I don't think we should expect another cold chuckery from the streaking Mr Westbrook in this one.

And the Thunder will no doubt have revenge on their minds once again

The band is NEARLY back together! Harris may not start and will be on restricted minutes but the only players who are currently inactive due to injury are Trey Lyles and MPJ. Denver is healthier than they have been at any point in this season, just in time for a brutal second half schedule.

Nuggets vs Thunder III: The Delicate sound.

When last these two teams squared off in game 28 of this season the Nuggets (lap) enjoyed double figure TPM contributions from four players led by Nikola Jokic: +22. No Denver players were in the red for that match-up as the Nuggets won in impressive fashion given how undermanned they were, by a final score of 109-98 in the Mile High City.

In that game, Denver started current non-rotational players in Craig & Juancho to cover for Harris and Barton, as well as backup center Plumlee in the place of Millsap. While 'Sap was available in the first encounter, Craig and Juancho were again in as injury replacements so frankly, it's a miracle that the Nuggets have gone 2-0 vs this squad.

As for this game, one odd factor to consider is that the Thunder for whatever reason, don't perform well in games broadcast by TNT. OKC has lost two of their last three on TNT as well as two of their last three games overall, despite MVP candidate PG13 & Russ combining for averages of 35.8/11.3/6.8. As usual, this is an exceedingly top heavy team; as their two stars go, so goes the Thunder fortune. Adams, Schroeder and Grant are fine tertiary players but that is the tall and short of their team's effectual contribution.

Denver on the other hand boasts a legit MVP candidate of their own in Big Honey, have eight players averaging 11 or more points per game (think about that), 12 averaging six or more and have without a doubt the deepest team in the league. The eight players averaging 11 or more speaks to the amount of playing time guys have had due to injuries but they still had to step up and perform and to a man, they all have. It also speaks to how dangerous this team now is since they are finally healthy. Lyles/Juancho/Craig who are now all non-contributors have combined to average 7.4 PPG each.

When Jokic gets a 3D at home the Nuggets are undefeated and only once in his 28 career 3D's have the Nuggets lost. In short, these are not hollow, stat seeking ventures but Jokic playing within the offense. He's come up short of a 3D no less than a dozen times this season alone, by one or two P/R/A due to the Nuggets leading big and his sitting out fourth quarters. In such occasions he can be found laughing and cheering his teammates on from the pine. The man cares about one thing only and that is winning. Ok two things... deriding officials being the other. Let's make that four actually. Dancing (poorly/datedly) and hurling children into the sky. I guess he also likes horses and fish stew. He cares a lot come to think of it, just not about 3D's or indeed any statistic other than W's.

Here are some numbers you can use:

OKC gives up 110.9 PPG by their opponents on average, to Denver's 106.8

The Thunder average 116.0 PPG offensively to the Nuggets 112.2

This results in a net rating for OKC of +5.0 and +5.4 for Denver

OKC is 17-13 on the road while Denver is an NBA best 26-4 in the friendly confines of The Pepsi Can.

In terms of conference record, the Thunder are 22-16 to the Nuggets 26-10 mark which is important only in as much as understanding the strength of schedule involved as the Western Conference has been as much as ever, the stiffer competition.

Denver can win the season series with OKC tonight as they are 2-0 with tonight's game as well as one in OKC remaining.

Within their shared division, the Nuggets are 7-1 while OKC is 6-4.

Denver of course is 2nd in the Western Conference standings, 1.5 games behind the Warriors while OKC currently resides in 3rd place in the Western Conference, 4.5 games out.

When it comes to the other meaningful statistical box-score production the comparison is as follows:

(team with advantage in bold)
OKC: RPG 48.1 APG 23.4 SPG 10.2 BPG 5.3 FG% 46.1 FT% 71.9 3% 35.2

DEN: RPG 46.8 APG 27.7 SPG 7.8 BPG 4.5 FG% 47.1 FT% 75.3 3% 35.5

The numbers on whole favor the Nuggets but as anyone who reads my piece knows, I don't believe any statistic or even a complex, predictive conglomeration of statistics are nearly as accurate in indicating actual results as are the unquantifiable variables of "Mo & flow™" momentum and the ability to find the zone.

