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

[Axel The Great]

And by 'not forced', do you mean you noticed after the game?

I think he's referring to the fact that McGee once tried too hard to get a triple-double, similar to Ricky Davis/Andray Blatche.

Great round this one was, beast of a game for Howard! Very close to the playoffs, it's good to see your players having amazing games like that.

[Kenny]

It's odd that you have the big guys picking up triple-doubles (with assists), not the guards or the wing-players.

And by 'not forced', do you mean you noticed after the game? I can't do that, I usually check during the game, especially on Live. In 2K, LeBron picked those up without me noticing indeed.

It's just the way I play I guess. I'm very reliant on my big men kicking the ball out and hitting open shooters on the perimeter. When that's not happening, I will get my wing players to cut to the basket and get the feed from the post player. I also find it very hard to rebound with wing players, because my bigs always seem to get all the rebounds. Brook Lopez is still playing, maybe I should acquire him and allow my guards to get more boards

I meant that I didn't almost lose because I was chasing a triple-double with JaVale. The way he carried on with the Wizards when he got his first one was pretty deplorable.

Some big numbers there. Nice idea to feature George Power as something of a "Where Are They Now?".

I was thinking of doing an article including all the players currently active who were previously on the squad. But now the season is gone, the opportunity has kind of passed. Perhaps in 2022-2023

And by 'not forced', do you mean you noticed after the game?

I think he's referring to the fact that McGee once tried too hard to get a triple-double, similar to Ricky Davis/Andray Blatche.

Great round this one was, beast of a game for Howard! Very close to the playoffs, it's good to see your players having amazing games like that.

That's exactly what I was referring to. It's funny because I almost exclusively didn't pick up Andray Blatche because of that. But McGee is a bit different because he really impressed me on the dunk contest this year and his athleticism is downright freakish.

With the way I'm playing, I wouldn't think Howard winning the Finals MVP was too much of a stretch... if I get to that point. He's already won a championship with the Magic, but Rashard Lewis was named the Finals MVP that occasion

[Kenny]

The Double Feature

Zach Pierces the Nuggets



The Clippers inflicted the Nuggets' second straight loss, winning 109-103. Dickey Freeman was the high point man with 27, but the player who had the most impact for the Clippers was Zach Pearson. He dominated all areas of the game and was the Sprite Performer of the Game with 24 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Philipp Wagner also registered a double-double with 19 points and 14 assists, while Ricardo Carlos was close with 19 points and 8 rebounds.

For the Nuggets, LeBron James had another strong showing with 21 points and 9 assists. After a bit of a form slump, Duncan Werner had a much better game off the bench with 19, while Taylor MacKenzie was below par with 13. Like LeBron James, Dwight Howard was also close to a double-double (12 points, 9 rebounds), while Borislav Perko (11) and Cody Campbell (10) both chipped in as well.



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DEN@LAC

LAC: 109 (Freeman 27, Pearson 24, Carlos)
DEN: 103 (James 21, Werner 19, MacKenzie 13)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Zach Pearson 24 points 17 rebounds 3 assists 2 blocks

Rebounds

LAC: Pearson 17
DEN: Howard 9

Assists

LAC: Wagner 14
DEN: James 9

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Nuggets Win Season Finale



Borislav Perko did his MVP claim no harm as he dominated in Denver's 95-72 win against Sacramento. He was 4 points away from replicating a milestone he brought up last season, as he had 16 points, 21 rebounds, 24 assists, 3 blocks and 4 steals. It seemed like every play had him involved and guys like Dwight Howard (18), LeBron James (18) and Taylor MacKenzie (16) capitalised off Perko's monster performance. Cody Campbell also had double figures with 13 points.

Scoring-wise the Kings weren't too bad. Manfred Prince came off the bench and top scored with 19 points. Kelly Scott had a mistake riddled game, but still had a decent 14 points and 9 assists. Gonzalo Carlos and (Alexander) Popescu also both contributed with 11 and 10 respectively. But the problem that the Kings had? It was in the rebounding. As a team, they had only 24 rebounds on the night, which was only 3 more than Perko's individual total.

The Nuggets finished the season with a record of 66-16.

