Round 1: Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs thread

If GS wins tonight, then it will be something to watch... otherwise, the only series that may end up going the distance is Spurs-Nuggets.

Phoenix and Houston definitely had a scare put in them for game 1, but in the end, both teams won going away. If either team re-established the execution that got them to their high seeds, those games won't really be close.

To me, the Nuggets defense will be their biggest asset. Its up to Karl to continue to stress it as much as possible.

 

Add in a "WOOOO HOOO!" and this post is basically my thoughts exactly. The Nugs need to keep it going. We didn't play our best which is great because Duncan played awful. Duncan will be better next game, that's a given. Now we need our bench to show up. KEEP GAME 2 CLOSE! We won game 1 two years ago and then got blown out. We need to remind the Spurs that we're not going anywhere.

Now do you guys see why I was so high on Nene?

 

I admit you saw more in Nene than I did. I thought his contract was just as stupid as Dampier, Dalembert, etc, etc but maybe not. Nene must keep playing "big" for the Nugs to have a chance. If he does, oh boy.

 

The big thing with the Nene deal is that he was paid LESS than Dampier, Dalembert and those others. That alone made him worth it. Let's face it, there are very few Yao's out there. If you can get a big man who's competent, just paying market value for him and nothing more is a bonus. We did that with Nene. Plus, I hoped he would put it together.

All of that said, he's still inconsistent. It wouldn't surprise me to see him put up a 6 & 6 game in the next two games. I'm ok with that provided that he keeps playing physical. You could tell SA wasn't expecting that.

The Spurs are going to make adjustments. I expect a lot more pressure defense. We need to spend the next two days working on inbounding the ball. We need to wake Kleiza up. We need to put JR on whatever medicine we need to to make sure he's not crazy. WE NEED TO KEEP THE ENERGY LEVEL UP!

And I need to continue wearing my lucky t-shirt (3-0 this year!).

I want us to keep the pressure on next game. Keep it close. Keep it physical. Let the Spurs know we're not going anywhere. IF we can do that, we're going back to Denver either 1-1 or 2-0 (probably 1-1). Suddenly, we're at home for two games where hopefully we can push the tempo a little more. All of a sudden, it's a series.

All I wanted was for us to be competitive. So far, I think I'm going to get my goal. I still think the Spurs win, but damn it feels good to be a Nugs fan tonight.

 

That right there is the key, N4. The Spurs don't like being pushed around and they don't respond too well to physical play because they're old and have creaky bones and tired legs. This is also PRECISELY why Nene Hilario is THE key for Denver in this series. He's a handful and he NEEDS to push Duncan around and just flat out bruise him, rough him up a bit.

But as A_3PO said, Nene needs to play "big" for Denver to do anything here. It would also be nice if Camby joined the party, but Nene is the key IMO.

If he can do that and the rest of the team play their roles, AI will take care of the rest.

 

The Warriors are keeping it close so far. Hey, maybe these match ups are up to something.

 

Told you guys so. The NBA is all about matchups. GSW has enough overall talent to wreck havoc and make things -- at a minimum -- extremely tough for the Mavericks, even if they end up losing the series.

 

If you ask me, the Spurs are in more trouble than the Mavs. Having two clutch perimeter closers on one team is devastating. Either AI or Melo can shred the Spurs defense and when they are on the floor at the same time, it can be tough. Spurs fans should be very worried. I'm still confident the Mavs will figure out the Warriors.

 

The Spurs are mentally tougher and more resilient than the Mavericks are, IMO. I think Denver is a better team than the Warriors though, but on the flip side the Warriors are an absolute terror for the Mavericks because they confuse the sh** out of them and mess with their self-confidence, i.e. the mental aspect of the game.

The biggest thing the Warriors have going for them is that they're fearless, reckless and have absolutely nothing to lose. I think that scares the hell out of the Mavs because THEY have everything to lose and then some. The pressure is getting to them, IMO.

 

While I would love to be in the Rockets position right now and be up 2-0 (congrats on that by the way), tonight I'm just hoping we play hard, we play physical, and we make sure San Antonio knows that we're not going away.

Let's go Nuggets! *clap clap clapclapclap*

 

I hope the Nuggets don't relax just because they won Game 1. And not just because of what happened in '05, but because this season they're a terrible home team while the Spurs are terrific on the road.

 

Very good point. I take it for granted the Spurs will win at least one in Denver no matter what happens tonight.

 

Screw keeping it close. AI and Melo are killers. Don't count on Denver sweeping their home court games against the Spurs, might as well take game 2 in SA to really put them behind the 8 ball.

Now do you see why I thought you matched up much better with the Spurs than the Suns?

 

I agree 100%. But if GS plays a tough game tonight maybe I'll get a little more optimistic they can do more than steal a game or two but actually win that series. Right now I am still very skeptical about GS--Davis will have to keep playing out of this world.

In Denver's case Melo, AI, and Camby are all highly talented and fierce competitors and are not going away. They can make it tough on their own. If Nene, Blake, Smith and Klieza don't fold they can do a lot more than just hang tough.

 

IMO the biggest problem for the SAS is Nene,

guy is a monster under the board and creates a lot of problems for Duncan

 

or either ellis, richardson, jackson, or harrington have a big game..

 

But how often to players of this caliber go off on the Mavs (or Spurs). Good defensive teams largely take out merely solid to good players. It takes players like Davis, Melo and AI to break those teams down with any consistency.

Denver has two killer stars and some good inside people to make the Spurs work--they have multiple offensive options and a good chance of frustrating the Spurs offense in their own right. GS needs Davis to continue to be far and away the best player on the court (like Wade did to them last year) and even then if the Mavs shoot well it might not be enough.

 

the front few row seem pretty dead.......

 

Every team seems like they are wearing their alternates in the playoffs...

Stupid

 

Man Denver is a very very good team. The west is stacked.