I’m often confused about a lot of things in the NBA (I know, not really that big a surprise). One thing that I do know is that Rick Carlisle is one of the top coaches in the association. I would easily put him in the top five, and, for me, I think he’s the second best coach behind Pop. What he has done this season will most likely go overlooked, but it may be his best coaching job ever. This Dallas Mavericks team is old, slow, and lacking in both depth and overall talent. And yet, somehow, through some sort of weird voodoo stuff, Carlisle has them – once again – in the thick of the playoff hunt.
Tonight’s game is an interesting one for the Nuggets. They can help determine which of the four teams vying for the last three playoff spots in the west get in. They play Dallas two times over the next couple of weeks, beating them could make the difference in whether a team like the Houston Rockets gets into the playoffs or not. As has been well documented, Denver has a vested interest in the playoff lives of Houston, Portland, and Memphis. Getting Houston into the playoffs could prove even more important to the long term prospects of the Nuggets as the play this year of Emmanuel Mudiay. For the Nuggets sake, let’s hope that Carlisle leaves his magic wand and wizard robes at home.
