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

[Martti.]

Congrats on 10,000 views!

[megarover]

Wow you've hit the 10,000 point. That's the sign of a great dynasty man. Congratulations

[Kenny]

Glad to know I'm not the only one who's not hugely fond of that rainbow Nuggets retro. It seems to be pretty popular but I've always preferred that jersey you've just posted.

I actually really like the colour of that jersey, but that rainbow ruins it for me. It guess it has it's kitsch 80s charm.

:shock: Never seen a dynasty enter 2017 before! You're really on a tear. Somehow I doubt JR Smith will be this good 7 years from now IRL.

Nice to see you back here

I hope the NBA sees an abundance of coloured hair and porno moustaches in 2017, but I remain skeptical like you about Earl's MVP run in real life... mainly because of his temperament.

Congrats on 10,000 views!

Wow you've hit the 10,000 point. That's the sign of a great dynasty man. Congratulations

Thanks guys; I've really enjoyed writing about my dynasty and I'm glad it's been well received

[Axel The Great]

Oh well, you can always beat the streak in your dynasty... I'm not usually one to go for these records but it has made it more interesting and kinda puts more pressure on me now I'm kind of dominating.

As for the steals, I get a lot of them with Chauncey when the guard from the other side is standing still... possibly trying to set a play. Another way (I don't like doing it much) is you can kind of run the opposition player out of the court and he'll try and keep the ball in play... that's an easy way to get a steal but always feel it's a bit underhanded. I only do it when I feel the CPU is getting away with absolute murder. It's kind of a way of creating your own justice in the game

Well, the only pressure I have (that Clutch has put over me ) is to get Yao his first ring.

Actually, I use the latter of the two, but usually the C from the other team always runs and gets the loose ball. The first option I find hard to do because in All-Star the CPU ballhandler just doesn't keep still, and if I gamble to get the steal, he runs past me and draws a foul in the paint.

[Justine.]

Congrats on making this dynasty still working and successful:D

[Kenny]

Oh well, you can always beat the streak in your dynasty... I'm not usually one to go for these records but it has made it more interesting and kinda puts more pressure on me now I'm kind of dominating.

As for the steals, I get a lot of them with Chauncey when the guard from the other side is standing still... possibly trying to set a play. Another way (I don't like doing it much) is you can kind of run the opposition player out of the court and he'll try and keep the ball in play... that's an easy way to get a steal but always feel it's a bit underhanded. I only do it when I feel the CPU is getting away with absolute murder. It's kind of a way of creating your own justice in the game

Well, the only pressure I have (that Clutch has put over me ) is to get Yao his first ring.

Actually, I use the latter of the two, but usually the C from the other team always runs and gets the loose ball. The first option I find hard to do because in All-Star the CPU ballhandler just doesn't keep still, and if I gamble to get the steal, he runs past me and draws a foul in the paint.

The opposition point guard stays still a lot and I play in All-Star but who knows... maybe the guards of 2017 don't have the same skills.

I generally try to run the point guard out of bounds when I miss a layup or something ludicrous

Congrats on making this dynasty still working and successful:D

Thanks Justine, it's been a labour of love

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

Denver have got the 4-1's once again. This time losing narrowly against LeBron's Suns. The rest of the games remained relatively close as well to Denver's standards, with the exception of the feature game is against the Detroit Pistons:

J.R. and Melo dismantle the Pistons



Denver completely outclassed the Detroit Pistons at home, winning the game 91-72. Smith and Anthony combined for 54 of Denver's 91 points, with 29 and 25 respectively. Chris Andersen was dominant in the paint with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while recently activated big man Oleksiy Pecherov enjoyed some playing time with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block.

For the Pistons, point guard Drew Boctor was the standout with 26 points and 5 assists. All-Star Tristan Lehmann was able to win the battle of the power forwards with 14 points and 15 rebounds, but apart from that, the starters of Detroit were unable to fire. The only other double-digit scorer was Ben Gordon, who scored 10 off the bench.

