It’s gut check time for the Rockies.

Yes I know it’s only May, but check the schedule… May is the toughest month of the year by a wide berth.  16 road games vs. 13 home games, 15 division games, 8 plane trips, and 3 series against 2009 playoff teams.  If the Rockies survive the month of May they stand a better than good chance of coasting to the division title.  Keep in mind that it is a well-documented fact that the bats in Colorado don’t warm up until the temperature does.

To borrow parlance from another sport, right now the Rockies must ice the puck.

Of course, there is an obvious benefit to winning outright right now.  A series win would deliver the Rockies their first winning road trip of the 2010 season.  And it would put the Dodgers definitively in the basement.  (Oh how I hate the Dodgers.)

As far as current game judgments go, Hiroki Kuroda has been the best (strike that… only) pitcher for the Dodgers so far, and it’s a tall order to get more than 3 runs on him or knock him out before the 6^th.  The bats probably don’t stand a chance tonight the way they’ve been working lately.

Esmil Rogers, on the other hand, probably will have a better outing than last time.  He’s a location guy and that requires focus.  It’s tough to focus if it’s your first start in a while.  I think he’ll be sharper today.  Of course, he’ll need to be about perfect if the bats don’t get going.

Top 1^st

Kuroda is a pitcher a lot like Aaron Cook.  He doesn’t nip corners, or blow it by you, or trick you into chasing pitches outside the zone.  He pounds the strike zone with a heavy sinker and waits for the ground balls.  So far so good for him; 2 ground outs and a strikeout on Todd Helton.

Bot 1^st Tied 0-0

With Manny Ramirez out of the lineup with a re-strained right calf (or maybe you could call it a “haven’t done steroids in a while” right calf) the Dodgers have put Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier next to each other.  I’ve always thought they should do this.  (Don’t tell them.)

But Rogers is spot-on in the first.

He is a corner-nipper and he pitched like he intended to.  It took him a batter to find the strike zone (walk), but after that he was ahead in the count with corner strikes for the next three batters.  Strikeout on Kemp, flyout on Ethier on the first pitch (he swings at the first pitch too much (don’t tell him)), and a strikeout on James Loney.

Top 2^nd Tied 0-0

Troy Tulowitzki may be getting a name for himself as a good enough player to get the break on close calls.  He stayed off a full count high slider that looked like a strike (even according to the Fox Sports computer) and got a ball/walk.  Gary Darling totally botched the call in Tulowitzki’s favor.  And then got the call on a Stolen Base attempt.  That one was too close to know for sure but he might have been out.  Add a Sacrifice and a Sacrifice and that’s the first run of the game.

In other news, add in 2 two-out ground ball hits against Kuroda that go to waste with a Rogers foul out.  I didn’t see his first game but he looked like he swung the bat well.  Kuroda soused him out quickly though.  He can’t tell the distance of the plate and will swing at pitches just outside.

Bot 2^nd Rockies 1-0

Jason Blake is the type of hitter who is useless when you serve the ball right up the middle and amazing when you give him an impossible pitch.  Rogers locates a fastball pretty well at the hands and Blake finds a way to fit it through the hole at third base for a double.   Then after a Sacrifice and a Pop out, Rogers made his first mistake of the game.  He left a fast ball up over the plate to Jamie Carroll for a single.

Top 3^rd Tied 1-1

The best way to work Helton has always been to go inside, outside, inside, outside.  (Yeah I know he can hit it any direction at any time, I didn’t say it was a good way, I said it was the best way.  The best way can still be bad.)  That’s just what Kuroda does and manages a strikeout on a very well-placed Sinker on the inside.  We’ll see what Tulo does, but runs may be hard to come by after this.  Kuroda is dealing.

Bot 3^rd Tied 1-1

Rogers made another mistake after something bad happened that wasn’t his fault.

This time an errant throw by Ian Stewart on a Kemp grounder gave up a base.  Then, after a stolen base, another fastball left up in the zone is hit by Ethier (poorly hit) and finds the second base hole.  Rogers seems to be having trouble dealing with the base runners.  Or maybe he’s unable to gather himself immediately after he gets the shaft for doing nothing wrong.  Either way, that’s two runs on fastball pitch mistakes; his only two fastball pitch mistakes.

Top 4^th Dodgers 2-1

They just flashed a Hot Zone breakdown for Tulo after his double off Kuroda’s hanging slider.  It’s a “T”.  He hits everything down the middle and everything high and nothing else.  I wonder if that’s a sign.

After a fairly lucky bloop single to tie the game by Carlos Gonzales, Darling lets the world know that the call Tulo got in the second is nothing special.  Kuroda cannot get the high drop-in slider to fall for a strike (even when it does).  That’s  his K pitch.  If the Rockies get that call all game, it will severely limit (and probably mess with) Kuroda.

Further proof of the preceding: Rogers put together a pretty good two-out 7-pitch at bat before a ground-out deep in the SS hole.  Kuroda threw another high slider I thought was strike 3.  It was called ball 3.

Bot 4^th Tied 2-2

Say what you will about Rogers’ stuff… he certainly challenges well when he needs to.  A Walk to Russell Martina and then three ground outs; one battling back from 2-0, one working with an 0-2, and the final an easy pitch served to the dreadful .000 average of Kuroda

Top 5^th Tied 2-2

Dexter Fowler MUST begin to threaten bunt at any time.  This inning held the point and case to that argument.  Fowler put the bunt down foul on the first pitch and every following pitch Casey Blake played in.  The result: soft ground ball through the hole at SS goes for a double.  Blake possibly could have turned it into a double play had he played back.  At the very least he could have stopped the runners at one base.  Add in a Sac (to an already Sac heavy game) and the Rocks have the lead back.

Bot 5^th Rockies 3-2

A pair of very well thrown pitches that go for doubles set up Rogers’ final mistake of the game.

First, a fastball outside that somehow Xavier Paul gets a hold of goes for a double and then Ethier does what he does with an impossible to hit low and away changeup for a double.  That scores one.

Then with two outs Rogers lets a low fast ball drift to the center against Blake who singles up the center.  Immediately following, Martin finds the Second base hole with a ground ball for another run.  2 runs he could do nothing about and 3 runs due to fastball mistakes.   He could be a very good pitcher if he just finds some control.

Randy Flores comes in to clean up the mess and gets Blake DeWitt to foul out on the second pitch.

Top 6^th Dodgers 5-3

Eric Young Jr. needs to be playing Major League Baseball not AAA baseball.

So far all he has done since his call-up is get on base and then burn around the bases.  On the first pitch of his one-out at bat he puts the ball in the right field corner (literally, not bounce around in the corner, I think he made the ball stop in the corner) and legged out a triple.

Seth Smith hits a nice little single to left center to score EYJ, and then Dex follows my instructions.  He lays down a bunt into the first base line no man’s land on the first pitch of his at bat and Kuroda unwisely throws the ball into right field.  That’s 4 bases today (6 if you count the two bases Seth Smith got) on Dex’s bunt threat.  And he knocked Kuroda out of the game.

George Sherrill comes in to pitch and it’s Helton’s turn to Sacrifice.  Tie game again and Sherrill’s taking a seat on the bench.  Three pitchers used in the 6^th inning in the first of a 3 game series.  This is a very good inning for the Rockies’ bats.

Jeff Weaver put an inside fastball on the low corner and Gonzales grounds out, but damage done to both the scoreboard and the long-term LA bullpen.

Bot 6^th Tied 5-5

Good pitching countered by great hitting is the story of the 6^th.

Matt Daley puts a great pitch in on the high inside corner on leadoff hitter Carroll, and Carroll somehow finds a way to get the ball fair down the right field line.  Then with 2 outs Kemp takes an inside ball to the opposite field (?) for a triple.  How he wasn’t jammed I don’t know.

Joe Beimel throws one pitch for an Ethier ground out.

Top 7^th Dodgers 6-5

The deep curve ball pitcher Ramon Troncoso comes in to pitch the 7^th.  Sometimes he can get that curve to go for strikes, sometimes he can’t.  Tonight he can’t but it doesn’t hurt him.  Long story short: Strikeout, Walk, Fielder’s Choice, Infield single, and then Seth Smith gets a hold of a poorly placed fastball and hits right at Loney at first base.

It would have been a tie game if it had been hit anywhere else.

Bot 7^th Dodgers 6-5

Matt Belisle pitches a pretty boring inning; 9 pitches (none of them anything to write home about) 3 ground outs.  I kinda like boring pitchers though.

Top 8^th Dodgers 6-5

Rough night for Helton: 0-4 with 1 sac and 2 Ks.  The Rockies can’t find a way to get even in the 8^th against Troncoso, which means they must score on Jonathan Broxton.

Bot 8^th Dodgers 6-5

Once again, there is nothing interesting about Belisle except that he gets quick outs.  I look away from the screen for maybe 20 seconds and he goes from 1-1 with one out to 2-2 with two out.  And he does this without throwing hard, throwing nasty, throwing with perfect location, or throwing with a funky delivery.

Top 9^th Dodgers 6-5

Last chance Charlie for the Rockies against a pretty good hard-throwing closer.  But he does have 2 Blown Saves on the year.

CarGo falls behind early against fastballs and then fights against sliders to stay alive.  On the 11 pitch of the at bat he slaps a low and away fastball through the hole at SS.  Runner at 1^st.

On an 0-1 pitch to Stewart, CarGo breaks for 2^nd and Russell Martin guns him down by 5 feet. One Out.  Russell Martin is one of the catchers you just don’t try to steal on.

