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

!!!BLASPHEMY ALERT!!!
Mr. Divac! Get down on your knees and don't move until we say so!

"An Oscar Robertson-esque season".

Ollie had a bad night.

And Perko to me is turning into a Magic Johnson. A tall point guard

Nicely done holding Ollie to just 8 points, wish that would've happened in the playoffs last season. Sucks about the loss to GSW, but that was just a small bump on an otherwise smooth road. Hope Perko continues to generate more triple-doubles.

Damn Carlos, stealing Yung Buck's starting spot. Though a 60th pick starting is probably the first in history so it makes a great story.

A record setting win streak to begin the season would've been awesome, but 14-1 is far from shabby. Good to see Perko continuing to fill up the stat sheet.

It would have been nice, but I guess losing a game takes the pressure off and keeps me from being complacent. Seems I can't keep Perko out of the game... not that I'd want to.

Perko is the beast,no wonder you have such a good record.I smell another title

I think Perko's a lot like Duncan in the fact that he goes about his business rather quietly but always ends up with great stats. Hopefully another title is on the way.

!!!BLASPHEMY ALERT!!!
Mr. Divac! Get down on your knees and don't move until we say so!

That's Milan Divac, a guy who I've contemplated acquiring on many occasions

"An Oscar Robertson-esque season".

It's actually proving to be rather difficult. Consistently getting those numbers is an amazing feat and one I hope to achieve.

Ollie had a bad night.

And Perko to me is turning into a Magic Johnson. A tall point guard

I guess that's a relatively accurate comparison, although Perko's dribble drive has a lot left to be desired. His passing is outstanding though.

Nicely done holding Ollie to just 8 points, wish that would've happened in the playoffs last season. Sucks about the loss to GSW, but that was just a small bump on an otherwise smooth road. Hope Perko continues to generate more triple-doubles.

If I shut down Ollie like that in the playoffs, it probably would have been a sweep. But in saying that, he had great help from Ricardo Carlos as well... who is strangely enough sitting on the bench this season. Michael Beasley just about always gets me... I dunno what it is about the guy, but he's so hard to guard in NBA Live 10 (atleast to me anyway). I almost signed him in the off-season just so I didnt have to go against him again... but then there was a guy named Carmelo Anthony.

Damn Carlos, stealing Yung Buck's starting spot. Though a 60th pick starting is probably the first in history so it makes a great story.

Every pick I've gotten towrads the end of the draft, I've just about always waived them, but I kept Jesus Carlos simply because of his name. Turns out he's a pretty useful player as well

November 2020 Review

The off-season shakeup that the Nuggets had provided instant success as they only dropped 1 game in all of November. Instead of the scoring load being carried by 3 players like last season, there is now 5 (well, if you count Perko's 9.9) players averaging double figures in points per game for Denver. Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith and Taylor MacKenzie have all had a turn in leading their side from the perimeter, while Dwight Howard and Borislav Perko have formed one of the greatest inside partnerships Denver has ever seen. They've been so great that both of them feature in this month's MVP category.

With Brandon Roy likely to make his debut for Denver in December, the Nuggets are looking poised for another season of domination.

MVP Candidates

[DEN] Borislav Perko (9.9ppg 10rpg 11.1apg)
[LAC] Ollie Rose (24.1ppg 3.9apg 1.7spg)
[DEN] Dwight Howard (13.1ppg 10.9rpg 1.8bpg)
[MIN] Curt McNamara (22.2ppg 3.2rpg 3.5apg)
[CHA] Patrick McNamara (18.9ppg 3.2rpg 3.9apg)

League Leaders

PPG

[BOS] Njabulo Nyoni 26.1
[POR] Liam Koch 24.7
[LAC] Ollie Rose 24.1
[LAL] Theo Hadson 22.3
[MIN] Curt McNamara 22.2

RPG

[DEN] Dwight Howard 10.9
[MIN] Brady Lee 10.8
[NYK] Zach Pearson 10.1
[DEN] Borislav Perko 10
[LAL] Dakota Kane 9.4

APG

[DEN] Borislav Perko 11.1
[PHX] Brice Alan 7.8
[UTA] Evan O'Shea 7.6
[CHA] Timothy Banks 7.4
[SAN] Bartholomew David 7.2

SPG

[BOS] Njabulo Nyoni 2.9
[DEN] J.R. Smith 2.6
[BOS] Artemes MacMahon 2
[MIA] Ellery Wood 2
[MIA] Duncan Werner 1.9

