Round Deux, Game 1 Nuggetz

Wow. We could be watching something really special here. The energy, agressiveness, and attitude that the Nuggets are showing right now are unprecedented as far as anything I've seen before and the scary thing is that I think that as well as they're playing, they're just going to get better as each guy gets another playoff game under his belt. If they can keep their focus as well as they did in the first round, this series could be over faster than most people, myself included, thought.  

On to the second half and final Nuggetz:

• Dallas came out firing in the 3rd quarter and seemed like they wanted to push the pace of the game.  Both teams are comfortable playing a fast-paced game, but neither really got a chance to play that style in their first round matchups against San Antonio and New Orleans.


• Initially the Nugs seemed flustered by the increased pace, but it didn't take long until they took over, seemingly driving in for layups and dunks at will.


• While the scoring played out much like I thought it would in the second half, it came in a surprising way.  I thought for sure the Nuggets shooters would heat up and provide some separation, but Denver continued to pound the paint and find success there.


• Denver has played aggresive defense regardless of how the officials have been calling the game.  I love that they don't seem concerned with drawing fouls early in the game.  Even if it hurts the offense, it has to be frustrating and disheartening for the opposing teams to have to play against a team that attacks so relentlessly on defense.


• The Mavericks simply cannot stop the Nuggets in the paint.  They have the shooters to steal a game or two, especially at home, if a player or two go off from 3-point range, but I just can't picture a team that is so overmatched in the post pulling out 4 wins.


• At one point in the 4th quarter, Hubie Brown said, "We're seeing Denver at their best right now."  I couldn't disagree with that statement more for these reasons:

Denver was absolutely horrible shooting the ball from the outside today.  According to ESPN's shot chart, Dallas sank 22 shots from 15 or more feet out to Denver's 11 in this game and 5 of Denver's 11 makes came in the 4th quarter with the game already well in hand.

If Dallas hadn't been so hot from outside, this game would have been over much closer to halftime.  They were sinking a ton of shots from the perimiter, many of which were well-contested by Nuggets defenders.

The Nuggets missed 11 Free Throws tonight and were out-rebounded by 7.

• JR didn't put up the numbers that he has in the past, but I would argue that this was his best overall game of the playoffs so far.  He was energetic on defense, drove to the hoop and only settled for long-range shots occasionally.  If only he didn't shoot 1-5 from the charity stripe.


• Carmelo was extremely patient tonight.  He was pretty much a non-factor offensively until the second half, but he ended up with 23 points on 7-10 shooting, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.  That's a line I'll take  from him any day of the week.


• Another Nugget with some excellent scoring efficiency was Nene who ended up with 24 points on 13 shots.  Nene looked winded throughout the Hornets series, so seeing his intensity today bodes very well for the Nuggets chances to keep this run going.


• Enough cannot be said about the Nuggets front-court trio of Nene, KMart and Birdman.  Their energy was without a doubt the catalyst for this victory.  They all seem to want to out-do each other defensively and that energy carried over into Nene's offensive dominance today.

I'm left feeling pretty much exactly how I felt after the Nuggets' victory over New Orleans in the first game of Round 1.  I think Cautious Optimism is still the best way to describe it, but as they proved to me against the Hornets, the Nuggets can stay focused and I'm moving further away from the "Cautious" side of things and more towards the "Optimism."  Denver's dominance in the paint was a total surprise to me, and I hope it can continue through Game 2 and into Games 3 and 4 as they head to Dallas.