Stewart falls behind on fastball too, but cant’ fight off the sliders. K. 2 Out.

Jason Giambi pinch hitting.  Falls behind chasing outside pitches.  Can’t make the bat find a high fastball.

Game Over. Dodgers 6-5

This is about as close a game as you will get… the Dodgers just got the breaks.

If I were to hang it on one thing, the clutch hitting against good pitching in the 6^th is what this game hinges on.  The Dodgers can’t do that night-in and night-out.   Also, Helton being useless at the plate hurt a lot.

But like I said, the Rockies need win only one game this series, and with Ubaldo Jimenez pitching Sunday we can feel good about the odds.  This series probably hinges on Jhoulys Chacin vs. Charlie Haeger tomorrow.  I’ll be watching and so should you.  Jhoulys is a high-potential young starter for these Rockies.

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All hands on deck!  After a poor game that the Jazz won by three, the Nuggets put up one their worst performances of year and the postseason is in jeopardy.  This is now a must win game on the road.  If the Nuggets can’t find it tonight, they probably won’t find it.  And Energy Solutions Arena is a tough place for any team save the Jazz to play.

I won’t lie; it’s tough to root for the Nuggets after the lackluster performance on Friday night.  The team played just about the laziest game I’ve ever seen a contender play and it makes me wonder if they ever were truly a contender.  The only cure is a high-energy, high-effort win on the road.

1^st Quarter

5:46 Nuggets get the early lead on the shooting of Carmelo Anthony, but so far the game has looked much like the previous three strategically.  The Jazz are running their dribble drives and pick and rolls.  The Nuggets are working the isolations and looking for mistakes in the Jazz defense under the hoop.

2:28 The Jazz have clawed back in by dominating down low for a solid 3 minutes.  Paul Millsap has come into the game and Nene can’t deal with him.  Nene has got to step up both defensively and offensively against Millsap, because if things continue as they are the Nuggets are looking at a long game and short season.

End Quarter Jazz 31-25

The Nuggets’ offense left the building for a few minutes and the Jazz pulled away.  It happens.   A missed layup by Nene here and missed wide open 3 Pointer by Chauncey Billups there and you only score 4 points in the final 4 minutes of a quarter.

The Jazz are simply getting too close to the basket.  They’re shooting 60% and it’s because the vast majority of shots they’re taking are from within the restricted area.  The Nuggets have got to find a way to keep the ball on the perimeter.

2^nd Quarter

7:57 Millsap has left the floor and the Nuggets are chipping away at the lead (was at its highest at 8, now down to 5).   Looking at the stats, the Nuggets’ shooting is a little low (42%).  That needs to come up.

5:04 The Nuggets are battling.  At times today, they’ve looked like they have no idea what to do and at others are showing the toughness that got them here.  J.R. Smith has been the best defender so far with a pair of steals and 2 rebounds.

3:21 The Nuggets have abandoned the paint and their post players are taking stupid jump shots.  The Nuggets’ shooting is down to 39%.  Worse, look at the shooting from the Nuggets bigs:

Kenyon Martin 1-7

Nene 1-2

Chris Anderson 1-3

Martin has been exceptionally bad.  He can’t make layups or jump shots.

2:16 Martin just got his third foul and will have to sit on the bench.  Considering the way he’s played, good riddance.

End Half Jazz 54-45

The shot selection for the Nuggets is the culprit tonight (37% FG, 1-7 3 Pt).  Even Anthony’s numbers have slumped (7-15 FG, although he has picked up 3 of his own rebounds).  Only Aaron Afflalo is making more than 50% of his shots (3-5 FG).  Adrian Dantley needs to be yelling at his low percentage shooter (Kenyon & Anderson specifically) and telling them they’re not allowed to take any low percentage shots.

On the other end, the Jazz shooters are having an off night, but they are still shooting 56% because the bigs are finding easy paths to the basket.

3^rd Quarter

7:41 Even when the Jazz try to help the Nuggets out, Denver gives the ball right back.  On a bad pass by Afflalo, Wesley Matthews takes the ball the other way and misses a dunk.  I’m feeling like this could be the Nuggets’ time, and Melo steps out of bounds on the drive.  The Nuggets look dead in the water down by 15.

3:10  Denver has taken a game they were in only down by 9, and with lazy play (especially on the defensive side) have turned it into an asskicking.  There is only one way to describe the Nuggets’ second half performance; shameful.  This team has gone from being a contender to win a championship and in one month turned into a team that may need to be blown up.

End Quarter Jazz 86-68

The Nuggets have given themselves a tall order to keep their season going.  They pretty much have to play perfect basketball in order to win this game and I don’t need to remind you that this game is the playoffs.  I think Basketball season may be over.

4^th Quarter

9:40  Well the good news is the Jazz have started launching stupid shots.  If this continues and the Nuggets have someone get hot the game might not be over.  I’m not holding my breath.

6:04 The Nuggets closed the lead to 11 from 20 in half the quarter.  A few more minutes like this and I might be wrong about the Nuggets season.

2:36 The Jazz make their clutch shots and the Nuggets need 2 and a half minutes of absolutely perfect basketball to win.

0:54 After closing it to 7, Melo misses a 14 footer and the Jazz are into foul shots.

End Game

The Nuggets could have won this game (and this series) with consistent effort.  When they played hard at both ends they were clearly the beater team.  But Utah simply out worked them.   Melo was the only one who played hard all the way through (et to Billups?) and he missed time with foul trouble again.

And now the Nuggets must win 3 in a row with the middle one on the road.   That’s probably out of the question for this team.  Next time I’m scheduled to write for the Nuggets will be game 7…  so I don’t expect to write about them again this season.

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When last I wrote I said: “It will take a perfect game or a crushing comeback to save the Avalanche at this point.”  Well 48 hours and 51 saves later Craig Anderson delivered that perfect game and now the Avalanche have a good chance to win the series.  I’m at about 55% in favor of the Avalanche right now.  I would need another strong performance from Anderson to feel really good about our odds.

The penalty kill was key too.  Colorado’s special teams defense killed 7 penalties.  That being said, 7 penalties is about 5 penalties too many to feel good about winning a game against the Sharks.  Staying out of the box is better than killing penalties.

As far as the Sharks contribution, it must be tough to have three game-winning goals and be down 2-1 in the series.  I find myself wondering if the Sharks are playing too hard; over-skating, over-thinking.  That might have been their problem all along.  They play well when it doesn’t matter, then get amped up for the playoffs and change what they did to get there.  (Shhh… don’t tell San Jose.)

1^st Period

19:25 Right off the faceoff Paul Stastny lets his stick get away from him.  2:00 Penalty High Sticking So much for staying out of the box.

18:48 Apparently Karma had to go through a rebalancing after the Dan Boyle own-goal.  Boyle rips from the right point PP Goal Sharks 1-0. Traffic in front, Andy couldn’t see.

13:35 The Avalanche are playing sooooo cautiously after the goal.  They aren’t sending anybody down the ice out of the defensive zone, and they’re keeping the third attacker near the blue line.  They’re trying to work in on their few offensive pressures rather than the dump and chase they are so good at.  And worst of all, 0 shots on goal.

10:41 The Avalanche’s first good pressure of the game is set up by a third line dump and chase.  Cody McLeod won a crucial board battle to earn a wrap-around attempt.  Couldn’t beat Evgeni Nabokov.

7:09 The third and fourth lines for the Avalanche are getting a lot of playing time in first period.  McLeod’s line has had the best play so far for the Avalanche.  Only a pair of shots, but they are spending more time in San Jose’s zone than vice versa.

2:54 The Avalanche seem to have found their legs finally.  They’re skating much harder now and are finally getting some good pressures.  Catching up in shots too.

1:55 Adam Foote skates into Marc-Edouard Vlasic during an Avalanche pressure in which Matt Duchene was skating circles (literally) around the Sharks and gets hit with a penalty.  2:00 Penalty Interference It’s not just the high number of penalties… they are bad penalties too.

End Period Sharks 1-0

The Avalanche penalty kill appears to be back and fiercer than ever after the first penalty.  The Avalanche are meeting the Sharks at the line and sending the puck down the ice nearly every attempted work in and outskating the Sharks on the dumps.  They also seem to have found some energy and look a lot more in the game than in the first 10 minutes.   5 more seconds for a kill.

The biggest deference in the game is the San Jose stick handling has been vastly superior to Colorado’s.  They do seem to have settled down after the goal and are playing more comfortably.

2^nd Period

19:55 Avalanche win the face off.  Kill

16:37 The Avalanche’s fourth line plays hard in the Neutral Zone to earn a pressure.  On a shot from the point Rob Blake checks Kyle Quincey to the ice 2:00 Penalty Interference Hard skating and throwing the puck on net pays dividends for the fourth line.

16:34 Stastny wins the faceoff to John Michael Liles on the left point, shot, tipped by Stas PP Goal Tied 1-1 Faceoffs matter.  Just ask the number one faceoff club in the league (Sharks).

15:29 First work in after the Goal, Joe Pavelski trips Marek Svatos coming into the zone.  2:00 Penalty Tripping. Svatos faked a long shot moving over the blue line which got Pavelski down on the ice and Pavelski just slid through Marek’s legs.

13:29 The Avalanche put together a good PP but Nabokov was brilliant.  Avalanche had 1 great chance on a pass in front to a knifing Cody Hendricks and a pair of open shots from the circles but Nabokov could not be solved.  Kill.