To that end, The Nuggets have won 14 of their last 20 & 7 of their last 10 games, while the Thunder have been victorious in 13 of their last 20 & 7 of their last 10.

For this young Nuggets group, (fourth youngest in the NBA; they were the youngest at the start of the season but tank-moves made by CHI/NY/PHO have rendered them younger, since) individual consistency is simply not a thing so it's more difficult to predict how a player will contribute based upon trends; particularly so as the starters begin filtering back from injury and roles are altered/redefined in the coming games. Jokic has been consistently good but in different ways seemingly every night.

Having said that, Big Honey is a legit MVP candidate and an emerging superstar, while Murray is coming into his own as Robin to The Joker's Batman (I'm not certain how that works either) while Millsap/Harris provide secondary options when things get problematic on offense; simultaneously carrying the bulk of the defensive burden and Barton is the much needed secondary ball handler/play-maker for when things go awry; a natural scorer/creator and the Nuggets boast one of the deepest benches in the league, even without Lyles and MPJ.

There are of course many other variables at play including match-ups; styles make fights. For example, OKC is the very best team in the league in converting offense from defense with regard to steals & blocks leading to transition buckets, while Denver is amongst the very best at protecting the ball which goes a long way in explaining why they seem to have the Thunder's number as of late. The Thunder also boast perhaps the second most formidable duo in the league (behind only KD/Curry by most measures) while the Nuggets come at you in waves.

I do expect the Nuggets' rotation to tighten up a bit tonight given Malone's post-game comments about Craig/Juancho so it will likely be a nine man rotation which leaves them and likely Lyles upon return, out.

Food for thought: Once Harris is starting, this is what Denver's rotation will consist of:

PG Murray/Morris/IT

SG Harris/IT/Beasley

SF Barton/Harris/Beasley

PF Millsap/Plumlee

C Jokic/Plumlee

A combination unique amongst the NBA of very small in positions 1-3 while exceptionally large at the 4-5. For this to work Plumlee has got to curtail his fouling, Jokic has GOT to stop taking "Jokic only" fouls to prove a point to officials and defensive communication has got to be at a premium.

These two teams by most metrics have the two most difficult remaining schedules amongst all NBA teams so obviously this is not your average game 60 for Denver, both in terms of maintaining that crucial competitive edge come crunch time and in maintaining home court advantage in the first and hopefully second rounds of the playoffs.

Prediction: Denver (lap ) 115 - OKC 113

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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

Also, my DIY music production and videos can be heard/seen here if you don't value your ear-balls & eye-drums.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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

(After these messages... Er Nicknames)

Oklahoma City Thunder Roster

NO	Name	POS	Age	HT	WT	College	Salary
8	Alex "Albatross" Abrines	SG	25	6' 6"	200 lbs	Parts Unknown (RIP Tony Bourdain)	$5,455,236
12	Steven "I Eat Hobbits For 2nd Breakfast" Adams	C	25	7' 0"	265 lbs	Pittsburgh	$24,157,303
30	Deonte "LaVar" Burton	G	24	6' 5"	245 lbs	Iowa State	G-Money
34	"X-Rated" Tyler Davis	C	21	6' 10"	266 lbs	Texas A&M	G-Money
6	"I Dunno But Maybe" Hamidou Diallo	SG	20	6' 5"	198 lbs	Kentucky	$838,464
2	Raymond "Insert Fat Joke" Felton	PG	34	6' 1"	205 lbs	North Carolina	$1,512,601
23	Terrance "Thunder From Down Under " Ferguson	SG	20	6' 7"	190 lbs	Australia	$2,118,840
13	Paul "PG13" George	SF	28	6' 9"	220 lbs	Fresno State	$30,560,700
9	Jerami "(Sp?) #5" Grant	SF	24	6' 9"	220 lbs	Syracuse	$8,653,847
7	Timothe "Either A Wine OR A Strip-Joint" Luwawu-Cabarrot	SG	23	6' 6"	210 lbs	Francais (probably)	$1,544,951
11	Abdel "Ralph" Nader	SF	25	6' 6"	225 lbs	Iowa State	$1,378,242
3	Nerlens "Never-Nude" Noel	PF	24	6' 11"	220 lbs	Kentucky	$1,757,429
54	Patrick "Pat-Pat" Patterson	PF	29	6' 9"	230 lbs	Kentucky	$5,451,600
21	Andre "Too Soon" Roberson	SG	26	6' 7"	210 lbs	Colorado	$10,000,000
17	"NC-17" Dennis Schroder	PG	25	6' 1"	172 lbs	Deutchland	$15,500,000
0	Russell "Rocky Horror" Westbrook	PG	30	6' 3"	200 lbs	UCLA	$35,654,150

