Are the Nuggets really ready to overtake the L.A. Lakers?

Don't count out the Denver Nuggets just yet tomorrow night on ESPN at 9:00pm.

The Denver Nuggets and L.A. Lakers Western Conference Finals series has been, to say the least, solid entertainment compared to recent Western Conference Finals. What’s even more is that this series has great potential to go to seven games if the Nuggets can win their final home game of the matchup tomorrow night in Denver. However, are the Nuggets just teasing us with their inconsistent finishes to an inevitable convincing elimination game by the L.A. Lakers or can they really win or get damn close to beating the Lakers?

In all honestly, these Nuggets somewhat remind me of this year’s Orlando Magic. Whereas the Magic seemed to learn how to deal with adversity and the importance of playing hard every minute in their second round series when they played the Boston Celtics, the Nuggets could be finding that out in this series versus the Lakers. I don’t think that the games of this series and the seven of Orlando’s when they beat the Celtics have been identical in order, but out of order, yes.

The Nuggets blew games one and three against L.A. where they had manageable leads in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. This same thing happened to Orlando in games one and five against Boston. The only difference was, the Magic held on to win game one after giving up a 20+ point lead. In game two of the Nuggets’ series, they seemed to get it right as they made up for their follies in game one and picked up a huge road win. The Magic seemed to do the same as they blew out the Celtics in game three at home. However, those were teasers because both teams eventually brought their series to a 2-3 hole. Also, in game two, Orlando was blown out by Boston after they had been blowing out the Celtics in game one for the better part of four quarters. Like this scenario, the Nuggets blew out the Lakers in the fourth quarter of game four, only to get blown out last night in game five.

Now, judging by these similar shares of ups and downs, the Nuggets look like they could be going through their “take the next step” occurrence. They just need to play a tight game in Denver for game six, and take in all the situations they’ve dealt with in this matchup thus far into L.A. for game seven, and they could definitely move onto the finals.

Let’s not forget one more similarity that I see in the Nuggets and Magic, and that is the fact that they are more or less the same teams; loaded with talent and yet inexperience for the most part, but definitely having legitimate chances to become champions.

RAW’s Response to the Pepsi Center Booking Conflict

Vince McMahon certainly "flexed" his muscle last night on Monday Night RAW (and was probably one of the only times the concensus wanted him to).

As you all should know, there was a recent scheduling conflict between the WWE and Denver Nuggets. Monday Night RAW’s May 25th edition was supposed to be held in the Denver Nuggets Pepsi Center until the Denver Nuggets managed to make it to the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. Here are my thoughts on the WWE’s response.

The first part of the response was in the opening when Vince McMahon stepped in the ring with another gentleman dressed as Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke. This included McMahon letting off some steam in the form of some live air time where he made fun of Kroenke’s middle name, Enos, and rhymed it with words like “Venus “ and “Genius.” He of course eluded the obvious “penis” but made sure to reference to it in other words. He also criticized the Denver Nuggets’ staff (probably for not having the balls to step up to Kroenke and tell him “You’re wrong.).

Finally, McMahon said something about the NBA or Nuggets “pushing” the WWE and its fans and McMahon said “We push back!” and snuffed the hell out of that would-be Stan “Enos” Kroenke. I have to say, that push was thunderous and I think McMahon really wanted to Let Kroenke know what would happen if the two weren’t separated by the professional fine line and the restrictions of potential tort law penalties.

Finally, the main event featured five superstars in Lakers jerseys, John Cena, Batista, MVP, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and surprise return superstar Ken Kennedy versus five men in Nuggets jerseys (all bad guys) Randy Orton, Ted Dibiase Jr., Cody Rhodes, The Miz, and Big Show. This was no more than the standard tag team match that Monday Night Raw loves to have seemingly every week, but with the stars wearing NBA jerseys.

So, all in all, the first part was decent while the second was lacking any punch.

WWE Monday Night RAW & Pepsi Center Madness

Who get to crack open that big can of Pepsi Center!

To Give or not to Give?… A Foul

Carmelo Anthony's shot may not have counted had things gone the way they should have. But I'm sure he'll take it.

On Saturday May ninth, Carmelo Anthony most likely all but put the Dallas Mavericks away with his one footed, off balance three point shot as time expired. Not only was this a tough basket, but it was a tough loss for the Mavericks who looked to gain momentum and captalize on finally making a good effort in the fourth qarter this series, where in the prveious two games they were gettting crushed. To add to the heart break, the real sadness comes from a foul to give that the officiating crew did not call and that even prompted the NBA to apologize about. From this controversy, there is one thing that we can learn, and one thing we can ponder.

What we can learn is that a player should not finish the foul until he hears that whistle. When the Dallas player groped Anthony, he got him hard, clean, and good, but the referee did not see it (perhaps). Anthony didn’t hear the whislte, and he played through the posession, got his shot, and hit it. Next time, don’t stop the press till you hear the refs.