9:34 After the goal and penalties the game has settled back down to what it was.  The Avalanche are outskating the Sharks on the dump and chase and struggling with the work in.  The only change is the Avalanche are all of a sudden winning in the Neutral Zone.  When San Jose works it in the Avalanche zone they can keep it there and earn a shot or two regularly but they have been unable to get the puck in with consistency.

8:12 Devin Setoguchi misses the net by 4 feet on a 2 on 1.  Maybe they really are cursed.

5:40 The fourth line earns a pretty good little scoring chance after Darcy Tucker lays out Jason Demers with a brutal hit.  I think what Joe Sacco may be thinking is have the 3^rd and 4^th line just harass and frustrate and beat up San Jose and when they have nothing left send in the top lines.  After the play, matching minors for Jamie MiGinn and Stephane Yelle.  2:00 4 on 4 Roughing, Roughing.

3:40 Kind of a boring four on four.  Just skating and chasing the puck.  Full Strength.

0:52 Bad news.  The Sharks have figured out the Avalanche Neutral Zone defense and have once again started peppering Andy.  Avalanche look a little pooped.  Don’t know why, the top lines have been sitting on the bench so much.

End Period Tied 1-1

Apart from the final 4 minutes of the period the Avalanche looked like the better club the entire way through.  My favorite part of the period (other than the goal) was not having to go on the penalty kill once.

But the Sharks have found new legs at least for now.  They’re working it in effortlessly.  Now I know Andy has been the man before (see: April 18, 2010), but the game looked much more winnable when the Avalanche were spending most of their time in front of Nabokov.

3^rd Period

17:20 Both teams are playing it very cautiously to open the period.  They’re both allowing the work-in and then stack the crease to absorb bad shots.  Avalanche are Hitting though.

14:38 The Sharks are making use of one of their favorite strategies (and mine if you have the size and strength to pull it off).  They are putting the puck down into the corner and trying to muscle it in along the base line.  So far unsuccessfully.

10:43 I think what I am seeing right now is “Nobody make a mistake, in fact, nobody take a chance” hockey.  If both coaches and captains agree could we just go to overtime now, because with a cautious as the teams a playing, next goal is going to win anyway.  In all seriousness I don’t expect either team to play this way for much longer.  The pressure will get to somebody and a chance will be taken.

8:55 It gets to the Avalanche first.  They abandon their defense and almost give up an awful goal.  Andy had to be paying attention and on his game, but he made the save.

7:12 This fourth line for the Avalanche has really impressed me tonight.  Not many shots but they’ve caused loads of trouble.

6:27 Andy makes another huge save on Patrick Marleau moving right to left on a cross-ice pass.

6:05 After a freeze by Andy, Quincey and Marleau get matching minors for pushing and shoving.     2:00 4 on 4 Roughing, Roughing Either team could find their legs and find the open ice favorable.

4:05 Once again, a lot of chasing the puck.  Full Strength.

2:01  Avalanche are turning up the heat to close the period.  They’re skating hard.  The third line had another great shift with a shot and a pair of hits.

End Period Tied 1-1

That was easily the most boring period of the series so far.  The Sharks’ only chances to score came on Avalanche mistakes, and the Avalanche only really got good chances after they started skating hard and clogging the Neutral Zone towards the end.

I can’t see the Sharks changing their strategy.  They are on the road and under an enormous amount of pressure and have made mistakes in two game so far this series.  The Avalanche will probably ratchet it up in the first OT in hopes of taking a commanding lead in the series.

OT

18:43 The Sharks open with a flurry of shots.  I guess I was wrong about them hanging back.

15:04  The Avalanche follow with a flurry of their own.  The Sharks’ gambit has cost them a few chances, the most recent was from a Christ Stewart work-in drop pass to T. J. Galiardi.

13:54 Andy just made his 40^th save and pretty much every save in the OT has been on a good shot.  The Sharks are testing him.

11:18 San Jose just got caught in a long shift and committed icing; they were forced to call a time out.  A faceoff win here would be huge.  (San Jose wins the face off)

9:36 On a work-in up the middle, Doug Murray moves the puck in and draws two Avalanche defenders to him.  The puck gets tipped to the left and Pavelski collects it, wrist shot through traffic, top shelf glove side.  Goal Sharks 2-1 Game Over Perfect shot.

End Game Shark 2-1

This game could have gone either way and the Sharks just got the last break.  Avalanche hung tough and their reward will be the daunting task of winning 2 of 3 with 2 on the road.

Andy played well, and this game can’t be hung on his neck.  Even the last shot he really had no chance to save.  No, I put this loss on the slow play in the beginning of the third period.  The Avalanche were playing better hockey when they were forcing the issue.

This series really could go either way but I’m leaning toward San Jose around 66%.  I think the Avalanche win this series 1 in 3 times.  Finding a way to get the offense and the defense going at the same time seems to be the largest obstacle for Colorado right now.

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I watched game 1 immediately follow Ubaldo Jimenez’ No-Hitter, and considering that fact I must disclose that I was not entirely focused as many shots were done in honor of U-Ball.

But even in my…eh hum… befuddled state, I was still able to see that a 13-point Jazz loss was a great achievement for Utah.  The first game should have been a 25-30 point victory for the Nuggets.

The Jazz looked awful; the fact that they were in the game in the third quarter was only due to an anomalous amount of shots going in after hard fouls.  They shouldn’t get such luck this time round.  Further, they depended far too much on jump shooting (though they did shoot well).  Lastly, the Jazz have shown they have absolutely no answer for the Nuggets’ bigs, and that won’t get easier with Mehmet Okur done for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

I think the Nuggets will win this game easily.

1^st Quarter

5:24 The Nuggets are once again outplaying the Jazz but have very little to show for it because Jazz jumpers are falling.  But the Nuggets are winning in the paint, both with passes inside to Nene and Carmelo Anthony dribble drives.  If thing continue as they are, eventually the Jazz jump-shooters have to go cold.

3:33 Anthony is whistled for a flagrant foul on Deron Williams.  It didn’t look like a flagrant to me; it looked like a hard foul.  But Deron Williams stayed on the ground in pain for a minute and so the refs decided to call a flagrant.

3:16 Williams has left the floor and gone to the locker room.  Maybe Melo does deserve a flagrant.

2:40 Williams has returned.  I’m going back to believing it was just a hard foul and Melo got the shaft for Deron Williams being a European soccer player.

End Quarter Jazz 33-30

The Jazz are leading with amazing jump-shooting (7-10 jump shots, 3-5 3Pt, 11-15 FG) led by the “injured” (and then surprisingly spry) Deron Williams (5-5 FG, 3-3 3PT, 15 Points).  Despite this strong showin,g they only lead by 3 because the Nuggets are getting foul shots, paint points and steals.  I still have to believe the hot shooting will cool off eventually…. and then where will the Jazz go?

2^nd Quarter

8:39 The FG percentage for Utah is creeping back down and the Nuggets are creeping back up.  So far the Nuggets are crushing it at the line (13-13 FT).

7:59 The Jazz have started driving to the rim.  This could change things.

6:00 Paul Millsap braces in the lane to accept a charge on Kenyon Martin, but his foot was in the restricted area.  That’s Millsap’s 3^rd which means a lesser defender will cover Melo for the rest of the half.  A frustrated Jerry Sloan curses out the refs and is dealt a Technical.  I don’t get why he’s so angry.  Melo got a flagrant and Nuggets have more fouls.

2:54 The Jazz continue to lead by a narrow margin (Jazz 53-51) and continue to believe they are playing above their heads.  Meanwhile the Nuggets have had a couple wasted offensive possessions due to poor shot selection, missed layups and offensive fouls.  But the game is still within a possession.  If the Nuggets just play solid, I really feel a karmic rebalancing about ready to hit the Jazz hard.

End Half Jazz 63-51

Okay, so my initial prediction of an easy win might have been a bit off.  But it’s been the Nuggets doing it to themselves.  A rash of turnovers and missed layups at the end of the first half stifled the Nuggets’ offense.

But I’m not losing the faith.  The Jazz cannot keep up this pace.  Look at the scoring stats:

Jazz 68% FG, 4-7 3PT

Does anyone think they can do this again in the second half?  Does anyone think any team could pull this off on the road against a playoff team two halves in a row?  Here’s another stat to look at:

Jazz 11 PF, Nuggets 16 PF

Does anybody think this is normal? Sure both teams foul a lot and get to the line a lot, but the Jazz foul more and the Nuggets get to the line more.  If the Nuggets realize the Jazz are playing above themselves and just keep grinding away, the Jazz will come back to earth hard.

3^rd Quarter

10:41 TNT just flashed a stat I must pass along: 68% FG % Jazz Franchise Record for a Half.  Starting to see it my way?

7:28 The refs are still calling it Utah’s way and the Nuggets can’t claw back into the game.  It looked like they might early.  A pair of offensive fouls are to blame.

3:51 The Nuggets run 5 plays in a row through Melo.  The result: Miss, Assist to Martin, Miss, Assist to J.R. Smith (3), FG.  At the same time the Nuggets put Melo on Williams.  The result: Miss, Miss, Traveling, Steal.  Add it all up and that’s a seven point swing.  Utah Time Out.

3:07 Chauncey Billups just committed his fourth foul, a really ticky-tacky reaching foul following a rebound on Carlos Boozer.  Boozer promptly missed two FT.  “Ball Don’t Lie!!”

2:34 Melo is dealt his fourth, a charge. The Nuggets have to find a way to hang tough without the stars now.  Ty Lawson, J.R. Smith, Arron Afflalo, anybody; someone needs to step up.

