Denver Nuggets - The Next Level [Game 3 + 4]

[Kenny]

Great to see this one still rolling & you finding added motivation with self-challenges

Thanks X, I'm always looking for ways to keep things interesting for myself and the readers. The page challenges are definitely a nice way to do that... I'm just not sure what my next one could be though. We'll see what happens.

It's a decision I've had to veto a few times. I think the performer of the game goes off who's the best midway through the 4th, where the MVP is based off who had the best stats and/or won the game for their team.

Yeah, that could be it. Seems the Player of the Game selection doesn't gel very well with the MVP selections at the All-Star Weekend. Something else for the Wishlist, I guess.

Shame about the blocks challenge and the two losses, but that's an awesome game by Lopez. Great to see the clutch shots still coming.

Definitely, I'd like to see a more definitive system there for NBA Elite/whatever it's called 12

The funny thing about the block challenge is, I could probably get 5 blocks with one of my guys without even trying, but going for it actually felt like something that hindered me getting it. Might just be one of those psychological things we've talked about previously I really hope Robin can be a solid 3rd option on my team, it's definitely a great weapon to have a post option and it's something I really haven't had in a true sense since Nene.

Great win over Houston. Nice job by JR

Page 36 baby!

J.R. is returning to the play we all know and love him for in this dynasty and it's very exciting for me. Another page down, hopefully many more to come

Great game by Lopez. Kinda sucks that after almost 40 years someone else had a 30-30 game. Sucks to not see the blocks challenge completed, but at least you got four out of five.

I was struggling with whether I should have just let Kevin Love's stat-line stand in this dynasty or not, then I thought, Kobe only won four rings in this, so I shouldn't allow Love's achievement stand either since it happened the year after this started... if that makes sense.

What an dominating game by Lopez. All the hype Love had this season Lopez deserves just as much.

Depends what we're talking about here; if in real life, Lopez hasn't done merely enough to warrant the hype that Love has been getting (which I still personally think he could be getting more of). Love plays for the LOLcats in this dynasty I think... I'll have to check... goes to show how much I've been hyping him up, considering I can't even remember what team he plays for

[Kenny]

February 2019 Review

After an incredibly inconsistent January, the Denver Nuggets had a much better month going 7-3. The keys for the Nuggets have been the help Durant has been getting throughout the month. J.R. Smith ended the month with 3 consecutive games with 30 points or more, while Robin Lopez had that historic 30-30 game and has been contributing solid numbers ever since.

The most surprising of all has been the resurgence of energetic Aussie Pat Mills. Patty has been leading the second unit and has been destroying teams off pick and roll plays. His form has been giving coach Karl the delightful dilemma of who to start at the point. Overall the month of February was one of getting back on track for Denver as they solidify their place amongst the contenders in the West.

Monthly Awards

East Player: [CLE] OJ Mayo (21.2ppg 3.4rpg 3apg)
West Player: [PHX] LeBron James (17.9ppg 3.9rpg 5.7apg)
East Rookie: [NYK] Dickey Freeman (6.1ppg 1.1rpg 2.8apg)
West Rookie: [PHX] Zach Atkins (4.5ppg 3.8apg 0.4spg)

MVP Candidates

[LAC] Ollie Rose (22.5ppg 3.7apg 1.8spg)
[PHX] LeBron James (17.9ppg 3.9rpg 5.7apg)
[MEM] Stephen Curry (21.5ppg 2.3rpg 6apg)
[OKC] Luther Rutherford (12.9ppg 9.1rpg 2.2bpg)
[LAL] Stanley Alston (18.9ppg 3.3apg 1.4spg)

Standings

EAST

Cleveland 36-18
Washington 35-21
Miami 29-25
Charlotte 28-25
New York 28-26
Chicago 26-26
Milwaukee 27-28
Detroit 26-28
---
Atlanta 24-29
Toronto 25-30
Orlando 22-29
Philadelphia 23-33
Boston 22-32
Indiana 21-33
New Jersey 11-44


WEST

Oklahoma City 37-18
San Antonio 37-19
LA Clippers 37-20
Denver 33-20
Dallas 33-24
Phoenix 32-25
New Orleans 30-23
LA Lakers 30-26
---
Minnesota 26-27
Houston 26-28
Memphis 25-28
Portland 25-29
Utah 21-33
Sacramento 21-34
Golden State 21-36


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Next up will be a 5 game summary. As I mentioned above, I have a bit of a streak going on with J.R. Smith, and until that ends, I'll most likely be playing all the games leading up to that point. Hope I don't jinx myself there

[Andrew]

The funny thing about the block challenge is, I could probably get 5 blocks with one of my guys without even trying, but going for it actually felt like something that hindered me getting it. Might just be one of those psychological things we've talked about previously I really hope Robin can be a solid 3rd option on my team, it's definitely a great weapon to have a post option and it's something I really haven't had in a true sense since Nene.

I know what you mean. I've had to work really hard to try and get Gordon 50 a couple of times in my Bulls Dynasty, but when it just kind of happens it feels like much less of an effort.

[kibaxx7]

LeBron averaging 17-3-5... he's around 35 right now?