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DEN@SAC

DEN: 95 (Howard 18, James 18, MacKenzie 16)
SAC: 72 (Prince 19, Scott 14, Carlos 11)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Borislav Perko 16 points 21 rebounds 24 assists 3 blocks 4 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Perko 21
SAC: Buckley 6

Assists

DEN: Perko 24
SAC: Scott 8

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I might have to double check the name of Popescu to make sure it's actually Alexander, because I know there was an Alexander Popescu playing for the Clippers at one stage.

But onto more important things, that's the season. The playoffs are almost here... who will play Denver in the first round of their redemption series? The end of season standings, awards and the 2021-2022 Player Review will all be up within the next few days.

[Axel The Great]

16 points, 21 rebounds, 24 rebounds

Wow, major board work from Perko. In all seriousness though, great game from him.

Zach Pearson appeared to have had your number in that first game, I sure hope he's not that much of a factor for you in the playoffs. T-Mac was relatively quiet couple of games which I guess doesn't really matter but hopefully he can continue to pour in the points in the postseason.

[Andrew]

Looks like Perko is fine form as the regular season draws to a close. 16 wins away from redemption.

[yeahnah]

Second straight loss... is that a record since season 5?

Good stuff again, good luck in the Playoffs

[Warlock95]

Yes, good luck! Get Lebron what he's been chasing for almost 20 seasons!

[Lamrock]

Congratulations on another fantastic regular season. I got Denver winning it all.

[BLiiND]

Congrats on Season, i got a question, how do you get pictures from game.. i tried print screen. it just show black no image..

[Kenny]

16 points, 21 rebounds, 24 rebounds

Wow, major board work from Perko. In all seriousness though, great game from him.

Zach Pearson appeared to have had your number in that first game, I sure hope he's not that much of a factor for you in the playoffs. T-Mac was relatively quiet couple of games which I guess doesn't really matter but hopefully he can continue to pour in the points in the postseason.

oh well, I'm glad someone picked up on it. The thing I hate the most is when I made a mistake and didn't realise until 10 pages after it

The fact that he's 7'6 and can actually shoot the ball makes him a pain in the ass. He's like prime Yao pretty much, but I've managed to beat him before when he was playing for the Wizards. I think T-Mac will be fine

Looks like Perko is fine form as the regular season draws to a close. 16 wins away from redemption.

I was hoping that he'd get the 5x5 in in that one, so 20-20-20 was really an afterthought... but still, that would have been cool too. Hopefully the playoffs don't have too many surprises.

Second straight loss... is that a record since season 5?

Good stuff again, good luck in the Playoffs

You know, that'll actually be something I'd have to look up. I might have lost 3 straight at one stage, but at the moment my mind is drawing a blank.

And thanks, hopefully I can do better than last season

Yes, good luck! Get Lebron what he's been chasing for almost 20 seasons!

Thanks Warlock95; let's hope he has a 4th quarter in him

Congratulations on another fantastic regular season. I got Denver winning it all.

Thanks Lamrock; looking at my run to the playoffs, I'd say the biggest threats to that will be New Orleans and Houston. NOLA actually swept me during the regular season and that could potentially be the WCF series.

Congrats on Season, i got a question, how do you get pictures from game.. i tried print screen. it just show black no image..

I had a look at your story and it's NBA 2k12 right? When I was playing the 2k games, I just used the screen capture on my keyboard and put the image into photoshop. But if you're having problems with that, you might have to ask someone who has a little more experience in the 2k games.

[Kenny]

Final Standings

EAST

Philadelphia 56-26
Indiana 48-34
Detroit 46-36
Washington 46-36
Boston 45-37
Toronto 45-37
Cleveland 42-40
New Jersey 42-40

WEST

Denver 66-16
New Orleans 48-34
Oklahoma City 47-35
Memphis 45-37
LA Clippers 41-41
Houston 39-43
Dallas 38-44
Golden State 38-44


Regular Season Leaders

PPG: [DEN] Taylor MacKenzie 24.5
RPG: [LAC] Zach Pearson / [DEN] Borislav Perko 10.2
APG: [DEN] Borislav Perko 8.9
SPG: [DEN] Taylor MacKenzie 1.9
BPG: [DEN] Borislav Perko 2.4

[Kenny]

Awards and Team Selections

Perko and Karl earn repeat honours

Borislav Perko picked up his second consecutive MVP trophy. The whole season he was battling his teammate Taylor MacKenzie for the honour, but once again, the judges recognised Perko's all-round statisical contributions over a prolific scorer. Over the season he led the league in rebounds (10.2), assists (8.9) and blocks (2.4).