Denver Nuggets Roster

NO	Name	POS	Age	HT	WT	College	Salary
5	Will "The People's Champion" Barton	SG	27	6' 6"	190 lbs	Memphis	$11,830,358
25	"Mutant" Malik Beasley	SG	22	6' 5"	195 lbs	Florida State	$1,773,840
3	Torrey "FUCKING" Craig	SF	27	6' 7"	215 lbs	USC Upstate	$2,000,000
2	Brandon "Hopefully Contributes To Many The" Goodwin	PG	23	6' 2"	180 lbs	Florida Gulf Coast	$630,032
14	"Just" Gary Harris	SG	24	6' 4"	210 lbs	Michigan State	$16,517,857
41	Juancho "The Mouthful" Hernangomez	PF	23	6' 9"	230 lbs	Espana	$2,166,360
15	Nikola "Big Honey" Jokic (AKA The Joker)	C	23	7' 0"	250 lbs	Gotham	$24,605,181
20	Tyler "Not just Anunobody" Lydon	PF	22	6' 10"	225 lbs	Syracuse	$1,874,640
7	Trey "The Swiss Army Spork" Lyles	PF	23	6' 10"	234 lbs	Kentucky	$3,364,249
4	Paul "The Anchorman" Millsap	PF	33	6' 8"	246 lbs	Louisiana Tech	$29,230,769
11	Monte "Ratio" Morris	PG	23	6' 3"	175 lbs	Iowa State	$1,349,383
27	Jamal "The Blue Arrow" Murray	PG	21	6' 4"	207 lbs	Kentucky	$3,499,800
24	Mason "Plumdog Millionaire" Plumlee	PF	28	6' 11"	235 lbs	Duke	$12,917,808
1	Michael "The Sleeper Cell" Porter Jr.	PF	20	6' 10"	210 lbs	Missouri	$2,894,160
0	Isaiah "Ice" Thomas	PG	29	5' 9"	185 lbs	Washington	$1,512,601
8	Jarred "The Amalgamated Version Of A Dude I Once Bought Weed From On Haight Ashbury" Vanderbilt	PF	19	6' 9"	214 lbs	Kentucky	$838,464
45	Thomas "Irvine" Welsh	C	22	7' 0"	255 lbs	UCLA	G-Money

Update: MPJ is still waiting to make his Denver Nuggets/pro debut as he rehabs from multiple back surgeries. Lyles is out with a Hammy. Wow! That was short! As for the Thunder, Roberson is still out with a knee injury.

Re-up: Yes I'm aware that trades have been made and the above roster for the opposing team is inaccurate. Hopefully you are aware that the fan-post format isn't equipped to make adjustments to the above template so it often results in entire pieces being destroyed and or hours of work being lost. Simply put, it's not worth the additional effort/risk to change once the Nuggets have faced an opponent once. No disrespect intended. Tune in next season and I assure you the first time Denver plays your team, the roster will be up to date :)

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Data:

TPM™ Game 60 OKC

Nikola Jokic: +31

Jamal Murray: +13

Gary Harris: +2

Monte Morris: +2

Isaiah Thomas: +9

Paul Millsap: +17

Will Barton: +29

Mason Plumlee: +2

Malik Beasley: +5

Jared Vanderbilt: N/A

Juancho: N/A

Tyler Lydon: N/A

Torrey Craig: -2

Thomas Welsh: G-league

Brandon Goodwin: G-league

Trey Lyles: Injured

Michael Porter Jr.: Injured

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Total TPM™

Nikola Jokic: 59 games +1369

Jamal Murray: 54 games +912

Gary Harris: 35 games +473

Monte Morris: 60 games +725

Isaiah Thomas: 4 games +46

Paul Millsap: 48 games +453

Will Barton: 21 games +192

Mason Plumlee: 60 games +502

Malik Beasley: 60 games +473

Jared Vanderbilt: 6 games +12

Juancho: 56 games +16

Tyler Lydon: 24 games -2

Torrey Craig: 56 games -14

Thomas Welsh: 9 games +18

Brandon Goodwin: 16 games +28

Trey Lyles: 55 games +303

Michael Porter Jr.: 0 games +0

Nick Young: 3 games -2

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: 6 games +5

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Avg. TPM™ Per Game

Nikola Jokic: +23.20

Jamal Murray: +16.89

Gary Harris: +13.51

Monte Morris: +12.08

Isaiah Thomas:+11.50

Paul Millsap: +9.44

Will Barton: +9.14

Mason Plumlee: +8.37

Malik Beasley: +7.89

Jared Vanderbilt: +2.00

Juancho: +0.29

Tyler Lydon: -0.08

Torrey Craig: -0.25

Thomas Welsh: +2.00

Brandon Goodwin: +1.75

Trey Lyles: +5.70

Michael Porter Jr.: N/A

Nick Young: -0.67

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell: +0.83

__________________________________________________________________________________________

TPM™ Per-Minute Splits Through Game 57:

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

Qtr1- The Nuggets go with their 14th iteration of the starting five, consisting of Murray, Beasley, Barton, Millsap & Jokic. The Thunder counter with Westbrook, Ferguson, PG13, Grant & Adams. Beasley gets the scoring underway with a trifecta, on a dish from Joke-ich. Russ is looking for his in the early going but Denver leads by one at 9:44. PG13 misjudges the effects of altitude on trajectory and airmails one into the third row. Clearly, OKC is taking this one seriously and they lead by six at the time of the first break at 7:54. The Thunder are starting to rack up the fouls as all starters but Grant have one and Denver retakes the lead by three, on the strength of a 9-0 run of their own. Not to be outdone, Grant earns a foul and Denver is already in the bonus at 5:40. Beautiful ball movement in the early going for the Nuggets who lead by five with 5:24 remaining. If Denver's starters continue to outplay their OKC counterparts, it's curtains for the Thunder, who have zero players in their bench unit that can even be mentioned in the same breath as IT/Harris/Morris/Plumlee as individuals, much less as a unit.

Mason is in after the timeout, first off the pine for the good guys. Harris/Morris enter simultaneous to Jokic/Russ getting their first blow of the night at around the 3:00 mark. IT is in soon-after, in a tie game at 2:30. Hey TNT, could you maybe not show pre-taped interviews as the game is in session? Denver is hoisting some severely ugly misses from beyond the arc tonight and they trail by one with 1:27 remaining. IT is rewarded with a four point play that until this very moment, no player on the team had the reputation with officials to garner. He misses the FT, something that has been a trend for him in his short Nuggets tenure. OKC has six players with a foul while Schroeder has two already. Meanwhile, Denver has just three fouls by three different players. PG13 plays the entire first quarter; a necessity on most nights for this team. Denver is paced in TPM by Will Barton/Nikola Jokic: +8 and lead 29-26 after one.

Nikola Jokic: +8 Jamal Murray: +1 Gary Harris: +3 Monte Morris: +2 Isaiah Thomas: +6 Paul Millsap: +7 Will Barton: +8 Mason Plumlee: +2 Malik Beasley: +2 Juancho: N/A Torrey Craig: N/A Jared Vanderbilt: N/A Tyler Lydon: N/A

Qtr2- Morris is the only Denver player who has yet to score. Craig checks in for the first time at 11:45 with a four point lead. He immediately contributes two blocked shots. The officials seem to be evening out the calls now as Denver earns three straight fouls. The lead is two at the time of the first break at 10:24. Harris is showing a lot of rust tonight on the offensive end. Markief (or is it Marcus?) nabs his third foul but remains in at 9:21. Russ is back in at this point as PG13 FINALLY gets his first break. Jokic remains on the bench. Denver's back-court has got to start contributing if Denver wishes to remain in this one. Big Honey is back in at 7:51, trailing by three. Someone for OKC had to have complained between periods as they are already in the bonus with 7:32 to go, leading by two. Denver leads by three after a 5-0 run at 6:22. Jokic is the first to reach double digits for Denver.

