Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

The Nuggets face the Northwest Division rival Thunder in an NBA Playoffs battle.  Two of the most athletic teams in the league will go toe-to-toe starting this Sunday, April 17th.  Dan Olson and Ian Cerveny take you inside this thrilling first round matchup with a series preview.  Also previewed are the other first round playoff series across the NBA.

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A perfect week for the Avalanche (4-0) launched them from 9^th in the Western Conference to 3^rd as the leaders of the Northwest Division.

Colorado’s offense was already rolling along at a league-leading 3.6 goals per game clip.  The return of top goaltender Craig Anderson versus the NY Rangers on Friday sparked a defense that has struggled through injuries to four of its top six defenders.  The Avs blew past New York in that game to the tune of a 5-1 shellacking before edging the Stars in Dallas on Saturday.

Now the Avalanche get Anderson close to 100% in a stretch of games that will determine whether or not Colorado keeps its tenuous hold on the Northwest.  This week is all about division play, and it starts tonight as the Avs travel to Vancouver to take on the 2^nd place Canucks.

Wednesday, November 24^th @ Vancouver Canucks (8:00 MST)

The Avalanche stole a point in their first trip to Vancouver this season, forcing Overtime in a game eventually won by the Canucks.  That was the night almost a month ago that Craig Anderson limped off the ice after hurting his knee in pre-game warm-ups.

This time around Colorado is predominantly healthy and absolutely deadly on offense.  The two teams have been heading in opposite directions of late, with the Avs winning four straight while the ‘Nucks lost their last four.

Expect a no-holds-barred brawl in Vancouver tonight with just two points separating the Canucks from the Avalanche at the top of the Northwest Division.  Bottom line – if Craig Anderson can return quickly to elite form, the Avalanche win.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 4, Canucks 3

Thursday, November 25^th @ Edmonton Oilers (7:00 MST)

After a resurgent season in 2009, the Oilers are back to square one.  They are an NHL-worst -33 in goal differential, allowing an absurd 82 goals in 20 games this season.

For you math wonks, that’s 4.1 goals allowed per game.  Introduce the Avs’ 3.6 goals per game to the equation and what you have is a scorefest mitigated by Colorado’s ability to stop a few transition chances.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 5, Oilers 2

Friday, November 27^th vs Minnesota Wild (7:00 MST)

Playing the Oilers for the first time this season is one thing.  Playing the tough-as-nails Minnesota Wild for the first time this season is something else entirely.

Even if this version of the Wild will never be an elite team in the hyper-competitive West, they could win a division in the East on the strength of their defense alone.  That D-first approach regularly frustrates the Avalanche on offense, and undisciplined defense eventually becomes their undoing.

Now, Joe Sacco has Colorado playing remarkably responsible hockey for a club packed to the gills with young talent.  If the Avs win, it will be thanks to Sacco’s guidance, but the Wild are veteran scrappers and this smells like an upset to me.

PREDICTION: Avalanche 2, Wild 3

**BONUS COVERAGE**

Roughly 20 games into the season the wild, wild western conference  remains predictably tight.  A mere five points separate the #1 Red Wings from the #8 Vancouver Canucks, and if the playoffs started today that would be as fiery a first round matchup between top and bottom as you are ever likely to see.

The West really only has one truly bad team in the Edmonton Oilers, and those Oilers have already beaten the Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks twice this season.  The Calgary Flames have the West’s only other sub-.500 record, and the Flames are still just -2 in goal differential despite going 2-8 following a heart-stomping 6-5 home loss to the Avalanche.

The moral of the story is this:

Every Western Conference team needs to win against the bottom half of the league if they hope to make the playoff field.  The difference in team talent is marginal amongst the top 15 teams in the West, and it will be dedicated team play on both sides of the puck that decides the top eight.  Against the East?  Fuggetaboutit.  The teams that win in the West will do it by dominating their sickly sisters along the right coast.

Where do the Avalanche sit in all of this?

Outside of bad losses to Calgary at home and the Islanders in New York, the Avs are playing up against every opponent.  They compete in almost every game, and are seeing young defenders stepping in to shore up a loose defense.

Colorado has routinely roughed up the weaker Eastern Conference opposition in seasons past, and can challenge the West leaders with a strong five-game East road trip to kick off December.

