NBA Playoff Previews: No. 2 Nuggets vs. No. 7 Hornets
By J.E. Skeets
Pickaxe And Roll: The last time Denver reached the second round of the playoffs was when the 1993-94 version of the Nuggets beat Seattle in the fabled fifth game of their five game series. Well, the NBA has scrapped the five game series and Denver hasn't advanced since.
Carmelo Anthony has led various casts to six straight playoff appearances. This season Nuggets Nation has reason to believe the team can advance past the first round. The first, the Nuggets own homecourt in a series for the first time in Melo's career after earning the second seed in the brutal Western Conference.
The New Orleans Hornets are not the "ideal" team for the Nuggets, but there really is no cupcake team in the West. In fact, if you were to tell me before the season that these two teams were to meet in round one as the 2-7 matchup, I'd be lying if I told you Denver would be the second seed.
All the talk has centered on Chauncey Billups, who turned a 1-3 team into a 53-25 one after his arrival. As important as Billups has been to the maturation process, Denver has seen major growth across the board.
Head Coach George Karl instituted a "we did it your way, now let's do it my way" philosophy to start the season. Melo has bought into the team concept, especially since Billups stepped off the plane. Denver brought in energetic and defensive minded players in Chris "Birdman" Andersen, Dahntay Jones, and Renaldo Balkman. The Nuggets have remained relatively healthy all season, especially with Kenyon Martin and Nene. And the explosive J.R. Smith (the former Hornet) has developed an all-around game. This is not the same team as years past, but in order to get respect the Nuggets must win this series.
Denver has split the season series 2-2 with the Hornets and each team has won a game on the other's home floor. The biggest concern if you are a Nuggets fan? CP3.
Chris Paul is a true star and has averaged a double-double against Denver. Paul can run that offense to near perfection with shooters surround him. Peja Stojakovic, Rasual Butler, and David West all have benefitted from Paul's style.
The Nuggets have had issues all season defending the pick-and-pop game. To combat against Paul the Nuggets have had success trapping him off screens and forcing him into his highest turnover margin (5.3 per game vs. the Nuggets) against any team. I believe the Hornets will go as Chris Paul goes.
As for the Nuggets, they will find success the way they have done it all season ... on the defensive end. Shocking to hear it I know. Denver can still score in a variety of ways, but defense fuels their confidence.
The Nuggets next step is to get out of the first round. This team can do so with this matchup because the Hornets like the Nuggets don't have tremendous size, and Denver has the superior bench.
J.R. Swish, Birdman, and Linas Kleiza will provide the spark to ignite Melo, Billups, Nene, and KMart. Nuggets fans will finally get to replace the image of Dikembe Mutombo holding the ball while on the floor in Seattle, with one of a victorious Carmelo Anthony.
Denver in 6.
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At The Hive: Who are the New Orleans Hornets? That's the million dollar question. On the one hand, statistics like point differential and simple rating system indicate that the Hornets were a fringe playoff team in the West, lucky to see Phoenix lose Amar'e Stoudemire and implode down the stretch. On the other hand, those statistics may mean very little since Tyson Chandler missed almost as many games as he played.
Because of the flux the Hornets' roster experienced this year, Denver-New Orleans may be the toughest matchup to predict in the West. Still, there are some basics that can easily be pinned down.
For starters, this series could end up being one huge, massive foul fest. Denver runs the third most efficient offense in the conference, and it's due to the obscene number of free throws they attempt. If the Hornets can't stay in front of offensive players, Melo, Billups, and Nene will be parading to the line every night. James Posey earning his paycheck on Anthony will be critical, but so will the performances of Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler on Billups and Nene.
Of course, Denver's known nation-wide as the "Thuggets" for a reason. They give as good as they get. The only Western playoff team that fouls more than them is Utah, and well, everyone knew that already. So if Chris Paul can bust out some of the acting skills he picked up from the multiple-Oscar winning Spurs last April, things may even out.
The biggest X factor of this series has to be Chandler. Nobody has the slightest idea of what he is going to brings. If 2007-2008 TC shows up, he could eat alive a poor defensive rebounding Denver squad. If 2008-2009 TC shows up, Melvin Ely and Sean Marks are going to get some major minutes (in which case, avert your eyes). Lesser, but important factors, will include the play of J.R. Smith and Peja Stojakovic. J.R. generally tries to show up New Orleans on a game to game basis, and Peja played four very good games against Denver this year. The team that gets viable, secondary scoring from one of those two will have a significant advantage offensively.
I'm clearly biased, so I'm expecting a nice recovery from Chandler, Chris Paul to dominate another 1st round, New Orleans to steal one of Games 1 and 2, and hang on at the end.
Hornets in 7.
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Kelly Dwyer: Denver can flame out. I wouldn't put it past them, nor would I be surprised if Chris Paul (and, to a lesser extent, David West) figuratively carry the Hornets to a win. That's just quite a bit to bank on, y'know? Throw in the home court advantage and Denver's depth, and I just can't pick the Hornets.
And even though the season series was a split (both teams won two games handily, and both teams won two close games), this is either a Denver walk, or a drawn-out Hornets win. Just a hunch. And because I'm not that smart, I'll split the difference with my guess at the final outcome.
Denver in 6.
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Nuggets and Hornets game talk in here!