BPG

[LAL] Dakota Kane 2.7
[NYK] Zach Pearson 2.7
[HOU] Armando Ferrer 2.1
[MIA] Ellery Wood 2
[IND] Stan Morgan 1.9

Standings

EAST

Detroit 12-5
Charlotte 11-6
Philadelphia 9-5
Washington 10-6
Indiana 8-6
Boston 9-7
Milwaukee 9-7
New Jersey 10-8
---
Cleveland 8-8
Miami 7-8
Chicago 6-9
Toronto 6-11
New York 5-13
Atlanta 4-11
Orlando 4-14


WEST

Denver 15-1
Utah 11-5
LA Clippers 11-6
Golden State 8-7
LA Lakers 8-7
Memphis 9-8
Minnesota 9-8
San Antonio 9-8
---
Houston 9-9
Dallas 8-8
Oklahoma City 7-9
Portland 6-9
New Orleans 7-11
Sacramento 5-12
Phoenix 4-12

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Next up will be another 5 game summary. At some point I'll probably revisit the "who's left" and "age of a team" articles, plus a feature on the rookies and answer the question on everyone's mind; where the hell is Jesus Carlos from?

Denver only 1 losses? :O Amazing season by Nuggets

I'd love to see Perko average a triple double for a season. Yeah, it may not be a 30-10-10 like Oscar & closer to what you'd expect out of a Jason Kidd triple double, it would still be a pretty mean feat

Great to see Perko amongst the MVP candidates with his numbers and in good shape to average a triple double. Make sure he gets his points though, it'd be heartbreaking if he misses out by percentage points in that category!

Denver only 1 losses? :O Amazing season by Nuggets

It has been a fantastic season so far

I'd love to see Perko average a triple double for a season. Yeah, it may not be a 30-10-10 like Oscar & closer to what you'd expect out of a Jason Kidd triple double, it would still be a pretty mean feat

Yeah, unfortunately for Perko, although he's an excellent all-round player, he really isn't a big scoring option, so it'd be hard to see him replicate that point scoring effort from Oscar. But hey, I've always been a fan of J-Kidd, so I don't mind him being like that

Great to see Perko amongst the MVP candidates with his numbers and in good shape to average a triple double. Make sure he gets his points though, it'd be heartbreaking if he misses out by percentage points in that category!

It would be terrible if he ended up missing out on that category. If it ended up happening, you could almost coin the term "The Perko double-double"

5 Game Summary

Denver enjoyed success in both games at the Fed Ex Forum, with the second being the feature of the round. The last game of their 8 game round trip resulted in their second loss of the season, going down to the New Orleans Hornets. But after that, they had two wins in Denver to keep their unbeaten home record in tact for the season. The feature game is the second Memphis game and it involves a big play from a TNL favourite:

Smith Mails In Win At Fed Ex

After a lopsided first game, the Denver Nuggets managed to escape the second of the Memphis back-to-back thanks to some last second magic by J.R. Smith:

phpBB [video]

With that shot, Denver won the game by 81-79 over the Grizzlies. Even though Smith ended up with the game winner and 14 points, the top contributor on the offensive end for the Nuggets was Taylor MacKenzie. He ended up with 29 points off the bench. It capped off a superb back-to-back against the Grizzlies after he scored 27 in the previous game. Borislav Perko came close to a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, while Carmelo Anthony was below par with 10.

Memphis were led by wingman Tyler Jones, who tallied 20 points. Tommy Stevenson had an impressive performance against Denver's lane enforcers with 16 points and 12 boards and Johnny Williams also played well with 14 points and 8 assists.

The Grizzlies led through most of the game, but like many teams, they fell short of the Nuggets in the final seconds.

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

DEN@MEM

DEN: 81 (MacKenzie 29, Perko 14, Smith 14)
MEM: 79 (Jones 20, Stevenson 16, Williams 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 14 points 12 rebounds 7 assists 2 blocks 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 12
MEM: Stevenson 12

Assists

DEN: Perko 7
MEM: Williams 8

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

Last 5 Games

@MEM: 84-66 W
@MEM: 81-79 W
@NOH: 83-77 L
ATL: 84-71 W
BOS: 85-82 W

The Nuggets record is currently 18-2

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

SpecMACular!

