<div align="center">Venue: The Pepsi Center, Denver ColoradoNational TV: TNTTime: 10:30 PM ESTDate: Monday, April 30thSeries: Spurs lead 2-1</div><span style="color:#3366FF">Denver Nuggets (45-37)</span>Projected Starters:<span style="color:#3366FF">PG- Steve BlakeSG- Allen IversonSF- Carmelo AnthonyPF- NeneC- Marcus Camby6th man: JR Smith</span>San Antonio Spurs (58-24)Projected Starters:PG- Tony ParkerSG- Michael FinleySF- Bruce BowenPF- Tim DuncanC- Francisco Elson6th man: Manu GinobiliComments:<span style="font-family:Arial">This is going to be a tough matchup, we all know what San Antonio is capable of doing in the playoffs. It's nearly impossible to defeat the Spurs in a 7 game playoff series, they are one of the best adjusting teams in the league. They will know Denver's entire game inside and out before the series is over.</span>Key matchup: Carmelo Anthony VS Bruce Bowen<span style="font-family:Arial">Anthony's stats against SA: 15.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.8 apg.Bowen's stats against Denver: 6.7 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.3 apg.</span>X-Factor players: Marcus Camby, Michael FinleyBALLAHOLLIC's key to victory:<span style="font-family:Arial">- Perimeter defense. If we let Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili gain an inch of space, they will burn us every single time down the floor. Both of them do exceptionally well against Denver, especially Manu Ginobili. It's up to our guards to control the perimeter, we can't allow them to torch us offensively.- Nene cannot get himself into foul trouble, we need his strong defensive presence against Tim Duncan in the post. I think he plays the best defense against Duncan on our team, even better than Marcus Camby. Duncan is a smart player, I'm sure he's going to try and get alot of fouls called on Nene.- Our role players need to step it up on both ends of the floor. We need Blake, Smith and Kleiza to hit their open jump shots and keep their man under control. We need those guys to take some pressure off of Carmelo and Iverson.</span>Conclusion: <span style="font-family:Arial">I don't see this series going past 6 games. The Spurs are too experienced, I don't think anybody expects us to beat the best team of the past decade. The Spurs have the depth, the firepower, and the experience to win this in 6 games.</span>My predictions:<span style="font-family:Arial">Game 1: Nuggets 94, Spurs 88Game 2: Spurs 97 Nuggets 91Game 3: Spurs 99 Nuggets 89Game 4: Nuggets 104 Spurs 97Game 5: Spurs 91 Nuggets 86Game 6: Spurs 101 Nuggets 93</span>
<span style="font-family:Arial">Yes, I know the game thread is the same. I wish I had the time to write something new for each game, but I can't. I will have something new up for game 5, promised.</span>
Come on Denver!!! Even if they don't take the Spurs out as a Suns fan I'd like to see them go 7 games while we get well rested.
I know the Spurs are a much better team, but I'd really like to see Denver win here to extend the series to 6 at least and beat up on the Spurs a little more while we're resting. It would be very helpful. If the Spurs win tonight then they will end it in 5. After what happened to the Mavs though, I really couldn't ask for anymore.
<span style="font-family:Arial">What a dunk by Carmelo Anthony, plus the foul! My god... that was awesome.</span>
Is it just me, or do the Spurs get a lot of leeway defensively from the referees? And it is looking like all Argentinians are floppers...
<span style="font-family:Arial">Great first half by Denver! Marcus Camby has been huge for us tonight, 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the 1st half.</span><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Something-To-Say @ Apr 30 2007, 11:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Come on, Carmallen Antherson, do your thing.</div><span style="font-family:Arial">1. That wasn't funny... at all.2. He has been doing his thing. He has 16 first half points, on 6-9 shooting.</span>
Great first half for Denver, it's nice to see them virtually controlling the tempo of the game and they have even been showing up defensively a bit. J.R. Smith actually made a couple nice defensive plays and forced a couple turnovers, he's not usually a guy you say that about. Melo has looked great out there. Everything he's doing is so crisp. Nene has done a nice job, he's finishing and he has been very active. AI is being AI, attacking the basket and making the defense shake their heads. Blake didn't have a good first half, he was forcing passes and he made a few bad mistakes. He's thinking too much. Parker and Elson are the only ones that noticeably did a "good job" in the first half offensively. Duncan hasn't had his way, Ginobili is cold (but that high-glass layup was beautiful), Bowen and Finley haven't even really been shooting (has Finley taken more than 1 shot?). They need to get something going offensively, they aren't in as bad a position as you may think. I still expect San Antonio to win this game, to be hones with you. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Apr 30 2007, 11:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><span style="font-family:Arial">What a dunk by Carmelo Anthony, plus the foul! My god... that was awesome.</span></div> Yeah that dunk was ridiculous!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BALLAHOLLIC? @ Apr 30 2007, 08:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><span style="font-family:Arial">Great first half by Denver! Marcus Camby has been huge for us tonight, 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the 1st half.</span><span style="font-family:Arial">1. That wasn't funny... at all.2. He has been doing his thing. He has 16 first half points, on 6-9 shooting.</span></div>It wasn't supposed to be funny... AI ftw man, I'm liking that trade right now.
