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

I guess it's one good thing about injuries being very minimal in this game. At his best, it seemed like Roy did everything effortlessly. I guess it's a testament to how smart of a player he was.

But even with that in mind, injuries are a great way to keep a dynasty interesting. I hope EA can fix it for the next title.

January 2022 Review

If there was going to be a test for Denver's redemption season, it was going to be the month of January. They underwent one of the most brutal road trips seen in recent years, which included playing 6 games in 6 nights. The Nuggets managed to get through the killer roadtrip with only one loss (and a controversial one at that). In fact, it was the only loss they had for the entire month.

The Nuggets success can be attributed to a number of factors. After having issues with individual consistency, they acquired another offensive weapon in Cody Campbell to help out the league's leading scorer, Taylor MacKenzie. This addition to the already effective combination of T-Mac and Duncan Werner means the Nuggets will seldom find themselves looking for unknown sources for their offensive production.

Whilst the new acquisitions have provided an injection of enthusiasm, the Nuggets core still deserve the bulk of the credit. Taylor MacKenzie broke a franchise record against the man who set it (J.R. Smith). Borislav Perko and Dwight Howard came painfully close to getting some dynasty firsts of their own... and did I mention LeBron James? He was almost the third player in the history of the NBA to get 20-20-20 in a game.

In a season originally predicted to be a great departure from the great dynasty, the balance of the Denver Nuggets side has never looked better.

Monthly Awards

EAST Player: [IND] Cornelius Flanagan (17.3ppg 5.6rpg 2.9apg)
WEST Player: [LAC] Dickey Freeman (20.5ppg 7.9apg 1.2spg)
EAST Rookie: [CLE] Cornelius Kohler (3.5ppg 2.7rpg 0.9bpg)
WEST Rookie: [SAC] Demitri Richter (7ppg 6.4rpg 1.7bpg)

MVP Candidates

[DEN] Taylor MacKenzie (26.4ppg 2.4rpg 1.9spg)
[DEN] Borislav Perko (7.8ppg 9.6rpg 9.4apg)
[NYK] Ollie Rose (20.7ppg 4apg 2spg)
[GSW] Johnny Williams (23.4ppg 6.5apg 1.4spg)
[NOH] Hobbes MacDonald (22ppg 4.9rpg 3.2apg)

Standings

EAST

Philadelphia 30-15
Indiana 28-18
Detroit 26-18
Boston 24-18
Washington 23-21
New York 24-23
Charlotte 21-21
Chicago 20-21
---
Miami 21-25
Atlanta 19-24
Toronto 19-24
Cleveland 18-24
Orlando 20-27
New Jersey 18-26
Milwaukee 15-25

WEST

Denver 39-6
New Orleans 27-15
Oklahoma City 27-19
Dallas 25-21
Memphis 24-20
LA Clippers 24-22
Houston 24-24
Golden State 22-22
---
Minnesota 21-23
Portland 20-23
San Antonio 18-25
Sacramento 17-25
Utah 14-16
LA Lakers 16-29
Phoenix 14-28

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Things have settled down considerably, so I thought I'd post this now. It's of course the last I was able to do before I moved houses (and away from the PS3). I still haven't got one, but hopefully there will be a good deal in the boxing day sales. At the moment the cheapest I've seen them is about 300AUD. I'm very tempted by the bundle EB games has, 350 with Skyrim included. But yeah, hopefully after Christmas I'll have one.

Might post another article next.

Two MVP candidates and the league's best record. Nice.

T-Mac are Perko have a little competition among themselves.

Borislav Perko would probably be the most unorthodox MVP ever if he were to win, tough to be a candidate when you average single digits in points. It's good to see the Live engine doesn't look for just scoring though.

Despite the oppression of the rigorous schedule, you guys had arguably the best month of the entire dynasty. Well done.

T-Mac are Perko have a little competition among themselves.

And T-Mac might just take the crown this time.

Did I miss something? Did you buy a PS3?

Btw, everytime I see old copy of pre-owned Live '10 at EB, I'm tempted to get it because of your great dynasty. Then I come to my senses and keep on walking I'll wait in hope that EA's NBA Lob City '13 is what we all hope it will be & more.

T-Mac's great, but I'd rather see Perko repeat as MVP.

Two MVP candidates and the league's best record. Nice.

It's been a good season so far. Hopefully one of them (if not both) can stay up around there until the end of April.

T-Mac are Perko have a little competition among themselves.

And T-Mac might just take the crown this time.

That they do... the question is, will T-Mac's flashy game win an MVP trophy over Perko's all-round excellence?

Borislav Perko would probably be the most unorthodox MVP ever if he were to win, tough to be a candidate when you average single digits in points. It's good to see the Live engine doesn't look for just scoring though.