[megarover]

How come those Cavs are so good without Lebron.

[Andrew]

It's ten years into the Dynasty, they'll have made other deals and probably had a few good lottery picks.

[Kenny]

The funny thing about the block challenge is, I could probably get 5 blocks with one of my guys without even trying, but going for it actually felt like something that hindered me getting it. Might just be one of those psychological things we've talked about previously I really hope Robin can be a solid 3rd option on my team, it's definitely a great weapon to have a post option and it's something I really haven't had in a true sense since Nene.

I know what you mean. I've had to work really hard to try and get Gordon 50 a couple of times in my Bulls Dynasty, but when it just kind of happens it feels like much less of an effort.

Exactly, it seemed like earlier in the season I was really forcing things with J.R. Smith and that led to some poor performances and being tempted to trade him. Now it seems things are just coming naturally.

LeBron averaging 17-3-5... he's around 35 right now?

About 34, 35 year... keep in mind my simulated quarters are only 10 minutes... I guess it's something I could bump up to 12, but I wanted a more even playing field.

How come those Cavs are so good without Lebron.

It's ten years into the Dynasty, they'll have made other deals and probably had a few good lottery picks.

The Cavs actually won the championship the year LBJ left, but as Andrew said, I think good drafting had a lot to do with it. If memory serves me correctly, they have a player named Jason Gardiner who won the Finals MVP the year they won it, plus OJ Mayo has developed into a star.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

After a few solid rounds, Denver have finally done it again. In this 5 game stretch, they didn't register a single loss. Not to say they weren't close to doing so, as you'll learn in the feature game against LeBron's Suns. As for the rest of the games, Utah got the closest, losing by 6 points. Denver were emphatic against Sacramento and Atlanta, winning by 21 points on both occassions. They also picked up a convincing win against Nellie's Warriors. Now it's time for the feature against the Suns:

The Big 3 Scorch Suns in OT



Denver completed an incredible comeback to overcome the Phoenix Suns in OT 100-89. At the start of the 4th quarter Denver trailed by 14 points, but both J.R. Smith and Kevin Durant stepped up to narrow down the margin. Off a post move, Robin Lopez evened up the ledger at 81 points. In the dying stages, Brandon Jennings stole the ball and passed the ball to J.R. who led the fast break. With only seconds to go, Smith launched the 3 that would have won the game, but missed.

Overtime was a mere formality it would seem as Denver outscored Phoenix 19-8. In fact, in the 4th and extra period, Denver had an advantage of 49-24 as Phoenix won the other three quarters. J.R. Smith and Kevin Durant were the leading scorers for the Nuggets with 32 and 28 respectively. Robin Lopez continued his great for with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Phoenix had the performer of the game in Brad Bell who scored 29 points. LeBron James was also influential with 22, while Boris Coutts added 13. Greg Oden provided tough competition for Robin Lopez as he registered his own double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

It was originally believed the big 3 of this team would include Smith, Durant and Jennings, but with Lopez in the form he's in currently, he would have to go down as the 3rd man in that trio. With his post game, Denver now have the inside-outside game that every team in the NBA can only dream of.

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DEN@PHX

(OT)

DEN: 100 (Smith 32, Durant 28, Lopez 14)
PHX: 89 (Bell 29, James 22, Coutts 13)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Brad Bell 29 points 3 rebounds 5 assists 4 steals

Rebounds

DEN: Lopez 12
PHX: Oden 10

Assists

DEN: Mills 7
PHX: Bell, James 5

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Last 5 Games

@PHX: 100-89 (OT) W
@GSW: 92-75 W
@SAC: 93-72 W
UTA: 82-76 W
ATL: 84-63 W

Denver are now 35-20

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5 Game Streak

Along with Denver's 5 win streak, J.R. Smith has a 5 game run of 30 or more points, including this 44 point effort against the Warriors. Here are his numbers over the last 5:

Vs Phoenix: 32 points
Vs Warriors: 44 points
Vs Sacramento: 33 points
Vs Utah: 35 points
Vs Atlanta: 33 points

Wowpez!

Robin "Better than Brook" Lopez had 2 outstanding games at the end of this round. Against the Utah Jazz, he picked up a triple-double with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists and a lazy 5 blocks (the page AFTER the KD35 challenge of all times). Versus the Hawks, he had a more mellow performance of 13 points, 17 rebounds and 4 blocks. He is creating an inside presense that is really unparalleled at the moment in the NBA.

From Needing Help to Being the Help

With the performances from J.R. Smith and Robin Lopez, Kevin Durant hasn't been as vital to Denver as he was earlier in the season. He's still having a pretty good run though, as he scored 27 points against Sacramento to go with the 28 he scored in Phoenix.

Blossoming in Garbage Time

Ed Reed made use of some extended garbage time against the Hawks by scoring 12 points. Even though he doesn't play every game, he's still considered one of the best rookies in the league. Weak draft class or does Denver have too much depth?

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Next 5 Games

BOS
NYK
PHI
@DAL
@SAN

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An interesting 5 games coming up. Robin will take on his brother Brook in Boston, as well as former Denver championship player Michael Beasley. The last game of the round is of course against a real contender in San Antonio. Hopefully the big 3 and Denver can pick up another 5 wins.