What we can ponder is how now two straight seasons that an officiating crew led by Mark Wunderlich has had another controversial instance at the end of a playoff game that would have made a series competitive.

Last season in the Western Conference Finals between the L.A. Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, in San Antonio, Brent Barry attempted a three that could have potentially tied the series at 2-2. However, the refs failed to call an obvious fould by Derek Fisher, which the league once again apologized for, and would have send Barry to the line for three free throws. The Spurs went down 3-1, and lost their next game onward to elimination.

Maybe a coincidence, and probably so. But that’s what one bad scratch (i.e. Tim Donaghy) will do to you… create even more speculation.

Allen Iverson will not be resigned by Pistons, so he will take his celebrity and endorsements into free agency next year!

Allen Iverson will officially hit the free agent market at the end of this season!

In a strange turn of events the Pistons had decided to trade Chauncy Billups for Allen Iverson during this NBA season. This trade to many seemed silly considering they traded their superstar Point Guard for a hot shot offensive scoring SG, while they still had Richard Hamilton on the team. Others, however thought that they may have been setting themselves up for the free agency class of 2010 and today It seems that was the case. After the recent comments by coach Michael Curry it become evident that the Pistons have no interest in Iverson past this season. Curry said, “It just didn’t work; it didn’t blend well…There was a lot to do with guys changing roles and accepting different roles you have to play. It’s unfortunate things didn’t go as we thought they would.” Curry then told the media that Iverson will sit the remainder of the season. Michael Curry on Saturday night, during his pre-game conference in Philly said, “Hopefully, the time off will get his body back to top condition and be prepared for free agency,” So no matter what the pistons are going to move on, leaving Allen Iverson and his Reebok Sponsorship to the open market!

Is there any Test in the West this Year for the Lakers?

Kobe and his Lakers won't be denied as Western Conference champs.

The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be miles ahead of their other western conference counterparts. They are currently 9.5 games ahead of the second place Denver Nuggets. That’s pretty good distance even for a season like this, wouldn’t you say? I would say, sir. On top of virtually securing home field advantage until they get to the finals (Cleveland currently owns the league’s best record), they’ve also got some favorable potential opponents.

The eighth seeded Dallas Mavericks are clearly not at the top of anyone’s playoff brackets. Number six New Orleans has not found as much success as last year, and has been injury riddled, and has also suffered from the loss of Janeiro Pargo from last year. Number five, Portland, is pretty spunky, but they’re still young. The number four Houston Rockets look promising, but they suffer from a lack of scoring, although they are great at defense.

I’d say the ‘scariest’ teams for the Lakers are the number seven Jazz, who took them to six games in last year’s second round of the western conference playoffs. They are one year older and their other players are almost doubling their career ppg from last season. Then of course, at number three, are the experienced San Antonio Spurs. They know the Lakers well and have always been master executers in crunch time. Finally, the number two Denver Nuggets. They’re gaining a lot of confidence behind their calm new leader, Chauncey Billups, and players are getting their work done in a much more efficient basketball manner.

But the Lakers have Kobe Bryant surrounded by immense talent, and will not fail to make it to at least the NBA Finals this season.

Can the Phoenix Suns make the Playoffs?

Currently, the Phoenix Suns are in ninth place in the Western Conference. If the playoffs were to begin today, the recent perennial show-ups, the Phoenix Suns would be no-shows and watching from home (but most likely traveling over seas and playing golf). But either way, they wouldn’t make the playoffs.

When the Suns decided to drop Mike D’Antoni after his highly successful run which included two Western Conference Finals, they figured to make the playoffs by default, with the real goal in mind to win a championship. Now they are too busy stuck in a seesaw battle with Utah (8), New Orleans (7), and Dallas (6) to barely get into the playoffs, much less be involved in any championship talk.

Steve Nash seems to be relegating more of the offensive load to his teammates. He used to be more aggressive until this year. Even though Shaq is playing at an All-Star level again, it still doesn’t ever seem to be enough for them to get over the contenders or even to consistently win against the other playoff teams. And with recent rumors of exploring ways they could trade away Amare Stoudamire or even The Big Cactus himself, this team is a shade away from being in shambles.

The Suns can still make the playoffs easily. However, fighting for the sixth through eighth seeds means L.A., San Antonio, or Denver in the first round. They might just be able to make it in and out quick enough to catch the rest of the playoffs on TV.

NBA Quarter-Mark Outlook

So far in the NBA a few teams are back up to their old tricks, a few have been somewhat disappointing, and a good number of upstarts from last year as well as some surprising newcomers have begun to surface.

