Bumble Bros

Glad to see Gallo healthy again.

Wu hoo!

Nuggets vs Clippers: This ones for some Marbles.

Nuggets fans, Stiffs, lend me your contraband... er ears... EYES! Sorry, been a while. Welcome back sports fans! Lets do this and please refrain from loudly shouting "lets go" having already gone.

When last these two teams faced off, well it was a pretty different cast of characters. Denver enjoyed double digit TPM performances from five players, lead by The Blue Arrow's +31 (in likely his best performance of the season, given a highly spirited defensive performance), Big Honey/Devin Harris' +21 & Barton/Plumlee's +13. Two players were also in the red, lead by Craig's -12 and the Nuggets won big on the road, 134-115 in a game #80 of last season in April, that only mattered to us fools.

As for this game, I couldn't have possibly put it any better than Denver Stiffs head-writer/editor Adam Mares, who deadpanned "The stakes could hardly be any lower" in his preview for this one. With that aside, Serbs, Serbs everywhere Serbs. Blockin' out the scenery, Stompin' our curbs. In this case, Boban Marjanovic quite literally does block out the scenery; the Hollywood sign, the brown-cloud, the sun and everything in between while Nemanja Jokic reportedly put a pretty good curb stompin' on some poor opponent in his MMA debut in Denver last week. Pretty cool to see Boban, Nikola & Milos all in one building, at any rate ($10K for the Frankie Muniz seats.) All eyes in the basketball crazed nation of Serbia will be either a) asleep since it'll be quite early there, or else b) glued to their streaming devise, er I meant LEAGUE PASS (they have that in Sř̩bija, no?), to take in the season opener for these two clubs.

In my brief research for this piece, I noticed that Lou Williams hails not from parts unknown but from Lithuania Georgia!?!? Seriously? Wow! So many Eastern-Europeans/Mediterraneans on this squad! Ok, so I used poetic license on his hometown. I hope this doesn't insult the sensitivities of the five of you.

The Clippers trot out a formidable starting five, have one of the better benches in the NBA and are, like the Nuggets, unfortunately located in the West, where the playoffs are about as attainable as your wife's younger/hotter sister. They are lead by the near-elite, do-it-all, multi-hyphenated, comma-separated skill-set of Tobias Harris but they can expect to get healthy contributions from the finally-healthy Beverly & Gallo, as well as the foul drawing virtuoso Lou Williams (not to diminish his potent offensive game, just to highlight his unique strength.)

The good guys will counter with basically the same starting five as last year, with the exception of Barton replacing the dearly departed Wilson Chandler. The young core of Jokic/Harris/Murray all stand to see marked improvement with another year of seasoning in their mother broth and Millsap is finally healthy after an injury plagued introductory season in Denver. Isaiah Thomas and MPJ are behind glass to break in case of emergency, don't believe this injury gobbledygook. Meanwhile, Monte Morris and Trey Lyles, the two shining stars (if there can be such a thing) of pre-season, figure to play much larger roles with the Nuggets this season, particularly early in the year in the case of Morris, while Beasley, Craig & Plumlee are expected to round out the rotation as Juancho & yet another player returning from injury in Lydon, await their chance. To round out the bottom end of the roster, Vanderbilt is recovering from an actual injury and Welsh/Purcell will marinate (ucwidt?) in the G league.

Coach Michael Malone just inked a multi-year deal to remain with the club which I'm going to reserve judgement on for the moment, only to comment that it could be very good or very bad timing for it, with very little in-between but I'm a fan of rolling the dice so props to The Boss, Josh Kroenke & Co.

It's opening day! Get Amped! Have fun at Rhein Haus but don't drink and drive. Lyft/Uber are so easy, you can do it while inebriated.

Prediction: Denver 111 - LA Clippers 107

Go Nuggets!

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If you are viewing the pre-game version of the TPM piece; and you enjoy Gonzo-basketball reporting, I invite you to please join me after the game where the same link will lead you to the post game version. In it, all of the disjointed/unsightly blanks below will be filled, complete with data/analysis and more snark than "Snarknado VI: Snakenado", which I'm told is about a pessimistic, albino, black mamba who emerges from micro-bursts to torment the people of Los Angeles with shady tweets.

There be monsters; shameless, personal plug alert! (by permission of Denver Stiffs): If you are in the market for clothing, featuring the four major Denver sports franchises as well as CU, please open this link in a new tab to see if there is anything you are interested in. You don't have to order from the link of course if you are in the Denver Metro area, as I'm more than happy to meet up with you (please refrain from bringing rotten tomatoes), drastically lowering the cost, as Poshmark takes a healthy cut as well as shipping & handling. Thanks in advance!

