Golden State @ Denver vs. Golden State Warriors(14-13) at Denver Nuggets(18-11) Time: 6.00pm EST Location: Pepsi Centre Odds: Denver to win: 1/2 Golden State to Win: 17/10 2003-2004 Season Matchups <font size="1">Dec. 3 at Golden State</font> Nuggets 117 Warriors 109 <font size="1">Dec. 5 at Denver</font> Nuggets 98 Warriors 91 Road/Home Records <u>Warriors:</u> 4-8 on the road; <u>Nuggets:</u> 12-3 at home. Head Coaches vs Eric Musselman/Jeff Bzdelik Probable Starters vs. Nick Van Exel/Andre Miller vs. Jason Richardson/Voshon Leonard vs. Clifford Robinson/Carmelo Anthony vs. Mike Dunleavy/Nene vs. Erick Dampier/Marcus Camby Injures <u>Warriors</u> C Adonal Foyle (knee); F Popeye Jones (knee); C Evan Eschmeyer (knee); G Pepe Sanchez (ankle). <u>Nuggets</u> G Jon Barry (back); F Mark Pope (knee). Key Player <u>Carmelo Anthony</u> We saw the way this kid turned the game around on Friday, scoring 22 points in the 3rd quarter. The Warriors will need to keep a close eye on him. Also watch out for Boykins against his former team. Warriors <font color="Red">By Rudeezy</font> The Warriors are coming off a pair of GREAT wins over Great teams. But now they will be tested in a big way on the road. The Warriors have played the Nuggets pretty straight up the first two games but were not able to make key shots down the stretch. Look for NVE to have the ball in the 4th in this one. They match up well with the Nuggets. Dampier must continue his dominance in the paint against a very lenghy Camby. If J-Rich continues to impress and NVE plays the way he did against the Kings in the 4th quarter, the Warriors will be in good shape. Dunleavy must limit Carmelo's looks at the wrack. The biggest key will be applying pressure to Andre Miller. He is a great point guard and could have a huge night. The key is to not let him get off to a good start. Nuggets Denver pulled off a monstrous comeback on Friday against the Rockets. Carmelo recorded a career high 37 points which lead his team to victory. Thankfully, the Nuggets have had the weekend to rest and prepare after that gruelling match. I expect Denver to look refreshed and to come out of the gates fast. I think that Carmelo will be putting up high numbers, and if Golden State have any chance of the victory, he will need to be contained. I have no doubt that Denver will come away with the win. Another key factor is that the Nuggets will have to keep Dampier off the glass although Denver average more RPG than the Warriors, so I still am confident in a win. My Prediction I cant see Golden State taking this one. The Nuggets have been formidable at home and I think Carmelo will shine again tonight. Watch for Boykins to put up some numbers too off the bench. Nuggets - 99 Warriors - 92 Other Previews Rudeezy's Fox Sports Sports Illustrated Denver Post The Denver Channel
Keep this up Jump and you may see your name highlited in blue. Great preview. I say the Nuggets take this one in a nail biter. Both teams have playing outstanding basketball and should take this one down to the wire. Should be a good game for both teams. Nuggets take the close W by 3.
Should be a nail-biter. I predict a last minute run to the finish by Denver. Two suprise teams going at it.
Nice preview I take the Nuggets on this one, they are just playin great and Melo just had a hot game. If Melo still has his touch, its over.