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If not for a Kenyon Martin layup, the Nuggets would have gone the first seven & a half minutes of the 1^st Quarter without scoring a single point.  That, combined with atrocious, stationary defense, gave the Suns a quick 18-2 lead over the visiting Nuggets.

Denver struggled so mightily through the opening salvo that they had a paltry 5 points at the midway point in the quarter.

Down 15 with 4:22 left in the 1^st, Carmelo Anthony nailed a tough 21-foot jumper.  JR Smith followed from 18 for 2, 25 for 3 & 26 for 3.  Chauncey nailed a 25-footer of his own on the next trip down the court to bring the Nuggets within 8 points at 23-31.

Unfortunately, Denver’s run fell short and the Suns called a quick timeout to right the ship.  By the end of the opening quarter, Phoenix had inflated its lead back to 12.

Most of the 2^nd Quarter was a back-and-forth slugfest that slowed to a crawl as the referees took over the flow of the game.  Neither team was able to gather any major momentum as casual contact became fouls.  Phoenix dropped a couple of key threes to stretch their lead.

That lead hovered around 16 points until Phoenix called a timeout with 2:35 left in the half.

Denver came out stout on defense, but started missing jumpers in bunches.  The Suns maintained their scoring pace, dropping 11 more to end the half up 70-49.

Even without the Nuggets’ early game struggles, they only shot 38% in the half against 56% for Phoenix.  And despite their spat of threes to close the gap in the 1^st Quarter, Denver started a dry run from deep that spanned the remainder of the half.  That translates to 3 of 10 versus 8 of 12 from beyond the arc and a breezy 21-point Suns lead.

That first half buzzer might as well have signaled the end of the game.

Denver was able to bring the Phoenix lead down to 13 midway through the 3^rd Quarter, but the Suns called a timeout and re-established their dominance.  An 11-2 Phoenix run coming out of that timeout effectively ended the Denver threat by expanding the lead to 22 points.

TNT must have been delighted to have such a barn-burner as their showcase game this late in the season.  No doubt Denver audiences bailed on Altitude early too.  The refs slowed the game with whistles to quell the brewing bad blood as the game got physical.

The final score in the Nuggets’ final game of the regular season was an embarrassing 101-123 depantsing.

The loss relegates the Denver Nuggets to a likely 5^th seed, as the Utah Jazz control their destiny in the race for the Northwest Division after a win at Golden State.  Phoenix travels to Salt Lake City tomorrow night to settle the Western Conference seeding with the Jazz.  Only a Suns victory can save the Nuggets from their late-season decent from 1-seed contenders to the 5-seed and a hellish road to the Finals.

The best Denver can now finish is the 4th playoff slot, a 1st round date with the Jazz, and a temporary home-court advantage. Should Utah beat the Suns tomorrow night, the Nuggets will open the 1st round on the road in Phoenix.

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With 8 games to go, the Nuggets will need a win tonight at the Mavericks and a strong finish to reacquire the 2^nd seed in the Western Conference playoff field

Despite a losing effort in Orlando on Sunday, the Denver Nuggets clinched a playoff slot with 8 games to go.  Memphis lost to Milwaukee in OT to set a basement for the Nuggets’ playoff seeding.

Now Denver will travel to Dallas for a showdown with the Mavericks.

The Nuggets need this game for a lot of reasons… namely the three teams surrounding them in the standings.

The Dallas Mavericks sit at 2^nd in the West just a half game ahead of Denver with one less loss and a game in hand.  Dallas has a cakewalk to the 2-seed with 4 of their remaining 9 games coming against non-playoff teams.  Unless the Nuggets steal a game in Dallas tonight, they will be watching as the Mavs walk away with the home-court advantage.

The Utah Jazz are tied with the Nuggets at 48-26.  Denver won the season series so Utah will need to win an extra between now and mid-April to take over the Northwest Division. Aside from a home game against the Knicks tonight and a home-and-away series versus the Golden State Warriors, the Jazz have a tough schedule to close out the season.  If the Nuggets hold

The Phoenix Suns lurk a half game back from both Denver & Utah with one less win but a game in hand.  The Suns have a difficult road stretch this week, all against Eastern Conference teams.  If Phoenix can improve at all on their 7-game winning streak against poor-to-middling opponents (or just grab 2 of 4 through the end of the week) the Suns will control their own destiny to close out the season.  They play 3 of their final 5 at home, and their final two are against Denver (home) and Utah (away).

