[WSJ] Nuggets Win With Instinct, Rather Than Spreadsheets

Regular season matters, had Rox won one more game, they'd be in Nuggets position right now.

 

Without yao, the rockets would most likely would have been out especially against the rocket killer.

 

Honestly -- offensive. It doesn't show as much in the numbers, but the team actually has a plan on offense now. Last year it was let AI or Melo go iso. This year there's actually a system. I think the team is TRYING harder on defense, but honestly I think their offensive improvement has been more important.

 

I agree. It seems like the spacing is much better.

Do you think the improvement was all because of Billups or does a healthy Nene have a huge impact as well?

 

I think it's everything. I don't understand why he plays Kleiza, and I'm ready to kill him for playing AC in crunch time last night, but Karl has done a TREMENDOUS job with the team this year. It starts there.

Melo went to the Olympics and saw how hard everyone worked. He realized he needed to get his ass in gear. He took it to a new level.

Nene came back and gave us a legit low post presence (well, 75% of the time at least). That helped.

The Billups trade just put the final touches on it. As great as it is seeing Chauncey get most of the credit (Go CU!), this truly was a whole team effort.

For some reason I thought our offense was higher last year. I was too lazy to look up the numbers. As for last year being balanced, that's true when you consider the entire season. However, if you look at the season in parts last year you'll see that our defense was phenomenal to start the season and then just got worse over time. This year, it's just been consistent. Honestly, I'm still not convinced that the Nugs will be back in this position next year. Portland's getting better. Oklahoma City is getting better. You guys should be able to take a step forward as well. We're going to have to fight to keep the top 4 seed we had this year. I kind of think this is a flash in the pan thing, but as someone who can still vividly remember the year the Broncos won more games than the Nuggets (thank you to Corey Alexander for helping us avoid the worst record in NBA history by the way), I just don't want it to end.

 

I don't think anyone that was voted MVP of the league can be considered a second tier star. Ray Allen for many years (before Wade) was considered the third best SG behind Kobe and Tmac. Pierce is the considered the best of the second tier small fowards.

The only question last year was depth outside the big 3 but the found the answer for that in Rondo and Big Baby.

 

HAHAHA!

The Nuggets are the WORST DEFENSIVE TEAM EVAR!!!!!!!!l eleventy one!!!!11!!1!!!!

 

Lol, I guess either the owner doesn't know what he's talking about or the writer of that article put some spin on his words to make an article.

If you want to talk about a team that's really anti-Rox in terms of philosophy what about the Lakers? I remember reading somewhere that they're one of the few teams with no stat guys, because PJ doesn't believe in them.

 

Haha, I think it's a sign the Rox gotta keep them together.

 

Dean Oliver was one of the first "stat guys" hired by a front office. The Nugs have been using stats for a long time. Unfortunately, and I could be completely wrong about this, I think they use it more as a secondary thing instead of a primary one. Honestly, I'm a big believer in the statheads leading the way which is why I, for one, welcome our future Houston Rocket overlords.

 

Without a stats-focused front office the Rockets would never have been able to make it to the 7th game of the second round, missing their two star players.

Could any other NBA team gone as far without their two highest paid players?