The newcomers that need to be involved in this discussion are as follows; in the east it’s Miami, New York, and New Jersey and in the west all of the other teams with playoff aspirations are of no surprise at this point in the season. Miami, led by top scorer in points per game, Dwyane Wade, are currently 9^th in the eastern conference standings. Last year, everyone remembers how atrocious they were. New York seems to be hitting its stride under the tutelage of former Phoenix head coach, Mike D’Antoni as they are 8-8 and 8^th in the standings. Finally, the previous season’s trade between the Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets has finally begun to payoff, as the Devin Harris led Nets are 8-7, 6-4 in their last ten, and 7^th in the east.

The Upstarts from last year that are proving their worth are as follows; in the east it’s the Orlando Magic, the Atlanta Hawks, while in the west we have Portland and Denver. The Magic currently sit at 3^rd and atop the eastern conference standings at 13-4 going 9-1 in their last ten. Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu and company are really hitting their stride. The continued and improved production of guard/forward Keith Bogans and the extra lift provided by off season veteran pick up Anthony Johnson as point guard have been stalwart.

The Hawks slid a bit after starting off 5-0 mainly because of losing Josh Smith for the next few months, but have regained form and are now 10-6 and 5^th in the eastern conference.

In the west the Portland Trailblazers, continue to look like a team of the future with stars Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and the potential of first-year NBA players like Rudy Fernandez, and Greg Oden. They are now tied with Phoenix, Denver, and Houston at 11-6 while going 7-3 in their last ten games.

Denver’s success can be attributed to the trade of Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson. The Nuggets are 11-6 and 7-3 in their last ten while holding 3^rd place in the west. They have had many impressive victories and performances as they beat Boston in Boston, and took the Lakers to the brink of a loss in L.A.

Now come the disappointments. The Detroit Pistons are hovering somewhere between average and above average. Although they are 10-5 and in 4^th place in the east, they are suffering some inexcusable losses, most recently a 10+ point loss to Minnesota, do not yet seem to have their act together with Allen Iverson skipping the thanksgiving day practice (however, I do give huge props to Michael Curry for taking charge by suspending him for one game), and are not nearly as consistent as they were when they had Chauncey Billups in the lineup. 

The other eastern disappointments for the eastern conference are the Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Washington Wizards.

The Raptors just 8-7 and are barely holding a spot in the eastern conference as the 7^th seeded team. With capable point guard Jose Calderon, and former all-start Jermaine O’Neal, they should be doing better.

The Sixers were a team last year that without Elton Brand finished 6^th in the east and took Detroit to six games in the playoffs. Now with virtually the same team and Elton Brand, they are struggling to find their rhythm and are 7-9 and 5-5 in their last ten. As for the “Wiz Kids,” although without injured star Gilbert Arenas they may not have been a playoff contender anyway, they are still abysmal with their 2-12 record which is good for worst in the east. Last season they played without Arenas for the most part, but still managed to finish above .500 and make the playoffs. They have now fired their coach Eddie Jordan and are in a state of disarray.

The disappointments in the west are the New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, and L.A. Clippers. The Hornets finished second last year and were one game away from the western conference finals. They are now 9-6 and 7^th in the standings in the west. The Mavericks are 8-8 and look like they are ready to get their act together one game, and then go back to mediocrity the next. As for the Clippers, you would think they could be more competitive than their 3-13 record would suggest with the pickup of marquee point guard Baron Davis. Oh well.

As for the Spurs, I’m sure a lot of people would like to put them in as a disappointment, but they have been playing without Manu Ginobli for the entire season (who is set to return soon), and Tony Parker has just returned from his injury earlier in the season. To further their defense, they are now 9-7 and 7-3 in their last ten while being 8^th in the west.

Finally we come to the top dogs in the league.

In the east you have the Cleveland Cavaliers with their 14-3 records, 9-1 in the last ten games, and 2^nd place spot in the standings. They have put together a bevy of blowouts on their opponents this season, and the addition of a scoring point guard in Mo Williams has been absolutely huge for them.

The second team that has picked up right where they left off from last year is the Lakers. They are 13-1 and making mince meat out of would be superpower teams and have the best record in the NBA.

But the pinnacle of all teams continues to be the Boston Celtics. They’re 16-2 and are still dominating defensively and continue to get great production from their supporting cast members. And although the Lakers get much help from their bench and up and coming players, let’s face it… the Celtics are still the champs.

The last three teams I must mention are the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, and Utah Jazz. To me, these three teams are in a state of limbo. Houston would look to be an upstart, but they can’t seem to keep their stars, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, healthy. The Suns seem like the same team as last year, which wasn’t a contender anyway, and the Jazz keep being a team with potential that can’t seem to build on it.

That would about sum up the NBA season at or around its quarter mark. We’ll look to see who shifts from wherever they were in this discussion and who remains where they are in the coming weeks. As for those that I did not include in this article… you really just aren’t worth mentioning (Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Golden State, Minnesota, Sacramento, Memphis and Oklahoma City).