Quite the recipe for a rapid rising of Phoenix in the standings.

Not only is an ascension likely for the Suns, they actually have the best chance of the four teams chasing the Lakers to pull off a miracle and steal the top seed from LA.

Denver, who bit at the heels of the Lakers for much of the season, is missing too much in the absence of Kenyon Martin.  Aside from his stellar low-post defense, Martin was hauling in an average of 9.6 rebounds per game before his knee sent him to rehab.  In recent games, the Nuggets have been missing those two elements very much.  Even bad offensive rebounding teams like the Raptors & Knicks simply got too many second and third chances against the Nuggets without Kenyon to chase them out of the paint.

That brings us full circle: back to tonight’s game at Dallas.

There is no quick-fix for what ails the Nuggets.  Without Kenyon Martin and the steadying influence of George Karl on the sidelines, they have looked (and played) like a middling playoff team of late.

Without the remaining Nuggets stepping up, most notably the bench players (we’re all looking at you JR), Denver will end up exactly that… a middling playoff team with an uphill climb back to the Conference Finals.

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Game Preview

Though the game tonight is a big NW showdown for first place, do not be deceived; first place in the Northwest will be decided by the Pacific division.

After today, the Avalanche will have 4 more division games while the Canucks will have 5 more division games out of the 16 games each team has remaining.  The Avs will also play one more game against the East. (Home game against Florida.  They must get 2 points.  No excuses.) Then two more against the Central.  The Canucks conversely have two more games against Eastern Conference teams, and one more Central game (against Detroit, a win-win game!)

That leaves 8 and 9 games remaining against Pacific teams for the Canucks and Avalanche, respectively.

This is a schedule that vastly favors Vancouver. Vancouver is physical hockey club, probably the most physical club in the league.  The Avs can bang with almost team, but they are built for a mix of speed and physicality.  The Pacific division is full of big teams (Dallas excluded) that like to beat you up and then win a close won.  Vancouver simply has a better roster to deal with this.

This is why this game is so important.  Any two points the Avs can get and restrict from Vancouver are essential to taking the Division considering the upcoming schedule.

There is some reason to hope, though.  Versus the Pacific Division’s 3 trap teams (Phoenix, LA, Anaheim), the Avs are a thankful 4-4-0 against this year.   Vancouver is 3-3-1 against the same three.  I would expect the Avs to be trailing in this category.  Perhaps a good sign for the stretch run.

1^st Period

The Avalanche start out the game with a couple of dump and chase attempts that went nowhere and a long pass to Peter Mueller down the left side that he couldn’t handle.   Defensively they are doing a good job of keeping the puck out of the middle, but Vancouver is spending more time in the Avs’ zone than vice versa.

Colorado has moved to working the puck over the blue line on the rush and earned a trio of long shots on the rush.  They  can’t keep the puck in the zone however.

First Five Minutes are about even, but I’m gonna give it Vancouver for more time spent in the Colorado zone.

2^nd line on the ice for the Avs sees a very uncharacteristic defensive breakdown by Vancouver.   After a board battle which pops out to Matt Hendricks at the point, Hendricks skates into the slot to draw the defense and passes to Mueller left side by the net.  Mueller fakes a quick shot to get Roberto Luongo down and then breaks around the back of the net.

Three, count ‘em, three Canucks chase Mueller, no one goes to the far side, pass to Matt Duchene, easy one-timer, GOAL.  Avs 1-0 You won’t get many easy ones like that against Vancouver.

T. J.  Galiardi picked a pass off in the Neutral Zone and dumped in right side near the boards.   Chris Stewart simply outskates Aaron Rome for the puck and sends it to the net.  GOAL.  Avs 2-0 Absolutely something Luongo should stop.

Rick Rypien picks a fight with Chris Durno right out of the faceoff after the second goal.  Durno shouldn’t be fighting after breaking his hand.  Like he’s reading my thoughts, Chris tackles Rypien two punches in.

