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

[Axel The Great]

You better watch out, you're going against the only team who didn't go to 7 games in the West.

[kibaxx7]

Missed a whole series Sucks that the Kings took you to a 7th game. Good luck against the Blazers, surely Andersen will have an impressive series against Boone.

[megarover]

I cant believe it took 7 games to beat the Kings..........oh well at least you won. But Josh Boone at center I should see Anderson with at least a couple 20-20 game

[Andrew]

Close call with the Kings, but the important thing is you rose to the challenge and prevailed. Hopefully Birdman can exploit Boone in the Portland series.

[Kenny]

You better watch out, you're going against the only team who didn't go to 7 games in the West.

That's correct, they'll be fresh. But hopefully my guys can get the job done

Missed a whole series Sucks that the Kings took you to a 7th game. Good luck against the Blazers, surely Andersen will have an impressive series against Boone.

It was a pretty quick-fire series... well, my recaps were quick anyway. On the offensive end I don't think I'll have much trouble with Boone.

I cant believe it took 7 games to beat the Kings..........oh well at least you won. But Josh Boone at center I should see Anderson with at least a couple 20-20 game

We'll see, it all depends on how I distribute the ball. As for the Kings, Brook Lopez is a machine in this game.

Close call with the Kings, but the important thing is you rose to the challenge and prevailed. Hopefully Birdman can exploit Boone in the Portland series.

As frustrating as it was at times, I was happy it went to 7. If I swept them, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I did with my eventual win over them. I mainly see Boone as a liability on the offensive end. If drastic measures are needed, I could always employ a "Hack-a-Shaq" style tactic against him.

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Portland: First 4 Games

Game 1: Denver win off Brown's huge 4th



Shannon Brown scored 18 of his 28 points in the final quarter to spark a Denver 114-97 victory over Portland. The Trail Blazers were only losing by 5 at the end of the 3rd, as Rudy Fernandez scored 34 points. He had help from Brandon Roy with 19 and LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 17 points and 15 boards. Much maligned centre Josh Boone had a good night himself with 10 points and 14 rebounds. It proved to be the Nuggets' night though, with 3 players scoring over 25 points.

Chris Andersen had a massive night with 27 points and 18 rebounds, while his front court partner Ty Maximilian also had 27 points. Melo was relatively quiet, but still managed 18 points.

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POR@DEN

DEN: 114 (Brown 28, Andersen 27, Maximilian 27)
POR: 97 (Fernandez 34, Roy 19, Aldridge 17)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chris Andersen 27 points 18 rebounds 4 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 18
POR: Aldridge 15

Assists

DEN: Billups 8
POR: Fernandez 6

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Game 2: Denver claim 2-0 lead with blowout



Denver have taken a 2 game lead in the series with a 105-90 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It was Denver's wingmen who got it done as Melo and Shannon combined for 65 points. Anthony was the Sprite Performer of the Game with 35 points and 6 rebounds, while Brown scored 30. Shaq had a nice cameo off the bench with 11, while Andersen led his team in rebounds (11) and shared the top spot with Ty Maximilian in assists (5).

For Portland, Rudy Fernandez had another big game with 27 points and 8 assists. Brandon Roy scored 18, while Travis Outlaw (18) and LaMarcus Aldridge (12) also contributed on the offensive end.

The series now heads to Portland, where the Trail Blazers will be desperate to stop the Nuggets' momentum.

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POR@DEN

DEN: 105 (Anthony 35, Brown 30, O'Neal 11)
POR: 90 (Fernandez 27, Roy 18, Outlaw 16)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Carmelo Anthony 35 points 6 rebounds 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 11
POR: Boone 9

Assists

DEN: Andersen, Maximilian 5
POR: Fernandez 8

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Game 3: Portland edge Denver



Portland won a closely fought contest with Denver by 87-84. It took a clutch 3 by Brandon Roy to seel their fate. He had 30 points on the night. Rudy Fernandez was strong as well with 26 points and 6 assists, but LaMarcus Aldridge was the Performer of the Game with 14 points, 19 rebounds and 4 blocks, proving why he was chosen for the All Defensive Second Team.

Denver had an opportunity to tie it as Shannon Brown took the shot in the closing stages, but he was unable to come up big in the clutch. He led Denver on the night with 21, while Carmelo Anthony scored 20. Smush Parker was a surprise performer with 17 points off the bench.

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DEN@POR

POR: 87 (Roy 30, Fernandez 26, Aldridge 14)
DEN: 84 (Brown 21, Anthony 20, Parker 17)

Sprite Performer of the Game: LaMarcus Aldridge 14 points 19 rebounds 4 blocks

Rebounds

POR: Aldridge 19
DEN: Andersen, Anthony 7

Assists

POR: Fernandez 6
DEN: Brown 5

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Game 4: Portland level series



Portland once again prevailed in a close game at home, leveling the series with a 83-77 victory against Denver. Travis Outlaw led a group of 5 players in double figures with 17 points. Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez registered 16 each. LaMarcus Aldridge had another double-double performance with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Trevor Ariza contributed 11 off the bench.