Unique, hard to find, one of a kind and custom gear of your favorite team

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And now what none of you come here for; how about some basketball nerdery?!?!

(After these messages... Er Nicknames)

LA Clippers Roster

Denver Nuggets Roster

Update: MPJ and I.T. are sleeping on Ice, awaiting intel as to when their services will be required. In a shocking turn of events, The Clip's report zero injuries!

Data: Open this link in a new tab for the definition of TPM™

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TPM™ Game 1 LAC

Jamal Murray: +6

Isaiah Thomas: N/A

Monte Morris: +14

Gary Harris: +11

Malik Beasley: +4

Torrey Craig: N/A

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: N/A

Will Barton: +14

Juancho Hernangomez: +2

Michael Porter Jr.: N/A

Jared Vanderbilt: N/A

Paul Millsap: +7

Trey Lyles: +5

Tyler Lydon: N/A

Nikola Jokic: +17

Mason Plumlee: +3

Thomas Welsh: +0

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Total TPM™ starting Game 1 vs LAC

TPM™ Game 1 LAC

Jamal Murray: 1 games +6

Isaiah Thomas: 0 games +0

Monte Morris: 1 games +14

Gary Harris: 1 games +11

Malik Beasley: 1 games +4

Torrey Craig: 0 games +0

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: 0 games +0

Will Barton: 1 games +14

Juancho Hernangomez: 1 games +2

Michael Porter Jr.: 0 games +0

Jared Vanderbilt: 0 games +0

Paul Millsap: 1 games +7

Trey Lyles:1 games +5

Tyler Lydon: 0 games +0

Nikola Jokic: 1 games +17

Mason Plumlee: 1 games +3

Thomas Welsh: 1 games +0

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Avg. TPM™ Per Game

Jamal Murray: +6.00

Isaiah Thomas:+0.00

Monte Morris: +14.00

Gary Harris: +11.00

Malik Beasley:+4.00

Torrey Craig: +0.00

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: +0.00

Will Barton: +14.00

Juancho Hernangomez:+2.00

Michael Porter Jr.: +0.00

Jared Vanderbilt: +0.00

Paul Millsap: +7.00

Trey Lyles:+5.00

Tyler Lydon: +0.00

Nikola Jokic: +17.00

Mason Plumlee: +3.00

Thomas Welsh: +0.00

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TPM™ Per-Minute Splits Through Game 80 (2017-'18):

*Credit DomP on the Spreadsheet. It's as if my (nerdy) baby (TPM™) learned to speak

Analysis:

Qtr2- The 2nd quarter begins and with it, an opportunity to witness new shooting professor Price's prize pupil, Plumlee clank two FT's. A lane violation results in a third which he proceeds to brick as well for good measure. Told you they should have kicked the tires on Abdul-Rauf. Morris is commanding the offense for this all-bench unit and Denver pushes the lead to nine, in what is starting out as a fast paced 2nd period. Monte already leads Denver with a +9 TPM in under 5 minutes of court time. Juancho is showing improved box-out technique this season. Plumlee is hit with his 3rd foul at 8:35 and is forced to take a seat. Morris' P&R savvy on offense is that of a far more experienced player. Boban is doing his thing (making the Nuggets appear as they often are, soft) and the lead is cut to five at 7:28. Speaking of which, Jokic is DEFINITELY becoming the beneficiary of a soft whistle. We can expect him to be recipient of some phantom calls against as a result of the human element; the tendency towards pendulum-like evening out of calls rather than officiating what actually occurs. The Denver lead is cut to three as the Clippers starting unit begins filtering in at 6:30.

Barton's shoes are too much. Fun fact: Yellow is the preferred color of the clinically insane. Beverly is hit with his 3rd foul and is forced out of action at 5:07. He is NOT in favor of this judgement. Barton is the first player for either team to reach double digits in scoring. Not to be outdone, Jokic joins him moments later. It's even-Steven at 48 with 4:20 to go (smoke 'em if you've got 'em.) LA has all the momentum currently. As many touch fouls as were being called early, some truly rugged play is commencing unchecked at the moment. Gallo receives his third foul at 3:27 but stays in. Barton is the only aggressive player for the Nuggets right now offensively but they lead by one with 1:20 to go. Jokic picks up his third foul with seconds to go and once again, Malone's late quarter allocation of court time rears it's ugly head. Yes, Plumlee had three as well but they have an entire roster comprised solely of power forwards. Surely one of them can step in momentarily as a scab. Denver is paced in TPM by Morris +11 and lead 59-54 at the half.

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Halftime: Smoke break? Not this guy. I'll have earned two months free of nicotine on October 25th. DO NOT TEST ME NUGGETS!!! I'm open to suggestion as to productive ways to better utilize the halftime segment and it's corresponding time.

