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

Clutch play by Smith in the fourth. I'm guessing you'll end up with at least 52, 53 wins. Hoping for a strong finish for some momentum going into the Playoffs!

The Lebron-Durant matchup was very lackluster.

35 points off the bench. Go T-Mac 2.0!

And there goes T-Mac 2.0 with the epic performances, though I see he's shaved off the stache so that won't keep up anymore.

LeBron may have edged out KD, but KD will edge him out in the playoffs, where it matters most.

I think he has a Larry Bird moustache that can only be seen in a certain light

As to the second part of your response, LeBron is a good chance of actually missing out on the playoffs at the moment, so KD might already have the upper hand.

I'm hating Lebron James for wearing Cedric Ceballos' number with the Suns

He's just finding more ways to piss people off

How bout dem Nuggets. keep killing with T-Mac and you'll be good

Just need to remember to keep on driving with him and not settle for perimeter shots. He's got mad skills like Ginobili when he's on his game.

Clutch play by Smith in the fourth. I'm guessing you'll end up with at least 52, 53 wins. Hoping for a strong finish for some momentum going into the Playoffs!

I hope J.R. can keep up his clutch play, he has a tendency to disappear in the post-season. But this time around the team is more reliant on him to perform, rather than being complementary to guys like Melo, Ty and Chauncey.

The Lebron-Durant matchup was very lackluster.

Generally the big matchups are for me. I have a tendency to create another star player in the game when it's say Durant Vs James, Smith Vs Roy or Lopez Vs Lopez

35 points off the bench. Go T-Mac 2.0!

Instant morning coffee

TNL By Request

Earlier in the thread, The X requested a summary of Denver's record throughout the dynasty and here it is:

Year	Win-Loss	Largest Win Streak	Playoff Win-Loss	Result
2009-2010	45-37	7	6-7	Eliminated Conference Semis Round in Game 6 by San Antonio
2010-2011	56-26	13	16-3	NBA Champions
2011-2012	41-41	6	16-4	NBA Champions
2012-2013	58-28	8	16-9	NBA Champions
2013-2014	43-39	5	1-4	Eliminated First Round Game 5 by Memphis
2014-2015	52-30	10	2-4	Eliminated First Round Game 6 by New Orleans
2015-2016	43-39	5	N/A	Did Not Make the Playoffs
2016-2017	68-14	15	16-0	NBA Champions
2017-2018	73-9	24	16-2	NBA Champions

Overall Win-Loss (including this season so far) = 601-322

What will be the result of 2018-2019? Well, with a record currently of 49-26, Denver have the chance to equal their 2010-2011 regular season record of 56-26 if they win the rest of their games.

Thanks for that, you may want to put that at the bottom of your first post of this thread & just update a line each season

Funnily enough I've only really been following the last 2 & a half seasons so I kinda thought you were blitzing every season, but glad to see you've had your struggles along the way

EDIT: Btw, Peko is my favourite player from your team

Thanks for that, you may want to put that at the bottom of your first post of this thread & just update a line each season

Agreed.

Done

It made me look back at how humble my beginnings really were on this thread. To anyone who thinks they're struggling with their dynasty writing, just check it out. You can improve on the fly

5 Game Summary

This is the last 5 game summary of the season before the double feature and the playoffs. While the Nuggets had two wins at the start to increase their winning streak to three, it was interrupted on the second part of the Utah double header. After the feature game, Denver also dropped a game to the Rockets to go 3-2 over this stretch. Now for the Dallas game:

T-Mac Leads 5 to Win



Taylor MacKenzie top scored for Denver in their 83-75 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The comeback kid led a field of 5 Denver double digit scorers with 18 points. J.R. Smith played the supporting role to the 6th man with 16, while Brandon Jennings scored 11. Borislav Perko continued on a nice run of form with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds; Kevin Durant also scored 10.

The performer of the game was Mavericks centre Sergio Soto. He showed an impressive combination of post moves and outside shooting touch to register 29 points. Point guard Corin Robertson also had a great performance with 23 points and 6 assists, but he and Soto were the only two double figure scorers on the team, with the next best being Josh Smith (8).

Scoring distribution ended up being the deciding factor of the game, and with Denver's vast array of weapons, they're not likely to be beaten very much in this aspect.

