Do you remember the 80's?
Because I sure do. The Denver Nuggets got in the Delorean and hit 88 miles per hour on their way to a 116-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
In this recap you will hear such hits as:
I Am the Warrior – Pat Benetar
In this song we will find the Nuggets succumbing to the whims of Monta Ellis and his 37 points and countless three-points shots (one specifically at the end). Seriously, the dude was unstoppable tonight. It would have helped if the Nuggets bothered to apply some pressure at the three-point line. You know. Just once.
Overkill – Men at Work
The Nuggets suffered from too much offense. No attention to defense. Dorell Wright and Reggie Williams (not the Nuggets shooting guard from the 1990’s mind you) were allowed to go off for 23 points (11 rebounds for Wright) and 18 points respectively. Coincidentally, both men were defended by Carmelo Anthony and Al Harrington for the majority of the game. This is completely unacceptable, however not surprising.
Too Shy – Kajagoogoo
Once again Nene disappeared in the second half. While he finished 17 points, only four of them were scored in the second half. His jumper with one-second left in the game, while close, did not seal the deal. Nene was 6-7 on field goal attempts, but he should have been more of a presence and take a lot more shots. Same old story.
Every Time You Go Away – Paul Young
I think games such as Monday’s game against Houston and tonight’s against the Warriors show the value of Chauncey Billups to this team. They miss his leadership. One wishes there was more leadership on this team. It shouldn’t have to be left to Chauncey all the time. The more I think about it … the Nuggets “problem” is a lack of leadership.
Tug of War– Paul McCartney
The push/pull between the Nuggets desire to keep Melo (who had 27 points tonight) and the leadership gap is the problem the Nuggets need to solve. If, as Andy said Carmelo is Paul Pierce where are the Nuggets’ Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen? Is that supposed to be Arron Afflalo? (who had 9 points) Is that supposed to be Ty Lawson? (Who has 6 assists but only 8 points) Is that Nene? Who is it? Or do the Nuggets, if Melo stays, need to add pieces to the puzzle around him to allow him to be more of a Paul Pierce type?
All these and more when you order NBA Life's Nuggets hits of the 80s!
Nuggets of Wisdom
I’m getting sick and tired of these sad sack losses. There’s no reason the Nuggets should be losing to the Warriors, even on the road. Now the Nuggets are in serious jeopardy of falling out of the playoff race. They need to pull things together before they collapse. With Stephen Curry in foul trouble, the Nuggets should have taken more advantage of it. They didn’t.
It’s frustrating, but on to the next game. Dallas Mavericks tomorrow night.
One final note: This was not George Karl‘s finest hour. A timeout should have been called before the last shot. I’m not sure what happened, but J.R. Smith ignored Melo’s call for the ball, and Nene took the last shot? Not good. Not good at all.
