Ouch.
Now that the heartbreak has set in a bit it's time to get hammered and let friends feed you sympathetic lies to make you feel better. In reality, I'm pretty encouraged. Everything was going according to planned, and we just didn't make our patented 4th quarter run to put it away. Well, these aren't the Mavs or the Hornets and we're not playing at home. They aren't going to fold in the 4th quarter, that's why they are the Lakers. Two clutch players going at it in crunch time would have been great to see, but we somehow could not get the ball in Melo's hand. Credit to Kobe for making free throws count, something the Nuggets have not yet grasped. A few of my thoughts
- Let's not start this series off with a bitch-fest about the officials. The Lakers came out soft, eventually got more aggressive and had more calls go their way in the fourth quarter. Whining about this is a waste of time and something losers do, because it seems like a legitimate reason to justify why your team came up short. The Nuggets were still one play away from winning this thing
- Phil Jackson made better adjustments than George Karl. Putting Ariza on Chauncey and Kobe on Anthony made it harder for Chauncey to get Melo the ball. Melo was murdering Ariza anyways, the Lakers did not have an answer for him. GK putting in a midget like AC to inbound over Odom makes no sense. He should not have been in the game at that point, because we needed a bucket and an offensive rebound in case of a miss. Birdman should have stayed in. It was a terrible situation for AC to be in and he made a huge mistake.
- Birdman sat for too long and we desperately need size and rebounding. The Lakers were +9 on the boards. Birdman plays 24 minutes and had only 1 foul. He can handle more minutes and needs to be in the game. I don't understand how you overlook this. Kleiza only played 7 minutes to AC's 15. Against a big team like the Lakers, AC has a very small role. He should be letting Chauncey rest, and thats it. Farmar played 9 minutes, and that is all AC should get at the most.
- The Nuggets have been tempting fate by shooting poorly at the free throw line. The only saviors have been Chauncey and Melo's consistent performance. It finally cost us a game, and it should be a kick in the ass to make them count.
- The Nuggets are facing adversity for the first time being down in a series, and if they have what it takes to play for a championship they will right the ship. The effort was there, but it's a matter of making adjustments and correcting mistakes (coaches and players). They should know they can play with the Lakers, and beat them with a little more smarter play. This team is a lot better than anyone they have faced so far, and most of the Nuggets stepped up.
That's all I got. That was a pretty good game on both sides. It's been a fun ride so far, and this series is going to get a lot more emotionally draining for Nuggets fans. I'll be a mess by the end of it, when the best team wins. GO NUGGETS!!!
Not those nuggets....
