On paper, without any schedule considerations, tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic is the easiest game of the five game roadie. Of course, as they say, the games aren’t played on paper (or on grass, carpet, or any of a number of myriad substances). It’s the second game of a back to back. Denver played an up and down track meet last night. Fatigue could definitely be an issue. Also, because it’s the easiest of the five on paper, a young team like Denver could suffer the dreaded mental let down.
The other factor is that Orlando is a lot like the Nuggets, in that they have a bunch of talent, but that talent is still young and learning how to play – and win – at the NBA level. Both teams compete hard every single game. Both teams struggle with consistency. One sure thing is that the Magic will put an athletic, fast, long, young team on the floor, one that can explode at any time offensively and will “get into you” (as coach Malone likes to say) on defense. Denver will need to up their defensive intensity from last night if they want to improve to 1-1 on this road trip.
