What a busy week. Due to some personal things that took place, I was not able to attend the Nuggets/Rockets game last Wednesday. I was in the house for both the Celtics and Suns games, but had a crazy weekend and couldn't find the time to write. I figured I'd still share my observations though, and perhaps take this opportunity to compare and contrast the two matchups.

Let's get to it.

1. There were a lot of Celtics fans at the game on Friday, so much so that at times it was a little hard to tell who the home team was. There were hardly any Suns fans at the game on Sunday, which was pretty much the opposite. None of this is surprising but I always find it interesting to see how many fans of the opposing team show up. It was annoying seeing all of that green in the stands though...
2. Glad to hear that Kemba Walker is alright. It was a scary injury and you never want to see a guy go down like that. There was luckily nothing like that at the Suns game
3. When the Celtics were here, some guy behind me kept yelling, "We want Kyrie!" Either he doesn't follow the team at all or he was just trolling them. Or both?
4. Rocky came up to my section at one point on Friday and gave two Celtics fans a seat "upgrade," meaning he walked them around The Can for the whole game before showing them out the front entrance. If these pranks aren't staged, Rocky must get the Nuggets sued a whole bunch.
5. Speaking of Rocky, his birthday was on Sunday and the Nuggets brought in all the local mascots to help him celebrate. The Orlando Magic's mascot was also in attendance, so I guess they are bros? Maybe Rocky likes Disney World? The Phoenix Gorilla even popped up to try and crash the party.
6. The Celtics game was a bit of an odd one. Boston put up enough bricks early on to build a house, even when Walker was in the game. The Nuggets controlled most of the action as a result, but then the visitors found their groove in the fourth quarter and made things interesting, so much so that the game was actually in doubt.
7. I never felt that way against the Suns, despite the fact that they led for a good portion of the game. Maybe that's because Ayton, Baynes and Rubio were all out and I figured their team would wear down by the end. That definitely played a role in the Nuggets coming out on top.
8. Speaking of those Nuggets, you can't say enough about how Millsap and Barton have helped to steady the ship through rocky waters so far this season. They have been reliable and consistent, which is what you expect from your two veteran players, but being back to full health has been huge for those guys. Cover them in bubble wrap whenever they aren't on the court, because the Nuggets will need both of them to live up to their championship aspirations.
9. As pretty much everyone knows at this point, Peyton Manning was in the house against the Celtics. The Sheriff has been a fairly familiar face at Nuggets games the past few years, but it's always good to see him in any capacity. And come on, Rocky, when no. 18 hits you right in the hands, you have to catch it.
10. After some early season struggles, it was nice to see Monte Morris rediscover his groove and continue that into the weekend. Beasley checked in against the Suns and showcased some of his trademark offense from last year. Those are two guys that absolutely have to keep playing well for the bench to reach its ceiling (not to mention that Beasley's dunks and threes fire up the crowd about as much as any player on the team).