-----------------------------

DAL@DEN

DEN: 83 (MacKenzie 18, Smith 16, Jennings 11)
DAL: 75 (Soto 29, Robertson 23, Smith 8)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Sergio Soto 29 points 8 rebounds 2 assists 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Lopez 15
DAL: Feehan 10

Assists

DEN: Jennings, Lopez 4
DAL: Robertson 6

-----------------------------

Last 5 Games

IND: 91-67 W
@UTA: 91-87 W
@UTA: 84-79 L
DAL: 83-75 W
HOU: 91-81 L

Denver are now 52-28 with 2 games left.

-----------------------------

Heating Up

Brandon Jennings is coming good at the right time of the season, having an incredible 20-20 game against the Pacers. He scored 25 points and dished off an amazing 21 assists.

Making Noise

Taylor MacKenzie is making a late season claim for the 6th man award. In the first game against Utah he scored 25 off the bench.

To No Avail Once Again

Borislav Perko once again had the numbers in a losing performance. While the rest of his teammates were struggling, he had a night of 16 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. He has a great knack of keeping Denver close when they're playing poorly.

Limited But Notable

J.R. had a relatively poor 5 game stretch to his standards, but at the end of it he scored 20 in a losing effort against Houston. It's not one of his exception scoring efforts, but it's definitely something with mentioning.

-----------------------------

Double Feature!

Next up will be the double feature. The two games are both agains the San Antonio Spurs. There is currently a big fight for the top seed in the West, with the standings currently like this:

Denver 52-28
LA Clippers 52-29
San Antonio 51-29

Denver have to win just one game to kill San Antonio's top seed hopes, but to nullify the Clippers, you'll think they might have to win both games. Either way, it'll be possibly the most important last two games this dynasty has seen so far.

-----------------------------

Well, the double feature should be up rather soon. It's been a great season and I'd like to thank everyone for following along once again. I think I'm going to be pretty active on the boards the next few days, with the end of the regular season of this and my My Player back up and running (sorry about the cross promotion). Stay tuned

Cool 20-20 by Jennings. I hope you win both games against the Spurs to notch the top seed, watch out for Aaron Brooks, though.

In that J.R. pic, please tell me the guy guarding him doesn't have number 34!

Hopefully Smithy boy gets himself back together in time for the Spurs double header and the playoffs.

JR needs to get back in tune

Not a good time for Smith to be playing poorly but as you've noted before he doesn't seem to be at his best in the postseason anyway. Hopefully a team effort will get the job done, I'm guessing we're headed for a very competitive Playoffs.

Cool 20-20 by Jennings. I hope you win both games against the Spurs to notch the top seed, watch out for Aaron Brooks, though.

In that J.R. pic, please tell me the guy guarding him doesn't have number 34!

The Jennings 20-20 was something I was really proud to get because it seems a lot harder to get 20 assists in this game and generally the high assist nights usually go to my post players. I guess that's just a product of the system I run. Brooks is always on the radar, but Rudy Gay is generally the main worry when I play the Spurs. He is my kryptonite in this game now Steve Nash isn't playing... Him and Chris Paul.

And I believe we may have another blasphemer

Hopefully Smithy boy gets himself back together in time for the Spurs double header and the playoffs.

Hopefully... if he doesn't I don't think making the adjustment will be that difficult. There's plenty of stars waiting to shine on my team

JR needs to get back in tune

If J.R. was the machine, he is definitely out of batteries right now... I'm quoting Kobe; god help us all!

Not a good time for Smith to be playing poorly but as you've noted before he doesn't seem to be at his best in the postseason anyway. Hopefully a team effort will get the job done, I'm guessing we're headed for a very competitive Playoffs.

It's more or less the nature of his game unfortunately. While I've managed to max out his potential in this game (because I've always believed he could be really special if he applied himself in real life), he still has nights where he's erratic. There are some really good teams in the league at the moment so hopefully there's a good challenge in the playoffs

I hope Jennings contributes in your Playoff run.

Double Feature

The last two games of the season are here. It's a close race for the top seed in the West and having the correct spot in the playoffs could be the difference between a championship and an early exit. So here they are, the last two:

Game 1: Nuggets edge closer to top with win



J.R. Smith scored 26 points in Denver's 96-82 win against the Spurs in the first game of the double header. He led the field of 4 double figure scorers, including another brilliant cameo from Taylor MacKenzie (23 points). The Sprite Performer of the Game belonged to Borislav Perko though, who saves the best for this time of year. In addition to scoring 18, he had 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks to help get his team over the line. Kevin Durant was the last of Denver's notable scorers with 14.