Despite the oppression of the rigorous schedule, you guys had arguably the best month of the entire dynasty. Well done.

I kinda like the idea of the "Perko MVP". Generally it's given to the team's best scorer (Steve Nash is an obvious exception), but it takes more than points to get teams wins in the NBA.

Luckily fatigue doesn't hit you as hard in this game as it does in NBA 2k11.

Did I miss something? Did you buy a PS3?

Btw, everytime I see old copy of pre-owned Live '10 at EB, I'm tempted to get it because of your great dynasty. Then I come to my senses and keep on walking I'll wait in hope that EA's NBA Lob City '13 is what we all hope it will be & more.

I had the monthly summary ready to go, I just had a busy time moving and getting all that stuff sorted out. I bought my PS3 about 3 days ago, so when you wrote that, no I didn't... but I do now

And it's probably a wise choice not to buy it. You've kind of been spoiled by NBA 2K11 and I think going to NBA Live 10 after playing that game would be beyond frustrating. I bought Live 10 mainly because of a lack of knowledge when it comes to 2k. I'm not sure what the next NBA game I'll buy will be, but it'll probably be a 13 or 14 title. I'm hoping EA can pick up it's game, because I do have a bit of a sentimental attachment to the company

T-Mac's great, but I'd rather see Perko repeat as MVP.

I feel pretty much the same way, but I wouldn't be surprised if he picked it up over Perko. I think in the grand scheme of things, Perko is more important to the team dynamic.

5 Game Summary

The Nuggets extended their win streak to 14 with a comfortable win over the Spurs. But unfortunately that's where it ended, as they went down to one of their bogey-teams, the New Orleans Hornets. From there, they found it hard to get any consistency on their latest road trip. Despite winning their first game against Memphis in a blowout, they lost their second game by two points. They ended the round with a win in the feature game against the Hawks:

Nuggets Bounce Back In Atlanta



The Nuggets were able to take a 81-75 win away from Atlanta against the Hawks. Taylor MacKenzie once again led the way with 25 points. With the usual wing scorers struggling a little, Dwight Howard was able to step up with 13 points to go with his 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Cody Campbell was the only other double-digit scorer for Denver with 10 points, but the Performer of the Game went to Borislav Perko once again. Despite only having 6 points for the game, he dominated the boards with 14 rebounds and was able to help the Nuggets in other areas of the game.

The Hawks had a steady offensive night, but nobody wasn't really allowed to take control of the game. Howard Ryan was their top scorer with 16 points, while Morgan Tuttle (12) and Joshua O'Brien (10) both had solid nights.

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

DEN@ATL

DEN: 81 (MacKenzie 25, Howard 13, Campbell 10)
ATL: 75 (Ryan 16, Tuttle 12, O'Brien 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 6 points 14 rebounds 4 assists 4 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 14
ATL: Harvey 14

Assists

DEN: Myer 5
ATL: Ryan 5

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Last 5 Games

@SAN: 88-80 W
@NOH: 78-76 L
@MEM: 94-75 W
@MEM: 73-71 L
@ATL: 81-75 W

The Nuggets now have a record of 42-8

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Living Up to the Hype

If someone said a few seasons ago that Taylor MacKenzie would become Denver's most consistent scorer, you'd be forgiven if you were a little skeptical. But this season he's arguably the most consistent in the entire league. Even in a losing game against the Hornets, he still managed 34 points.

The New 6-Man?

Cody Campbell is filling the T-Mac role quite well at the moment. Off the bench he had 25 points against San Antonio. You can't fall asleep when he's on the perimeter... even if he has an unorthodox release.

The Glue

While his scoring average doesn't jump off the page, Perko's stat-lines are what sets him apart. Against the Grizzlies, he had 10 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists in the first game. He's also the leading shot blocker in the NBA. If he keeps it up, he could lead the league in 3 different statistical categories over the course of his career, as he was the leader in rebounding and assists last season.

Working Back Into The Rotation

With the addition of Cody Campbell, Adrian Young has been getting minutes at his preferred small forward position. He's managed to push ahead of Cyrus Banks in the rotation, thanks to some handy performances against Memphis, including 11 points in the second game.

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Next 5 Games

@IND
@MIL
@DAL
@HOU
BOS

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The long wait is over! I recently bought a PS3 with Skyrim... so the only thing that's really stopping me from updating at the moment is the Bethesda company

Since the next 5 games will be interrupted by the All-Star Weekend, the selections and games will be up before the next summary.

Yes! The TNL lockout is finally over, good thing it was short lived. Good to see everything is still clicking even though you went the unusual 3-2. T-Mac and Perko are coming along so well, I think it would be awesome for them to share the MVP award.

