Lakers/Nuggets Game 1 Recap
The Nuggets were ready to steal home-court.
-The Nuggets came out with the kind of run that usually decided the game in the Lakers-Rockets series, getting out of the gate to the tune of a 10-2 run. But the Nuggets aren’t as good, or at least as committed, of a defensive team as the Rockets, and this is going to be much more of a series of runs than Lakers-Rockets was, where both teams were playing downhill.
The Lakers come out providing extreme help on Billups to trap him on pick-and-rolls and take their chances with the Nuggets bigs, neither of whom have any sort of discernible range. Both Nugget bigs ended up adjusting, with K-Mart employing some sort of bizarre floater-type shot from about a step inside the free throw line that somehow goes in without ever seeming to go above the rim. Nene, meanwhile, makes hard cuts for two dunks and a layup in the first quarter while the rotating defender employs a defensive strategy best described as “contemplative.” I’m going with Nene as the most underrated player in the playoffs right now-nobody really understands how important of a skill it is for big men to finish when they get the ball around the basket, and Nene does it as well as anybody.
-The Nuggets absolutely dominate the first quarter, but two quick threes from the Lakers, a missed open look from three by Chauncey Billups, and two free-throw misses from Billups allow the Lakers to finish the quarter only down by 8. Failure to close out quarters will, to put it mildly, become a theme for the Nuggets.
-Kobe doesn’t appear to have it going-the looks are better and he’s getting to his “happy spots” from 13-15 more, but it’s a lot of fadeaways he’s not able to step into. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony is absolutely immolating.
-Even Anthony Carter is doing a decent job on Kobe-Kobe wants to back him into the post, but Carter is keeping him far enough away so that he can’t get an easy shot. Anthony Carter must be STRONG.
-The Nuggets get a little stagnant, and a Fisher three allows the Lakers to steal the half and go in up by one even though the Nuggets executed much better.
-The second half is where things start to get physical. The Lakers, to their credit, are taking the ball to the basket, but the Nuggets are right there to meet them and the refs aren’t doing them any favors. Meanwhile, the Lakers are picking up cheap fouls left and right. The crowd is getting antsy.
-Gasol is, once again, just not getting it done when they go to him for a back-down, but he’s a monster on the offensive boards and is getting his that way, even with every rebound becoming an absolute battle.
-You know how some things look really weird at first, but over time they become completely normal and you can’t even remember how it looked before, like with Kobe wearing 24? Kenyon Martin’s “lips” tattoo is not one of those things.
-Someone tell J.R. Smith that nothing good happens when he puts the ball on the floor.
-Kobe on Billups: an absolutely amazing decision. He’s not going to beat you with his speed, so there’s no reason not to put a bigger guy on him if he can stay out of foul trouble.
-Kobe’s getting his, but he’s working for them. Then again, maybe the most amazing thing about Kobe is how you can watch him and think he doesn’t have it that night, then you look up and he’s already got 28.
-Every time the Nuggets threaten to pull away in the fourth, the Nuggets come up with an empty possession or Kobe wills in a basket. Denver fans must have their hearts in their throat.
-And then, the stretch. Everything Denver has to do to win this series and was doing for the first 3.75 quarters of the game completely breaks down for them when it matters most.
Kobe, who’s been made to work, sticks a jumper and finds a wide-open Derek Fisher for a three. 5-0 Laker run, 1-point Laker lead.
Carmelo commits the charge, his lone moment of humanity in an absolutely amazing game.
After Chauncey drills a huge three and Gasol clanks two free throws, the Nuggets fail to grab the offensive rebound and give up two more Gasol free throws, which he makes.
In a tie game with a minute left, the Birdman ends up taking the shot, and Odom forces a tie-up on the loose ball and wins an absolutely massive jump-ball.
Kobe misses the jumper-if the Nuggets grab the ball, they have the chance to get a possession off and give the Lakers 12 seconds to either win or tie. But with Martin boxing his man out 10 feet away instead of going for the board, Billups has to try and leap over Gasol for the rebound and tips the ball out of bounds.
On the second-chance, Martin gives a stupid reach-in foul to put Kobe on the line. You hate to see the refs decide things in such a crucial moment, but K-Mart had his hand in the cookie jar.