This season also recognised George Karl for the third straight season, as he coached the team to 66 wins.

The Awards Winners

MVP: [DEN] Borislav Perko

Early on in the season it looked like the vote could have been swayed by Taylor MacKenzie's scoring, but true to last season, the judges decided to stick with Perko's stat-line. It wasn't a triple-double season like 2020-2021, but it was close with 8.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.4 blocks and 0.5 steals per game. He led 3 statistical categories over the course of the season. Does any other case need to be made to justify him winning again?

Most Improved: [BOS] Vincenzo MacMahon

Boston are back in the playoffs... many would argue the acquisition of Igor Martin went a long way towards this happening, but they also can't discount the fact that the support Vincenzo MacMahon gave to the All-Star forward was a big part of it too. He averaged 12.7 points, 3.7 assists and 1 steal per game over the season.

Defensive Player of the Year: [NYK] Ollie Rose

Much like Perko, Rose repeats this season as well. He is arguably the best wing defender to come through the league in the last 15 seasons.

Rookie of the Year: [SAC] Demitri Richter

Honestly, it was slim pickings once again in this draft class. 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game is enough to earn you the honour of top rookie apparently. At least last season produced a guy named Caleb Vick, who went on to be an All-Star this season.

6th Man: [MIN] Jack Cunningham

With the starting point guard being Derrick Rose, Jack Cunningham made sure that when he came on, the opposing team still couldn't rest easily. Off the bench he averaged 10.5 points, 4 assists and almost 1 steal per game.

Coach of the Year: [DEN] George Karl

Another coach of the year with the best record.

Three Nuggets Selected in Teams

Dwight Howard, Borislav Perko and Taylor MacKenzie all made it to the All-NBA first team. Perko was also a first team selection for defense, while Howard was selected for the second team.

Team Selections

All-NBA First Team

[DEN] Dwight Howard
[DEN] Borislav Perko
[NOH] Hobbes MacDonald
[DEN] Taylor MacKenzie
[LAC] Dickey Freeman

All-NBA Second Team

[LAC] Zach Pearson
[HOU] Armando Ferrer
[LAL] Theo Hadson
[MIL] Nathan Bing
[CLE] Corin Robertson

All-Defensive First Team

[LAL] Dakota Kane
[DEN] Borislav Perko
[NYK] Ed Feehan
[NYK] Ollie Rose
[CLE] Corin Robertson

All-Defensive Second Team

[DEN] Dwight Howard
[HOU] Armando Ferrer
[SAN] Jamie Mathieu
[TOR] Ed Vincett
[ATL] Morgan Tuttle

All-Rookie First Team

[SAC] Demitri Richter
[MIL] Karl Robinson
[SAN] Quint Gray
[CLE] Cornelius Kohler
[MIL] Miguel Carlos

All-Rookie Second Team

[CLE] Tad Lynch
[LAL] Randy Hamilton
[BOS] Nigel McLoughlin
[NOH] Benedict Ellison
[MIN] Seth Donovan

[Andrew]

Vincenzo MacMahon

Close enough to Vince McMahon for a nickname.

Nice to see Perko make it two straight MVPs, he's definitely an unorthodox winner with that scoring average. Well deserved though, as were the All-NBA selections. Shame he didn't get DPOY as well though.

[kibaxx7]

Missed a couple of updates! You got this man, give Bron his ring

[The X]

Nice work. Let's see if you can get by Hornets.

[Warlock95]

Whoa, some teams went below .500 and still made it to the playoffs? I predict a sweep in the first round.

[Houndy]

Championship here Denver comes

[Kenny]

Vincenzo MacMahon

Close enough to Vince McMahon for a nickname.

Nice to see Perko make it two straight MVPs, he's definitely an unorthodox winner with that scoring average. Well deserved though, as were the All-NBA selections. Shame he didn't get DPOY as well though.

You know, I didn't even pick up on that, but yes, it's something that will have to be addressed in the future

I really like how Perko's becoming a big deal. It's nice to see the game consider other areas of the game and as far as the scoring is concerned, he's kind of redefining what people are looking for in an MVP.

Missed a couple of updates! You got this man, give Bron his ring

Hopefully he won't be the Frozen One in the playoffs

I hate quoting Skip Bayless, but I do find that nickname incredibly amusing.