Vancouver looks rattled after the quick two goals.  They’re making some foolish passes and are pressing the issue in the Neutral Zone in situations they don’t have too.  The Avs on the other hand are playing some good possession hockey and generating some good chances.

Luongo looks focused all of a sudden.

2^nd Five Minutes are dominated by the Avs.  2 gimme goals, sure, but after that they controlled the tempo entirely.  Vancouver is lost in fog and are getting reckless and desperate waaaaaay too early.

Alexander Edler trying to clear the puck during an Avalanche rush puts it over the glass.  Penalty: Delay of Game. Careless.

The Avs looked pretty useless on the PP with 3 quick Vancouver clears, until Paul Stastny worked it in left side and then drop-passed to Duchene on a give-and-go.

Duchene passed up to Stastny down low and it deflected off a Canuck defender and slid past Luongo far side.  GOAL.  Avs 3-0. There couldn’t have been more than 4 inches of open space on Luongo’s left.   It might just be the Avs night.  (Note: Kyle Cuminski credited with the 2^nd assist)

3^rd Five Minutes saw the Avs get a Power Play, and a Power Play goal, and really dictate the even-strength game.    Vancouver looked to be putting back together on the penalty kill and then…. the unlucky deflection.

Vancouver puts together a very nice little 45 second pressure with good keep-in and a decent shot halfway through, but the Avs are clogging the middle.  Colorado seems content to let this lead hit the room.  I can’t blame them.

Final Five Minutes saw some fiery play from Vancouver’s top line, but once again the Avalanche are playing trap and aren’t giving up any space to reenter the game.

End Period.

The Avs got lucky, and then got lucky, and then they controlled every aspect of the game for 12 minutes, and then they got lucky.   That’s the majority of the story so far.   The major beneficiary of the good fortune is Duchene with an easy one timer and a defensive deflection.

Credit to the Colorado defense; only 7 shots allowed in the period against a higher shooting team, and one really had a chance. (Board battle, came out to the point, shot through traffic made it Craig Anderson. I didn’t see who shot it as I’m writing from the bar and they went to commercial too quickly.)

Neutral Zone play has been the best part of the Colorado gameplan.  Two goal generated off the rush speaks for itself, but additionally they have been stifling and had a good mix of work ins, rushes, and dumps and chases (Note to Editor: Is the plural of dump and chase dumps and chases?).

2^nd Period

The period opens the way you would expect with the Canucks trying to outskate and outwork Colorado and the Avs playing cautious and close to the vest.   A little early for the prevent defense in my opinion.

About 4 minutes in you could see the Avs realize they wouldn’t just skate on to victory with the good 1^st period. They wake up a bit from the Intermission.  Now they’re meeting Vancouver’s aggressiveness.

1^st Five Minutes had Vancouver playing much better for the first four.  But the Avs are showing some energy now.

Avs give up a rush to the top line of Vancouver.  Sedin to Sedin (I’m not even going to try and tell them apart) at the blue line on the right side rush.  Shot, Save, Rebound by Mikael Samuelson. GOAL. Avs 3-1. They are a dangerous line.

In a play that happens 20 times a game and nothing bad ever happens, disaster strikes Vancouver on a cross ice pass in the defensive zone.  Edler cross ice to Pavol Demitra pick off by Mueller, breakaway.  Nice move in the slot from right left, wrist shot stick side.  Goal Avs 4-1. Edler carelessness with the puck gave the Avs a PP goal earlier in the game too.

2^nd Five Minutes Vancouver looked like the better team, but the margin stays the same on a very aggressive play by the newest Av.

Vancouver is showing their frustration now.  Pushing and shouting.

During a decent pressure by Vancouver, Avs fail to clear or H. Sedin steals the puck (take your pick it was about 50-50).  Pass to Christian Ehrhoff at the point, pass back down the slot to Samuelson, and Cumiskey is out of position.  Samuelson skates from left to right easy backhand.  GOAL Avs 4-2. Cumiskey was seduced across the crease by the absence of play and it cost the Avalanche.

Cumiskey almost makes up for it at the other end with a late-man try on the rush but can’t lift the puck.  The Avs keep it in but Durno handcuffs Ryan Johnson in the slot on the next shot.  Penalty: Interference.

