(Boulder-CO) This game tonight has huge playoff implications for both teams. The Hornets have been victorious over the Nuggets in their first two meetings. So if the two teams end up with identical records at the end of the season, this game and the next one are absolutely pivotal in determining the Nuggets' playoff chances. God forbid the NOOCH win tonight or later in the season because they would then hold the tie-breaker outright over the Nuggets.
In their last meeting, which I watched in person at Pepsi Center, the Nuggets lost in overtime. Denver had sizable leads all throughout the game, including the fourth quarter, but didn’t have the killer instinct or the proper decision making skills to seal the deal against the NOOCH. My thoughts about that game are here.
The Hornets are about as well-rounded team as there is in the NBA. Right now, not including the injured Peja Stojakovic, the Hornets have nearly seven players averaging double-digits in scoring. Chris Paul runs the point as well as anybody in the league not named Steve Nash, Tyson Chandler is coming around, (he scored a team-high 20 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in Sunday night's 108-94 loss to the Jazz), and Desmond Mason is having one of his best years since leaving Seattle and Milwaukee. It just seems like the Hornets have all their pieces in the right place right now, whereas the Nuggets couldn’t seem more discombobulated at the moment.
Along with all the other things that I have talked about in the last few posts, and in this preview, this game is a serious gut-check for the Nuggets. With the playoff chances seemingly slipping from our grasps, tonight’s game needs to be treated as a do-or-die.
On a side note, Carmelo Anthony’s first child is due sometime today. Hopefully, the baby will be born in good health, as well as his finace La La Vazquez, and will bring good karma to the Nuggets. Something has got to give, Denver. Go Nuggets, swat the Hornets!
Know thy enemy, Nuggets Nation. Be sure to check out http://www.hornets247.com/ for even more background information on the NOOCH.
1 comment:
That many players scoring in double figures means they are passing and moving...hmmmm. Does that work???
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