Nice work. Let's see if you can get by Hornets.

That'll be the big test. I really hope I get to play them actually.

Championship here Denver comes

Here's hoping... it's looking good at the moment, but there's always the LeBron factor

[Kenny]

It's that time again. At the end of every 82 games, I analyse and give my opinion on how each player from 1-15 went in the season. Since the player rotation is pretty well set for the playoffs, the list will be by role (starters, bench and IR). Here it is:

The Starters

Dwight Howard

Howard's numbers might appear modest at 8.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, but his contribution to the team has been profound. Taking more of a Tyson Chandler-esque role in his twilight years, Howard only demands the ball when he thinks he's needed and is Denver's most efficient scorer, shooting (mainly dunking) the ball at 65.8 percent. If you add the fact that he also blocks almost 2 shots per game, he's still an excellent inside presense for the Nuggets, and was in fact named not only a starter for the All-Star game, but also to the first All-NBA team and the second All-Defensive team. He may hang up the boots at the end of the season, but he wants to stay on, the Nuggets will be more than happy to give him at least one more season.

Borislav Perko

He won the MVP after leading the NBA in 3 different categories and is not only a constant triple-double threat, but he is now often in the mix for the true NBA rarity; the quadruple-double. Perko is in his prime and it's scary to think what he could do if he averaged more than 8 points per game.

Cody Campbell

Arriving to the team via trade, Campbell has been the perfect fit where Alejandro Carlos failed to live up to the hype. He's second in Denver's scoring with 17.2 points per game, as well as being the Nuggets best 3 point shooter hitting 35.9 percent. His height (about 6'10) also allows him to have minutes at power forward while Perko is resting. This gives Denver 4 threats from beyond the arc without compromising their size. He comes off contract in the off-season and he's likely to be a priority signing. Here's an interesting fact; Cody Campbell was one of two Nuggets to actually play 83 games this season.

Taylor MacKenzie

With his All-Star season and winning the scoring competition, I was actually surprised that T-Mac didn't pick up the Most Improved Player award. It's not just that he's scoring more, but he's doing so more efficiently. He scored from 45.5 percent of his shots from the field, including 34.9 percent from beyond the arc. There was always a question mark on his efficiency, but now he's playing at a level that he promised in his rookie season.

LeBron James

Much like Howard, his numbers are more modest than what you'd see in his prime, but he was effective in a different role. He only scored 10.7 points per game, but he managed 5 assists, which was good enough for second in the team. LeBron's transition to the point has been a successful one for Denver and he fits in to the system well because of his ability to run the fast break. The big test for the veteran will be the playoffs though... can he shake his "Frozen One" reputation?

The Bench

Duncan Werner

Initially when he came to Denver, there was a lot of hype behind Duncan Werner, and it looked like he would solve the second scorer problem for the Nuggets. He did to an extent, but with Cody Campbell essentially doing a better job, Werner dropped back to the bench. He ended the season second in scoring with 12.5 points per game, but that was a stat that dropped from about 15 when he arrived. There's no question that going to the bench made him lose some confidence, and with the ability to be a starter in just about any other team, Duncan Werner might look for opportunities elsewhere in the upcoming free agency. He was the other guy who played 83 games this season.

Bartholomew Myer

There are some guys who can shoot the lights out and there are some that are like Bartholomew Myer. With his size, speed and ability to get to the rim, he reminds a lot of people of JJ Barea... unfortunately his shooting touch is more reminiscent of Rajon Rondo. But even with that limitation in mind, he's a great point guard. His passing ability is excellent and generally, he has a good feel for the game. He's the only point guard that will be on contract through the free agency, so next season might be time for him to truly shine.

Liam Leopold

Not much was expected of Leopold when he came into the team, but he managed to sneak past JaVale McGee in the centre rotation. He's rail thin, but he can jump out of the gym and is a surprisingly good post player.

Adrian Young

Just when you think Young is going to break out after a few solid contributions, all the sudden it's brick city. He shoots a respectable 34 percent from 3, but he's an incredibly streaky shooter. With all that said though, he's managed to find his feet this season at his preferred small forward position and could provide Denver with a solid bench option in the playoffs.

JaVale McGee

Even though he managed a triple-double performance towards the end of the season, his minutes were scarce. Denver is a team that relies on big man passing... a philosiphy that can sometimes be lost of Vale. But somehow he managed to rack up a career high 10 assists in that aforementioned triple-double game, so maybe there's still hope for the veteran.