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DET@DEN

DEN: 91 (Smith 29, Anthony 25, Andersen 14)
DET: 72 (Boctor 26, Lehmann 14, Gordon 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: J.R. Smith 29 points 5 rebounds 3 steals 3 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 12
DET: Lehmann 15

Assists

DEN: Andersen, Hill 5
DET: Boctor 5

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Last 5 Games

@LAL: 77-70 W
@LAC: 96-88 W
@PHX: 83-80 L
CLE: 95-85 W
DET: 91-72 W

Denver are now 55-10

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One of the greatest matchups of the generation

Melo and LeBron went at it once again; this time LeBron came up with the win. He scored 32 points, while Melo had 26.

Retro Uniforms, Retro Form

Chauncey Billups has been at his best of late, flirting with a double-double against the Cavaliers. He scored 22 points, as well as registering 9 assists and 4 steals.

Making a statement

With Chris Andersen in foul trouble, Robin Lopez needed to step up against the 2nd best team in the league, the Clippers. And how did he go?

26 points and 14 rebounds

If Birdman decides to call it a day at the end of the season, Denver's centre position looks to be in good hands with Lopez.

Awesome Aussie

Pat Mills was explosive against the LA Lakers. He scored 18 points and 6 assists.

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Next 5 Games

TOR
WAS
@DAL
@SAN
@MEM

The feature game will be against the league cellar dwellers, the Dallas Mavericks... who knows, an upset could be in the making?

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With 10 losses on the board and another 17 games to go, Denver face a massive task to equal the Bulls' record. They will have to have a revised winning streak of 19 to reach this record. Another 5 game summary will be up next. I have to say I'm enjoying using the retro jerseys once again

[Axel The Great]

Good to see your team still dominant. J.R. for MVP!!!

[Andrew]

Nice to see Melo having some good games, Billups just keeps chugging along too.

[dare]

I wish you have recap against Phoenix, that was a close fight.

Try for the 70 man

[Kenny]

Good to see your team still dominant. J.R. for MVP!!!

It is nice to kick some ass after the computer generated some very medicre seasons for me. Hopefully Earl will get the nod... if he does, I'm going to send J.R. Smith an @ message on twitter with the screenshot

Nice to see Melo having some good games, Billups just keeps chugging along too.

It's almost as if the AI kicks in and tells Melo to start performing after the 50 game mark. He always tends to start a little slow in my dynasties, but comes good towards the end. I could never get a substantial MVP run with him because of that.

Chauncey is just like wine though

I wish you have recap against Phoenix, that was a close fight.

Try for the 70 man

True, and I guess Phoenix are higher on the standings than Detroit. Oh well, I might meet them in the playoffs yet.

I'm definitely going to make a run at 70+

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

After a few rounds of 4-1, Denver have gone 5-0 this time around. And the results? The Nuggets were absolutely brutal to their opposition this round, as the closest game was won by 23 points. The feature game is against the bottom league team, the Dallas Mavericks:

Denver ruthless against wooden spooners



Denver have shown absolutely no mercy on the last place Mavericks as they won in Dallas 93-57. Denver's back-court got it done on the offensive end, with all three starting players going for more than 20 points. Chauncey Billups led the way with 27 points and 6 assists. He is on an impressive run at the moment and when he gets going as well, the Nuggets are just about unstoppable. MVP favourite J.R. Smith scored 22, while Carmelo Anthony wasn't far behind with 21.

The Mavericks on the otherhand only had one 20+ player, which was Edmund Feehan (20). Dan Carlos (13) and B.J. Mullens (10) were the other two who provided some scoring resistance. No one could really get going offensively, as former Defensive Player of the Year Chris Andersen also had an outstanding night. He complemented Denver's excellent offensive effort with 17 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

Although it's against a poor team, the Denver Nuggets are looking ominous just before the playoffs. They're currently looking good for the Bulls' 72-10 mark.

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DEN@DAL

DEN: 93 (Billups 27, Smith 22, Anthony 21)
DAL: 57 (Feehan 20, Carlos 13, Mullens 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chauncey Billups 27 points 6 assists 4 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 17
DAL: Casey 11

Assists

DEN: Billups 6
DAL: Carlos 4

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Last 5 Games

TOR: 90-65 W
WAS: 94-68 W
@DAL: 93-57 W
@SAN: 102-71 W
@MEM: 101-78 W

Denver are currently 60-10 and are on a 7 game winning streak.

