Six Nuggets (Anthony, Afflalo, Billups, Nene, Harrington & Lawson) scored double-digit points in this 110-88 rote dismantling of the Jazz.
Denver will host the division nemisis Utah Jazz to kick off what could be Melo’s last year, month or week with the club… depending on which trade rumors you believe.
Bear in mind, of course, that this would not have happened in 2009. The ot-nine Nuggets would have simply overwhelmed the Jazz with the same barrage of offensive firepower that defeated New Orleans & Dallas. But without the commanding influence of one George Matthew Karl manually balancing Denver’s speeding keel, they routinely fell out of rhythm on both ends of the court.
The blame can be placed squarely on the shoulders of head coach Adrian Dantley, who was overmatched all series in the presence of Jerry Sloan’s masterful in-game coaching. The Denver Nuggets went out with a whimper in 2010, and the team will have a long offseason to consider what changes need to be made to improve in 2011.
Denver had a unique opportunity to crush the Jazz in Game 2, and they let it slip away. Utah is beset by injuries, losing Andrei Kirilenko & Mehmet Okur over the last few weeks. Granted, Deron Williams & Carlos Boozer had outstanding games in Denver, but the Nuggets’ bench was absolutely useless on Monday night. If Denver’s B-Team can’t beat Utah’s C-Team, the Nuggets don’t deserve to move on in these playoffs.
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.
