... if they even retire. They're still playing good basketball so who knows what will happen.

Season 9 will be happening, but it's doubtful to whether I'll play every game. Who knows, when I get to season 10 I might play the 82 plus. But for now, I still have a bit of Red Dead to play, so I might simulate a fair portion of the 9th season.

Congrats on the perfect title run. Amazing commitment you have here. Only in sim dynasties have I played against mostly computer rookies. Good stuff. Whenever you decide to call it quits, this will definitely have a place in the HOF.

Thanks Lamrock; I did simulate those three seasons in the middle, but mainly because I didn't particularly want to have a Boston-like domination and I flat out refuse to play this game on Superstar because it's so unforgiving. Just about every passing lane gets picked off on All-Star

I'm thinking of possibly calling it quits when the new 2011 games come out... I'm still not sure which one would be better to pick up. Anyway, thanks for the words of encouragement

[Kenny]

Off-Season

Upcoming Free Agents



| Chauncey Billups | Chris Andersen | Jordan Hill | Robin Lopez | Shannon Brown | Oleksiy Pecherov |

Likely to stay

Jordan Hill: In this free agency he will be a top priority to re-sign. Hill had a breakout season in 2016-2017, winning the 6th man award and almost coming up with a quadruple-double in a playoffs game.

Robin Lopez: Fropez might not have made an impact in the playoffs, but he is still seen as the future starting centre of this team.

50-50

Chris Andersen: The Birdman is getting old, but his game isn't relenting. A massive 27 boards in game 2 of the conference finals is proof of this. If he chooses to stay in the NBA, his place on the team will still be there.

Shannon Brown: Shannon proved in the playoffs that he can still play an important role on the team; but he might want more. It's a possibility that if he gets re-signed, he might be apart of a trade not too long afterwards.

Unlikely to stay

Chauncey Billups: Mr Big Shot still has game, but he is on the wrong side of 40. It could be time for him to hang up his boots.

Oleksiy Pecherov: Stewie was basically acquired because of his expiring contract. He barely got a chance to prove himself in Denver and it's not likely he will be apart of the organisation next year.

[Kenny]

Breaking News: Billups and Andersen to play on

Chauncey Billups and Chris Andersen have immediately ended any speculation of retirement by agreeing to stay with Denver for another year. While Billups is over the age of 40 and Andersen is 39, the opportunity to be apart of another winning dynasty team was an offer too good to refuse.

While they have contrasting stories, both Billups and Andersen have had to overcome some sort of adversity to be where they are now.

Reinvention

Chris Andersen was expelled from the league in 2006 because he violated the anti-drug policy. He returned to the NBA playing for New Orleans in 2008. but it wasn't until his second tenure with Denver did his comeback really begin. He proved to be a real energy guy off the bench for the Nuggets in 2008-2009, as he was second in the league in blocked shots with 2.5 while playing only 20 minutes per game.

In 2009-2010 he was given a starting spot and hasn't looked back since, earning All-Star honours, as well as All-NBA and All-Defensive team selection. He even won the Defensive Player of the Year in 2010-2011 and has been a perenial candidate for the award ever since.

Stability the key

While Chauncey Billups wasn't expelled from the game, he found the going very tough in the early stages of his career. He bounced around to play for 5 teams in the first 5 years of his career. The main criticism of his game was that he was a shoot-first mentallity point guard; a position that requires a player to distribute the ball. He managed to turn his game around when he moved to Detroit in 2002. He became the most important player to the Detroit Pistons playoff success and eventual NBA Championship in 2004, where he won the Finals MVP.

After a few failed Conference Finals campaigns, the Detroit Pistons looked to rebuild and sent him and Antonio McDyess to the Nuggets for mercurial point guard Allen Iverson. His presense in the Denver organisation has been profound as he managed to help them get over that first round playoffs hump and get deeper into the playoffs. 4 championship rings later, it's easy to see why he's one of Denver's favourite sons.

Where to next?

Will 2017-2018 be the final chapter on the careers of these two great Denver players? Well, if so, lets hope it's a memorable one.

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A Mile High Comeback?



It is believed that Denver management are meeting with perenial All-Star Yao Ming to discuss a possible one year contract with the team.

Yao's 2016-2017 season was a forgettable one. During a practice session for the Houston Rockets, Ming injured his foot and had to get X-Rays as a precautionary measure. It was revealed that he had a hairline fracture and possibly wouldn't play basketball ever again. With this news, the Rockets were granted a disabled players exception and with Yao coming into free agency this year, they decided not to renew his contract.

Will his comeback be with the Denver Nuggets? And can he get that ring he deserves?

[The X]

I can't believe Billups is still playing at 40. And Andersen at 39

Have their ratings decline much?