Anthony Carter throws away the inbounds pass, and then tries to make up for it by trying to pick Kobe off the dribble. Kobe blows by him, gets hammered, and drills two more free throws to put the Lakers up 4 and 2 more after a Billups three to ice it, and grabs the game-ending rebound. Free throws and rebounds aren’t the most spectacular way to close out a game, but Mamba certainly got it done.
The Nuggets definitely showed they were game, but with Phil’s track record after winning the first game and the feeling the Lakers absorbed the Nuggets’ best shot and got the win, this looks like a very bad omen for Denver. But if there’s anything we’ve learned from these playoffs, especially when the Lakers are involved, it’s not to look too deeply into one game. A lot of pressure is on Denver, but this series has all the makings of a classic based on how these teams bring out the best in each other.
This story is filed under: Game Notes, Playoffs 2009, Truth in a Bullet Fedora
not ONE person i hate more than that man right there, wasted a great game from Melo
Kenyon’s tatto is just horrible.
Hey Kenyon Martin, for all that talk there is of you being an intimidator and an enforcer you sure do come up small on the boards. Bynum almost grabbed as many boards as you in half as many minutes. And cmon, its been a decade, get one reliable post move.
Hey Melo, you’re a beast. Second best scorer in the league. Pullups, catch and shoot, stop n pop, fadeaway, postups, offensive boards, and a whole lot more. Clutch too. But we both know you wont shoot 14-20 again.
Hey Andrew Bynum, the more I watch you pick up senseless foul after foul and slump back towards the bench, the more I realize why Shaq didnt bother to play defense half the time.
Hey Derek Fisher, Son of Sam had a better f*cking shot selection than you. But those were some big shots.
Hey Phil Jackson, nice job. More please. Cause if your last three chances at a chip are lost to Larry Brown, Doc Rivers and George Karl, Red Auerbach is going to crawl out of the grave and force you into retirement.
But then again, if Kobe wins it all, would not mind either.
Wonder what Rasheed is doing.
Here is the thing though, the Nuggets played maybe 90% of their best basketball and lost. I say 90% since JR was a dud and with a streaky guy like him you never know. Everyone else had a good game. The Lakers on the other hand played nowhere near their best basketball. Foul trouble and lazy D. Gasol was absent most of the game, Odom got too many fouls (that jump ball kinda won the Lakers the game tho). Ditto Bynum. The bench played okay. So this series may not be as close as everyone thinks it may be. As long as the Lakers stop being lazy, don’t settle for jumpshots, box out etc. they should be okay
However, I don’t think that was “the Nuggets’ best,” as they individually (melo aside) and collectively could play much better, especially in crunch time.
Missed free throws and sloppy defensive rebounding would have iced this game earlier in the 4th. I expect a lot more of this type of action for the rest of the series! PS-wait until Bynum comes back
And ACTUALLY, it would’ve made a HUGE difference, I mean JR misses that final FT intentionally because the Nuggs are down three not two in that situation, Phil also wouldn’t have fouled up two and melo coulda had a shot to win or tie the ball game. I know you can’t just add the point to the final score B/C it would’ve likely changed the complaexion of the entire fourth quater, but STILL thats a huge gaff if the refs never added the point.
Did not see the play, but that is what every youth coach in the world would have their players do.
When his mid-range game (it does come out every once in a while)is on, he becomes borderline, unstoppable. He’s one of the few guys in the league that i would use that term for, as well. It just doesn’t happen enough for him to be a All-Star-caliber, prominent player….. yet.
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they need to find themselves though, and it will take a WAR with Denver for it to happen, just like the celtics needed with cleveland last year after letting the hawks(undermanned rockets) take em to 7…….. once they find themselves and gut out a 7game series with denver, theyll win it by beating the unstoppable mvp and the unbeatable team that rolled through the other conference that they match up with perfectly and dominated in both regular season games, just like the celtics did last year…………………………………………………………. but thats only if they survive against the nuggets, who legitimately could win the championship………………………. its gonna be a war. I got Lakers BARELY winning in 7, and then winning the nba finals over the cavs in 5.
LA already in da Finals!!!
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