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Qtr3- The Nuggets are playing with better pace to open the third. Rivers takes an early timeout as he's displeased with something not apparent to my untrained eye at 10:47, with the Nuggets up by seven. Beverly picks up his 4th at 10:11 and he's about to flip his shit. He remains in the game. The shot clock buzzer seems especially loud at the Staples Center. For some reason, I just tasted pastrami, something I haven't eaten in years. This phenomena seems to happen frequently as I watch NBA hoops. "Back to our story... Ah yes, back to our story." Jokic has his first FT miss of the young season at 8:17 but the Nuggets lead by five nonetheless. Harris is the third Nugget to reach double digits. To his credit, 'Sap is rebounding well in absence of an NBA jumper tonight.

Constant whistles have slowed the pace to a screeching halt. Lyles is first off the bench for Denver at 4:30, up five. AAAAAAAND we have commercials occurring during play so I'm following along utilizing Yahoo GameChannel. Skippy seems to have early season jitters in the truck. A commercial break runs long and I check in with GameChannel just to be sure but Skip's on top of things again. The game has been rendered, shall we say, non-aesthetically pleasing by the style of play, as reserves filter in for both teams, with Denver leading 70-66 at the 1:45 mark. Plumlee checks in and quickly acquires his 4th foul. Juancho is quietly playing pretty well, as illustrated in this non-plussed description. Lou Williams is taking control and LA cuts it to one with seconds to go. Lyles hits a freebie to close out the period as Welsh makes his NBA debut and in doing so, torpedoes any shot he might have had statistically speaking, at rookie of the year. Denver is paced in TPM by Barton +12 & Morris' +11 and lead in a dog fight, 74-72

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Qtr4- The all-bench squad remains in (sans former R.O.Y. candidate Welsh) to begin the 4th. Lyles becomes the 4th Nugget in double figures. Helter-Skelter/Herkey-Jerkey start to the 4th as Morris banks in a three, giving the Nuggets a five point lead at 8:45. Boban is still enormous. Ally is still gorgeous. Tobias Harris ties it up with a three and then Boban "The Assassin" Marjanovic (-Marlowe) gives LA the lead with two straight standing dunks. UNREAL! Plumlee nabs his 5th foul and Denver inserts a few starters (perhaps too late?) as momentum has clearly shifted. Boban has completely taken over the game, as he often does against Denver. The Clips lead by four at 6:55. Coach Malone should really consider inserting I.T. at this point to ice the swelling. Denver is just 3-13 thus far in the 4th. A prolonged delay as the Clippers rim is re-leveled following the abuse administered, courtesy of the one they call "Todd", may be exactly what Denver needs in order to stem the tide.

LA leads by six with 4:49 to play. Lou Williams picks up an untimely T at 3:38 for an illegal substitution. Check that, the official takes it back after conferring with the other officials and Denver gets jobbed. Nuggets ball, side out of bounds, down four. Marlowe attempts to hex Gallo at the FT line by calling him Mr Reliable but to no avail, as he calmly drills both attempts. A Jokic three cuts it to one with 3:00 to go, as Gallo gets his 5th foul. 'Sap gets his first bucket of the night and the Nuggets take the lead. Tobias Harris ties it up at the stripe as Denver enters the bonus. I hate to sound biased but the referees are doing Denver zero favors in the fourth QTR of an otherwise well officiated game. Some truly mystifying rulings down the stretch in this contest. Jokic cleans up the recycling and Denver leads by two with 1:24 remaining. Phonz sounds like he's been doing this for years but needs work in avoiding stepping on the other guys streams of thought, which is pretty difficult to be fair, in a three man crew. Gary Harris drills a mid-range, step-back jumper (probably the best shot to take in late game or end of clock situations. Impossible to block, always a clean look, easiest way to manage the clock with precision, unlike shots that the numbers say are more valuable in other situations) that he BADLY WANTED and hoisted with conviction, giving Denver the four point lead with :45 to play. Murray has picked up his D as Harris has taken over the other end of the court, at precisely the right time and Denver pulls this one out. Fair is fair, a situational, late QTR substitution by Coach Malone pays off as Plumlee earns a key blocked shot. 'Sap earns a 2D in the waning moments, from the line and this one is ova! Denver is paced in TPM by Jokic +17, Morris & Barton +14 and Harris +13 as they win a gross one, 105-98

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Final Thoughts: The Defense still has a long way to go in transforming this team into true contenders, particularly on the perimeter where Barton and Harris had very poor showings in terms of blow-by's. Road wins are hard to come by so we'll take it! This team loses this one last season. Progress!

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The Nuggets Win!

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