PG13 is already back in for OKC. The pace is really picking up with both teams attacking the rim and the Nuggets lead by six at 4:32. Barton makes two in double digits for Denver at this time. This has been Will's best game offensively since his return from injury. The Nuggets lead by eight with 3:10 remaining. Craig earns his third foul and it's clear that the officials are making a concerted effort to overcompensate. He stays in and quickly is found guilty of his fourth. Murray makes three in double digits for Denver. The Nuggets lead by ten after a Barton floater with under a minute to go. Big Honey closes out the half with a three and the canned crowd is clamoring. Denver is paced in TPM by Nikola Jokic: +21 as they lead 64-51 at the half.

Nikola Jokic: +21 Jamal Murray: +12 Gary Harris: +3 Monte Morris: +0 Isaiah Thomas: +10 Paul Millsap: +8 Will Barton: +15 Mason Plumlee: +6 Malik Beasley: +2 Torrey Craig: +1 Juancho: N/A Jared Vanderbilt: N/A Tyler Lydon: N/A

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Qtr3- Someone in the crowd is yelling at Russ to "shoot it" each and every time he touches it. He does, as does PG13 from way downtown and the lead is down to seven after just one minute of play. The Nuggets could really use an offensive contribution from Beasley/Millsap who have been held in check thus-far. The score is OKC 8 Denver 0 at the ten minute mark. Beasley and Millsap score two in a row in the two-man game, right on queue and the lead is back up to nine at 9:05. The refs are still relentless in terms of ticky-tack foul calls but the Nuggets still lead in spite of this by nine at 7:08. Adams mugs 'sap... no call of course. Will Denver EVER get continuation on an obvious shot attempt this season?

Jokic is on 3D watch with 22-6-8 at the midway point of the third. PG13 is resting and Denver is predictably streaking as a result. The lead is up to 16 with just under three minutes to play. He checks back in after a very short break at 2:35. Adams nabs his fourth foul soon-after. MVP candidate for third place team OKC, PG13 has yet to reach double figures. Jokic is currently sitting at 27-7-9 with a 16 point lead for the second place Nuggets, who will be just one game out of first with a victory tonight. On queue, PG13 of course hits one from 75 feet to cut the lead to 13 as the horn sounds. Denver is paced in TPM by Nikola Jokic: +26 as they lead 91-78 after three.

Nikola Jokic: +26 Jamal Murray: +14 Gary Harris: +3 Monte Morris: +2 Isaiah Thomas: +7 Paul Millsap: +7 Will Barton: +23 Mason Plumlee: +4 Malik Beasley: +6 Torrey Craig: +1 Juancho: N/A Jared Vanderbilt: N/A Tyler Lydon: N/A

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Qtr4- Jokic/Russ are both sitting as the 4th quarter opens in earnest. Craig nabs his 5th foul sending PG13 to the line at 11:11. OKC with two early fouls are in danger of putting Denver in the bonus early. PG13 gets away with some pretty rough & tumble D. Never-Nude Nerlens Noel with a highly un-necessay elbow to Harris' head on a drive, earns a spiked ball to his own head for the effort. "A solid move by Harris" says McHale. Clearly, frustration is setting in for this Thunder squad. They just can't seem to solve the Nuggets. Felton is somehow the person called for a foul. It also results in a double T for Noel/Harris. Felton fouls Thomas on the ensuing play, resulting in an &-1 and the Nuggets will be in the bonus the next time that OKC fouls, with a full 9:27 to go. PG13 outworks Craig for a rebound and sticks a three, cutting the lead to eight at 9:18. IT makes four in double digits for Denver. The lead is just six on the strength of a 26-4 run by OKC with Jokic on the bench. Every 50/50 call is going in favor of OKC. Russ/Jokic check back in at 8:23 and Denver enters the bonus, up by six. PG13 absolutely mugs Jokic, earning his sixth steal. He steals another on a careless pass by Harris and the lead is just three with 7:17 to go and OKC has all the momentum. The starters are now in tact for the Nuggets. Schroeder ties it up with a bomb from beyond the arc. The refs have absolutely swallowed their whistles (on Denver's end of the court) after a series or ticky-tak calls early in the period while shifting this pattern in favor of OKC who is now also in the bonus with the next Denver foul.