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On a tear

Billups has been the best player for the Nuggets in this round of 5 games. He faded away a little in the last two games, but over a 5 game stretch, here's how his stats read:

Toronto: 31 points
Washington: 24 points, 3 assists
Dallas: 27 points, 6 assists
San Antonio: 11 points 8 assists
Memphis: 14 points 11 assists

Duo killed Spurs


I don't usually lump two photos in one caption, but I had to for this one. Against the Spurs, J.R. Smith scored 41 points... but he wasn't the Performer of the Game... it was Carmelo Anthony, who had 40 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. It's a worrying sign for the rest of the league when both of Denver's wingmen are firing.

An added bonus

J.R. Smith had the final quarter off against the Memphis Grizzlies, which saw Taylor MacKenzie explode for 20 points.

Huge block!

Chris Andersen blocked 7'6 centre Zach Pearson... wow!

Activated

As recently reported, Oleksiy Pecherov has recently been activated in the place of Taj Gibson. Against the Wizards, he had 4 points and 5 rebounds.

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Next 5 Games

MIN
POR
BOS
NJN
PHI

The feature game will be against the Portland Trail Blazers

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12 games to go til the post season. Denver already have the division title sewn up and a guaranteed playoff place, so you might see one or two players get rested and possibly see the likes of Sam Conners and Basil Richter in action. With a few spots on the end of the bench still undecided, player 1 to 15 on the Denver Nuggets squad all have something to play for. Next up will be the March summary... will Chauncey Billups steal some of Earl's thunder and take out the player of the month?

[Andrew]

You're in fine form heading into the Playoffs. Can't see anyone standing in your way for too long!

[Kenny]

You're in fine form heading into the Playoffs. Can't see anyone standing in your way for too long!

Hopefully not... I'd like to get that record, but then again, it'd also be nice to have a bit more of a challenge... in saying that though, I completely refuse to put the difficulty up out of principle

[Kenny]

From the Archives

Before I joined NLSC, I was playing NBA Live 06 and I had another Denver Nuggets dynasty going. Unfortunately by the time I joined, I couldn't get a good story going because I was already a few seasons in. I do however have a couple of screenshots I found on my old photobucket account... here they are:

Camby blocking Yao



Old School Melo

[Martti.]

Impressive week for you and the 40-year old Billups. I doubt you can match the Bulls 72 wins, but you can reach 70.

[kibaxx7]

Superb weeks for you. I don't think you can get 72 W's, but it's gonna be close.

[Murat]

Congrats on making this dynasty still working and successful:D

That dynasty is his wagon as I think.

[Andrew]

Superb weeks for you. I don't think you can get 72 W's, but it's gonna be close.

I'd say 68-14 at the very least. A couple more 5-0 stretches and 70 is well within reach.

[dare]

He won't make 72 W's for the sake of Andrew's Bulls

[Andrew]

The way he's playing, I'd say the old adage of "records are made to be broken" is being employed.

[Kenny]

Impressive week for you and the 40-year old Billups. I doubt you can match the Bulls 72 wins, but you can reach 70.

I'm hoping for 72, but 70 would be an impressive mark all the same

I have another 12 games to win.

Superb weeks for you. I don't think you can get 72 W's, but it's gonna be close.

Superb weeks for you. I don't think you can get 72 W's, but it's gonna be close.

I'd say 68-14 at the very least. A couple more 5-0 stretches and 70 is well within reach.

Well I'm over 60, which has always been a goal of mine, so anything more would be a bonus I think.

Congrats on making this dynasty still working and successful:D

That dynasty is his wagon as I think.

My wagon eh? Have to say I never thought of it like that...

He won't make 72 W's for the sake of Andrew's Bulls

The way he's playing, I'd say the old adage of "records are made to be broken" is being employed.

In the back of my mind, I didn't want to break that record because I love the Bulls of that era... they're probably still my favourite Eastern Conference side. The Jordan/Pippen combination has been a heavy influence on how I shape my rosters generally. I always like my wing players to be big scorers while the others are more like role players.