It was a rather miserable night for the Spurs, but not for All-Star Alejandro Carlos. He was the top scorer of the game with 32 points to show life in the San Antonio ranks. Serial Denver pest Rudy Gay also had a big night with 23 points and 9 rebounds, while Aaron Brooks was relatively quiet with 11.

---------------------------------------

SAN@DEN

DEN: 96 (Smith 26, MacKenzie 23, Perko 18)
SAN: 82 (Carlos 32, Gay 23, Brooks 11)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 18 points 8 rebounds 3 assists 3 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Lopez 9
SAN: Gay, Robertson 9

Assists

DEN: Mills 6
SAN: Gibson 9

---------------------------------------

Spurs Scrape Through



San Antonio managed to outlast the Denver Nuggets to win 81-78 in their last game of the season. It was thanks to another big performance from Alejandro Carlos who scored 28 points. Rudy Gay registered a double-double with 21 points and 12 boards, while Aaron Brooks had a much better game with 16 points.

For the Nuggets, Borislav Perko equalled Carlos' effort of 28 points. While he was outstanding, the supporting cast regressed from the last game with J.R. Smith (17), Taylor MacKenzie (11) and Kevin Durant (11) all scoring lower numbers than the previous game.

Despite the underwhelming finish, the Nuggets still hold the top seed in the West.

---------------------------------------

SAN@DEN

SAN: 81 (Carlos 28, Gay 21, Brooks 16)
DEN: 78 (Perko 28, Smith 17, MacKenzie 11)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Alejandro Carlos 28 points 6 rebounds 2 blocks 1 steal

Rebounds

SAN: Gay 12
DEN: Lopez 9

Assists

SAN: Brooks, Carlos 4
DEN: Jennings 9

---------------------------------------

And that's the season gone. All of the results from the season including the standings and the statistical leaders will be up next.

[Kenny]

End of Season Wrap

Standings

EAST

Washington 56-26
Cleveland 51-31
Charlotte 43-39
*Chicago 43-39
*Boston 42-40
Detroit 42-40
Miami 42-40
Orlando 41-41

*Boston will have the number 4 seed, Chicago with be number 5

WEST

Denver 53-29
LA Clippers 53-29
San Antonio 52-30
Houston 50-32
Oklahoma City 49-33
New Orleans 46-36
Dallas 45-37
Memphis 43-39

League Leaders

PPG: [LAC] Ollie Rose 23
RPG: [LAL] Andrew Bynum 9.5
APG: [NOH] Chris Paul/[GSW] Jordan Farmar 7.1
SPG: [LAC] Ollie Rose/[DEN] J.R. Smith 1.8
BPG: [OKC] Luther Rutherford 2.1

Playoff Tree



EAST

(1) Washington Wizards Vs Orlando Magic (8)
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers Vs Miami Heat (7)
(3) Charlotte Bobcats Vs Detroit Pistons (6)
(4) Boston Celtics Vs Chicago Bulls (5)

WEST

(1) Denver Nuggets Vs Memphis Grizzlies (8)
(2) Los Angeles Clippers Vs Dallas Mavericks (7)
(3) San Antonio Spurs Vs New Orleans Hornets (6)
(4) Houston Rockets Vs Oklahoma City Thunder (5)

Last edited by Kenny on Tue Feb 15, 2011 11:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Kenny]

Awards and Honours

Reed Sole Honour Recipient

In a year where Denver was the top team in the West, Ed Reed is the only one recognised with a spot in the All-Rookie First Team.

The Awards

MVP: Ollie Rose

A perenial candidate for this honour in previous years, Ollie Rose wasn't to be denied this season. He won the scoring championship with 23 points per game and also was the joint leader with J.R. Smith with 1.8 steals per game. Rose is exceptional in just about every area of the game and along with Stanley Alston, he would have to be considered as the greatest of their generation. Not only an explosive scorer, but a hard-nosed defender as well. The Clippers are a real force this year and you have to look no further than this guy for the reason why.