For Denver, Shannon Brown was once again the high point man with 19. Smush Parker picked up where he left off in the last game scoring 17 points and dishing off 5 assists. Chris Andersen, Ty Maximilian and Carmelo Anthony all scored 10 points each. The Birdman was picked as the Performer of the Game as he picked up 15 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.

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DEN@POR

POR: 83 (Outlaw 17, Fernandez 16, Roy 16)
DEN: 77 (Brown 19, Parker 17, Andersen 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chris Andersen 10 points 15 rebounds 4 blocks

Rebounds

POR: Aldridge 11
DEN: Andersen 15

Assists

POR: Fernandez 9
DEN: Parker 5

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Looks like yet another tough series for Denver... the concluding games will be up soon.

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Portland: The Concluding Games

Game 5: Big Shot stars for Denver



Chauncey Billups proved he's still a big game player as Denver thrashed Portland 86-71. Billups had a huge game, not only scoring 38 points, but he had 15 assists to go with it. One of the players he was able to set up was Melo, who scored 18. Ty Maximilian was the other double figure scorer for Denver with 10 points.

Brandon Roy had another big night with 30 points, while Aldridge (13) and Fernandez (12) were effective, but limited. The game was all about Chauncey Billups. He proved that he can still play at the elite level after a sub-par year to his standards.

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POR@DEN

DEN: 86 (Billups 38, Anthony 18, Maximilian 10)
POR: 71 (Roy 30, Aldridge 13, Fernandez 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chauncey Billups 38 points 15 assists 5 rebounds 1 block 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 7
POR: Boone, Aldridge 8

Assists

DEN: Billups 15
POR: Fernandez 5

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Game 6: Billups leads Denver to series win



Billups has followed up his double-double performance with another impressive display as Denver claimed the series win against Portland by winning 93-80. Billups scored 35 points and had 10 assists to once again pick up the Performer of the Game. This time, Melo was more prominant as he scored 27. Shannon Brown made it back to the scorers' sheet with 13.

For Portland, Rudy Fernandez once again had a terrific game with 36 points and 8 assists. Brandon Roy scored 23, while Aldridge had another double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds). But it was once again Mr Big Shot's night. Billups is a bonafied leader and when he's playing like this, his teams are hard to beat.

Denver will meet meet Memphis in the Western Conference Finals.

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DEN@POR

DEN: 93 (Billups 35, Anthony 27, Brown 13)
POR: 80 (Fernandez 36, Roy 23, Aldridge 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chauncey Billups 35 points 10 assists 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 14
POR: Boone 14

Assists

DEN: Billups 10
POR: Fernandez 8

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Click on the picture for the slideshow of the Portland series


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Another victory shot... never gets old

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Sorry guys, I couldn't wait to post these results. I had a bit of a back-log of games. I can assure you though that I haven't started the Memphis series yet, so the results to the games might be a little slower this time around.

[Martti.]

What the hell, Kirilenko doesn't have a name nor a number on his jersey.

Great job by Big Shot Billups to lead you the Conference Finals.

[Clutch]

Birdman's been HUGE... Grizzlies should be an interesting matchup - good luck

[kibaxx7]

I can assure you though that I haven't started the Memphis series yet, so the results to the games might be a little slower this time around.

Good to hear that man... You have played like 15 games in 2 days! Slow down a little!

[megarover]

Well that was quick. Anyways it nice to see a bunch of different stars step up. Brown,Melo,Birdman and espically Mr. BigShot all had big games and nice to see you show off the depth.

[Andrew]

Looks like those first couple of road games in a series are proving to be tough contests. Nice work getting the win on the road though, good luck in the WCF!

[Kenny]

What the hell, Kirilenko doesn't have a name nor a number on his jersey.

Great job by Big Shot Billups to lead you the Conference Finals.

I noticed that myself when I took the photo but I was more focused on Birdman's pose.

It's also nice that Chauncey is getting it done. I'm getting better at the pick and roll in this game

Birdman's been HUGE... Grizzlies should be an interesting matchup - good luck

Thanks Clutch, Birdman has been fantastic all year long. I still think he was robbed to not get the DPOY

I can assure you though that I haven't started the Memphis series yet, so the results to the games might be a little slower this time around.

Good to hear that man... You have played like 15 games in 2 days! Slow down a little!

I guess I'm eager to get to the off-season, yet I want to play all my games because I don't trust the NBA Live 10 simulation. So far I've gone the entire season without simming one game.

