Dunkfest 2: Electric Boogaloo (Round 2, Game 2 Nuggetz)

Excellent performance by nearly the entire team tonight, hell, even Linas the Menace got into the action a bit. It was a somewhat sloppy first half for both teams, an excellent 3rd quarter that was everything I've been expecting of this series and another unbelievably dominant 4th quarter for this Nuggets team. Great to hear the Pepsi Center rockin' on national TV.

On to the Nuggetz:

• I started watching this game part-way through the 1st quarter when the score was tied 14-14 as I was busy being dressed up as the Monopoly Man's evil twin and chased around by 20 6th graders demanding I return their brownies.  All part of the job as an educator I suppose. 

• Dirk got his points again, but he seems entirely unable to score any points against Denver's post players.  He's got an ugly shot to begin with, but it seems to get uglier as the game goes on, and more importantly, it stops going in.

• With apologies to Nene, who had a great first half, JR Smith was the reason the Nuggets went into the second half with a lead.  He settled a little too much for his outside jumper for my liking, but once again he showed off his all-around play and decision making.  Other than his terrible shot that lead to Jason Kidd's half-ending 3-pointer, JR was spectacular.

• It was very disappointing to lose Josh Howard for the game, he's a solid player and I would have loved to have gotten to see him battle with Melo.  Hopefully the long break will get him enough rest to make another appearance in this series.

• I've been very surprised at the Denver defensive approach this series so far.  They have shown absolutely no desire to fight through screens and seem content to switch out and play out the rest of the shot clock with those match-ups.  Other than an equally surprising switch to zone early in the 3rd quarter, this has been the base defense and somehow has kept Dallas out of the paint for the most part.

• One area I'd like to see Denver improve in as they head into Dallas is defensive focus coming out of timeouts.  I didn't keep track, but it seemed like every time Dallas came out of a time out, they got an easy hoop or free throws.

• JJ Barea seems completely uncomfortable out there in this series.  Denver's guards are quick enough to stay with him, and the bigs are too intimidating in the post for him to even attempt a shot in the paint.

• I think I would have reacted in exactly the same way Kenyon Martin did when Ryan Hollins was cupping his pectorals.  The commentators seemed convinced that Hollins was holding him up, but I'm pretty sure KMart would have been just fine without the Purple Nurple perpetrated on him by Hollins.

• The Nuggets seemed to lose defensive focus in the second quarter and for much of the third.  It's amazing that they manage to hold on to these leads when they give Dallas so many easy buckets in the middle of the game.

• Other than a couple bursts of 3 pointers, the Nuggets continue to be cold from the outside.  It's a testament to their aggressive offensive play that they're able to stay-in, and even dominate these games at certain points with very little production coming from 15 or more feet out.

• The Mavs' bench should be happy with how they played tonight.  They were badly outplayed in Game 1 and were one of the reasons it was such a dominating performance by the Nuggets, but tonight, the Mavs' bench had the energy level and production that should be expected out of them.

• If I weren't emotionally tied to either team, I would consider tonight's 3rd quarter the best ball of the series.  Both teams were going to their bread and butter and were successful.  The Nugs were attacking and pounding the ball into the paint and the Mavs were moving the ball around the perimeter and hitting open shots.

• There were times tonight when the Nuggets seemed content with not challenging Dallas' shooters and it seemed like every time that happened, the Dallas player nailed the shot.

• Every time these two teams have moved into a fast-paced transition-style game, the Nuggets seem to pull away.  I don't know if it's the athleticism or what, but I think the Mavs only hope is to slow the game down.  I realize that's not how they like to play, but I just don't see them having any chance to match Denver in the transition game.

• Every single one of the Denver Nuggets should be proud of how they played in the 4th quarter.  It seemed like on every possession, somebody new was stepping up to make a great play, from AC, to JR, to Melo, Birdman and everyone else.

• AC is quietly having a great postseason.  He's doing everything we could hope for from a backup point guard.

• Gutty performance by Melo in every sense of the word.  Clearly in pain, Melo was not afraid to do the dirty work tonight.  Whether he got it or not, Melo was in the paint fighting for rebounds and fighting through defenders on his way to the rim.

• Least believable comment of the night: "It's Really Funny."  This is what PJ Carlissimo said in response to the promo for Meet the Browns.  Maybe he really is a big fan, but I just don't believe it.

• When the Nuggets went on their 16-2 run to start the 4th quarter, they only took one shot from more than 15 feet out.  It was a miss from just outside the foul line by Carmelo.  Maybe Denver should just give up on jump shots until Dallas proves they can defend the paint.

• Somebody should tell Ryan Hollins that his team was losing a playoff game by 17 points when he celebrated his emphatic dunk.

• If the game had ended with 4 minutes remaining, my final score prediction would have been very good.  Turns out, my final score prediction was not very good tonight.

• As impressive as they've been playing and as much respect as the TNT crew is showing this team, I don't think I'll be content until the national broadcasters learn how to pronounce Linas Kleiza's name.
  

Final Nugget:

Another impressive 4th quarter performance by the Nuggets and another impressive playoff victory.  Normally a team can expect to shoot the ball a little worse when they head out on the road, but I don't think that's possible for this Nuggets team.  I expect that they'll actually be a little looser on offense as they head into Dallas as they wont be pressing to impress the hometown fans.  The main thing I'll be watching for is if the defensive intensity is there when the crowd isn't there to back them up.  They did it in New Orleans, so there's no reason to think they wont be just as focused as they head into their first road games of the second round, but I'm still not totally sold.  I don't think Dallas will fade in the 4th like they have in Denver once they get back to their home court, so it'll be important for the Nuggets to jump out to a big lead if possible to take the crowd and confidence out the arena.