Most Improved Player: Nathan Bing

Missing out on the playoffs last season, the Rockets have had a sudden rise to relevance once again largely due to Bing's breakout year. He averaged 17.8 points per game and helped his team to the 4th seed in the West.

Defensive Player of the Year: Luther Rutherford

Rutherford was involved in the trade that delivered 2-time Defensive Player of the Year Stanley Alston to the Lakers and he has answered the critics by winning this award for the first time. His interior defense is really impressive as he led the league in blocked shots with 2.1. Along with this stat, he also had 1 steal and 7.8 defensive rebounds per game. His defense changes games and also elevated him up the MVP rankings.

Rookie of the Year: Murray Koch

Somewhat of a surprise selection over the favourite Dickey Freeman... in fact this is quite a boilover when you consider that Freeman won the Monthly Rookie Award 3 times, opposed to Koch who never won in. Added to the fact that Freeman won the Rookie Challenge MVP, people could be excused if they're crying foul over this. In any case, the first year man from the Pacers won it.

6th Man: Steven Hunt

The Wizards were the top team in the league this year and a big reason for that is the energy that Hunt brought off the bench. While 7 points and 3 assists per game look rather modest, he was a consistent leader of his team's second unit. He will play a big part in the Wizards' playoff run.

Coach of the Year: Flip Saunders

Following the recent tradition of the award going to the coach on the best team, Flip Saunders picks up this for his work with the Wizards. He has brought together a team that shapes up as the biggest threat to Denver's title defense.

The Teams

All NBA First Team

[ORL] Dwight Howard
[OKC] Luther Rutherford
[PHX] LeBron James
[LAC] Ollie Rose
[MEM] Stephen Curry

All-NBA Second Team

[UTA] Ken O'Farrell
[DET] Tristan Lehmann
[SAN] Alejandro Carlos
[CHA] Patrick McNamara
[MIA] Jason Everett

All-Defensive First Team

[TOR] Lawrence Coutts
[OKC] Luther Rutherford
[HOU] Carl Ellis
[LAC] Ollie Rose
[MIA] Jason Everett

All-Defensive Second Team

[CLE] Leo Lange
[HOU] Armando Ferrer
[OKC] Russell O'Connell
[PHI] Chuck O'Farrell
[MEM] Borislav Perko

All-Rookie First Team

[IND] Murray Koch
[NYK] Dickey Freeman
[TOR] Jesse Wolf
[DEN] Ed Reed
[PHX] Zach Atkins

All-Rookie Second Team

[NJN] Dickey Hogan
[NJN] Josh Carroll
[GSW] Leon Gerard
[CHI] Nathan Buckley
[OKC] Tom Coles

Last edited by Kenny on Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Kenny]

2018-2019 Team Review

This is the time I evaluate my roster and give some insight to their future with the team. Ordered by position:

Centres

Robin Lopez:

Robin Lopez made big steps this season as he took over the starting centre spot after the Birdman had such a strangle-hold on the position. Lopez was threatening to have a breakout season, in one game recording an incredible 30-30 stat-line. But the more attention was placed on him, the more he tended to stray and towards the end he seemed happy to be a role player opposed to a real game changer. The future remains bright for Lopez, but on the wrong side of 30, his window might be closing sooner than desired.

Andrew Bogut:

Bogut arguably took the biggest step back this season, for the first time in his career being a backup centre. He handled his role well and brought some defensive toughness off the bench. Probably has the best post moves on the team still and is still starting caliber. Bogut has one more season with the Nuggets before he decides what to do with the rest of his career. Hopefully there's atleast one ring for him before he retires.

Chris Andersen:

The Birdman was yet another Nuggets player who reached the 40 club this year... unfortunately I'm talking about age here. He was used sparingly, but proved there's still a little left in the tank. He's an excellent shot blocker who can affect the game on the defensive end, but with age his offensive game has become non-existent (even more so). Andersen is likely to be in the last few months of his career, but if he wins a ring this year, he will be the only one with all 6 on his fingers.

Power Forwards

Borislav Perko:

Slavvy is an interesting case; he relishes the spotlight when it's given to him, but generally finds himself as the hustle guy. I have no doubt that he is very close to being all-star caliber. The missing ingredient? Well, apart from the numbers, he must hit that mid-range jumper more consistently. When he learns how to do that, he will be an absolute beast because he does everything else pretty well.