End Quarter Jazz 88-82

The B-Team came in and gave up 4 points but it could have been worse.  Ty Lawson keeps things from getting out of hand.  Kyle Korver is playing with a hot hand (like usual).  I’d want someone to give him a hard foul, but everyone’s in foul trouble.

The good news is the Jazz have indeed come back to earth (37% FG in the 3^rd quarter).  If the Nuggets keep it close until the stars come back I think they will win.  But so much for my easy win prediction.

4^th Quarter

12:00 Sloan has pulled all his starters to save them for when the Nuggets stars come back.  The Nuggets B-Team could beat the Jazz B-team.  Maybe the time is now.

10:23 Melo and Billups are back in, and the bench damage was limited to 2 by Lawson.  Great job by the rookie.

9:42 Nuggets have the lead on a pair of steals and 5 points; a Nene breakaway dunk and a Billups pullup 3 Pointer.

6:17 The Nuggets are driving and passing and passing and driving on every play.  They haven’t settled for a jump shot in 5 possessions.  The result: FG, FG+1, FTs, FG, FG, and a 3 point lead.

3:05 The Nuggets and Jazz are trading drives to the basket on every possession and neither team can figure out how to defend it.  Of course, Deron Williams is a force of nature on the drive.  The Jazz still have no answer for the Nuggets’ bigs, and the Jazz bigs are starting to see the fouls pile up.

1:43 Bad turnover by Melo driving the lane from the left side.  Jazz have a chance to take the lead.

0:25 Down by 1 Melo called for a reach in on CJ Miles.  Reckless.  He’s done and the Jazz have FTs.  (Made both)  Someone needs to step up in Melo’s stead and get the game tied.  How about you Chauncey?

0:11 Nuggets opt to get rid of 13 seconds in favor of not fouling Korver.  The fact that everyone is in foul trouble is the reason.  It’s not a good enough reason.

End Game Jazz 114-111

Way too many charging calls tonight on the Nuggets, whether they were good calls or not (8 offensive fouls on the Nuggets, 4 on Carmelo Anthony).   The refs probably should have laid off the whistle on 3 or 4 of them, but 2 of Carmelo’s were just failures to get around the defender on the first move.   In case you’re keeping track that’s 1 flagrant, 4 charges, and a reckless reach-in foul the final minutes.

Bad foul night for Melo.

Here’s something else that didn’t occur to me until I checked the stats; no one dropped the hammer with a truly crushing 3 pointer.  The Nuggets shot 4-18 behind the arc; no one could find the range tonight.   One 3 pointer during the Nuggets late 3^rd or early 4^th quarter runs probably ends Utah’s night.

The cost of this whole thing is that now the Nuggets must win in Utah.  It’s among the toughest places to play in the league.  It’s tiny and steep and loud.  It feels like the crowd is right on top of you.  Literally, I think they sell seats in harnesses that hang from the roof of the arena.

I think the Nuggets will still win the series though.  The injuries for the Jazz are a little too much, and it’s doubtful they can consistently produce the best half in their franchise history every game to win by 3.

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Game Preview & Playoff Race Update

Well one week in Milwaukee and everything seems to have settled in the NBA… but not quite settled.

Realistically the Nuggets probably lost their shot at the number two seed with the home loss against San Antonio since the Mavericks just need one win or one Nuggets loss to clench.  Also, since Phoenix visits Utah on Wednesday, one of them is out if the Nuggets win tonight.  Now the game on Tuesday in Phoenix will be huge one way or another, but the importance can be lessened with a win tonight.

Now let me make this perfectly clear, if the Nuggets are to do anything in the playoffs they must beat Utah.  That is imperative.  Utah is a team that will crush the Nuggets in the first round if game one is in Utah, and Phoenix stands a good chance of beating the Nuggets at home or on the road.  If Phoenix beats the Nuggets for the third spot, but the Nuggets host Utah, Denver probably rolls through the first round.

Granted, they’d have to play LA in the second round, but there are benefits to playing the Lakers earlier.  (see: Chauncey Billups – legs)   If the Nuggets head to Phoenix in the Conference Final, they will deal with that then.  I just don’t see them anywhere near the Final if they visit Utah or have to play Phoenix and LA in succession.

1^st Quarter

8:58 Gotta hand it to Memphis… I always like their game plans.  Drive the lane, drive the lane, drive the lane.

Sure, such a strategy would never work against San Antonio (who they’ll have to beat at some future point to win their division), but it sure generates points and fouls against defense that like to spread out.   The Nuggets are doing the same on offense, but more because Memphis looks disorganized and apathetic.  Thus, Chauncey Billups is seeing a lot of open lanes.

6:40 So Kenyon Martin makes a nice block and sends the ball into the Memphis bench area.  As the fan behind the Grizzlies bench passes the ball back to Kenyon, Memphis coach Lionel Hollins stands up and bats the ball away.  Billups complains and is dealt a technical.  Tell me how that makes any kind of sense.

2:57 The Grizzlies have taken the lead by a point.  They are taking absolutely ridiculous shots and getting them to fall.  The Nuggets are slacking on the boards.

End Quarter Nuggets 32-31

The Grizzlies are getting a considerable amount of bad shots to fall along with shots after Nugget fouls.

Take away those, and the Nuggets seem to have a stranglehold on this game.  Nene and Carmelo Anthony are dominating against some pretty good bigs in Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay.   Also, as I look down the box score I notice 3 Grizzlies starters with 2 Personal Fouls and their backup center Hamed Haddadi with 3.

2^nd Quarter

8:07 Johan Petro hit the floor hard driving for a loose ball in the offensive end, and stays down.  After the commercial he’s seen sitting on the bench in less pain.  Good news.  Losing Petro at this point in the season would leave the Nuggets a little thin in the front court.

4:47 The Nuggets are doing what they should do, forcing the issue offensively and taking their game to the line.  Most importantly, they’re making their foul shots (15-19 FT).  If this keeps up (combined 9 PF among 4 starters), the Grizzlies are going to be forced to play with their bench in the fourth quarter.

On the other end, some recklessness with the basketball leads to 2 Carmelo Anthony fast breaks.  The Nuggets are showing signs of pulling away.

End Quarter Nuggets 63-57

The following is a list of the Grizzlies who project to be in foul trouble that affects their playing time:

Rudy Gay-3 PF

Zach Randolph-3 PF

Hasheem Thabeet-3 PF

Hamed Haddadi-3 PF

And here’s a list of the Nuggets:

Aaron Afflalo-3 PF

I wouldn’t even say the Nuggets are getting away with being on the good side of bad officiating.  Memphis is simply slashing at the basketball recklessly while the Nuggets drive to the basket.  The Nuggets are probably a little bit too much for Memphis anyway, but asking bench players to come in and produce against starters is a tall order.

I will say this about the Grizzlies: Mike Conley is a good basketball player.  He’s the only player on Memphis who’s been consistently effective.  I think if Memphis ever gets him a full team, or if he goes to a team just a little better than Memphis is right now, he could be a top-five point guard in the league.

3^rd Quarter

8:13 Very quickly in the quarter, Thabeet commits his fourth foul.  out goes Hasheem, in comes Haddadi.  Then Haddadi commits his fourth, out goes Haddadi, in comes Darrell Arthur.  The wheels are about to come off for Memphis.

4:21 The Nuggets are now systematically removing every viable threat from the game.

Gay has committed his fourth foul and will take a seat on the bench.  Melo drew the foul on an isolation drive from the top of the arch.  Melo missed a FT but the Nuggets are still pouring on the points at the line (25-30 FT).

1:28 I hate to talk about nothing except the foul situation, but this is what the game has come down to.   Haddadi just committed his fifth foul and now the Grizzlies are running out of options in the post.

1:13 Randolph apparently knows what I know and it makes him angry.  He’s whistled for his fourth foul hauling in a rebound and curses out the referee.  Zach Randolph Ejected

End Period Nuggets 93-74

The Nuggets are taking apart the Grizzlies like an expert chess player takes out an inferior player.

Every move presents a new complication that the later isn’t equipped to deal with.  Inevitably, mistakes are made which lead to more and greater mistakes.   The Nuggets look to set themselves up with an easy end game.

4^th Quarter

12:00 Petro is back in the game.  Thank God.

7:44 J.R. Smith and Aarron Afflalo are on fire from the 3 point line and Johan Petro is blocking shots and dominating the boards.  This game looks to be over.

0:00 The game ends without incident.

End Game Nuggets 132-101

In fairness, Memphis probably did more to themselves than Denver did, but to the Nuggets’ credit they played patiently and got out of the way while Memphis imploded.

Make no mistake about it; Denver won this game at the foul line (32-39).

Melo and Nene dominated the post, Afflalo recorded his first double-double (22 Points, 13 boards), and J.R. Smith dropped the hammer (6-14 3PT) with regularity.  But this game came down to crushing your opponents at the charity stripe.  You cannot win when you give your opponent 39 FT’s and the make 32.

This was just what the doctor ordered for the Nuggets’ hopes to win the Northwest Division.  Three starters played less than 29:00 minutes (Nene, Billups, Martin), so everyone should have plenty of energy to run with the Suns tomorrow.   A win Tuesday night in Phoenix clenches the 3 seed.

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Hallelujah!  Baseball Season has begun once again.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year (I don’t care what Christmas thinks).

To celebrate the return of our national pastime, I gave myself a little treat this year.  I flew out to Milwaukee for Opening Day 2010 to watch the Rockies open up (in my opinion) their most promising season ever.

