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

[Houndy]

Do 8 minute quarters

[megarover]

Smithy Boy is actually did it Congrats. Going for 81 is gonna be hard as **** though

[kibaxx7]

Great to see Yao back

[Andrew]

Thanks Andrew. It's kind of funny because I thought being so dominant might get boring for both me and the readers, but so far it's still been fun for me and I'm happy with the feedback I get so I guess I was proven wrong in that sense. Right now my biggest challenge is distributing minutes over a shortened game.

I think you've done a great job keeping things interesting with the feature articles, great recaps and write-ups, the videos and the sheer length of the Dynasty. You also seem to have a fair amount of exciting games with gamewinners and the like, which keeps things interesting for everyone. Again, keep up the great work and it's nice to see you enjoying yourself with the Dynasty.

Speaking of gamewinners, nice to see Billups do it again and even pull an MJ in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals; no timeout after the defensive stop. Good luck besting Kobe's mark with Smith.

[Kenny]

J.R Smith was hell out of a beast

That he is

At least you passed one of the challenges. I'd really like to see you pass 81 points, but with seven minute quarters, that's nearly impossible. Yao still dominates in rebounding, but his offensive game looks to have really declined.

Yeah, Yao's jumpshot isn't anywhere near as reliable as it used to be, but he's still very effective at filling the lane... can't teach size

Do 8 minute quarters

I kind of promised myself I wouldn't stretch the quarters just to break Kobe's records. If I get them, I get them, otherwise Kobe can keep them

Smithy Boy is actually did it Congrats. Going for 81 is gonna be hard as **** though

J.R. can still pour in the points. I don't think 81 is a realistic goal in my dynasty, but I thought I'd put it in the challenge because it's a bench-mark most people know of Kobe's

Great to see Yao back

Even if you don't like him?

I don't forget Thierry

But yes, it's nice to have him. Having such a huge guy in the lane is proving to be a great advantage.

Thanks Andrew. It's kind of funny because I thought being so dominant might get boring for both me and the readers, but so far it's still been fun for me and I'm happy with the feedback I get so I guess I was proven wrong in that sense. Right now my biggest challenge is distributing minutes over a shortened game.

I think you've done a great job keeping things interesting with the feature articles, great recaps and write-ups, the videos and the sheer length of the Dynasty. You also seem to have a fair amount of exciting games with gamewinners and the like, which keeps things interesting for everyone. Again, keep up the great work and it's nice to see you enjoying yourself with the Dynasty.

Speaking of gamewinners, nice to see Billups do it again and even pull an MJ in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals; no timeout after the defensive stop. Good luck besting Kobe's mark with Smith.

Thanks for the compliments Andrew

I think that gamewinner was possibly my favourite because of the defensive stop. It really did sum up the game I was having; Jefferson was absolutely killing me on the offensive glass but I was lucky enough to get Birdman to swat the ball away from him. Normally he would have gotten the dunk, but that time I got lucky

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

After another 5 games, Denver have once again recorded 5 wins, taking their winning streak to 13. The round started with two blowout wins at home to Philadelphia and Toronto. The Nuggets took their dominance to the road as they completed wins against the Warriors and the Clippers. Once again though, it'd be the Lakers that would rise to the challenge against the Denver Nuggets, hence it's the feature game:

Denver beat LA in OT... again



Denver recorded a 93-88 victory against the LA Lakers at the Staples Centre in the extra period of time. Brandon Jennings was the star of Denver during regulation with 24 points, but as the game went into OT, he would be eclipsed by J.R. Smith who carrying his side in extra time. He ended up with 26.

With the Nuggets up by 3 in the final moments, the Lakers top scorer Bubba Worthy (24) hit the game tying shot with less than 10 on the clock. Once again the scene was written for Chauncey Billups to nail the game winning shot; however this time he managed to miss.

Mike Conley was the Sprite Performer of the Game with 19 points and 7 assists, while Luther Rutherford picked up a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards. Theo Hadsen chipped in with 12, while veteran Andrew Bynum was close to a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Although Chauncey missed the shot, it was encouraging for Denver that they managed to escape a close game despite little impact from their clutch point guard.

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DEN@LAL

(OT)
DEN: 93 (Smith 26, Jennings 24, Anthony 10)
LAL: 88 (Worthy 24, Conley 19, Rutherford 16)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Mike Conley 19 points 7 assists

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 12
LAL: Rutherford 10

Assists

DEN: Billups 5
LAL: Conley 7

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Last 5 Games

PHI: 83-61 W
TOR: 92-72 W
@GSW: 87-73 W
@LAL: 93-88 W (OT)
@LAC: 93-69 W

Denver are now 23-2

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This one's for you Martti

Brandon Jennings really shined in the last three games of this round. Against the Clippers, he equalled Kobe's record of 12 threes in a game. He ended up with 47 points all up. How did his previous two games go? Here are the numbers:

Vs Golden State: 34 points 6 assists 3 rebounds
Vs LA Lakers: 24 points

He started in both LA games and it looks like he could have a spot there for a while yet.