3^rd Five Minutes has a Canuck Goal and PP and all-around good play from Vancouver. The Avalanche are reeling a little bit.

Great penalty Kill by the Avs.  Zero shots allowed.  While the Canucks could keep the puck in all they wanted on the sides, whenever they would try to work the puck to the middle the Avs would intercept and clear.  Great positional defense.

Right after Andy makes what might have been the save of the game, the top line of Vancouver does it again.   Sedin tracks down the puck in the right corner, crosses behind the net to the other Sedin, who passes back across in front of the net to Samuelson to complete his hat trick. GOAL 4-3. Andy got a piece of it but it was just high enough to get over his pad.

Final Five Minutes of the period all came down to one good 30-second pressure that cut the deficit to one goal.

End Period.

The Period was slightly in favor of the Canuck in terms of overall play, but with those narrow margins by which they played better they got 3 goals.  The Avs were a bit too passive for much of the period, and as a consequence have to defend just a one goal lead.

The Avs aren’t playing that bad in any of the three phases of the game, they’re just getting beat… and maybe outworked.   I think a little bit of energy is the answer.

3^rd Period

Both team come out of the room skating hard (about time Avalanche).  Both teams are also playing their secondary players off the puck by an extra 5-7 feet.  Looks like everybody wants open ice.

The Avs have managed two good chances in the period in the first 4 minutes but Luongo isn’t the premiere Canadian goaltender for no reason (though he did let in one soft goal today).  Both times the Avs could have beaten him moving from side to side.

1^st Five Minutes Colorado looked like the team  that wanted to win the game.   They’re the ones pressing the issue and Vancouver, after two period of skating very well, looks like they can’t quite find their legs.

Accidental trip by Galiardi on Ryan Kesler moving into the Offensive zone, but still give Vancouver a chance to tie.  Penalty. Tripping.

Avs had put together a decent penalty kill and towards the end of the PP Kelser sets of Ehrhoff in the right circle with Alexandre Burrows screening Andy.  Wrist shot, deflection, GOAL. Tied 4-4. I suppose the game has been so evenly matched both teams would turn out to have same lucky scores.

2^nd Five Minutes are Vancouver’s with the PP and the PP Goal.  10 minutes to go, both teams skating hard, and the next score probably wins.

Vancouver has decided to make it physical, but they do so at the wrong time.  Samuelson fighting Galiardi on a Vancouver rush loses the puck on a very physical work-in and hooks Galiardi in the aftermath.  Penalty: Hooking.

An identical play on the other end of the ice by Duchene on Edler.  Penalty: Hooking. Both teams wanted open ice so they get it.  Four-on-Four for 1:45.

Avs Kill a 15 second PP with one clear.

3^rd Five Minutes featured a penalty by each team and a kill by each team.  One good scoring chance by each team.  Both clubs have opened the ice all the way, as though to say, “We have the better offense, and even if we don’t, we have the better goalie.”  Next one to score almost certainly wins.

The open ice is not helping anyone early, just some dumps and line changes.

On a night when the Avs get a load of lucky bounces the Canucks get the luckiest one of all…

Rome launches from the left side point, Anderson makes a pad save.  The rebound bounces up into Jannick Hansen’s jersey who skates through the crease behind Anderson.  The puck falls out of Hansen’s jersey hits Anderson on the shoulder and deflects into the goal.  GOAL. Canucks 5-4. Vancouver just hung around too long.

Throw-away empty net by D. Sedin.  GOAL. Canucks 6-4.

End Game.

That Colorado choke virtually gives the Canucks the tiebreaker.

They now have the Head-to-Head and they sit 4 wins ahead, which means it’s a five point deficit not a four point deficit.  The Avs have one shot to win the division: rattle off no less than 24 point in 16 games. (I suppose the Canucks could stumble down the stretch, but they don’t have that type of team personality. I’m gonna say it won’t happen).

The turning point was the second Vancouver Goal, and I’m saying that because it was the first of 4 straight goals.  Up to that point the Avs were playing great defense.  But after they caught Cumiskey out of position, they began passing back to the point on every second or third pressure.   Firing from the point scored two more goals, one on a deflection and one on a rebound deflection.