Initially I was going to write a recap of the game as seen live from the stands of Miller Park, but the differences in Opening Day celebration styles between Milwaukee & Denver were so interesting (and since the average Rockies fan wasn’t able to go to Opening Day in Milwaukee themselves), I decided to compare the two instead.

Luckily, I made it back just in time to attend Opening day at Coors Field too.  In Denver, the Rockies opened up against the visiting San Diego Padres.

So, without further ado, I give you Opening Day Comparisons between Miller Park and Coors Field…

The first striking difference that must be understood is the locations of the ball parks.

Coors Field, as any good Rockies fan would know, is right downtown, planted amidst working business and residential lofts.  Miller Park, on the other hand, is removed from the heart of the city and placed in a more isolated area.

This affects much of the difference in the pregame traditions of the two fan bases.  For instance, there is very little parking directly adjacent to Coors Field, so people will park many blocks away and walk in.  The Miller Park parking facilities on the other hand are massive and nearly encircle the ballpark.  Such vast parking lots so close lead to a great sports tradition: Tailgating.

The tailgating at Miller Park was not unlike a tailgate at Invesco Field @ Mile High Stadium, except that at Invesco people will trickle in all day so the lots gradually fill up.  At Miller Park everyone arrived at the same time causing long lines of traffic.  Once we were able to get in to the parking area however, it was remarkably efficient.  Cars were parked in the thousands within one hour and after parking there was a short period of hurried setup and jockeying for grill and game space.  But after 15-30 minutes of setup, people would know lock in and the tailgate would continue smoothly.  Conversely, at Mile High Stadium, the early arrivals grab large spaces that contract slowly as time passed and people arrived.

Invesco is useful to convey the differences in tailgating styles between Denver & Milwaukee (whose NFL fan base is split between Green Bay & Chicago), but the pre-baseball tradition between the cities couldn’t be more different.

At Rockies games we don’t tailgate, we barhop.

It’s up to you whether you prefer pregame tailgating or barhopping; they both have their pros and cons.

With barhopping you will be faced with lines to get into the best bars, and end up in close quarters once you get in.  With tailgating you can spread out a bit.   But barhoppers don’t have to clean up after themselves and sometimes get live music as a bonus.  For my money, live music beats the meshing of four idiots blaring competing car stereos any day.

(The big thing Miller Park’s parking lot got wrong was the restroom facilities.  Our section had to have between 300-400 cars each with 3-5 people and there were 3 port-o-potties.  It was terrible.)

The pregame at both ballparks was fantastic.

I commend both teams this year for exceptional fan unity.

At Miller Park I saw exactly 9 Colorado Rockies fans (myself include) in a full day of walking around.  I was more or less alone in a sea of blue pinstripes.  But four days later I didn’t see a single San Diego Padres fan (not that I was looking) in or around Coors Field.  Mad props to both teams’ fans.

When it comes time for the game, if you are outside Coors Field you all leave your respective bar simultaneously.  This results in long lines at the gate.   At Miller Park you get a nice mile to a mile and a half walk to the entrance, which produced surprisingly short lines at the gate to get in.  Once you are in, moving around in both parks is very easy.  Thank God we have finally arrived at an age in mankind’s troubled history where we consistently design ballparks to handle human traffic efficiently.

Aesthetically speaking, both parks are beautiful.

That said, the edge has got to go to Coors Field for two reasons: the setting right next to the mountains, and the wide open roof.

Technically the top was open for each game, but the Miller Park roof slides along a conveyor track on top of a wall around the park.  The wall has large windows in it to let the wind blow through, but even with those it’s difficult to see anything but sky.  Also, there are no centerfield seats, just a giant scoreboard behind the center field wall.  That just seem like a waste to me.

The playing field at Miller was similar to all major league fields except that the outfield is jagged.  I have never liked ballparks that have a bunch of weird angles along the outfield wall.  I suppose it gets very exciting when the home team hits a long fly to certain parts of the park, but it just isn’t my style.

When the Milwaukee opener began I got my biggest surprise.

The nice people at Miller Park play music every time a player comes to bat regardless of the team.  I thought that was very classy of them.  I cannot continue to endorse Coors Field’s policy of dead air during visiting teams’ at bats.  Miller’s approach is better for the fans, and that’s better for the game.

The one area Miller Park absolutely has Coors Field beat is the between-inning entertainment.

They play the same game that Coors does, where a cutie from the Park Staff will find a fan, put them on the jumbotron, and ask them trivia for prizes.  But at Miller Park when the fan gets it wrong, they are mocked by the overhead announcer and booed by the crowd.  It was awesome.  And you simply can’t go wrong with 5 people dressed up in top-heavy sausage costumes racing from 3^rd base to 1^st.  Very funny.

The fans at both parks were active in the game, but at different levels.

The Brewers fan were louder than the Rockies fans, but the Rockies fans cheered at times that made sense while the Brewer fans sometimes seemed to be cheering for no reason.

Also, the Brewers fans were definitely drunker per capita.  I can’t be too mean, though, as I expected to receive at least a bit of trouble from a random drunkard at some point, but not one person was rude to me because of my Rockies jersey.  Not one person was rude to me period.

Brewers fan are a classy group.

The trip out of the Miller Park was a stark difference to leaving Coors Field.

When leaving the Rockies’ house, you always have to contend with a good degree of congestion around the exits.  Miller Park had zero congestion.  It was amazing.  The crowds move fluidly and efficiently.  Whatever they’re doing right, we need to figure it out.  A home loss for the Rockies always leads to bad situations around the stadium’s corner exits as malcontent drunks get smushed together.

Also, I have to relay this story.

At Miller Park, it took us twenty minutes or so to walk from our seats to the car.

When we left our seats, the roof of the ballpark was open.  When we arrived at the car, the roof was closed and I hadn’t heard a sound.  12,000 tons of steel moved 600 feet and you couldn’t hear a thing.  My friends in Milwaukee said there have been times when a game has been engrossing and you’ll look up and find the roof open or shut in the middle of a game without having heard it move.  That’s some pretty awesome baseball-related engineering.

The post-game at both parks is similar to the pregame, although Miller Park is much drunker after the game.  Although, it may be that the tailgating atmosphere in Milwaukee displays its drunken idiots in plain sight, while the drunken idiots might be attending a different bar in the Denver scene.  There will unavoidably by a giant mess left behind by the tailgaters that probably is left behind by the bar hoppers too, it’s just that the bars clean up quickly and in stages.

All in all it’s a good time both ways.

The battle of the beer-named ballparks is too close to call, but baseball fans attending either Opening Day in Denver or Milwaukee should count themselves lucky.  Both cities support first class baseball environments.  I highly recommend making your way to Coors Field or Miller Park for Opening Day 2011, as both ball clubs look to be competitive for some time.

Oh, speaking of competition, there’s one more big difference I forgot to mention.  The Rockies won their Home Opener.  Sorry Brew Crew.

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The math is simple if the Avs want to make the playoffs.  Anything less and the math gets complicated.

The Avs have 7 games left with a 4 point advantage over the Flames with 6 games left, and the Avs already have the tiebreaker.  That means there are 26 points remaining between those teams to decide the last man into the playoffs and 8 must fall the Avs way to clench.  7 games left; if you win 4 you go to the playoffs.  I’d expect a playoff team to win 4 out of seven.  It might even be a good warm up for a 7 game playoff series.

As an added bonus and/or problem with tonight’s game, it is an elimination game for Anaheim.  Anaheim has played well against the Avalanche, winning 2 of 3.  They also averaged 4 goals a game against the Avs, all three games played against Craig Anderson.

1^st Period.

I must admit I could only listen on the radio during the first 7 minutes of the game but it sounded like the Avs were dominating (after haven’t watched the highlights at half time I found out it was true).   It sounds like most of it is being created the way I like, off the rush.

Avs just got a no goal because of a high stick by Cody McLeod.  Avs better let that one go quick because it’s the type of thing that can take wind out of you sails.  I guarantee you that Anaheim will try to get some momentum out of this.

4:20 After a bad push around the board by Anderson, Saku Koivu wins a battle along the boards and center to Steve Eminger who sets up and slap shots, GOAL Anaheim 1-0. Matt Duchene had position to stop both the pass and the shot and could stop neither.  Making matters worse the puck bounced off Duchene’s hand on the way to the net.

0:04 Bad stick handling the Neutral zone gives the Ducks a two on one with Koivu and Jason Blake.   Blake gives a nice tip forward to Kiovu across Andy right to left, tip in GOAL Anaheim 2-0. Awful time for a turnover; Andy got a shoulder on it.

End Period Anaheim 2-0

The Avs are certainly playing with more fire this game than the last few.  But immediately after the disallowed goal the energy went from controlled forcefulness to recklessness.   The Avs have to figure out how to settle it down and keep the energy; not an easy task.

2nd Period

Right out of the gate McCloud picks a fight (I might have predicted it), with Mike Brown.  Kicks his ass too. Matching 5:00 Fighting.

16:29 Matt Duchene is starting to earn a name for himself.  Nick Bonino is call for hooking on a clear non-call.  Hooking 2:00 Penalty. Good times will come in Denver if he continues to get such respect calls.

Avs put together a decent powerplay with plenty of good chances, but here’s the problem:  THEY KEEP MISSING THE NET FROM 15 FEET.  5 good shots; 4 misses and 1 Curtis McElhinney robbery of Darcy Tucker. Kill.

10:18 Ryan Wilson has a lapse of judgment and lifts a puck in to the Anaheim bench over the crowd.  Delay of Game 2:00 Penalty.