Well that was quick. Anyways it nice to see a bunch of different stars step up. Brown,Melo,Birdman and espically Mr. BigShot all had big games and nice to see you show off the depth.

I tend to play NBA Live 10 in clusters... anywhere between 2-5 games a day. It's a good way to save money for my trips

Looks like those first couple of road games in a series are proving to be tough contests. Nice work getting the win on the road though, good luck in the WCF!

I noticed when I have a lead, something psychological sets in where I need to be challenged through the series. It's really annoying because when I think I'm on the verge of a sweep, I'll drop a game or two and have to play even more to just get to the next round. Memphis will be tough, but hopefully I'm up to it

[Kenny]

Playoffs 2013

Conference Finals Preview



Second Round Results

WEST

(1) DEN 4 - 2 POR (5)
(3) MEM 4 - 1 OKC (1)

EAST

(5) NJN 4 - 2 CLE (1)
(2) DET 4 - 2 TOR (6)

Denver Vs Memphis Preview

The Lineups





The Starters
| Chris Andersen | Ty Maximilian | Carmelo Anthony | Shannon Brown | Chauncey Billups |



The Bench
| Taylor MacKenzie | Andrei Kirilenko | Shaquille O'Neal | Smush Parker | Grant Hill | JJ Hickson | Mario Chalmers |



IR
| Ray Allen | Matt Bonner | Arron Afflalo |







The Starters
| Hasheem Thabeet | Zach Randolph | Jon Hunt | Earl Smith III | OJ Mayo |



The Bench
| Mario West | Acie Law | Mike Conley | CJ Watson | Bo Richardson | Chris Stuart | Ernie Young |

Overview

It's the conference final the West saw last season, so there will be plenty of emotion in this series. Earl Smith is always looking to step up against the side he walked out on two seasons ago after a salary disagreement. Memphis has kept the core of their side together, whilst Denver have bolstered theirs with key bench players like Shaquille O'Neal, Andrei Kirilenko and rookie sensation Taylor MacKenzie. It will be a series worth following.

Keys

Denver: As mentioned previously, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Andersen are the two key factors, but the re-emergence of Chauncey Billups could also provide a vital piece to their championship puzzle. Billups' last two games against Portland were exceptional and if he keeps it up, Denver will be back to the NBA Finals for the third year in a row.

Memphis: Perimeter shooting will be the Grizzlies key factor in this series... and they have a lot of shooters. They are led by All-Star Jon Hunt, whose Shawn Marion-esque shooting stroke looks unconventional, but he's as good as anyone when he finds his touch. Along with Smith and Mayo, the Grizzlies have possibly the most potent perimeter shooting team in the league. They really only need one or two of these guys to fire and they could come away with a series victory.

Key Matchup

Carmelo Anthony Vs Jon Hunt: Carmelo Anthony is the guy who has been there and done it, while Jon Hunt is the rising superstar. Both are franchise players and both are able to come up with big scoring nights. This series could be decided by which of these two plays better.

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First 4 games will be up next

[kibaxx7]

I think the Grizz don't have a really good bench... only Conley If you can get Thabeet or Randolph in early foul trouble, it will be easy for you.

[Axel The Great]

Birdman will have a little more trouble reaching over Thabeet for rebounds.

[megarover]

They have a huge lack of bigs. Theirs like 5 PG's on the bench and they are already stacked in the frontcourt. This should be a dream come true for the Birdman.

[Kenny]

I think the Grizz don't have a really good bench... only Conley If you can get Thabeet or Randolph in early foul trouble, it will be easy for you.

Their bench does seem to be lacking, but that hasn't stopped teams challenging me in a playoff series.

Birdman will have a little more trouble reaching over Thabeet for rebounds.

Thabeet is always a worry for that exact reason.

They have a huge lack of bigs. Theirs like 5 PG's on the bench and they are already stacked in the frontcourt. This should be a dream come true for the Birdman.

I think Stuart and Young are their two bigs on the bench. Otherwise, they are lacking quite a lot in that department. Their perimeter game is unbelievable on paper though.

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Memphis: First Four Games

Game 1: Denver off to a fast start with emphatic win



The Denver Nuggets were far too good in the first game against Memphis, winning 105-84. Chauncey Billups proved to be the man once again with 21 points and 10 assists. Andrei Kirilenko also picked up a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Melo scored 19, while Shannon Brown (13), Chris Andersen (12) and Ty Maximilian (10) were all in double figures.

For Memphis, Jon Hunt (23) and OJ Mayo (22) both scored well while picking up 9 assists each, while Zach Randolph scored 20 points of his own. This game came as a shock to a lot of people, since Denver had a much longer road to the Western Conference Finals.