I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on the Avs’ failure to keep the pressure on early in the second period.  Vancouver gave the Avalanche every opportunity to put the game away and the Avs, rather than failing to capitalize, passed on more than one chance to rush Luongo and put the Canucks in a deeper hole.

Lastly, Andy didn’t have the best game.  He was really only tested 3-4 times and let in 2-3 goals (the screen deflection being a debatable “should have stopped it” goal as he did take good position but he could have taken better considering the tough angle).   I don’t know if he saw the puck well tonight but I didn’t see a lot a of screens or confusing attacks by Vancouver.

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The Vancouver Canucks started the season as cold as a Northern Saskatchewanian ice floe.

Colorado took off out of the gates… well… like an Avalanche down a Rocky Mountain Valley.

Then the ‘Nucks got red hot and the Avs cooled to a respectable simmer.  Now, with 17 games left in the regular season and the two clubs separated by 2 points, Vancouver will visit Pepsi Center determined to lock up the season series and stretch their division lead.  This game will go a long way towards determining whether or not the young Avalanche are playoff-ready.

The Canucks are near the end of a remarkable (and remarkably successful) 14-game road swing that spanned the Vancouver Olympics.  Vancouver has managed to squeeze every drop out of their team through this trip, and I think they may finally crash tomorrow at Phoenix.

But despite the long road the Canucks have travelled to get here, Vancouver is still going to put up a helluva fight versus Colorado.  These two teams rolled over Calgary to make the Northwest Division a two-horse race, and this game will be played in a vacuum as a result.  The Avalanche trounced Vancouver in the second game of the season 3-0 before getting embarrassed with 0-3, 2-8 & 2-5 losses to the Canucks over three short weeks.

The Canucks will score, as they have quietly moved into a tie for 4^th highest goal total in the NHL.  Colorado has the speed and skill to skate with Vancouver any day, but will need to be efficient with their scoring chances to stay ahead.  My gut tells me that Milan Hejduk will need to generate some offense early to get his young team believing hard in the win.

The Canucks game is the first in a week of marquee matchups for the Avalanche.

Tuesday’s game versus Vancouver is followed by the Florida Panthers’ first visit to Craig Anderson’s new digs since they let him dip to Colorado in the offseason.

Then on Sunday the Avalanche will trek to Dallas for a pitched battle with a desperate Stars squad eager to break into the playoff field.  (They’re currently 4 points out.)  Colorado typically plays extremely well against Dallas, but did lose 2-3 on their last trip to Texas.  This is a nationally televised Sunday afternoon game, and the Marc Crawford-coached Stars will definitely be playing up to the big audience & high stakes.

Tue, Mar 9^th vs Vancouver Canucks (7:00 MST)

PREDICTION:  AVALANCHE 4, Canucks 3 (SO)

Thu, Mar 11^th vs Florida Panthers (7:00 MST)

PREDICTION:  AVALANCHE 5, Panthers 2

Sun, Mar 14^th @ Dallas Stars (1:00 MST)

PREDICTION:  Avalanche 2, STARS 3

WEEK 19 PREDICTION:  2-1

**Bonus Coverage**

Stewart’s Star shines brightly in first full season

Avalanche right wing Chris Stewart was named the NHL’s First Star for his stellar performance over four games last week.  Stewie bagged four assists and five goals, three of which came in his first career hat trick Saturday against the Blues.  Stewart is technically a sophmore, but only played a handful of games last season.

Chris is quickly becoming a fan favorite in Colorado, and his balanced combination of quickness and raw power has made him the Avs’ leading goal scorer on the season.  Stewart has 51 points in 60 games this year, and is emblematic of Colorado’s tough, aggressive approach on both sides of the puck.

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With 19 games remaining, Dallas stride-for-stride to their left, and Utah grabbing at their laces from behind, Denver can still keep a visual on the front-running Lakers.

At 42-21, the Nuggets are having the winningest season in their storied franchise history. With that in mind, they still sit 5 games back of the rival Lakers in the West. But coming down the stretch L.A. has carelessly stumbled upon a 3-game losing streak, unseen since the 2008 season.