The Avs play a solid penalty kill.  Only one opportunity, and it was a clear sight shot from the point; Andy had it the whole way. Kill. I suppose you could say there was a good opportunity for the Duck with a tough angle shot after a cross ice pass to Teemu Selanne, but the set up didn’t look like it was intended to go to him, and when it did he looked surprised.

7:03 Sheldon Brookbank Holding on Chris Stewart.  I never agree with the Holding call, but this time I won’t argue.  Holding 2:00 Penalty.

6:38 Paul Stastny took a moment because it was so easy he had to make sure he didn’t miss something.  He didn’t.  Somehow, with him in uncontested control of the puck behind the net, Milan Hejduk sat in the slot uncovered.  After he made sure he wasn’t an idiot, he made the Ducks look like idiots.  Pass to Hejduk in the shot, one timer GOAL Anaheim 2-1. Note: Duchene get the second assist for finding Stastny all alone behind the net.

6:02 The Avs are turn up the heat with a good pressure with plenty of play right in front of McElhinney.  In the chaos Brendan Mikkelson trips Ryan O’OReilly.  Tripping 2:00 Penalty.

Anaheim puts up a good kill.  No good scoring chances except a shorthanded breakaway by Bobby Ryan. Kill.

0:30  Scott Neidermeyer perfect shot from a rough angle.  Anaheim 3-1 What do you do?

End Period Anaheim 3-1

Two periods in a row, the Ducks prey on the Avs in the final minute.   The first time it was recklessness, the second time it was luck, but both together make the lead pretty insurmountable against a trap team like the Ducks.  Those late period goals are so crushing.  The Avs need a break now to win this game.

3^rd Period

Right out the gate the Avs miss the net again.

17:26 After a failed rush by T. J. Galiardi, the Ducks get essentially a 1 on none break (because it was 2 on one, but Scott Hannan slipped on defense and allowed both men inside).    Selanne is a fine shooter but we know that already.  Wrist shot, glove side Goal Anaheim 4-1.  Game Over.

The Avs are pushing against the immovable stone that is the trap.  It’s just hopeless.  But the most disappointing part is that every time the Avs have a chance to score they miss the net.  Not just on the guaranteed goals either.  The Avs are missing the net on decent chances that McElhinney should save.  The Avs could have 35 shots at this point (24 shots).

7:55 Nuetral zone turnover by the defense against the Ducks top line.  Selanne to Jason Blake down the right side, cuts in front of Andy, wrist shot glove side. Goal Anaheim 5-2

6:34 O’Reilly fires a shot from the right side circle from 25 feet, save, rebound to Tucker in the slot, Goal  Anaheim 5-2 Credit where credit is due, Tucker has played a solid game.

End Game Anaheim 5-2

Here’s an unpleasant thought: what if Craig Anderson isn’t the man.  Here’s the goals allowed in the last 9 games:

Dallas 3

St. Louis 3

Calgary 3

Anaheim 5

LA 4 (OT)

LA 3

Phoenix 6

San Jose 4

Anaheim 5

You have to go back to February 6 thru February 8 to find two games Andy has put together where he held the team to 2 goals or less.  You simply cannot win consistently when you require your offense to get 4 goals in regulation as a minimum.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Andy.  I think he is the reason for the instant turnaround.  I think he will just get better and his services need to be retained for the next 2-3 year at least.   Here’s my point:

There are some players who are elites and some player who are merely good.  The difference between them is when the season comes to its end, the good player maintain while the elites raise their game.  I’ve yet to see Anderson raise his game.  I’ve yet to see Anderson will his team to win when they need it most.   I‘ve yet to see Anderson put the team on his back and carry them forward.  He did it the entire year, but he hasn’t since it started to really matter.

In Andy defense, I don’t know if anyone other than Stastny, Galiardi, and Chris Stewart has gotten considerably better since the Olympic break.  This is a short-term and a long-term problem for the Avs.  The Avalanche of old have numerous players whose games would get considerably better this time of year; not just on offense (Sakic, Forsberg, Kuri, Kaminski, Drury) but defense too (Borque, young Foote, Blake… not to mention the hallowed Roy).

This team needs two defenders, a second liner (I’m looking at you Hejduk, and at some point in the future you Duchene), and a fourth liner to raise their games to playoff level.  Otherwise this is all just an exercise in futility.

In closing I must warn you that I may be abandoning you in our time of need, but I can’t help it.  With my unending knowledge of all things competitive, I have been chosen (by me) to go to Milwaukee for the website (at my own expense) to watch the opening series for the Colorado Rockies in person.  I won’t be back in time to comment on a remaining regular season Avalanche game.  I promise I will post my commentary if I find a game while there.  Just consider yourself warned.

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When last I wrote about the Nuggets I said the Boston loss was the type of loss to either invigorate & refocus the Nuggets… or it would send them into a week & a half long tailspin.  The Nuggets have gone 1-2 since their undressing in Boston.

The 1-3 road trip thus far has sunk the Nuggets into a hole, and so the game tonight at Dallas has new significance.  The Nuggets have three road games remaining and must win all of them to have a winning record on the road.  They are, in order of importance, At Dallas tonight, At Oklahoma City on April 7^th, At Phoenix to end the season.  Conceivably the Nuggets could lose all 3.  If the Nuggets are to lock up the number 2 they will have to win at least 2, maybe 3 of those games.

But the real importance in winning tonight’s game is that the winner gets the tiebreaker.

If the Nuggets win, they move up to the 2-spot with a half-game advantage and force a tie in the all-important Loss Column, but it might as well be 1.5 games with the tiebreaker.  If the Nuggets lose, they will be 1.5 games behind and also behind in the Loss Column.  That would be 2.5 games back with the tiebreaker.

This is the rare 4-game swing in the NBA we are witnessing tonight.  The Nuggets better bring their A game.

1^st Quarter

6:23 The Nuggets are placing more attention on Assists this game.

Everyone’s been talking about how few assists there have per game in the slump.  It hasn’t translated to points.  Mainly the Nuggets are settling for jump shots early and they aren’t falling.  On the other end the Mavericks are also settling for jump shots, but they are falling.  Dallas is 7-10 from the field to start, mainly off the pick and roll.

0:00 Well, the Nuggets have improved their play but are only maintaining the deficit.

The bench is playing better than the starters.  J.R. Smith has hit two in a row and Malik Allen just made a three. (I don’t know how I feel about Allen taking 3s but I like him making them.)  On the other end, the Mavs are passing into the low post on every play.

End Quarter Mavs 31-23

The story of the game has been accurate jump-shooting vs a not-so-accurate jump shot.  The Nuggets are allowing the Mavs to make easy passes to their bigs down low.  Jump shots from there are much higher percentage than the perimeter jump shots the Nuggets are taking.

Denver is trying to set up isolations with Carmelo Anthony on the wing and the Mavs are doubling him.  Someone else needs to step up and teach the Mavs not to double Anthony.

2^nd Quarter

5:22 The bench is coming up big for the Nuggets.

The lead has been closed to 5 and Denver’s backups are shooting 8 for 10 between Ty Lawson, Smith, and Joey Graham.  Allen is also respectable shooting 2-5 with 2-2 three pointers.  The Nuggets are scoring all their points either by the dribble-drive or in transition.  Meanwhile, Chris Anderson looks like he might be having one of his nights – 3 blocks so far.

1:46 The starters come back in and the lead promptly goes up to nine.

Foul shots coming for Brendan Haywood.  A good comparison right now that Adrian Dauntley better see is that the Mavericks are putting a player under the basket on every shot for an Offensive Rebound and blocking out on every Nuggets shot.  The Nuggets are doing neither.

0:00 The Denver starters stop the bleeding.

Once again, only enough to maintain the deficit.  The Mavs tried to drop the hammer in the closing seconds and began launching poorly arranged threes.  Fortunately for the Nuggets, none fell.

End Quarter 55-46

In retrospect it’s not as bad as it could have been, and that’s usually a sign that a momentum change will alter the entire game.  The refs have been even-handed, the bench has outplayed one of the (so-called) best benches in basketball, and the Mavericks have gotten 3 disgusting three pointers to fall (including one by Rodrigue Beaubois in which Chauncey Billups tipped the shot and it went in anyway).

But Dallas is leading in the important stats (Boards 22-18, Dimes 14-6).  The Nuggets could be ahead in rebounds if they would just put someone under the basket on every play.  And at some point someone is going to have to pass the basketball… this whole doing everything yourself thing ain’t working.

Although the biggest reason for the deficit is Melo’s stat line (1-8 FG, 0 dimes, 3 points).  In most cases I’d say if the shots aren’t falling then pass the ball to somebody else, but this is Melo.  He can’t be shut down for the entire game right?   But Carmelo has only driven off the isolation once and it resulted in his three points.   Every other time Melo gets the ball in isolation he’s been double teamed or took a quick jumper.

Carmelo Anthony needs to go to the rim.

3^rd Quarter

8:55 Nuggets open the quarter by falling into the same bad habits that got them the deficit in the first place.

Jump-shooting way to early in the possession, and letting Dallas get the ball to the low post way too easy.  The lead is now 16.

5:53 Apparently I spoke too soon in praising the refs for their even-handedness.

6 fouls in the quarter, all of them on the Nuggets.  No less than 2 have been bona-fide phantom fouls, and at least one foul on the Mavericks has been missed.

0:00 The bench comes in and battles back to 10.