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MEM@DEN

DEN: 105 (Billups 21, Anthony 19, Kirilenko 14)
MEM: 84 (Hunt 23, Mayo 22, Randolph 20)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chauncey Billups 21 points 10 assists 4 rebounds 1 block 2 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Kirilenko 10
MEM: Thabeet 11

Assists

DEN: Billups 10
MEM: Hunt, Mayo 9

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Game 2: Denver embarrass miserable Memphis



Denver have managed to better their first game winning margin by thumping the Grizzlies by 106-68. It was an impressive display by the Nuggets, as their two highest scorers came off the bench. Andrei Kirilenko was the Performer of the Game with 26 points and 4 rebounds, while Grant Hill enjoyed more minutes as Anthony was in foul trouble. He managed to score 22. Melo scored 12, Chris Andersen had a double-double (10 points, 15 rebounds) while Chauncey Billups narrowly missed his (9 points, 9 assists).

Memphis were absolutely awful, but OJ Mayo still scored 22 on the night. Hasheem Thabeet registered his first double-double of the series with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Jon Hunt had a quiet night with 12 points.

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MEM@DEN

DEN: 106 (Kirilenko 26, Hill 22, Anthony 12)
MEM: 68 (Mayo 22, Thabeet 14, Hunt 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Andrei Kirilenko 26 points 4 rebounds

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 15
MEM: Randolph 11

Assists

DEN: Billups 9
MEM: Smith, Mayo 3

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Game 3: Smith earns redemption against former team



Despite star performances by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, the Denver Nuggets narrowly lost game 3 to Memphis by 104-100. Earl Smith proved to be the game breaker for Memphis towards the end as he scored 33, while OJ Mayo had another outstanding effort with 32 points and 9 assists. Zach Randolph had a massive game on the boards as he picked up a double-double with 17 points and 20 rebounds. Jon Hunt rounded out the Grizzlies' double figure scorers with 11.

For Denver, Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points while Chauncey Billups narrowly missed another double-double with 30 points and 9 assists. Ty Maximilian and Shaquille O'Neal both scored 10 each. This loss brings Denver back down to Earth after win the first two by blowout proportions.

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DEN@MEM

MEM: 104 (Smith 33, Mayo 32, Randolph 17)
DEN: 100 (Anthony 32, Billups 30, Maximilian 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chauncey Billups 30 points 9 assists 3 steals

Rebounds

MEM: Randolph 20
DEN: Andersen 10

Assists

MEM: Mayo 9
DEN: Billups 9

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Game 4: Narrow win sees Denver one away from final



In one of the closest playoff games of the year, Denver have managed to sneak into a 3-1 lead with a 110-109 win against Memphis in game 4. In a game that was contested til the final possession, it was a Chauncey Billups block and consequent layup at the other end that proved to be the difference. Mr Big Shot ended up with 18 points and 6 assists for the game. Carmelo Anthony top scored for Denver with 26, while Kirilenko continued on his great form with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Shannon Brown returned to the scorers list with 14, while Chris Andersen had another double-double performance (12 points, 13 rebounds).

For Memphis, Zach Randolph was the Sprite Performer of the Game. He followed up his monster Game 3 with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jon Hunt and OJ Mayo both scored 24 points, while Smith had 14.

The Nuggets are now one game away, with Game 5 to be played at Denver.

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DEN@MEM

DEN: 110 (Anthony 26, Kirilenko 24, Billups 18)
MEM: 109 (Randolph 30, Hunt 24, Mayo 24)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Zach Randolph 30 points 9 rebounds 3 assists 2 blocks 1 steal (and a steak)

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 13
MEM: Thabeet 10

Assists

DEN: Billups 6
MEM: Mayo 9

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Despite blowing out Memphis in the first two, it's turned out to be a close series, with the last two being able to go either way. Will Denver finish off Memphis in the 5th? Or will the Grizzlies put up a resistance? The concluding game/s will be up next

[dare]

Man your really struggling on the road or is the team that good

How did Zach Randolph get a steak? I want some of those too

[Andrew]

That last game sounds like it was pretty exciting, certainly tense. You completely destroyed them in the first couple of games though. I'd be very surprised if you're not Finals bound.

[Kenny]

Man your really struggling on the road or is the team that good

How did Zach Randolph get a steak? I want some of those too

If I ever make a website, I'm hiring you as my editor

I ammended it, but I kept a reference to the mistake (or miSTEAK?)

That last game sounds like it was pretty exciting, certainly tense. You completely destroyed them in the first couple of games though. I'd be very surprised if you're not Finals bound.

It was very tense, a lot of swearing at my tv screen that's for sure.

[Andrew]

I know the feeling.

[kibaxx7]

Superb series so far. Good luck on the last contests!

[Axel The Great]

If you make the finals (which I know you will), there is a chance you'll meet the Nets again in a rematch of last season's finals (am i right?).