| 13 May 2009
What a fantastic story this season has been for Chauncey Billups and the city of Denver. Coming back to his hometown mid-season, he's taken this squad of athletic, young, and gifted players and turned them into believers, hard workers, and willing to take responsibility for their actions. Having Billups on this Denver team has been a God-send in that he has continually set the perfect example for Carmelo Anthony to follow. Even Rick Carlisle has noticed, "[Carmelo] has taken quantum leaps as a great player and leader," Carlisle said after the game. Tonight, the Nuggets proved how dangerous of a team they are and one that, if I'm a Laker or Rocket fan, would not be thrilled to play. The Nuggets, as throughout the series, had an answer for everything Dallas did and countered almost every single run, play, and momentum that the Mavericks got. Even when Kidd hit those 3 three's to put the game to within 5 points, Melo came back with an unbelievable shot to really ice the game and series. Speaking of series closeouts, you'll be interested to know that Chauncey Billups is now 17-4 in those games...
Why the Nuggets won
To start, they haven't lost at home in the entire post-season so playing at the Pepsi Center certainly didn't hurt. However, delving into the real and true reason why they won, I've come to accept that Denver is an elite team and Dallas isn't. At this point, is there any denying it? I'd never thought I'd say that about Denver, even with the addition of Billups, but they have shown that no matter who they play in the Western Conference Finals they are a team to be feared. Tonight, Chauncey had close to a triple double halfway into the third quarter, Carmelo couldn't miss almost the entire game, Nene missed only 2 shots, Kenyon Martin got to the foul line while not punching/elbowing anyone, and J.R. Smith had another solid outing. When those guys play well, and play well collectively, the Nuggets are damn near unbeatable. Tonight, there was a considerable amount of less fouls called (51) compared to the other games which kept the game flowing much smoother; thus, benefiting the Nuggets and their crowd. Plus, it was so much more enjoyable to watch than the previous few games where it was foul, after foul, after foul called. Perhaps what has been even more enjoyable, but no less surprising, is watching Carmelo take back his Nuggets team. By that, I mean he has managed to gain the respect back of his teammates, coaches, and even the Denver fans. Having been through so many trials and tribulations in Denver, he's finally been able to evolve into the leader and performer the Nuggets have desperately been searching for at the exact time they needed him most.
Why the Mavericks lost
Pretty simple, really; they're just not as good as this Nuggets team. But, Dallas fans, you shouldn't be upset or too distraught over the Mavs being ousted. They beat a solid Spurs team and lost to a Nuggets team that, if I'm honest, has a legitimate shot at beating (what I'm assuming will be) the Lakers. If I'm a Mavs fan and I look at the box score, I'd feel proud and appreciative of how far we got after there being so many questions surrounding the team as there were in the pre-season and, in some ways, the end of the season (and I'm not a Mavs fan, just to clear that up). Tonight Dallas made more threes, had less fouls called, and shot just a few percentage points less than the Nuggets from the field. How could anyone be upset at that? It wasn't as if the Mavericks couldn't beat this Denver team more than once, it's just that the Nuggets have found their groove at the best possible time. Dirk should be commended for not giving up or choking (as he had been previously accused of) as he once again played amazingly for this Dallas team scoring 32 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out a stellar 7 assists. Even if Josh Howard were 100% healthy, the Mavericks might've won another game but there is no way they beat this Denver team. It's official - the Nuggets are that good.
Heading into the next series, what to look for
The post-season isn't shaping up into what I thought it would, by any stretch of the imagination. If you would've told me the Nuggets would be in the Western Conference Finals at the beginning of the year, I would've thought you were crazy. If this doesn't show how valuable Chauncey Billups is and how much of an amazing leader he has become, then nothing will. Denver fans, you can credit Chauncey for being in the position you're in. I've gained so much respect for Billups making this team so resilient and confident.
Prediction for next series
I'm assuming this is against the Lakers as they have seemingly found their stride (Zach will have an awesome preview either way). If it is against L.A., there is no way I'm missing a game of that series - could be a classic.
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