The highlight was in the Nuggets last possession J.R. Smith after draining the clock drives down the right side of the key, Jason Kidd puts his hand out and knocks the ball away, Smith recovers beyond the three point arch at about the right side 40 degrees mark.  With the shot clock about to expire he’s forced to put up a prayer, he jumps backward out of bounds.  3 points. 3diculous shot.

End Quarter Mavs 79-69

The Nuggets are just kinda hanging around.  With as bad as the starters have played and as well as the Mavericks have played (particularly Heywood) the game certainly feels very much in question for a 10-point game.

4^th Quarter

10:02 Nuggets open the quarter with points on their first 4 possessions.

Denver closes the lead to 7 and Dallas wants a time out.  Mostly due to poor transition defense by the Mavs results in two fouls on Nene and a particularly bad defensive setup that left Smith open at the top of the key with no one between him and the basket.

10:02-9:56 Time that elapsed between Dallas’ four and fifth timeouts.

Good defense by the Nuggets on the inbound.

8:55 Credit where credit is due, the refs open the 4^th by calling fouls in the Nuggets’ favor 5-1.

7:58 The Nuggets were playing with all the momentum in the world.

Denver had cut the lead to 8 and then fumbled the basketball away, the Mavs went the other way and scored two.  The following possession goes the same way.  4-6 point swing.

6:44 The Mavs make the most of the momentum swing.

Dirk Nowitzki buries a three from the top of the arch to put the Mavs up by 16.  This game feels over.

0:00 The game ends without further incident or contest.

End Game Mavs 109-93

This entire game was still on the line even with the Nuggets down by 8 in the fourth.   And then 1 moment’s lack of focus by J.R. Smith and Jason Kidd steps in with a steal and Dallas takes an 8-point lead to 16 in 2 minutes.   One play in the middle of the fourth quarter and a possible win becomes a 20ish point loss.  That’s how close this was.

In spite of the mistake that cost the Nuggets the game, Smith was clearly the best player on the floor.

Further, the mistake notwithstanding, the reason for the loss is the fault of the stars, Carmelo & Chauncey.  They combined for 6-30 shooting and a tepid 21 points.  If two guys are going to take 40% of your shots they can’t miss 80% of those.

The good news is that I think the losing streak is over.

Not just because the road trip is over, and 5 of the remaining 7 are at home, but because of the type of loss this was.  This was about as close to a must-win you will get in the regular season and the team played well while the stars played poorly.  That one almost fixes itself.

Before, when the Nuggets lost to Boston, everyone played badly except Melo and Chauncey.

That’s a harder fix.   That takes players taking a step back, getting back in line, playing for the teams.  When your stars play poorly, it takes everyone doing exactly what they did and the stars need to step up, which they are doing anyway.  I expect the next game against the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday to be a rout of 15-25 points and Portland won’t challenge in the 4^th.

And expect Melo and Chauncey to pile it on.

In other news, everyone raise your glasses to the New Jersey Nets.  With a 90-84 win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Nets have recorded their 10^th win of the season and successfully become NOT the worst team ever.  Congrats.

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Well, it’s over.  Western Conference Finals Game 1 in LA.  A home loss to Milwaukee followed by a road loss to New York will do that.  It’s time the focus shifted from catching LA to dealing with Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, OK City and all the rest of the capable teams within striking distance.  The 2 seed is of the utmost importance considering the Nuggets haven’t won a road series since 1994.

At least the Nuggets have Boston tonight to find their legs.  Yes Boston and Denver have played even the last couple of years (1-1 four years straight, 8-7 last 15 meetings), but in recent games against Boston when Denver wins they dominate and when Boston wins it’s close.  Denver’s starters are about even with Boston, but the bench tends to play big against the Celtics. (Chris Anderson in particular, who Boston has shown time and time again they simply have no answer for.)

1^st Quarter

 

11:45 First play out, the Nuggets elect to leave Kevin Garnett unguarded under the basket, easy alee-opp.   Not a good sign.

8:38 Both teams, are playing some pretty lazy defense out of gate (Boston up 10-9) The only reason the score’s not higher is that Boston keeps the pace so slow.

5:28 A nice slow game just as the Celtics like it, and oddly enough Boston is by up 3 early with better transition play.   The Nuggets offensively are getting good looks and getting good drives, they just need to finish.  After a Johan Petro travel, Boston calls a timeout (odd for Boston to call the timeout, they’re on a roll). 

4:27 Aaron Afflalo has found his range: he’s 2-3 with a 3pt and a FT for 6 points.  So far he’s being left open.  The Nuggets are turning up the speed of the game and starting to get the scoring going.

End Quarter Celtics 30-27

 

Pretty boring, slow-paced game.  Blame the high score on the refs calling a high-foul game (13 first quarter fouls) which resulted in load of FT’s.  Glen Davis and Rajon Rondo each have two fouls, so it’s time to give the ball to Carmelo Anthony and let him carve up the bench players.

2^nd Quarter                                                                                

 

9:13 The Refs are continuing to calls loads of fouls, which is contributing to the slow pace but also keeping the Nugget in a game they’re playing a little flat in. 

6:31 The Nuggets are showing some commitment to letting J.R. Smith just run the offense and so far it has elicited mixed results.  Every play has been good, resulting in points or open looks or foul shots.  The problem is J.R. Smith is 1-4 from the charity stripe.

3:50 The Nuggets defense has fallen off a cliff.  No one rotating, shots aren’t being challenged. 

3:31 I addition to the poor defense, the Nuggets have suddenly forgotten how to make a FT (11-18 FT’s).  Between Nene and Smith they’ve missed 5 FT in the last two minutes.

5:23-0:01 Celtics go on a 17-7 run, due to lazy defense, poor rebounding, and missed FT’s.  The key sequence was one Boston possession in which the Celtics got 5 offensive rebounds and the Nuggets got 2 fouls.

End Quarter 61-51

 

51 in one half against Boston is respectable.  Allowing Boston to score 61 is pathetic.   Boston had two 30-point quarters.  Keep in mind that the Celtics are averaging 99 points a game and they are already almost two-thirds of the way to that average halfway through the game.

Pretty much everything must get better.   The Nuggets are trailing in virtually every category:

FG 54%-53%, FT 82%-65%, Dimes 19-11, Boards 21-16, TO 4-7

The Nuggets are still in it though, and it certainly says something that they are only down by 10 in game they should be down by 20.

3^rd Quarter

 

10:32 The bad defense continues right into the second half.   No energy.

7:08 The Nuggets can’t get a break, Anthony has had three layups in a row rim out.  On the other end either the Nuggets don’t block out, or they do and the ball bounces out to the perimeter.

4:07 Nuggets put together a few good possessions in a row to claw back to 16 poinst downs.   It all began with a  drive to the basket. 

1:31 Ty Lawson is back in the game and the Nuggets have closed the lead to 10.  Melo is starting to get the offense going.

0:58 Nuggets cut the lead to single digits on a Melo FT.

0:00 Nuggets play great defense to force a bad 3 pointer from Nate Robinson, Anderson gets a fantastic effort rebound and then throws a pass all the way down to J. R.  who buries a three as time expires.   6-point swing.

End Quarter Celtics 87-80

 

Nuggets have clawed their way back into the game.  One more good quarter should win it now.

4^th Quarter

 

9:35 After the Celtics come out of the break hot, the Nuggets reestablish the defense and are threatening again.  The Celtics are settling for jump shots and that helps.

6:46 The Refs are giving nothing up… there’s been questionable whistle on the last four possessions. 

4:14 Celtics are up 14 and are in burn-the-clock mode.  

2:32 The Nuggets have given up. 

End Game Celtics 113-99

 

Bad game all the way around for the Nuggets and now the Mavericks have the 2-spot.  This is the type of game that can only have one of two long-term consequences.  Either 1.) The Nuggets will regroup and become focused and angry and win 5 of their next 6, or 2.) the wheels will come off and the Nuggets will lose 4 of their next 5.

The next game is Toronto, which represents the best chance to win left of this road trip.  I think we will know very quickly which Nuggets team will show up over the next week and a half.

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The Avalanche are starting a six-game stretch against the Pacific Division, the last such stretch against a single division this season.  Over the next 6 games, 4 are on the road and 5 are played in 8 days (including two back-to-backs).  If the Avs are to catch the Canucks for the Northwest Division title, they must survive this stretch by getting at least 6 points out of the twelve (and realistically it probably needs to be 8-9 points).  On the other hand, if the Avs stumble here they will put their playoff spot in jeopardy.

Seeding will also be clear after this week, as 3 of the 6 games are against LA (away and home) and Phoenix (away).   If the Avs can only win 3 it’d be nice to win those 3.  The other 3 are San Jose (in San Jose) and Anaheim (away and home).

1^st Period

Right out of the gate the Avs are playing with urgency that the Ducks can’t match.  They have gotten good rushes from the second and top lines (in that order) both with shots.   Neutral zone play has been immaculate.

Peter Mueller on a pressure rides Matt Beleskey into the right side boards with a hand on each elbow.  Holding 2:00 Penalty. It was pretty close, might have been a no-call situation.

Jason Blake on the PP behind the net to the right of Chris Anderson, wins the puck in a board battle with Chris Stewart, and simply skates to the front of the net, backhand, 5-hole. PP Goal Anaheim 1-0 Lubomir Visnovsky and Scott Neidermayer each received an assist but the play was all Blake.

1^st five minutes go to the Duck because of the goal, though the Avalanche were playing better even-strength hockey.   The Avs better take over again quickly, because the Ducks seem to have found their legs.