A long way from a wish to make the playoffs, the hungry Nuggets and their fans now expect bigger, greater things; winning the division and getting to the conference finals. With such a great season keeping the expectation alive, surging Dallas and the pesky Jazz have decided to join the race to the finish.

Just to keep pace, Denver must maintain their winning gallop. After taking 7 of their last 10, the Nuggets go into a 2-day break coming off a secure stomping of the divisional Portland Blazers. George Karl, alongside his team of players and supporters, displayed a fresh look to the starting lineup tonight. Coach Karl substituted the French Wall in Johan Petro for the injured Kenyon Martin. Rookie Ty Lawson sat yet another game after injuring his shoulder last Sunday against the Lose…I mean Lakers.

Despite the injuries and the rotation shakeup, Carmelo Anthony rounded out a dominant night with 30 points. J.R. Smith made the most of his 29 minutes, scoring 22 points, and the Nuggets won as they should have, brushing aside Portland 118-106.

With no moves made at the break, and Denver managing to overcome a string of injuries & rehab to lead the Northwest Division, the usually constrained feelings I see in this team have suddenly broken free.

We must come to terms with this medley of rough, smooth, fresh & big athletes. They are the best chance Denver has had and will have for a Championship run over the next 2-3 years.

The Rough: Chris “Birdman” Andersen and Kenyon Martin regulate the paint for the Nuggets while J.R. Smith regulates the beating hearts of onlookers.

When not breaking ankles and smoking opponents, Anderson and Martin know how their roles, which include intimidate at the rim and kick out to the arch.

Great at dropping jaws and wearing seat edges, Smith is the best puzzle piece we force to fit in its place. If you stare at it long enough, you may actually see a ball player.

The Smooth: “Mr. Big Shot” and Melo are the floor managers.

Chauncey is averaging 20 points and nearly 6 assists per game. Melo has been abusing the nylon for 29 points per game this season. There is no argument that this season is built around and balanced on these two men’s shoulders.

The Fresh: Additions of the fast paced Ty Lawson and the hot-handed Aaron Afflalo have landed youth and experience in one basket.

Lawson seems at ease since his days in North Carolina, still driving up the court as though he is being timed.

Afflalo has been a consistent contributor through 62 games this season.

The Big: After doubts swirled above fans heads about Nene’s toughness inside at the beginning of this season, the big Brazilian Center has gone toe-to-toe with every big-name Center in the league.

Averaging 14 points per game, Nene’s quick step and smooth touch have encouraged Coach Karl and others to lean on “The Brazilian” through another run-in with Pau Gasol and the Lakers.

Last 3 Games:

Oklahoma City: 119-90 (Win)

Indiana: 122-114 (Win)

Portland: 118-106 (Win)

Next 3 Games:

@Minnesota: Wednesday

@New Orleans: Friday

@Memphis: Saturday

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Kevin Durant is built for the quick passing game of the modern NBA, and his height allows him to be an imposing presence on the boards.  KD is second in the NBA in scoring behind Lebron James, and his age (21) suggests that he has room to improve.

That’s where Carmelo Anthony comes in.

Melo is becoming Kevin’s go-to rival in a Northwest Division that lacks any other talents of Durant’s caliber.  (Especially at the Small Forward position.)  The two have traded blows on the court all season, and Carmelo’s beat-down of the young man in Denver was an important development.

Kevin had outplayed Carmelo in two previous matchups, and Anthony knew he needed a big game against the streaking Oklahoma City Thunder.

Carmelo (30 pts, 8 rebs, 2 stl, 1 blk) came out shooting hot.  He finished with a third quarter that saw a more complete Melo come up with a series of big steals, assists, and no-doubter shots.  The Nuggets rotated toward Durant with their big, physical frontcourt all night.  Kevin is best on the move, and Denver forced him to post-up or pass.

Durant (19 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast) couldn’t hang.  The Nuggets blew out the Thunder 119-90 in a game where they lead by 40.

Carmelo has been in the NBA long enough (6.5 years) to have seen his share of blowout losses.  It takes plenty to develop a Champion.  As defenses focus more and more on Durant (2.5 years) this season, so too did they focus on Anthony in the past.

