The Nuggets are a cheap team. They kick players to the curb, they have a "playground style" offense that is still playground despite Chauncey Billups because no point guard can totally offset pure chaos, and they play a swarming and fouling defense in the paint while leaving the perimeter largely undefended. I have decided that I really, really dislike teams and franchises like this. I mean, I dislike them even beyond the losses in general and the fooled fans and playoff losses in particular that they generate. There is too much money and too many smart coaches in pro sports to settle for all these cheap approaches to pro basketball. Tonight I ruined my Boxer Day evening by watching what may be the cheapest victory of the 2008-09 season, when the 76'ers thoroughly outplayed the Nuggets but lost to them in Denver. How did the 76'ers lose? The cheapest way you can imagine, of course. While the 76'ers were incredibly missing 12 of 30 foul shots, the Nuggets were lucky beyond comprehension as they made 24 of 25 free throws and 15 of 31 threes. Almost no one ever makes those numbers and percentages in combination on either free throws or threes. It is essentially unheard of for a team to make those in both categories in the same game. It's like the 76'ers lost due to a bizarre mathematical fluke. How many good offensive players did the Nuggets have out there? One, which is what you would expect from a cheap team: J.R. Smith. Two if you count Billups and that is still cheap, sorry. The Nuggets turned the ball over 22 times versus 16 times for the 76'ers. The 76'ers shot .494 from the field versus .434 for the Nuggets. In at least 97 out of 100 games, those two things alone would guarantee the 76'ers the win. But for some bizarre reason, they could not make free throws. Meanwhile, the Nuggets could not miss free throws. Honestly, I think this was the cheapest win ever achieved by one of the cheapest franchises ever. Oh well, the harder they come, the harder they fall. I will not be fully satisfied now until the Nuggets lose 4-0 in the playoffs next year. The idea that the Nuggets could win a playoff series in this state remains ridiculous and you are wearing huge made in Colorado rose colored glasses if you think the Nuggets are going to get home court advantage or win more than a game in the playoffs. And, as I said, I am really, really rooting for the Nuggets to lose all 4 now.
A win's a win, be it cheap or not. It's not their fault they were on fire from the arc and made their free throws.
First, you can't be happy as a fan or reporter on the Nuggets unless you wear those big huge rose colored glasses. Second, I'm frequently ticked off, it's true, that's my personality and from my education and training where I am supposed to spot every problem and every mistake. I am often relatively happy even while ticked off about things, because I am so used to it. Third, when I am not ticked off about anything, which does happen sometimes, I am really, extra happy. In conclusion, don't worry about me being unhappy, it doesn't happen very often even though it might seem that way. That was the unusual thing about this game: I was so ticked off that I did become unhappy, and that only happens if I am very ticked off. I don't dare to go the Nuggets rose colored glasses blogs or forums these days for that reason: I would get so ticked off it would ruin my day or several days. You can't be serious if you claim the Nuggets are for real in terms of the playoffs, with all their low salary, defense-only players. The Nuggets winning all these regular season games, to put it simply, is just due to good old Mr. Karl and to the Nuggets management, who have cooked up yet another dish to fool the public in the regular season again. With Mr. Karl, the names change but the game is always the same: win enough regular season games to continue to be considered a solid, historical coach, but don't worry about how you will ever win in the playoffs: leave that more demanding and complicated task for the chump coaches who are coaching for more demanding owners, managers, and fans.
And see, the Nuggets owner, management, and Mr. Karl are all eye to eye on this subject: all of them are fully aware that the Nuggets can not win in the playoffs this year or anytime in the next few years. They can't be dumb enough to think otherwise after slashing their payroll and bringing in a bunch of defense-only players from the waiver wires. And after telling Carmelo Anthony they do not want him to worry about scoring. I guess they are saving him for the future, in case they ever get their act together offensively, laugh out loud. They are like one big happy but disfunctional family. And speaking of happy, they are especially happy if fans and bloggers are wearing the rose colored glasses and are actually thinking that the Nuggets can win in the playoffs this year. That is an unexpected bonus for them.