George Power:

George Power went from being a dead-set stud to a bit player off the bench. While he was still rebounding at a good rate, his shooting was woeful this year and initially that's what got him the starting nod over Borislav Perko. Next season he will find himself at a crossroads in his Denver tenure. He can stay and play behind a potential star or he can go and try to salvage his career.

Crispin Erwin:

This kid is going to be a solid player. I don't think he'll ever be all-star quality, but off the bench he provides solid rebounding and a good inside presense on the offensive end. Needs to refine his game as he's rather raw and often clumsy with handling the ball, but he could be a nice role player for the Nuggets in years to come.

Small Forwards

Kevin Durant:

Started the year off on a hot streak and ended it with... well... he was rather lukewarm in all honesty. In fact, when all is said and done, he might look back on this one as the worst of his career. I think the Durantula's problem is that he is losing his identity on a team that's plentiful on quality. He thrives as being the go-to-guy, but while he's in Denver there are nights where he has to be the second (sometimes even third or fourth) option. While it'll seem ridiculous for the front office to trade him, it might be for the good of Durant's legacy if he was traded. But I guess in the end, the main thing is how many rings you have and Kevin is atleast in the position to win.

Dennis Da Conceicao

Acquired by Denver for his potential, there is no doubt that DDC has plenty of it. When he first joined the team, he had plenty of game time and had some key performances. However with the rise of MacKenzie, he found himself playing less and less until his gametime completely dried up. It's hard to see him cracking the rotation in the playoffs, but he could be used if an emergency arises for he is a highly energetic performer of the offensive end.

Basil Richter:

With all the players in front of him, Basil was a forgotten man this year. While he has shown glimpses of what he can do, Denver aren't willing to play him enough to really prove his value. He might have to find himself a new home next season.

Shooting Guards

J.R. Smith:

J.R. was he mercurial self. With a streak of 11 games of 30 points or more, along with the league leading stat of 1.8 steals per game, Smith was arguably the best player for Denver. Even in his 30s he's still one of the most athletic wingmen in the league and one of the deadliest perimeter shooters as well. Earl is once again the face of this organisation, but he finds himself off contract in the off-season. With any luck, he'll re-sign and continue his legacy with the Nuggets.

Taylor MacKenzie:

One of the real feel good stories of this season. After struggling under the weight of expectations after his rookie season, T-Mac finally came back into prominance this year. Instead of just jacking up outside shots, he showed some explosive foot work to get closer to the hoop. MacKenzie found himself back in the 6th man of the year running with his play and with 3 years left on his contract, he will hope to continue this form through his prime.

Ed Reed:

Ed was a standout rookie in his class, yet he was still a couple of guards back in the rotation. At his best, he has unlimited range and it a surprisingly good rebounder for his size. But until it's improved, defense will always be his downfall. It's not just his size, but he gambles a lot when he decides to actually play D. But looking at his D is looking at the glass half empty. What he provides on offense is enough for him to atleast be an impact player off the bench.

Point Guards

Brandon Jennings:

Had a couple of big performances at the start of the year, went quiet through the middle and came back with a few more huge games. His mid-season slump was a result of poor shot selection for the most part. His game picked up again when he found an effective play with Borislav Perko.

Patrick Mills:

Mills was a big improver this year and actually got to play a lot of games. There was even a point where he was threatening to take Jennings' starting spot. Coming off contract after this season, he could find himself in the middle of a bidding war between teams wanting his services.

Jrue Holiday:

A real disappointment of this season. It might just be my prefence to point guards under 6'4, but in any case, he wasn't working out in Denver's system. Could possibly be trade bait in the coming off-season. In any case, the Jrue Holiday experiment may be discontinued.

Last edited by Kenny on Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

Clippers winning 53 games. That's unrealistic

But nice to see the Wizards with the 1st seed!

Good to see you snag the top seed and homecourt advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. Should you end up facing the Wizards in the Finals they'll obviously have homecourt advantage, but that'll at least give you a chance to win the championship on your home floor if you can finish the series in four or five.

Borislav Perko has a brother in Memphis?

Borislav Perko has a brother in Memphis?

I noticed that as well.

Ollie Rose has been a godsend for LAC

Hey, both the Lakers and LeFrog's team both didn't make the playoffs!

Who's dominating?