The Veteran Assault

Although Jennings starred in the last three, the first two were all about the Vets. Yao and Chauncey were fantastic in the two home games. Yao proved he can still be a 20-10 player as he registered those numbers against Philadelphia (22 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Toronto (21 points, 10 rebounds). Chauncey also managed to go 20+ in those two games with 24 and 21 respectively.

Finding his feet

Despite struggles with his role early on in the season, signs were good for Garth Vine against the Clippers. While J.R. Smith was in foul trouble, Vine scored 18 points.

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Next 5 Games

@DET
@TOR
@NYK
@ORL
@DAL

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The Mile High express keeps rolling. After narrowly missing out on the Bulls' record last year, it looks like they're trying to cement their legacy as the NBA's most dominant team. How far will the winning streak go?

Another 5 game summary will be up next.

[Axel The Great]

Still dominant. 23-2 is an awesome record. Good to see The Great Wall and Mr. Big Shot still contributing and you gave the Lakers what they needed in OT . Looking forward to the next 5-game summary.

[Martti.]

Ah yeah, Yung Nugget (Damn, just doesn't sound right) tearin it up. Waiting til he scores 82

[kibaxx7]

Great to see Yao back

Even if you don't like him?

I don't forget Thierry

But yes, it's nice to have him. Having such a huge guy in the lane is proving to be a great advantage.

It's a huge advantage for your team, it's great to see him back, for you. I hate him.

[Andrew]

Nice to see Jennings proving his worth and Yao getting a good run, congrats on continuing the streak. Shame Smith couldn't best Kobe's streak but still a great run to get the four straight games of 50+. Hope you can equal or beat a couple more of those marks before page 24 is through.

[Lamrock]

Jesus, 23-2? On pace for 75 wins! Quick question: Do you play sim intervene the games? Getting this far into it without simming most games (which you probably didn't do, as evidenced by the abundant pics and overachieving) is a huge achievement.

[Houndy]

23-2

[Andrew]

Jesus, 23-2? On pace for 75 wins! Quick question: Do you play sim intervene the games? Getting this far into it without simming most games (which you probably didn't do, as evidenced by the abundant pics and overachieving) is a huge achievement.

A few years were completely simmed.

[Alpha_]

yeah! Denver rocks! 23-2? oh it's just amazing.. but still a long way to go. BTW J.R. Smith is a monster after averaging 50+ pts. in 4 consecutive games ahh.. if he continues to play well no doubt he's going to be the MVP!

[Kenny]

Still dominant. 23-2 is an awesome record. Good to see The Great Wall and Mr. Big Shot still contributing and you gave the Lakers what they needed in OT . Looking forward to the next 5-game summary.

Thanks Axel13, I always love it when the old guys chip in

Ah yeah, Yung Nugget (Damn, just doesn't sound right) tearin it up. Waiting til he scores 82

That he is... and I've been trying to think of nicknames for him as a Denver player... maybe something to do with gold? I'll leave it with you since you're the biggest Brandon Jennings fan on this thread

Great to see Yao back

Even if you don't like him?

I don't forget Thierry

But yes, it's nice to have him. Having such a huge guy in the lane is proving to be a great advantage.

It's a huge advantage for your team, it's great to see him back, for you. I hate him.

Understandable Thierry... I wouldn't say I'm the biggest Yao fan either usually, but I definitely love what he's bringing to my team in this game.

Nice to see Jennings proving his worth and Yao getting a good run, congrats on continuing the streak. Shame Smith couldn't best Kobe's streak but still a great run to get the four straight games of 50+. Hope you can equal or beat a couple more of those marks before page 24 is through.

Jennings and Smith are quite a lethal combo this season and at points it has made be believe that Carmelo could be expendable... but in saying that, it's nice having a "big three" so to speak.

Jesus, 23-2? On pace for 75 wins! Quick question: Do you play sim intervene the games? Getting this far into it without simming most games (which you probably didn't do, as evidenced by the abundant pics and overachieving) is a huge achievement.

Jesus, 23-2? On pace for 75 wins! Quick question: Do you play sim intervene the games? Getting this far into it without simming most games (which you probably didn't do, as evidenced by the abundant pics and overachieving) is a huge achievement.

A few years were completely simmed.

