...is that Chauncey Billups sprained/strained/turned an ankle in the 2nd quarter of the game and didn't return for the second half. He's not dead or anything, but that ankle will probably be sore for a couple games. Chris Paul will probably be sore for a couple of games. Deron Wiilliams too. Andrew Bynum will be sore for the next four months. Apparently Manu Ginobli, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Shaq O'Neal, and probably Steve Nash are simply chronically sore. And already riding a five-game winning streak, our next games until the break are @ Dallas, @ OKC, NYK, OKC, and @ GS. Not expecting 5-0 by any means, but they're all very winnable games. It's IMHO too early to talk about playoff positioning or division standings in anything more specific than "don't get too far out of reach," but the next eight days presents a huge opportunity to head in to the All-Star break with a ton of momentum and nicely positioned to make a nice push for a (high?) playoff seed.
boy..all it takes is number 6 and i would bet on us having a 10 game win streak going into the all star break.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Billups has had problems in the past with his ankles. Spraining, obviously not a big deal, but if my memory serves me right this could linger on a little longer than a normal sprain would.
They sat their best 19 players? What did they forfeit the game and make their NBDL team sit down too?
Also lost in the mix by many is that SA dropping a game is nearly as significant as Denver losing, given how close they are in the standings.
San Antonio had a 4 game lead over New Orleans, and Pop knows Chris Paul is out for at least a few games. Denver had a 1 game lead over Portland. San Antonio could much more afford to lose last night's game.
Brilliant. Way to overlook the only relevant piece of what I said... SA was only two games ahead of Denver going in, and that lead was cut in half. That means they have essentially the same record heading down the stretch, which becomes every bit as important as their lead over division rivals.
And historically we suck in Big D ... even before we started sucking over the past 4 years. I don't expect much except maybe we'll be competitive and not lose by double digits.
It means at most one spot in terms of seeding regarding Denver vs. San Antonio, at least compared with losing the division title, which could conceivably drop a team from a 3 seed to an 8 seed. A 2 or a 3 seed? Meh, who cares. A 3 seed or an 8 seed. A much bigger deal.
Or it could simply mean the difference between a 3 or a 4 seed... Stick to what was said instead of trying to reinterpret it.