For his part, Carmelo has learned to take the bad losses and get up for the big games.  He has also learned to shut down a streaking young player with a crushing home-court defensive presence.  In a season where the Nuggets are looking for nothing less than a run to the NBA Championship, Melo had to put his size 15 foot down with a rising contender coming to town.

For now, Kevin will have to take his lumps.  Durant is a young man on a young team trying to challenge the big dogs in a stacked conference.  Despite being slotted in as the 6^th playoff team in the West, OKC is a feeble 15-22 against .500 or better teams.  Durant has carried his team to an impressive overall record, but he and the Thunder are not playoff-ready.  Like Melo in Denver, Kevin will need to round out his game… and find ways to make his teammates better on both sides of the court.

Durant will be back, and he will adapt.

More than that, he will continue to challenge Carmelo to shoot-outs.  The Thunder’s defense simply cannot contain the Nuggets when the Denver offense is flowing well.  But just as Denver improved over the last few years to contend with the smart, diverse offenses of San Antonio & Los Angeles, the Thunder will need to toughen up to compete with the physical Nuggets.

If Durant and OKC can fill out their D, they will be a tough out for Denver.  Every game played by these divisional rivals deepens the ties between a peaking power and a growing threat.  Kevin Durant vs Carmelo Anthony is a story that is just beginning.

As fate would have it, the Nuggets sit at 3^rd in the West.  If the playoffs started today, the first stop on the Thunder’s first postseason trip since moving to OKC from Seattle would be Denver’s Pepsi Center.

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Fresh off the All-Star break, Carmelo had a long distance call to answer from his pal LeBron James in Cleveland. The Denver leader and the Cavaliers’ savior did not disappoint onlookers tonight, as the league’s two brightest superstars ran the hardwood for a combined 83 points (35% of the total points) in a charged overtime bout.

Nuggets star Melo had a a rhythmic night scoring 40 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Team leader Chauncey Billups carried the tempo and got his scoring; 18 points with 8 assists. The two starters earned their ice-packs for the night, with Melo putting in 48 minutes and Billups chewing up 43 minutes in this back-and-forth game.

Coming down the stretch I had concerns with Kenyon Martin handling the ball too much, but Cleveland was never able to capitalize on a late-game fumble by the veteran. Kenyon did, however, hook 17 boards for Denver. Cleveland’s own Shaquille O’Neil did not pose a threat down the stretch either, missing 2 important free throws late in the fourth quarter (only 52% from the line this season). LeBron was unable to come up with his usual clutch 3 pointers late in the fourth quarter & overtime allowing Denver to come out victorious against a strong Cavs team, 118-116 in OT.

The Nuggets won’t get much rest tonight as they head south into the Capital City to meet the Wizards tomorrow night.

Denver currently holds a 1.5-game lead over the Utah Jazz in the Northwest Division.

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Colorado Avalanche vs Los Angeles Kings

A big win Friday night over the streaking Phoenix Coyotes kept the Avalanche on-pace with the Vancouver Canucks atop the Northwest Division.

Now Colorado will try to stretch their league-best win streak to five games against the Kings in Los Angeles.  Both teams sit at 76 points on 60 games & 5^th/6^th in the Western Conference.  The Avalanche & Kings have not yet met this year, so the winner will assume control of the four-game season series.  Games 1 & 2 are in Los Angeles five weeks apart, Game 3 comes to Denver two days later, and the teams will reunite at Pepsi Center on April 11^th for Game 4 on the last day of the regular season.

Adding to the plot line is an offseason trade between the two clubs.  Denver sent the underproductive Ryan Smyth to Los Angeles in favor of the Kings’ Kyle Quincey.  Smyth has been productive for the Kings, and Quincey has been part of a defensive Renaissance in Colorado.  The two will surely meet more than once on the ice at Staples Center this evening.

The Kings have lost two games in a row for the first time since early January.  They racked up 37 & 43 shots while only scoring two goals each in losses to the Ducks & Oilers respectively.  Los Angeles is too good on offense to keep down for long.  Unless Craig Anderson stands on his head tonight, the Avalanche will likely bow to the Kings’ home ice advantage in the opening volley of this compact season series.

PREDICTION:  AVALANCHE 3, KINGS 4

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