3 seasons have been completely simulated, but I haven't used sim intervention just yet. I was planning on simming a lot of this season, but after I got on the hot streak and started playing with Brandon Jennings, I decided against it.

I'm thinking about playing season 10 part time, but in saying that, simulation has just always come back to absolutely screw me over. So maybe next season I'll use it... I won't promise anything though... I did say this season was going to be play-5-sim-5

23-2

I believe it'd clearly be my best start to a season yet. Same time last year I was 20-5... and I almost got 70 that time around!

yeah! Denver rocks! 23-2? oh it's just amazing.. but still a long way to go. BTW J.R. Smith is a monster after averaging 50+ pts. in 4 consecutive games ahh.. if he continues to play well no doubt he's going to be the MVP!

A second consecutive MVP isn't out of the question, but as you said, there's a long way to go yet... I still might have 2 players on my team competing with him for that distinction. It'd be awesome to see D-Wade do something similar in your upcoming dynasty

[Martti.]

Ah yeah, Yung Nugget (Damn, just doesn't sound right) tearin it up. Waiting til he scores 82

That he is... and I've been trying to think of nicknames for him as a Denver player... maybe something to do with gold? I'll leave it with you since you're the biggest Brandon Jennings fan on this thread

Probably in this forum too.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

It seems like nothing can stop the Denver juggernaut at the moment as they go for another round of 5-0. Where does this put them in the winning streak stakes? Well, they are now 18 in a row, sitting them equal 7th of all time on the list. And the wins? The closest anyone came was 17 points in Denver's first game against the Pistons. Denver have won overwhelmingly against every team they played, but as always, there must be a feature game. This round it is against the Orlando Magic:

Orlando's woes continue



Orlando have stooped to their 7th straight loss, going down to Denver in a blowout. The final score was 106-80. After being somewhat of a passenger the last few games, Carmelo Anthony stood up to lead the team with 26 points as he won the Sprite Performer of the Game. J.R. Smith wasn't far behind with 24 of his own. The battle for the point guard position was evenly matched as both Jennings and Billups picked up 12, while backup swingman Nicolas Batum chipped in with 10 points.

For the Magic, it wasn't all bad. The actually led at the end of both the 1st and 2nd quarters. Dwight Howard and Eli Buck were dominant in the paint with 24 and 22 respectively. Howard would complete his double-double with 13 rebounds. Deron Williams would also achieve a double-double with 19 points and 12 assists. Former Denver Nuggets player Wilson Chandler was on fire in the first quarter, scoring 10 points... but his total would not move from that for the rest of the game.

Despite an early challenge from the Magic, the Nuggets closed this game in emphatic fashion. It seems that the next team to beat the Nuggets will have to go the distance if they want to trouble the defending champs.

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DEN@ORL

DEN: 106 (Anthony 26, Smith 24, Billups 12)
ORL: 80 (Howard 24, Buck 22, Williams 19)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Carmelo Anthony 30 points 6 rebounds 3 assists 5 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Ming 10
ORL: Howard 13

Assists

DEN: Jennings 7
ORL: Williams 13

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Last 5 Games

@DET: 111-94 W
@TOR: 95-75 W
@NYK: 91-68 W
@ORL: 106-80 W
@DAL: 92-70 W

Denver are now 28-2

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Two in a row?

This year might be 2 in a row for 2 different reasons. Denver are looking strong in defending their crown, but J.R. Smith might also have another claim at an MVP trophy. He reminded everyone of this with 47 against the Knicks.

Denver's future?

Although he may be in his late 20s, the future is looking great for Brandon Jennings and Denver. Jennings scored 34 against the Raptors.

Air Jordan... Hill

It's still early in the season, but Jordan Hill might have a claim to dunk of the year at the end. He took off after Anthony lobbed him an alley-oop. He may have been quiet during the season, but neither his night or this dunk were in the same fashion. He had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists.

Flying under the radar

With all the talent Denver now have in the big man department, the Birdman hasn't been a feature story too much this season. However, he proved he
can still have a big night here and there, scoring 16 points along with 13 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Look out below!

Yao is continuing to be a massive presense to Denver off the bench. He had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against the Mavericks. With Brandon Jennings now starting, is Yao a new favourite for the 6th man award? In any case, it'll be interesting when he faces the Rockets in the next 5 game summary.

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Next 5 Games

@SAN
@HOU
@MEM
@POR
LAC

Damn... that's one massive road trip coming to an end... 12 games

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Next up will be the monthly report for December 2017... this dynasty will be entering the year 2018!

[Kenny]

Ah yeah, Yung Nugget (Damn, just doesn't sound right) tearin it up. Waiting til he scores 82

That he is... and I've been trying to think of nicknames for him as a Denver player... maybe something to do with gold? I'll leave it with you since you're the biggest Brandon Jennings fan on this thread

Probably in this forum too.

