Having said the Arron Afflalo‘s game-winner against Dallas was the best game of the season and then re-stating that by claiming Tuesday’s win over Memphis was the best, I will sound like the boy who cries wolf by claiming Thursday’s win over Boston to be the best game of the year. But it definitely was.
Leaving Pepsi Center on Thursday night after the Nuggets’ thrilling 89-75 victory over the Celtics (if ever an 89-75 game could be considered a “thriller” it was this one), I was deluged with emails, texts and Tweets from fellow Stiffs saying how much they love our new-look Nuggets. But even more interestingly, I received additional emails and texts from longtime Nuggets fans who hadn’t commented on a game all season, many of whom had sworn off rooting for the team until the Melodrama came to an end. These fans are crawling out from the under the rock they’ve been hiding under.
Only two games into the post-Melo Era, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves about what this new-look team is or where it can go. But at a minimum, this team gives Nuggets fans something tangible to root for: a group of players willing to play the right way and enjoy doing so in Denver.
Frankly, it hasn't felt this good to be a Nuggets fan since the team marched into the Western Conference Finals in 2009. As I've long said on this site, wins and losses don't matter to me. What matters is having an organization, a coaching staff and a collection of players who care more about the outcome on the floor than I do. And I can't help but feel that this team fits that bill.
Of course, only time will tell for sure.
Whereas the Melodrama divided us for months on end, this team – this new-look Nuggets team – just might be the thing that brings all the fans back together for a common cause. Go Nuggets!
Golden Nuggets…
Nuggets Close to Extension on Karl, Want Nene, Smith Back — NBA FanHouse
Chris Tomasson reports that the Nuggets are close to extending George Karl, Nene and…well, they’re going to hold off on extending J.R. Smith.
Mike & Scott Nuggets President Josh Kroenke talks candidly about Melo Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan
Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke talks extensively about how Carmelo Anthony never wanted to be in Denver all along and the gamesmanship that went into moving the Nuggets lone superstar to New York.
Swish's Wish – Is it time for J.R. to shine?
Mile High Sports' Robin Carlin asks if J.R. Smith could be the Nuggets' next superstar.
Kiszla: Dilemma starts at the point – The Denver Post
Mark Kiszla writes that Denver isn't big enough for two solid point guards, but it's certainly a good problem to have.
Rodney Billups: “I can’t see Chauncey returning to the Nuggets” | The Denver Post
Rodney Billups said Thursday that it will be a while, if ever, before his brother Chauncey returns to the Denver Nuggets.
High-fives as new-look Nuggets down the Celtics 89-75 – The Denver Post
Benjamin Hochman recaps the Nuggets exciting victory over the Celtics, noting that the atmosphere at Pepsi Center was more NCAA-like than NBA-like. But the best part of Hochman's article is capturing Melo's Tweets in response to Karl's comments about Melo's defense. The actual Tweets:
“Damn, are u serious. Some people never seize [sic] to amaze me. Unbelievable”
Followed with: “WHEN THE GRASS IS CUT THE SNAKES WILL SHOW.”
