Game 8: Denver Nuggets 122 – Cleveland Cavaliers 100

Born a Nuggets Fan has moved to Pickaxe and Roll

Tonight you will hear no griping from me.  The Nuggets finally did what they have been talking about all season.  They played tough defense when the game started.  They played tough defense as the first quarter went on.  They played tough defense when the second five came in.  They played tough defense to close out the first half.  In the second half, the Nuggets played even more tough defense.  I think you get the point. 

Cleveland was able to reduce a 27 point lead to 16 at one point in the fourth quarter, but it was not the fault of the Nuggets’ defense.  The offense became stagnant and the Nuggets settled for several poor shots.  However, J.R. Smith scuttled any hopes of a Cleveland comeback with back to back threes. 

The only big picture issue that mattered for the Nuggets tonight was that they played 48 minutes of aggressive defense for the first time that I can remember.  The Cavs were ripe for a letdown game as they were closing out a six game road trip and had a nice comeback win last night in LA against the Clippers.  Then Larry Hughes was ejected for apparently complaining to the refs that he is a horrible shooter with a habit for having poor shot selection.  This was a team that the Nuggets should beat easily and they did. 

On the flipside, the Nuggets also had the foundation for a mental letdown as well.  They came out strong and got up on Cleveland early.  It would have been easy to let up a bit on the defensive intensity, but they did not allow that to happen.  Having watched these guys for years, that was an important step. 

Other Observations From Game 8: 

 – Early on in the game I thought Iverson was looking for his shot at the expense of being the distributor the Nuggets need him to be.  When he took a rest near the end of the first quarter he was 3-7 with no assists.  He then made 11 of his next 12 shots and ended up with 37 points and eight assists. 

 – Melo can get caught up in the mano a mano battle with Lebron at times when the Nuggets play the Cavaliers.  He did a great job of staying out of that mindset.  He did a great job on the glass in the first half and really only took a couple of bad shots.  He continued to challenge himself on defense as well.   

 – Camby, Martin and Najera completely took Zydrunas Ilgauskas (i kan spel that nam withowt luking, im so smahrt, thats y i hav a blogg and u doughnt) out of the game.  They were physical with him and made sure to tip rebounds away from him when they could not grab the ball.  Poor Big Z only played 20 minutes and shot 1-6 and those three get the credit for that.

 – It looks like Champ Bailey’s son won Joakim Noah’s hair in a raffle.  I doubt they sold a great deal of tickets if that was the grand prize. 

 – J.R. Smith finally broke out with a great game, complete with seven threes, four assists, four rebounds and zero turnovers.  He has really been trying to change the way he plays to make Karl happy.  When he plays the point as he has lately with the injuries to Atkins, Carter and Wilks, he has a completely different mentality.  He attacks the basket relentlessly and does not just settle for threes.    

He was responsible for a hoard of turnovers in the Indiana game, but bounced back strong tonight and not only took care of the ball, but he shot tremendously well too.  He has the ability to be a great all around player.  Just like everyone has pointed out with the Nuggets’ defensive effort, he must play this way consistently in order to be successful. 

 – The referees called a bunch of ticky tack fouls in the fourth quarter, mostly against Denver.  Maybe they were scheduled to ref in Detroit or New Jersey tomorrow night and really did not want to leave Denver. 

 – The Nuggets again made a distinct effort to run the floor and again, they looked rusty.  They were plagued by a gaggle of first quarter turnovers due to bad outlet passes and forced drives.  In the second half they were able to settle into a grove and ended up with 21 fast break points.  If they can cut down on those turnovers and make smart plays, that number will start to approach 30. 

 – It was another good night from the land of Steve Kerr for the Nuggets.  AI was 2-4, Diawara, Kleiza and Jones were all 1-2 and J.R. Smith went 7-8.  On the down side Melo and Von Wafer was 0-2.   

 – Diawara, Jones and even Melo played great defense on LeBron James.  James still shot a good percentage and had 27 points, but nothing came easy for him. 

 – A great deal was made about LeBron keeping his body balanced while shooting jumpers.  He did not look nearly as consistent tonight as he did in Las Vegas over the summer.  He was definitely leaning back as he has done in the past. 

The Nuggets are at a crossroads.  They still have a favorable schedule for the remainder of the month.  If they dedicate themselves to playing on the defensive end like they did tonight every game, they can absolutely challenge the elite teams of the West during both the regular and post seasons. 

Unfortunately, this team has yet to put forth that effort on a nightly basis in years past.  They know that they are built to win now.  Let’s see if they can play like it. 

Next Game:  Wednesday against Portland in Denver.  Another must win game for the Nuggets to reach their goals.  Hopefully they can run their stretch of playing good defense up by another 48 minutes.