[Andrew]

I know what you mean. Probably a big reason why Gordon was third or so in scoring in the first year of my Bulls Dynasty.

[Kenny]

I know what you mean. Probably a big reason why Gordon was third or so in scoring in the first year of my Bulls Dynasty.

The fact that Gordon rhymes with the great man would also prove to be a major temptation to make him a superstar

[Kenny]

March 2017 Summary

Denver continue to roll through the 2016-2017 season as they eclipsed the 60 win mark by the end of March. In the last 8 games, the Nuggets were able to take their play to another level and a big reason for this was the play of Chauncey Billups. Mr Big Shot has proven to be a menace to the opposition once again. He still possesses the strength to out-muscle smaller opponents, while having the leg speed and jumpshot to be a nuisance on the pick and roll. Even though many could argue it was Chauncey's month, the award went to J.R. Smith once again.

Not only has Earl averaged 26.6 points per game, but he also has 2.1 steals over the past month. And of course, how could we forget Melo. His play has impressed everyone so much that he is now in the top 5 of the MVP race. Anthony's scoring average has picked up to be just shy of 20 points per game with 19.5. He also leads the league in steals with 2.2 per game. While we're on the topic of steals; did you know Denver have the top 3 steals men in the league? One of the many reasons why they're the heavy favourites to take out the NBA Championship.

Monthly Awards

East Player: [NYK] Rajon Rondo (21ppg, 8.5apg, 1.5spg)
West Player: [DEN] J.R. Smith (26.6ppg, 2.2apg, 2.1spg)
East Rookie: [BOS] Hobbes MacDonald (15.5ppg, 3.5rpg, 5.6apg)
West Rookie: [SAC] Caleb Jackman (11.4ppg, 1.5rpg, 5.9apg)

MVP Race

[DEN] J.R. Smith (29.1ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.1spg)
[LAC] Ollie Rose (21.7ppg, 3.3apg, 1.7spg)
[MIA] Nach Carlos (21.2ppg, 7.2apg, 1.5spg)
[DEN] Carmelo Anthony (19.5ppg, 4rpg, 2.2spg)
[PHX] Stephen Curry (23.2ppg, 6.3apg, 1.4spg)

Standings

EAST

Toronto 40-29
Cleveland 39-30
Charlotte 39-32
Miami 38-32
Milwaukee 38-33
Washington 37-33
New York 37-34
New Jersey 35-33
---
Philadelphia 36-34
Chicago 31-39
Boston 29-38
Orlando 30-40
Detroit 24-46
Atlanta 24-48
Indiana 23-47


WEST

Denver 61-10
LA Clippers 49-22
Phoenix 44-24
Portland 44-27
Oklahoma City 38-32
Houston 36-34
San Antonio 35-35
Minnesota 34-36
---
Sacramento 33-38
LA Lakers 33-37
Memphis 33-38
New Orleans 32-38
Utah 28-43
Golden State 27-42
Dallas 23-46


League Leaders

PPG: [DEN] J.R. Smith (29.1), [PHX] Lebron James/[MIN] Kevin Durant (23.3), [PHX] Stephen Curry (23.2), [OKC] Stanley Alston (22.4)

RPG: [DEN] Chris Andersen (10.3), [GSW] Andris Biedrins/[IND] Al Horford (9.9), [ORL] Dwight Howard (9.8), [PHX] Greg Oden (9.7)

APG: [CHA] Reuben Walker (7.5), [NYK] Rajon Rondo (7.4), [MIA] Nach Carlos (7.2), [LAC?] Reuben Glanville (7), [LAL] Mike Conley (6.9)

SPG: [DEN] Carmelo Anthony (2.2), [DEN] J.R. Smith/Chauncey Billups (2.1), [LAC] Ollie Rose (1.7), [OKC] Stanley Alston/[NYK] Rajon Rondo (1.6)

BPG: [TOR] Lawrence Coutts/[MIN] Al Jefferson (2.2), [DEN] Chris Andersen/[SAC] Brook Lopez (2.1), [GSW] Andris Biedrins [1.9]


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Last month of the regular season is here. Denver need 9 more wins to get to the 70 win mark and 11 more to get to the Bulls record. Up next will be a 5 game summary.