You're probably right.

It's funny, I have played this dynasty so much that I have to often keep reminding myself that Yung Buck is only going into his sophomore season in real life. The story is giving me a skewed look at the real NBA

[Houndy]

Your new title should be: The Nuggets are the NBA

[Axel The Great]

Still dominant. OK, that's the last time I'll say that. The NBA is no competition for you anymore, I wouldn't be surprised if there's Nugget bandwagoners in you dynasty.

It's awesome when unexpected players rise up to the occasion. Like the Air Jordan Hill caption. Yao is still strong too, and that 10 assists game is a career high for him I think.

[kibaxx7]

Nuggets winning, non-stop. Huge games by JR

[Andrew]

Not to put the pressure on, but it'd be great to see the Lakers' record broken. I had a 26 game winning streak in an NBA Live 2002 Kings Franchise many years ago. It was that run that made me wonder whether the game ramps up the AI when you're on a big streak to try and keep things challenging or whether it's just the challenge adding some extra pressure. I'm aiming for that streak again in my Bulls Dynasty, hopefully one of us can break the all-time record...or maybe we both can.

Good write-ups, I like the Jordan Hill screenshot too. I'm sort of sorry to see Billups coming off the bench but guess he's still on the court when it matters the most. Keep it up.

[Kenny]

Your new title should be: The Nuggets are the NBA

Haha well, the Next Level I felt was a suitable title because previously the Nuggets reached the Conference Finals and were just looking to get over that hump. I'm glad to say I've well and truly done that in this dynasty

Still dominant. OK, that's the last time I'll say that. The NBA is no competition for you anymore, I wouldn't be surprised if there's Nugget bandwagoners in you dynasty.

It's awesome when unexpected players rise up to the occasion. Like the Air Jordan Hill caption. Yao is still strong too, and that 10 assists game is a career high for him I think.

D'oh! that was meant to be 10 rebounds. I don't know about the bandwagoners for the Nuggets, but since the Clippers are the best team in LA, I was thinking of making a story about how they're the toast of the town now. Might be a little controversial though... don't want to turn this thread into a Laker haters club

Nuggets winning, non-stop. Huge games by JR

Always great to be a winner. J.R. is definitely having a great run at the moment as well. Any thought I had of simulating any games this season has gone out the window.

Not to put the pressure on, but it'd be great to see the Lakers' record broken. I had a 26 game winning streak in an NBA Live 2002 Kings Franchise many years ago. It was that run that made me wonder whether the game ramps up the AI when you're on a big streak to try and keep things challenging or whether it's just the challenge adding some extra pressure. I'm aiming for that streak again in my Bulls Dynasty, hopefully one of us can break the all-time record...or maybe we both can.

Good write-ups, I like the Jordan Hill screenshot too. I'm sort of sorry to see Billups coming off the bench but guess he's still on the court when it matters the most. Keep it up.

I don't mind the added pressure, since it's another factor that will tend to keep things interesting. I think I've said this before but it often comes down to the state of mind I'm in. If I've just gotten out of bed, I'm more likely to get beaten than say if I've been awake for a few hours. Lately I've been working night shift at work and I've been playing my games after I've gotten home. So in a sense, I still feel focused since I'm still kind of in work mode. And at the risk of putting a jinx on myself, I'm definitely after that record this season.

That Jordan Hill dunk is probably the best alley-oop I've ever pulled off and it'll be featured in the season's top 10 without a doubt. As for Chauncey, although he's coming off the bench, he's still got a big role. I'm a big fan of Andre Miller, so I thought it wasn't so bad putting Billups on the bench because the Blazers did that with Dre a little bit last year and he was still a big part of their team.

[Andrew]

And it's a fairly realistic move on top of that. So long as it works, it's all good.

I don't mind the added pressure either, as I've said before I wonder whether that's all it is or whether a winning streak acts as a trigger for the AI to ramp up the difficulty in subsequent games. I also agree about state of mind as well, get too casual and blase about the game and it's much easier to let it slip away. Play a few games in a row and you tend to stay in the zone as well, unless you're feeling a bit tired in which case your mind can wander and your effort gets a bit half-hearted.

[Lamrock]

Only reason Miller didn't start all of last season was because of Nate McMillan's boner for Steve Blake. (No wonder Pritchard was fired soon after trading him away!) I'd keep starting Chauncey, then let Jennings take the starting reins next season, since this is the year of Chauncey.

If you start to burn out on playing full games, I would definitely recommend sim intervention. It's my favorite feature in Live, and I sim-intervened all 82 games of my Hawks dynasty.