Taylor MacKenzie was running hot against the Memphis Grizzlies. As mentioned in the feature game, he scored 27 and 29 in both games. Performances like these could see him win a second 6th man of the year award and quite possibly earn him his first all-star berth.

Only One

Borislav Perko only had one triple-double during this 5 game stretch. Against the Hawks he had 12 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. But fear not, he's still doing enough to keep up the average.

Rebounds, Rebounds, Rebounds...

Dwight Howard picked up 18 of them in Denver's loss to New Orleans. He also scored 10 points and blocked 2 shots.

B-Rick

Brandon Roy's debut for the Nuggets was unforgettable... but not in a good way. It all looked fine when he hit his first two shots (including a 3), but his overall effort. 9 points off 4/18 shooting... yikes! Hopefully this is just rust from being out of the game for so long.

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

Next 5 Games

MIA
TOR
@MIN
@OKC
@DAL

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

I almost posted this on the weekend, but given that Brandon Roy has the same birthday as me (23rd of July), I thought I'd be polite and post it after his day. I'm thinking about resting some players for the upcoming road trip, as it's a long one and I'd like to try out some guys who don't get minutes often. Anyway, I'll probably post an article or two before the next 5 game summary.

[Kenny]

Age Of A Team 2020

A few seasons ago, I listed all 15 players of my roster in order of age (oldest to youngest) and calculated the average age after my team was labelled as "old". So, how old is my team now?

Roster (from oldest to youngest)

Carmelo Anthony 36
Brandon Roy 36
Dwight Howard 35
J.R. Smith 35
Patrick Mills 32
Brandon Jennings 31
Nathan Bing 29
Taylor MacKenzie 29
George Power 27
Borislav Perko 26
Adrian Young 26
Dennis Da Conceicao 26
Ed Reed 23
Jakov Branco 22
Jesus Carlos 19

Average Age: 28

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

While the Nuggets have an aging core, with three of their big stars 35 or older, Taylor MacKenzie, Nathan Bing, Borislav Perko, Adrian Young and Jesus Carlos are all 29 and under. So who knows, the championship window could still be open well after Smith, Anthony and Howard retire.

Last edited by Kenny on Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Your teams is old. Really you should weight your first five by 2.0, your next five by 1.0 & your bottom 5 by 0.5 to get a better reflection of average age

Jesus shall save you from your team's age!

Another strong round there. What are Perko's numbers like after 20 games?

As long as team does good I think there is not a problem with age,but you should try to get some young talent for those old players.

Perko will be the star after they leave

Perko will be the star after they leave

What? Perko is the star right now.

Perko Is a beast, remember that.

Great round by T-Mac, he was probably the biggest factor in edging out the Grizzlies twice. Relatively quiet round by Melo and JR, but as long as the W's pile up I guess that doesn't matter. Roy's 4/18 is something he may want to forget.

I like that you acquired Roy. No way he's still playing at 36 irl though

You're main guys are all nearing 30 all way over 30, so it's an old team. It's like this year's Heat team, except your role players are younger. (Young, Jebus)

Your teams is old. Really you should weight your first five by 2.0, your next five by 1.0 & your bottom 5 by 0.5 to get a better reflection of average age

By top 5 do you mean how I distribute the minutes? I'd be up for posting that revised version as well.

Jesus shall save you from your team's age!

Here's hoping

Another strong round there. What are Perko's numbers like after 20 games?

After 22 games his averages were 10.6ppg 10rpg 10.1apg

Due to a bit of a dry spell in the triple-double department (he still has 9 for the year, so saying that seems crazy), things are getting cut a little fine.

As long as team does good I think there is not a problem with age,but you should try to get some young talent for those old players.

It all depends on what happens next season. Anthony, Howard, Smith, Roy and Jennings all come off contract in the upcoming off-season. I don't expect Jennings to retire yet, but I'd say Roy is a lock and I wouldn't be surprised if Anthony, Howard or Smith did either.

Perko will be the star after they leave

What? Perko is the star right now.

I'm actually going to rest Melo and J.R. for some road trips to see how much star potential Perko really has. With Melo and J.R, there's always a question mark over whether Perko can win without them (much like Kobe without *insert awesome player here*).

Perko Is a beast, remember that.

I could never forget it

Great round by T-Mac, he was probably the biggest factor in edging out the Grizzlies twice. Relatively quiet round by Melo and JR, but as long as the W's pile up I guess that doesn't matter. Roy's 4/18 is something he may want to forget.