Look at the start of the 4th quarter by the Spurs. THAT is the exact reason why Greg Popovich is the best coach in the NBA. Denver has been outplaying SA the entire game, and then Pop makes an adjustment by going small, and BOOM! Manu hit a great shot, the Spurs are playing with great energy, and this game is very excting. At this point though, I still give the edge to Denver. They are feeding off of a great crowd tonight and Carmelo is doing whatever the hell he wants to. Great game so far
Man, Iverson has just been missing easy lay-ups throughout the series... well, easy for him that is...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigMo763 @ May 1 2007, 12:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Man, Iverson has just been missing easy lay-ups throughout the series... well, easy for him that is...</div><span style="font-family:Arial">I know, I was just thinking the same thing. He missed 6 layups in game 3, and a few in this game. My X-Factor for this series is killing us, Michael Finley is no joke...EDIT: This team is so frustrating, we are horrible at protecting our lead.</span>
Looks like carmelo is crying in the denver lockeroom!The Nuggets have a pretty slim chance of getting to the second round now.
God damn this pissed me off so much. We have a 7 point lead going into the 4th and lose by 7. We had it down to one, plenty of time left and Robert Horry hits a fade away 3 to put them up by 4, I officially hate everybody on that team.Once again, the refs were giving the Spurs the benefit of the doubt. They got so many touch fouls and charges when AI goes into the lane and gets pounded and falls to the ground and they don't call anything. Then one time Kleiza has his hands up and Ginobili knocks him to the ground and the ref is right there and calls a foul on Kleiza, that was one of the worst calls I have ever seen.That last play when we were down by 5 was horribly drawn up and executed, what was up with that?Damn this team pisses me off, you have no idea.By the way, how was the crowd this game? :winkglasses:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Once again, the refs were giving the Spurs the benefit of the doubt. They got so many touch fouls and charges when AI goes into the lane and gets pounded and falls to the ground and they don't call anything. Then one time Kleiza has his hands up and Ginobili knocks him to the ground and the ref is right there and calls a foul on Kleiza, that was one of the worst calls I have ever seen.</div><span style="font-family:Arial">Michael Finley moved his pivot foot when he was inbounding the ball in the closing seconds, the refs failed to make the call. Giving us that possession would have been huge, considering Horry made a 3 the next play.</span>
The crowd was awesome today, and that is what I expected from them in Game 3, but didn't see it.The play that killed Denver was that Blake turnover with around 4 minutes left that allowed Bowen and Ginobili to get a dunk off the 2-1 fast break on AI... after that, it was over. The shot by Blake that was ruled a two also killed the momentum that they would have had had it been a three.Series over.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BigMo763 @ May 1 2007, 03:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The crowd was awesome today, and that is what I expected from them in Game 3, but didn't see it.The play that killed Denver was that Blake turnover with around 4 minutes left that allowed Bowen and Ginobili to get a dunk off the 2-1 fast break on AI... after that, it was over. The shot by Blake that was ruled a two also killed the momentum that they would have had had it been a three.Series over.</div>haha it is far from over if AI thought that he would not make the trip there he said.Spurs will win in 7 still.Denver will not get down, and play dead. They will win over there game 5, and come back here take game 6. It be all in game 7 Spurs will win after a OT fight.And Melo getting called for like 3-4 offense of fouls are you freakin kidding me he get's kille dinside this is complete bull sh*t, and I am tired of it change the freakin reffs. AI getting killed, and can't get to the line either.This series is not over there will be a game 7.And Suns will win in 5 games Spurs are awful I watched this series and if there was no crap by the reffs f****** us over we be up 3-1 right now not down 3-1 right now. The reffs are messing the fair game up with there awful crap. Spurs are to slow get out hustled, and out jumped they NO WAY will keep up with the Suns they will take it in 5 games if Spurs advance, and looks like they will I think it take 7 still though.
