Denver Nuggets Skeptic

Denver: Looking for Game 2 Respect, Or A Series Win?

(InsideHoops) Maybe they're feeling overlooked, but by Karl keeping Eduardo Najera out, I've got to believe that they're more interested in playing a HIGHLY physical game than doing everything they can to win Game 2.  Let me be clear: I'm not saying they're going to play to lose, but I think they're laying the groundwork to really punish Duncan, keep Camby healthy for the two Denver games and solve for Bowen's aggressive coverage of Carmelo.

If there's a win that comes out of it, great; otherwise it takes four battles to win the war.

Chat With ESPN at 11:30AM

Today's ESPN chat is with Brian James, where you can expect him to answer questions about tonight's game. James, a former assistant coach with the Pistons, Raptors and Wizards, is a regular contributor for ESPN Insider.

Link: Submit your question for the ESPN Chat with Brian James, 11:30AM MST

Keys to Tonight's Game

(SpursReport) Interesting analysis on tonight's game. The Nuggets need to run, keep Camby healthy, and keep Boykins scoring points like there's no tomorrow.

The Spurs need to force the Nuggets to scramble on defense, get Duncan more than "70-80" percent healthy, and hope their shooters keep a hot hand.

Camby vs Bowen for Defensive Player of the Year?

(SpursReport) Just a rumor, but reportedly during the Pistons/Sixers game it was reported that Ben Wallace would not get the award, but it would go to Marcus Camby or Bruce Bowen.

Cleveland.com picks Camby to win it and George Karl as coach of the year. FoxSports picks Bowen. SpursReport disses Camby, naturally. The Florida Sun-Sentinel picks Camby as well. Heck, if Scottie Pippen had a vote, he'd go with anyone but Bowen.

The Latest Buzz from the ESPN Boards

(ESPN) They just updated their message boards. Top posts on the Nugget's board:

1. Carmelo and Kenyon Martin - suggestions on what they need to do in Game 2
2. San Antonio's Crowd - the differences between fans attending the games
3. Nuggets Fortunate - the common Spurs belief that San Antonio played their worst game last Sunday
4. Ray Allen to Denver? - rumors about Allen, who has spoken well of George Karl recently
5. Charles Barkley needs to publicly apologize - Whatever.

Top posts on the Spur's board:

1. Mermaid Locker Room Chat 7 - Wow, the fans are restless ...
2. ? about Duncan - Discussion about the severity of Duncan's ankle injury
3. Can Spurs slow the pace - includes question about Denver's ability to get fast break points against the Spurs
4. Go nuggets - Lone Denver fan
5. Life - Ruminations on how the Spurs never seem to change

Five Observations About Game One

(Hoopsworld) Writer Steve Nanino lists five trends that he hopes don't continue if San Antonio is going to get its fat out of the fire:

1. Andre Miller on the offensive
2. San Antonio's cold shooting
3. Melo kept under wraps
4. Rock Solid Play from Nazr Mohammed
5. Will Tim Duncan’s Injury Woes Continue?

We'll see if the time off between games is enough to help heal Duncan's gimpy ankle. The coaches have to be worried if the necessity for Duncan to stay in the game (in what looks to be a long series) will further worsen his injury.

As Nanino puts it, "If the Denver Nuggets didn’t have the Spurs attention heading into this series, they sure do now."

Stay tuned.

He's Due: Nazr Mohammed

Look to Nazr Mohammed to be a huge factor in the next game. With a ginger Tim Duncan, Poppy will try to get Nazr more involved inside and on the boards.

SI Play of the Night

(Sports Illustrated) Marcus Camby wins the SI Play of the Night for his last-minute 12-foot shot that gave Denver an 88-84 lead, and his defensive work that left the Spurs 0-17 from the floor for a little over ten minutes.

San Antonio Spurs Voted "The Biggest Loser"

(Fresno Bee) Forget the NBC reality show, last night was a real wake-up call for the Spurs, who many had picked to go all the way. As George Karl put it, "It's the beginning of the war."

Inside the NBA Blogs

(NBA Blog Squad) The NBA has launched its own series of blogs written by industry insiders, writers and fans from around the world, all hosted on the NBA.com website.

There really are interesting people on the panel: former Denverite Bernie Bickerstaff, several NBA players including Scottie Pippen and Spurs forward Bruce Bowen, a TNT producer (who I think I met on Denver's 16th Street Mall) describing the hard work of producing the event, and Victor Williams (who portray's Kevin James' best friend on the TV show King of Queens), counseling his beloved Memphis Grizzlies on how to learn a thing or two from their impending drubbing by the Suns.

All of the blogs are surprisingly meaty, but it looks like entries are written pretty infrequently. With the playoffs upon us there are only three entries from what looks like nineteen writers. Of course, I'm not checking the blogs en Espanol, or the blogs for China, Taiwan or Brasil. Denver Nuggets guard Luis Flores has a blog written entirely in Spanish, and from what I can tell he's describing his preparations for the playoffs, including his friendship with Eduardo Najera, the celebration of his 22nd birthday playing billiards and his summer obligations in his native Dominican Republic.

Such efforts are important to building the sport internationally. Political blogger Kos is trying a slightly different approach with SportsBlogs, a network of blogs targeted (for now) at Major League Baseball.

Link: Wired news article on sports blogs