I think the Nuggets will win too. Melo has been great recently and I just don't see Warriors coming out with a win.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">I think the Nuggets will win too. Melo has been great recently and I just don't see Warriors coming out with a win.</div> The Nuggets did win, Anthony had 10 points on 4-12 shooting. No one player stood out as usual, but that's why the Nuggets are the best team in basketbal aside of the Kings and Lakers. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Shots were rimming out, loose balls bouncing away and Denver's opponent was racing off to a big lead. That would have turned into a lopsided loss for Denver last season. But not this year. Not with this team. Denver's depth wore down Golden State and Marcus Camby's 17 points led seven players in double figures, leading the Nuggets to a 103-79 win over Golden State on Sunday night. "We got some stops and a couple of buckets, and we went from being like down seven or 10 points to being up seven to 10 points when we came out," said Denver's Rodney White, who had 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting. "That's big. That's why we're a team collectively instead of individuals." Denver missed its first eight shots and finished just 4-of-22 with 12 points in the first quarter. But unlike last season when a 14-point deficit would have turned into a runaway loss, the Nuggets came charging back. Denver shot 55 percent over the next three quarters, pulling away with an 8-0 run to start the second half for their third straight win. Earl Boykins added 13 points and 13 assists off Denver's bench, which contributed 45 points and sparked the comeback. The turnaround helped the Nuggets beat the Warriors for the third straight time, clinching Denver's first season series win against a Western Conference team since the 2001-02 season.</div> Full Story Box Score
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James:</div><div class="quote_post"> No one player stood out as usual, but that's why the Nuggets are the best team in basketbal aside of the Kings and Lakers.</div>I wouldn't say as usual, either Melo, Leonard, or Boykins usually make the headlines. Melo had 37 the other night. But they are a well balanced team and that is what makes them so good. They had 7 guys in double figures tonight.
Well, I guessed that the Nuggets would win. Melo had an off night, but that can be expected from a rookie. The Warriors showed that they cannot compete with teams that have a lot of depth and that are very balanced.
I'll take that back, Boykins was the star of this game, going for 13, 5, and 13 assists. Sick, give him the 6th man award right now.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, I guessed that the Nuggets would win. Melo had an off night, but that can be expected from a rookie. The Warriors showed that they cannot compete with teams that have a lot of depth and that are very balanced.</div>Are you kidding? The Warriors took the Nuggets down to the wire their two previous meetings. They beat the Kings...they have no depth?
I didn't say they have no depth. I said that they are not one of the teams with the greatest depth. Yes, they beat the Kings but they do not have as much depth as last year. Rudeezy, I understand that it is your duty to protect your team, but a critic like me likes to point out the negatives. (Not mocking you, just having some fun. Do not take this the wrong way) From what I understand, the Warrior's are not as deep a team as some other teams in the league. They didn't have a great game tonight and lost, it happens. The Nuggets have depth, but it is not the best.
I don't get to see Warrior games but from what I can tell from the recaps, box scores, and SportsCenter the Warriors do not have a great depth. Never in my post did I say that they have no depth though. You said yourself that they are balanced and that they had 7 players in double figures. Well, two of those players were bench players. All that can be shown from this game is that the Nugget's bench outplayed the Warrior's bench.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post">I didn't say they have no depth. I said that they are not one of the teams with the greatest depth. Yes, they beat the Kings but they do not have as much depth as last year.</div>Huh? You said the Warriors showed that they CAN'T compete with teams with depth. They have already proved that they can taking the Nuggs to the wire the 2 previous games and by beating the Kings, arguably the most depth in the league.<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Rudeezy, I understand that it is your duty to protect your team, but a critic like me likes to point out the negatives. (Not mocking you, just having some fun. Do not take this the wrong way) </div>LOL...I wasn't offended. Your comments actually made me laugh they were so far off. I'm the biggest critic here! <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">From what I understand, the Warrior's are not as deep a team as some other teams in the league. They didn't have a great game tonight and lost, it happens. The Nuggets have depth, but it is not the best.</div>You are misunderstood. The Warriors are A LOT deeper than they were last year and are one of the deepest teams in the league. PG: NVE, Claxton SG: Richardson, Cheany SF: Dunleavy, Cardinal PF: Robinson, Murphy C : Dampier, Foyle I am very interested in your response.