If it wasn't for Perko, I'd say T-Mac was having the best season so far. His bench scoring has been really consistent and I wouldn't be surprised if he picks up the 6-man award. Roy and Ariza could go into business together

I like that you acquired Roy. No way he's still playing at 36 irl though

I've always liked him and all my veteran signings are based on Homerism. So far though, Rudy was better in his stint with the team last season. It'll be a miracle if he plays past 30 IRL.

You're main guys are all nearing 30 all way over 30, so it's an old team. It's like this year's Heat team, except your role players are younger. (Young, Jebus)

I guess that's always been a theme of my dynasty. Older teams have generally been pretty successful in real life, so age doesn't phase me all that much.

5 Game Summary

It was a round of rivalries, started off with a win over Durant's Miami Heat. In a close encounter, Toronto extracted some revenge for the 2020 Finals as they became the first team to beat the Nuggets in Denver this season. But the most telling tale of the week? The Nuggets won three games without Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith. As they began their 9 game road trip, the Nuggets decided to rest their two star wingmen and give playing time to their younger players. The result? Wins against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Dallas. The feature game is the game against the Thunder:

Thunder Beaten In OT



A new look Denver Nuggets side came up with a 103-95 win against the Thunder in overtime. While the Nuggets rested Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, the Nuggets starting lineup had unfamiliar faces in Dennis Da Conceicao and Brandon Roy. DDC continued to stun NBA fans as he top scored with 30 points. This came after a 26 point effort in Minnesota. Roy managed to get rid of the rust he showed in his first two games by contributing 15. Apart from those two, the usual suspects stood up for Denver. Borislav Perko put together his most emphatic triple-double of the season to be the Performer of the Game. He had an incredible stat-line of 20 points, 16 rebounds and 19 assists, while Taylor MacKenzie (20) continued on his excellent form as well.

The Thunder put up a hell of a fight and their scoring load was shared between 6 players, led by Roy Kohler with 20. Caleb Vick (18) and Bubba Worthy (14) both had productive games on the offensive end and Thomas Bender (14 points 12 rebounds) provided a good matchup for Borislav Perko. Cody Duffy and Tom Coles both rounded out the scorers list with 11 and 10 respectively.

After a 4th quarter where both teams exchanged shot-for-shot, the game was sent into overtime after Brandon Roy missed a contested layup. While the Nuggets came away with the victory in the end, it was clear that they missed J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony in the dying stages of the game. In saying that though, it was an outstanding effort from Denver's weakened side.

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

DEN@OKC
(OT)

DEN: 103 (Da Conceicao 30, MacKenzie 20, Perko 20)
OKC: 95 (Kohler 20, Vick 18, Bender 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 20 points 16 rebounds 19 assists 3 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 16
OKC: Bender 12

Assists

DEN: Perko 19
OKC: Duffy 8

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

Last 5 Games

MIA: 88-79 W
TOR: 71-69 L
@MIN: 78-65 W
@OKC: 103-95 W (OT)
@DAL: 72-54 W

The Nuggets have a record of 22-3 after 25 games.

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

Perko's Team

With J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony resting, there is no doubt whose team it is. Even without his star teammates, Perko picked up two triple-doubles. His second came against the Dallas Mavericks where he registered 12 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. Why is there a picture of him blocking a shot? Because he got 4 of those as well... it's now become a category where he's underrated because of the triple-double average.

The Ginger Highlight Reel

Where did this guy come from?! Dennis Da Conceicao has been basically non-existent on the court for almost a year, yet he manages to score 26 points in his first game back against the Timberwolves. The other two games, he had 30 against the Thunder and 14 in Dallas.

Continued Improvement

He had better performances throughout the round, but against the Raptors, Taylor MacKenzie was the only one who looked particularly threatening. 16 points doesn't sound like much, but he was the top scoring player on the team. He's been good for 15 points a game off the bench so far this season.

Even Before The Two Stars Were Rested...

In a round of comebacks, Ed Reed got the ball rolling with 16 points against the Heat. At 23 years of age, he could still have a big part in Denver's future plans.

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

Next 5 Games

@NOH
@HOU
@SAN
@UTA
@ATL

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

I'm awfully tempted to rest J.R. and Melo for the entire 9 games, because I'm having a lot of fun with the second string players. It's been interesting to see what my future team is going to look like. If I lose a game or two, I might have to bring them back in. The new year will come during the next 5 game summary, so the December review will be up next.