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.
Now, with Jazz Center Mehmet Okur going down with a ruptured Achilles tendon on Saturday night, Utah will have to move PF Carlos Boozer to Center for much of the game. That gives Carmelo even more room to work on the perimeter, and likely spells doom for Utah in this series.
It’s a good time to be a Colorado sports fan – Saturday, Ubaldo Jimenez mowed down the Braves with the first no-hitter in Rockies history. Then on Sunday, the Sharks peppered the “Ninja Yeti” Craig Anderson with 51 shots, and Andy stopped each of them on his way to a 1-0 overtime shutout in Game Three of the first round playoff series.
As dominant as the Nuggets were throughout the regular season series, the Jazz improved mightily in the final month of the season. Carlos Boozer came on strong after struggling for Utah since late last season, and the Jazz bench began contributing in a real way for the first time in years.
The doctor charged with overseeing George Karl’s treatment for neck & throat cancer is optimistic about the NBA coach’s recovery. In fact, Karl may yet return for his Denver Nuggets’ playoff run.
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.
Whenever George Karl does return, he’ll look to utilize Coby’s above-average height at Shooting Guard (6’5”) to create mismatches and improve rebounding. Coby Karl already averaged 4 rebounds per game in limited time with Golden State, and 6 per game as a starter with the Stampede.
The Denver Nuggets looked asleep at the wheel for at least half of their 98-96 win over the LA Lakers on Thursday night. Luckily, Los Angeles rested Kobe Bryant’s sore knee and finger in preparation for the playoff defense of their 2009 title.
The Nuggets’ 98-94 edging of the driven Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday displayed the offensive dynamism and (occasional) sharp defensive rotation that Denver has been lacking for most the last two weeks.
So get to a TV if you can, find a bar with the full NBA package if you must, but watch as many of these games as you can. It may just be a warm up for the Main Event, but this next week is going to be one hell of a show.
