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Sports InsiderEarly Exits: Denver Nuggets
April 29th 2008 18:38
While the Raps lost because they played horrible, I'm not going to put that same label on the Nuggets. Although they did play pretty bad, I'm going to give the Lakers a bit of credit here. Kobe and Pau just took control of the series and never looked back; there wasn't much Denver could do about it because their defense is non-existent.
With the exception of game three where they put up 84 points, the Nuggets cracked the 100 point mark in every game, which means they were doing what they do best -- scoring. The only things is, the Lakers were doing it a bit better. Unlike Carmelo, I'm not going to bash the entire team and the coaching staff for quitting on each other. Kleiza played very well this series from what I saw. He came out aggressive in game three and scored pretty consistently throughout the series. JR Smith was another bright spot in the series, especially after he undressed the Lakers defense in game four.
Carmelo on the other hand, was a disappointment. He shot something like 36% from the floor in the series. In game three, Melo was 5-22 from the field. That's unacceptable; if you asked me who choked during the playoffs, my first response might just be Carmelo Anthony. So, they lost the series because they have no defense, the Lakers had better offense, Melo played bad and Iverson did not play the way Iverson is known to play.
For next season, the Nuggets need to acquire some defense. They were a 50 win team with the second worst defense in the league (judging by opponents ppg), so imagine how much better they could be if they sacrifice a bit of offense for some defense. The Nuggets could be a top 5 team in the West if they play their cards right during the offseason and make some moves.
With the exception of game three where they put up 84 points, the Nuggets cracked the 100 point mark in every game, which means they were doing what they do best -- scoring. The only things is, the Lakers were doing it a bit better. Unlike Carmelo, I'm not going to bash the entire team and the coaching staff for quitting on each other. Kleiza played very well this series from what I saw. He came out aggressive in game three and scored pretty consistently throughout the series. JR Smith was another bright spot in the series, especially after he undressed the Lakers defense in game four.
Carmelo on the other hand, was a disappointment. He shot something like 36% from the floor in the series. In game three, Melo was 5-22 from the field. That's unacceptable; if you asked me who choked during the playoffs, my first response might just be Carmelo Anthony. So, they lost the series because they have no defense, the Lakers had better offense, Melo played bad and Iverson did not play the way Iverson is known to play.
For next season, the Nuggets need to acquire some defense. They were a 50 win team with the second worst defense in the league (judging by opponents ppg), so imagine how much better they could be if they sacrifice a bit of offense for some defense. The Nuggets could be a top 5 team in the West if they play their cards right during the offseason and make some moves.
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