Huh, I never posted that? As for the mocking you comment, I meant since I just stole that line from another thread you put it in, turning it around on you. I didn't like the way that the whole post turned out and I deleted it, since it was far off. As for the King's being the deepest team in the league, I would say that they took a step back from last year, especially when Webber is out. What was the score of the King's game? Putting Foyle as depth? Unless the NBA stats are way off, he has played 3 minutes the whole year. That doesn't count. Troy Murphy is shooting .361, not exactly the best percentage. Calbert Cheany is all right, 8 points in around 27 minutes. Still not exactly Earl Boylkins, is it? Obviously, Claxton and Cardinal count, but that does not make the Warriors one of the deepest teams. I guess you could count Cheany also, however they are still behind other deep teams. Again, I cannot say anything for certain, because I'm looking at the stats reported. I cannot watch the games.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PyroManiac:</div><div class="quote_post"> Again, I cannot say anything for certain, because I'm looking at the stats reported. I cannot watch the games.</div>Well that explains a lot. Yes, I quoted your post before you deleted it, I can restore it if you would like. Foyle is coming back in a week, he will provide a lot of minutes and is the Warriors best Defensive player. Are you serious about Murphy? You need to stop looking at the stats alone. He averaged a double-double last year and was second in voting for Most Improved player, in the WEST.
Rudeezy is correct. The Warriors are one of the deepest teams in the league. One of the biggest reasons why they are better than most people thought they would be. Stats alone do not tell the whole story. One of the biggest reasons the Warriors are successful this year is because of defense. Because their bench is comprised of veterans such as Clifford Robinson and Calbert Chaney, their team defensive has improved tremendously. This type of thing does not show up in stat lines. PyroManiac, You are totally contradicting yourself by making your argument then saying you "cannot say anything for certain, because I'm looking at the stats reported. I cannot watch the games." You should know better than to rely soley on the boxscore. Some players Rudeezy forgot to mention are the additions of Avery Johnson and Mikael Pietrus. AJ has been a vocal leader in the locker room and has been a mentor for the young bucks like J-Rich and Dunleavy. Pietrus, is a raw, high energy player that was drafted for his defense and athletic ability. He is basically the 10th man in the rotation, at this point, but the times he's played, he's made some good plays. Anyway, take it from a Warriors fan, they are a very deep team. People say that the Warriors don't have a "go-to-guy" but that may be a blessing in disguise. Musselman has many options regarding rotations. A lot of times he has Claxton and NVE, Cliffy and Murphy, etc. on the court at the same time. Oh, and don't forget Brian Cardinal!!!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rudeezy:</div><div class="quote_post">Well that explains a lot. Yes, I quoted your post before you deleted it, I can restore it if you would like. Foyle is coming back in a week, he will provide a lot of minutes and is the Warriors best Defensive player. Are you serious about Murphy? You need to stop looking at the stats alone. He averaged a double-double last year and was second in voting for Most Improved player, in the WEST.</div> Yeah, I know that you can restore it, but I didn't think that you would care. Glad that this is over. As for them being one of the deepest teams, they very well maybe, but they don't have the starters to back it up though. You said that they played the Nuggets down to the wire twice, however they still lost both of those. In the end it just counts as a loss. If somebody asked me the deepest teams in the league, the Warriors would not pop into my head right away, that was all that I meant to say. As for Murphy averaging a double-double last year, that is true. However, he didn't shoot a horrible .340 like he is this year. Finally, as for not being able to know the whole story because I can only see stats and highlights, that is true for every single member of this forum in relation to atleast one team. Everybody has a life other than just watching every NBA game that they can, so they cannot know everyting about every team. Just, when I read articles, the Warriors were never mentioned as a very deep team, and the stats this year do show otherwise either. I can only conluce that they aren't that deep. I guess if you can watch there games than you can know better though. Anyways, hope any loose ties have been settled. P.S. Kensaku, I expected the Warriors to be where they are now, because they have some good players and they will only get better because they have young players.
