Denver Cruises Over Very Frustrated Knicks 123-100

This is just going to review the game and will not go into the brawl at the very end of this game. I am going to post a topic on the brawl tomorrow because of the importance of any suspensions that are certainly coming to my team.

The Nuggets were firing on all cylinders tonight and the overmatched Knicks tried their guts out to keep up but simply ran into the freight train that the Nugget offense was tonight. There was no way a team that has been damaged by injuries to key players, a series of poor roster moves, and having the wrong coach at the wrong time (Larry Brown, not Isaiah) could possibly keep up with the freight train. The Nuggets are vulnerable only to teams that can take advantage of their low pressure and sometimes klutzy defence, teams that can nail a bunch of 3's, that can run fast breaks off turnovers well, and that can get at least very close to .500 from the field. The Knicks are not such a team until they rebuild and stay healthy.

True, the Knicks did beat the Nuggets in Denver, but it was a fluke: the way the Knicks won that game could best be described as very strange. A 12-point 4th quarter Knick deficit was turned around in less than a quarter and then there had to be a steal and a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the Knicks to win in regulation. Kenyon Martin was out for the first time so the Nuggets had to learn a whole new playing style instantly, which is impossible. Najera, who came in for K-Mart, could not be more different a forward than K-Mart. Jamel Crawford, who had 20 points in the quarter, stole the ball from Najera and sunk the 3 at the buzzer. That's a fluke game if there ever was one.

I am going to discuss this game in greater detail in the thread I am going to start regarding the brawl and the suspensions because this first game in Denver was one of the reasons the brawl happened.

Returning to tonight's game, the Nuggets were a scorching 45/79 from the field or .570. Every Nugget who played had either a good or a great night on the scoreboard except for, you guessed it, Najera. The Knicks had one of those "even the tip-ins won't go in" nights and were just .432 from the field.

Camby got his old team even more frustrated than they would have been from just the scoreboard. He had a dream game for a center: 9/11 from the field and 6/6 from the line for 24 points. And what really steamed the Knicks was his 7 blocks (and Nene added 2 more). Camby also had 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.

Coach Karl gave Reggie Evans some minutes tonight (17) and he responded as usual: 3/4 from the field and 2/2 from the line for 8 points, and he had 9 rebounds in the 17 minutes. Earth to Karl: always give Reggie Evans at least 17 minutes.

Najera was the only Nugget who had a bad night, just 4 free throws and zero rebounds in 23 minutes. Diawara off the bench was cut way back to 11 minutes after his brick game against the Celtics, so naturally he had a great game against the Knicks, 2/2 from 3-point land for 6 points, and he had 2 assists and a rebound.

Andre Miller is out of a short slump he was in and was a solid 5/9 from the field and 2/2 from the line for 12 points. More impressive still, he had a big 10 assists, an unusual 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Boykins was a dependable 4/9, and 2/4 on 3's, and 2/2 from the line for 12 points.

J.R. Smith must have read my post from last night on Justbball (or else Coach had some spare time from the Iverson mess) because he expanded his game big time from just shooting 3's. Unfortunately, he annoyed the hell out of Mardy Collins, whose flagrant on Smith with a minute and change left in the game, with Smith on a breakaway dunk, ignited the scuffle. Before he was neck tackled in mid-air, Smith was 4/7 from the field, 2/4 from downtown, and 3/4 from the line for 13 points, and he had 3 assists and even 3 rebounds.

Melo had just 11 points in the first half, but 34 for the game on 15/29 from the field, 0/1 on 3's and 4/5 from the line, and he added 7 rebounds and 4 assists. We now have a league where the top scorer, Melo, is about to be suspended and the number 2 scorer, Iverson, is already suspended (by the 76ers). Jeesh.

The next game, if there is one, is back in Denver against the Washington Wizards on Monday night against the Wizards. Oh great, we got buried by the Wizards the other night with our starters and now we have to play them with our benchers. Life can be so damn unfair sometimes. Game time is 7 pm mountain time.