Dennis Da Conceicao

When it comes to potential and breaking out, I could pretty much repeat the same line I wrote for Adrian Young. The main difference is, DDC puts more of an emphasis into getting to the rim. He has all the physical tools but probably lacks the consistency in his release for him to get regular minutes.

Ed Reed

Reed is reminding me more of George Power every time he gets game time. He had an excellent rookie season that he hasn't been able to live up to in his other three seasons in the NBA.

IR

Cyrus Banks

The problem with Banks is, he's far too similar to Adrian Young. He's a tall wing player who camps beyond the arc... the only difference is, he doesn't do it as well as Young. Might see more opportunities next season, but they may be at power forward.

Jakov Branco

He's an excellent rebounder... but that's the only thing he can claim. His offensive game is non-existent, hence his playing time is basically the same.

Jesus Carlos

I really don't like saying this about any player on the team, but he's a deadset scrub. He really should have stayed in college longer. I was rooting for him (or as LeBron would say, on him) but I can't get past the truth... sorry.

[Kenny]

NBA Playoffs 2022: First Round

WEST | EAST

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(1) Denver Nuggets Vs Golden State Warriors (8)

It might not be as heavily anticipated series like Denver Vs San Antonio would be, but Golden State will still make for a good contest. The Nuggets previously fell to a number 8 seed, while many seasons ago the Warriors eliminated the 67 win Mavericks. On an individual stand point, both teams have highly motivated veterans. It was almost 10 years ago at this point where Michael Beasley was played out of the Nuggets starting lineup, thanks to the emergence of Ty Maximilian. He will be looking for a big performance in this series, which will be the first against Denver since he won his second ring with them 10 seasons ago. Then of course you have LeBron; a real NBA hard luck story. After missing out on winning a championship 3 times, he'll be hoping his return to the post-season will be a successful one.

Can the Nuggets get past the first round this time? Or do the Warriors believe once again?

The Lineups

Denver Nuggets

The Starters

| Dwight Howard | Borislav Perko | Cody Campbell | Taylor MacKenzie | LeBron James |

The Bench

| Duncan Werner | Bartholow Meyer | Liam Leopold | JaVale McGee | Adrian Young | Dennis Da Conceicao | Ed Reed |

IR

| Cyrus Banks | Jakov Branco | Jesus Carlos |

Golden State Warriors

The Starters

| Crawford Wilson | Steve Crawford | Kerry Bird | Rudolph Gibson | Johnny Williams |

The Bench

| Michael Beasley | Amos Brauer | Lawrence Coutts | Stanley Garner | Henry Woods | Casper Holding | Jordan Farmar |

IR

| Sherman Schroder | Corin Koch | Leon Gerard |

Keys

Denver Nuggets

If Borislav Perko can control the game for the Nuggets, this one will be over quickly. A main MVP quality of his is that he can play the game on his own terms. If he's allowed to dominate the rebounding contests and find open players, the Nuggets will be fine.

Golden State Warriors

There is no doubt that their strength is in their backcourt. Johnny Williams, Rudolph Gibson and Kerry Bird are all fantastic scorers, but the question mark will be on the bigs. They will have to contain Howard and Perko. Lawrence Coutts is probably the best man for the job, but he's well past his prime and is quite injury prone. If the Warriors find a way to contain the Nuggets frontcourt, they can compete in this series.

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Since there's only 5 real players left in this series, I decided to start phasing out the portraits. The first 4 games of the series will be up tomorrow

[Axel The Great]

You'll probably win in 5; there might be a game where your bigs struggle. Everything should start with Perko, but I think T-Mac's scoring will really be necessary.

[Lamrock]

You have this series. That Spurs team you ran into was actually pretty good, but I think you'll go out and sweep these guys. I appreciate the player reviews. Great to look at after each season.

[Martti.]

You have the MVP and the scoring champ, you've got this!

[Andrew]

Good player review, seems everything worked out and fell into place as the season progressed. The Alejandro Carlos signing certainly didn't live up to expectations, but the Campbell trade has turned out very well.

I reckon you'll sweep the first round, being determined not to have a repeat of last season.

[The X]

You have the MVP and the scoring champ, you've got this!

Don't mention that around The Admiral