Ah, Bethesda and their addictive games...I know the feeling.

Good round there, looks like the usual suspects were all on their game. What's Perko's line on the season at the moment?

Demitri Richter of Sacramento = "The Earthquake" or "Magnitude (insert jersey #)"
Joshua O'Brien of Atlanta = "J.O.B." or "The Job"
Cody Campbell of Denver = "Code Blue"

Sounds like Perko's not trying to outscore T-Mac anymore. He could still win MVP if he keeps up those double-digits-in-other-categories games.

I was going to comment on Campbell's release but then I started to read

Yeahhhh! Denver's back baby

Yes! The TNL lockout is finally over, good thing it was short lived. Good to see everything is still clicking even though you went the unusual 3-2. T-Mac and Perko are coming along so well, I think it would be awesome for them to share the MVP award.

If only it took a PS3 for each player to resolve the NBA one

I would love nothing more than to see them share it, but I don't think the NBA Live engine would be so kind.

Ah, Bethesda and their addictive games...I know the feeling.

Good round there, looks like the usual suspects were all on their game. What's Perko's line on the season at the moment?

At the moment, I probably like the post-apocalyptic setting of the Fallout games more, but the whole medieval thing is cool as well. I can't wait to see what the next Fallout is going to be like, because Skyrim is very impressive... apart from the odd crash every now and then.

Perko's line read like this pre-All-Star game: 7.8ppg 9.9rpg 9.3apg 2.5bpg 0.5spg

He's first in the league in both blocks and assists and third in rebounds at the moment. So even though it's not as impressive as his last season, he's still having a great season.

Demitri Richter of Sacramento = "The Earthquake" or "Magnitude (insert jersey #)"
Joshua O'Brien of Atlanta = "J.O.B." or "The Job"
Cody Campbell of Denver = "Code Blue"

Sounds like Perko's not trying to outscore T-Mac anymore. He could still win MVP if he keeps up those double-digits-in-other-categories games.

I thought about the Earthquake thing for Richter, but it's a surprisingly common name in this game, so I'm a little tenative about it. The Job is rather clever and I really like Code Blue, so I'll definitely be using that one in the future. Thanks

In all fairness, I don't think Perko has ever really tried to outscore anyone. He's generally been more likely to register 10 assists and 10 rebounds before he gets 10 points. He's essentially a star role player.

I was going to comment on Campbell's release but then I started to read

What's kind of frustrating about it is that he's about 6'9-6'10, so if he had a higher release, it'd be incredibly hard to block his shot. But the Marion shooting style negates the height advantage he has. Despite that though, he's still an excellent scorer.

Yeahhhh! Denver's back baby

And hopefully here to stay

All-Star Weekend Selections

Three Nuggets To Start; Werner On The Bench

After the fans vote, three of Denver's stars made the West's starting lineup. Borislav Perko will attempt to by the back-to-back All-Star MVP and Dwight Howard once again edged out Clippers giant Zach Pearson for the starting position. The league's leading scorer Taylor MacKenzie earned his first All-star appearance as well.

Duncan Werner was a surprise selection on the bench, as many believed it would be Cody Campbell to get the nod over him.

EAST

Ken O'Farrell [CLE]
Igor Martin [BOS]
Cornelius Flanagan [IND]
Ollie Rose [NYK]
Steven Hunt [WAS]

Grant Bernard [NYK]
Luis Campbell [CHA]
Ed Feehan [NYK]
Chuck O'Farrell [PHI]
Corin Robertson [CLE]
Patrick McNamara [TOR]
Howard Ryan [ATL]

WEST

Dwight Howard [DEN]
Borislav Perko [DEN]
Hobbes MacDonald [NOH]
Taylor MacKenzie [DEN]
Johnny Williams [GSW]

Zach Pearson [LAC]
Armando Ferrer [HOU]
Theo Hadson [LAL]
Duncan Werner [DEN]
Brady O'Leary [DAL]
Caleb Vick [NOH]
Dickey Freeman [LAC]

Banks On Rookies' Bench

Despite slipping out of the rotation the past few games, Denver's combo forward Cyrus Banks will come off the bench for the Rookie side. He will be on the side that many pundits have said have no chance of winning. With the likes of recently selected All-Star Caleb Vick and Thunder forward Borislav Silva on the Sophomores, the Rookies are rightfully the rank outsiders.