During a line change by the Avs, the puck got fired into the bench area and hit Marek Svatos. Too Many Men, 2:00 Penalty. Bad Luck

The Avs redeem themselves after the soft defense on the previous PP by forcing everything to the sides or out of the zone.  Kill. The best opportunity on the PP was by the Avs on a breakaway by Cody McLeod.

2^nd Five Minutes, the Avs look in-control again.  The Ducks are attempting some short little chip-ins to knifing skaters when moving into the zone, but they’re being reckless with the passes.  The Avs have been a pass away from a breakaway twice already on the resulting turnovers.

No sooner do I type my last comment than Corey Perry tries the very same chip-dump while working in on the left side, right at Milan Hejduk.  Hejduk can’t handle the puck and it takes an Anaheim bounce to Ryan Getzlaf who moves the puck left to right to Beleskey too fast for Anderson to keep up.  Wrist shot far side, Goal 2-0 Anaheim. Hejduk needs to get that puck under control; this goal might as well have been a defensive zone turnover.

3^rd five minutes go to the Ducks again with the goal.  Every time the Avs look to begin asserting themselves, an offensive player makes a mistake on defense and gives up a goal.  Anaheim seems to be getting a little boost every time a goal is scored, and that holds the Avs down for a few minutes.

Chris Stewart has had enough and throws down against Troy Bodie.  Bodie regrets fighting Stewart almost immediately.  Stewart landed at least 3 good punches and another 4 glancing blows. Bodie landed 1 glancing blow before receiving the volley and falling to the ice.  Maybe this will light a fire under Avs.  Matching 5:00 penalties.

Three minutes to go and Anaheim continues the aggressive rushes they are known for, but they have rotated the free skater back to the blue line.  It would appear that they are content to go to the room with the lead.

After two minutes of watching Anaheim waste time behind Andy while the free skater hung out at the blue line (literally 2 minutes of watching 2 Ducks play keep away from 3, sometimes 4, Avs) Anaheim decide to try for a goal with the Avs in a long shift.  Sheldon Brookbank skates to the slot and fires a one-timer, save.  On the play John Michael Liles hooks Belenskey in the crease try to stop a rebound.  Hooking 2:00 Penalty.

While I like Liles’ effort at the end of a long shift, there were at least 4 times during the shift when a Duck with the puck sat behind the net unapproached while the Avs just let the clock run.  If the Ducks were crashing the net it would be one thing, but the Ducks had shown commitment to leaving 3 skaters at the blue line to keep the score into intermission.  This penalty could have been avoided by knowing the situation and forcing a decision.

Final 5 minutes really belong to no one since neither team really tried to score for much of it, but it belongs much less to the Avs since Anaheim had a legitimate reason not to try to score.  The cautious defense in the face of cautious offense the Avs played during the final three minutes was disgraceful.

End Period.  Anaheim 2-0

I’ve sat and thought for a moment before typing this, but I think I understand the Avs’ reasons for playing so cautiously in the closing minutes.  When they were skating hard and pressing Anaheim at every chance, they have given up two goal and two penalties.  It’d be easy to think what you were doing wasn’t working.

But it was working… the goals were defensive mistakes by offensive players; one penalty was bad luck and the other was a borderline penalty call.

The answer, in my humble opinion, is to get back to pressing Anaheim.

2^nd Period.

Immediate out of the intermission, Ducks still on the PP, a defensive-zone turnover on an attempt clear gets Perry the puck in the slot. Andy goes down to the ice and makes a great save on Perry moving left to right.  The puck kicks out the Neidermayer  who passes down to Teemu Selanne on the left side of the net PP Goal Anaheim 3-0 Selanne 600^th goal of his career.

It would come against the Avs…

It’s back and forth after the 3^rd goal, though the Ducks have gone to total defense.  A little early to be playing nothing but defense, but I guess you can do that when you’ve got Jonas Hiller in net.

1^st Five minutes saw the Ducks get their goal, and then decide the game is over.  I’d like to say the Avs were dominating the play because more than two-thirds of the game is now being played in Anaheim’s zone, but the Ducks are just trying to win with the score they’ve got.  The game has now become this: can the Avalanche score on Anaheim when they are playing entirely defensively.

McLeod after a faceoff in front of Colorado’s bench drops gloves with Brookbank.  They fight to a standstill as neither can land any good shots.  Fun fact to know and tell:  The Avs are 10-1-1 when they have two fights in the same game.  They’ll need every ounce of good karma they can get to climb back into this one.

On a dump and chase Steve Eminger checks T. J. Galiardi driving toward the puck down the left side.  Interference 2:00 Penalty. Eminger got beat and tried to get back in with some physical play, just too physical.

Hiller is still a problem.  The Avs’ PP looked great as they got 4 good scoring chances and kept the puck in the zone for almost 1:45 of the PP all together, but the one thing they couldn’t do was solve Hiller who made 4 nice saves on those chances.

2^nd five minutes, once again the Avs are dominating control of the puck, but only because Anaheim doesn’t care.   They are fine with winning a boring 3-0 game.

The game is getting a little bit chippy. Kyle Quincey pushes Sakku Koivu on a faceoff and Koivu trying to get back puts his stick into Quinceys face.  High-Sticking 2:00 Penalty. Can’t say the Avs aren’t getting opportunities.

Playing the right side point on the PP Stewart can’t handle a puck coming toward the line, and afterwards can’t handle the puck in the Neutral Zone.  Bodie steals the puck and drives to Anderson’s left, wrist shot glove side, SH Goal Anaheim 4-0. Anderson’s gone.  No reason to leave him in anymore.

Hiller is standing on his head, chalk up two more great saves.  Kill. Anaheim is crushing us with their defensive play.

3^rd five minutes saw Anaheim get a SH Goal, a P-Kill, and send Andy to the locker room.   Now I would agree with switching to a defensive game plan.

Galiardi does it again. Moving across the blue line on a rush down the right side he beats Getzlaf and draws a trip.  Tripping 2:00 minutes penalty. Nice to see him playing well, but the hole is probably a little too deep at this point.

Final 5 minutes is much the same as the rest of the period; the Avs trying franticly to get anything going, the Ducks keeping the game well in hand with boring safe play.  I think we might even see the trap defense rear its head in the first five minutes of the final period.

End Period Anaheim 4-0

All things considered, this might be a period to just try some things to see what works on this defense since you have to play them again in a week.  A 4-goal period on Hiller is a tall order.  Better to let this one go and make sure to get both points in the next one.

The Avs did bump the energy up a notch, but it looks like just one of those nights.  At least they tried the right thing rather than letting Anaheim coast away with it. (Better that the Ducks run away with it than coast away.)

3^rd Period.

The Avs open the period on the PP and have massive problems getting it set up. Anaheim easily kills the Penalty. Kill.

On the first rush after the PP, Darcy Tucker and Stewart run a give and give crossing the blue line, Stewart sets Tucker up nicely in the slot, Slapshot, Goal Avalanche, 4-1 It was important to get a least one in the period, to get a little confidence against a team you have to play again in a week.

Anaheim is playing angry after the goal. They are suddenly not content to win a three goal game.  This could help the Avs as they may see some more open ice.

1^st five minutes goes to the Avs with the shutout-ending goal.  The Ducks are skating hard again, but you get the sense it’s in desperation rather than aggression.  I have no idea why.

TJ Galiardi is having great game.  He beats another Duck on a rush down the left side and skates the puck around the net, passes to Ruslan Salei who fires in from a bad angle but the puck dribbles in.  Goal Avalanche, 4-2. Absolutely one Hiller needs to save.  The Avs got lucky, but then again you can’t win a thing without luck.

The Ducks are absolutely playing to get the big lead back.  It’s debatable whether they should, as they were doing  much better with cautious play.  They did get a chance to widen the lead again.  Getzlaf on the backend of a rush gets the puck all alone in the slot in front of a prone Peter Budaj and lifts the puck too high.

Salei gets whistled for tripping Selanne.   I didn’t see a trip, I saw a high stick.  I’m not gonna complain, it’s the same result.  Tripping 2:00 Penalty.

First pressure of the PP, Perry at the left side blue line, to Selanne at the left side base line, to Getzlaf on the far side of Budaj.  PP Goal Anaheim, 5-2. Pretty play.

2^nd five minutes, Avs got a goal to put some fear into the Ducks and then the Ducks got a crusher.  Since the Goal, Colorado is reeling and Anaheim smells blood.   It looks like they want to beat Colorado into the ground.

Avalanche get whistled for their 6^th penalty not counting the 2 Fighting Majors.   Matt Duchene loses a board battle with Visnofsky, and just barely grabs his sleeve with the stick as he skates a way.  Hooking 2:00 Penalty. A little ticky-tacky but still no reason to go lift up your stick if you’re Duchene.

The Avs put together a nice little P-Kill. Kill, but too little too late.

3^rd Five minutes, Anaheim has calmed back down, but the Avs have too.  Both teams know how this game will end.

Final five minutes comes and goes without incident.

End Game: Anaheim 5-2

The Avalanche gave Anaheim 3 extra PP’s and the Ducks put in 3 PP goals that turned out to be the difference in the game.   Adding further injury was the Avs PP scored negatively on three chances with the shorthanded score by the Ducks.  Not the best way to start out the final really tough stretch of the season.  When they play again in a week I suspect Sacco with have pounded the PP stats into their head and they will be much more in control of themselves on the ice.

Tomorrow the Avalanche get to play in LA and then welcome the Kings to Colorado on Wednesday.  Given the result tonight, in order keep their place in the playoffs secure, the Avs need at least 3 of those 4 points.  The good news is, if they pull that off they’ll also be moving up in the seeding.

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