OKC leads on the strength of a 27-6 run. Jokic missed two from the charity stripe and it appears he may have sat for too long. 'Sap is stepping up on both ends and Denver re-takes a two point lead on his block-assist to Murray for three at 5:25. Perhaps now these fickle and highly emotional refs with unfairly shift their calls to favor the home team as momentum changes hands. Harris is in for Beasley, presumably to close this one out. This is the first we've seen of the opening day starting five closing a game, since game two of the season! The Anchorman is feasting on the glass and he increases the lead to four from the line. A ticky-tack call on Harris sends Russ to the stripe where he's struggled tonight and all season. He makes one of two and the lead for Denver is just one. Noel fouls out which is actually bad for Denver as it means Adams will enter. 'Sap has a 2D with 12-10-1 and a three point lead at the three minute mark. He makes five in double digits for Denver. I'm going to say it, in the limited sample that is games vs Denver, OKC is a better team with Russ on the bench. Jokic to Murray for three and it's a six point lead. Jokic has a 2D with 31-9-10 with two minutes to go. A silly foul by Grant sends Big Honey to the line where the M-V-P chants rain down, as he increases the lead to six. Russ has turned the ball over twice in crunch time under pressure from Jamal Murray. Jokic again hits two in the pressure cooker and that's all she wrote with under a minute to go and OKC resorting to chuckery. Jokic finishes with an MVP line of 36-9-10. Denver is paced in TPM by Nikola Jokic: +31 as they win a very important game by a final score of 121-112

Nikola Jokic: +31 Jamal Murray: +13 Gary Harris: +2 Monte Morris: +2 Isaiah Thomas: +9 Paul Millsap: +17 Will Barton: +25 Mason Plumlee: +2 Malik Beasley: +5 Torrey Craig: -2 Jared Vanderbilt: +0 Tyler Lydon:+0

___________________________________________________________________________________________

The Nuggets Win!

Final Thoughts: Big win but when a tree falls in the Rockies...

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

For context pertaining to the statistical aspects of this piece, please open this link: TPM™

A brief statement with regard to this piece on whole:

As a means to avoid repeating myself I will include this descriptive diatribe in all TPM posts going forward.

Sure I like statistics; ever since I was a child collecting sports cards and later a pre-teen who ran pre-internet fantasy sports leagues on ink/paper/spreadsheet for the four major US pro-leagues, I've been fascinated by box-score stats but I'm by no means an expert.

I created TPM (which has been around longer than RPM incidentally and unlike them, I fully disclose my non-proprietary system and I contextualize the action rather than being a boring, mysterious, predictive metric) because it does add immediate and accessible context to what we see and what the numbers indicate, which I like.

While the data is meticulously tracked and demonstrably sound, I'm a creative type, not an engineer. Algorithm is the bane of my existence in fact. I'd far rather approach life with the intrigue of expected surprise than attempt to get to the bottom of why things are the way they are. There are many engineers in my family so I totally understand that joy can be derived from finding solutions to problems, I just can't relate. It's not fun for me. THIS is for the most part, not fun for me.

Now I'm a 42 year old man who was born the year after the team I love joined the NBA. I happen to have a lifetime of experience with this sport in several different capacities, including playing (highly underrated within the writing community) so I understand basketball theory in a way most (by no means all) pundits do not.

I was in this case interested in a data-driven approach, which if I'm honest has sapped nearly all fun out of taking in games for me. I get very few days/nights off during the season. One piece requires several hours of research and data entry and all tracking/analysis is done in real time and published mere moments after each game's completion, 82 times (more this season) per year.

As such, the analysis portion is about 90% (I've run the numbers) creative writing with sarcasm generally indicated through italics, non-sequitur humor and hyperbole, in an attempt to steal back some of the joy this endeavor has snatched away.

Hopefully there is a little something here for everyone but if you came just for data or are averse to colorful language, this is not the place for you. I have no way of knowing how many people even read this so I'll not be affected even remotely if you choose not to indulge. For those of you who do, I greatly thank you for the support.

Denver Nuggets Denver Nuggets schedule Denver Nuggets roster Thunder vs Nuggets coverage Welcome to Loud City