Rookies

Newton Fenwick [TOR]
Demitri Richter [SAC]
Karl Robinson [MIL]
Miguel Carlos [MIL]
Quint Gray [SAN]

Cornelius Kohler [CLE]
Nigel McLoughlin [BOS]
Cyrus Banks [DEN]
Kitt Robin [NOH]


Sophomores

Walt Billups [ATL]
Borislav Silva [OKC]
Caleb Vick [NOH]
Charles Thompson [DAL]
Sergio Carlos [PHX]

Amos Brauer [GSW]
Kitt Vine [MEM]
Otto Bradley [NOH]
Glenn Cole [OKC]

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

I have a lot of updates to post, so I'll probably recap the Rookie Challenge and All-Star Game tonight. After that, there's a 5 game summary and a the monthly report for February. All should be up in the next couple of days... if not within 24 hours

You're certainly well-represented at the event.

I haven't played any of the Elder Scrolls games but I'm thinking of giving Skyrim a look at some point, when I can pick it up cheaply.

It's two more player than I had last season, so it's definitely a good result

I mainly played the Fallout games myself. I bought Oblivion, but after playing Fallout 3, I just couldn't get into it because it just seemed a bit dated.

[Kenny]

All-Star Weekend: Rookie Challenge

Sophomores Hold Off Rookies



Despite a spirited 4th quarter by the Rookies, the Sophomores were able to win the challenge 65-61. They were led by All-Star Caleb Vick, who had 19 points and 7 rebounds to pick up the Rookie Challenge MVP. He had help from bigs Amos Brauer (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Borislav Silva (10).

The biggest surprise of the game was probably Cyrus Banks. Despite not getting any game time recently for the Denver Nuggets, he was a surprise pick in this game and he ended up leading all scorers with 23 points. Newton Fenwick however was easily the best of the Rookies. The 7 footer was dominant with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists. Demitri Richter was the other double-digit scorer for the Rookies, as he also picked up a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Rookies were able to make a late run, but the telling stat of the night was that they were only able to shoot 33 percent from the field.

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

Rookies Vs Sophomores

Sophomores: 65 (Vick 19, Brauer 10, Silva 10)
Rookies: 61 (Banks 23, Fenwick 18, Richter 10)

Rookie Challenge MVP: Caleb Vick 19 points 7 rebounds 4 assists 2 steals

Rebounds

Sophomores: Brauer 10
Rookies: Fenwick 14

Assists

Sophomores: Carlos, Thompson, Vick 4
Rookies: Fenwick 6

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

Denver's Representative

Cyrus Banks had 23 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal

Cleaning The Glass

One place the Sophomores struggled was in rebounding. But Amos Brauer picked up the slack with 10 boards.

Gigantic Potential

If Newton Fenwick can continue to improve, he will be a valuable asset for Toronto.

Last edited by Kenny on Sun Jan 01, 2012 9:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

All-Star Weekend: The All-Star Game

Pearson Steals The Show In Main Event



The West continued their stronghold on the All-Star Game as they won 81-72 against the East. Even though Denver had 4 players in the game, it ended up being the tallest man in the league who took over. Zach Pearson was awarded the All-Star Game MVP after produced 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Regular season MVP candidates Hobbes MacDonald [Hornets] and Taylor MacKenzie [Nuggets] had a great games for the West too, as they both scored 16 points.

For the East, controversial power forward Igor Martin was their best player. The former Bulls 23 (now with the Celtics) had 19 points and 13 assists. Grant Bernard [Knicks] and Patrick McNamara [Raptors] both tallied 10 each.

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

EAST VS WEST

WEST: 81 (Pearson 21, MacDonald 16, MacKenzie 16)
EAST: 72 (Martin 19, Bernard 10, McNamara 10)

All-Star Game MVP: Zach Pearson [LA Clippers] 21 points 10 rebounds 3 blocks

Rebounds

WEST: Pearson 10
EAST: Martin 13

Assists

WEST: Perko 6
EAST: Hunt 9

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

Successful First Time

Taylor MacKenzie definitely had his moments in the game. He had 16 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 block and 2 steals.

Fronting For the West

Duncan Werner was previously an Eastern Conference player his entire career. For the West he had 9 points, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 steals.

Threepeat Denied

Borislav Perko was unable to get his 3rd All-Star MVP in a row. He had 6 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal.

Still Popular

Dwight Howard here is getting acknowledged by sophomore phenom Caleb Vick. He had 2 points (both from the foul line), 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

Haha, I like that pic of T-Mac, makes it seem as if he and the bench are celebrating. Pearson literally stole the show from Perko and Dwight seeing as how I thought they would be the ones to rack up double-doubles (or a triple-double in Perko's case) because they were the starters, but nevertheless, good the see the West still reigning supreme.

Yeah, that T-Mac pic is special Shame Perko couldn't get another MVP award.

Agreed, love that shot of T-Mac. All the screens are great, in fact.

T-Mac: "All hail the king!"
Bench: "All Hail T-Mac!"