[Andrew]

That was a great stretch, awesome comeback against the Suns for the OT win. Lopez is becoming quite a beast, nice effort picking up the triple double.

[kibaxx7]

Great comeback victory, also nice to see Earl Smith like that.

[megarover]

Nice win. Lopez has a nice post game going for him this year. It took him a while but he has really been developing well.

[Axel The Great]

Looks like Perko decided to join Robin for that dunk.

This is the type of 5-game stretches that we'd all like to see. Lopez triple-double, defeating LeSuns, five-game win streak, and some more great stuff. Only bad thing was the fact that KD is quiet now.

[Houndy]

Yeah!! Five more wins!! No Moar Sim

[Kenny]

That was a great stretch, awesome comeback against the Suns for the OT win. Lopez is becoming quite a beast, nice effort picking up the triple double.

Thanks Andrew, I did miss having my 5-0 runs I must admit and with the way Denver has played this season, it's become far more rewarding to do so. Lopez has been amazing.

Great comeback victory, also nice to see Earl Smith like that.

Absolutely, I've definitely missed Earl pouring on the points like that. Seems so effortless with him sometimes.

Nice win. Lopez has a nice post game going for him this year. It took him a while but he has really been developing well.

Having that post presense adds another level of entertainment to the game as well. All the sudden I have another way of scoring the ball, so hopefully that'll lead to more winning.

Looks like Perko decided to join Robin for that dunk.

This is the type of 5-game stretches that we'd all like to see. Lopez triple-double, defeating LeSuns, five-game win streak, and some more great stuff. Only bad thing was the fact that KD is quiet now.

Lopez is actually going for a rebound, but I saw that on the replay and I had to take a picture of it. While Durant is quiet now, I don't think it'll last for long... atleast I'm hoping. His game is complementary to J.R. Smith at the moment and I guess while the team is successful, it's a role I'm happy for Durant to fill.

Yeah!! Five more wins!! No Moar Sim

I have been getting right back into it again. I've tried starting an association on NBA 2k11 but I find that the 5-on-5 in that game is far too unforgiving and I don't really have fun playing it. So I'll probably play a lot more games from now on.

[Kenny]

Live's a Glitch!



NBA Live 10 is much like the Denver Nuggets; I'll love it despite what problems might arise and what mistakes are made. I was struggling to think of what picture to put up for this article, then I thought of Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Taken 5th overall, which was ahead of a little known player named Amare Stoudemire, he seems to be the epitome of things that have gone wrong for Denver.

But enough about that, during the 10 seasons this dynasty has been active for, I've come across a lot of plays that I have scratched my head over. Some of them hilarious, some hard to comprehend. Here's 5 of which I have saved (possibly some video evidence for the NBA Elite 12 wishlist?):

phpBB [video]

This one is the most recent of all; in fact, it falls within the next 5 game summary. Crawford Muller of the Sixers always likes to impress the ladies, but when he has problems picking up the ball in front the cheerleaders, he might have some difficulties alluring the opposite sex.

phpBB [video]

Birdman gets the ball "Superman'd" in his face... it gets counted as a block.

phpBB [video]

Michael Beasley gets his shot blocked... but you'll excuse me for not knowing who gets credited for this one.

phpBB [video]

Batum inbounds the ball... while he's inbounds... play on!

phpBB [video]

While the others are rather amusing, this one infuriated me. The worst flop you'll ever see.

[Axel The Great]

Lol at Crawford Muller's glitch. That referee was a douchebag, he couldn't at least help him pick up the ball or get out of the way? Glanville flop still gives me a good chuckle, I don't think Shaq would approve of him.

Never really ran into any of those glitches in my time playing Live 10; maybe it's the fact that you've been playing this game a lot longer than I have. There was one I ran into... just watch the video.

[kibaxx7]

Crawford Muller's was the best

[megarover]

Its always hilarious to see game glitches.

[Houndy]

Crawford Muller's ball handling should be decreased.

[Bucket]

I love Live 10.

[Andrew]

Those are some pretty funny, albeit frustrating-to-see glitches. Definitely buglist in the Wishlist stuff.

I've got a replay saved where the ball flies up into the rafters and then comes back down into the player's hands before he goes in for a dunk. Unfortunately, I've never been able to get it uploaded as EA Sports World would always throw back an error when it was almost completed. I'm able to upload all other videos without any issues though.

[Kenny]

Lol at Crawford Muller's glitch. That referee was a douchebag, he couldn't at least help him pick up the ball or get out of the way? Glanville flop still gives me a good chuckle, I don't think Shaq would approve of him.

Never really ran into any of those glitches in my time playing Live 10; maybe it's the fact that you've been playing this game a lot longer than I have. There was one I ran into... just watch the video.

I was thinking the same thing about that ref. When a dude has hands like Kwame Brown, you gotta help him out a little.

I haven't seen anything like that glitch on your link... that one is crazy!

Crawford Muller's was the best

I agree, I was worried that it might have glitched out my game entirely, but as soon as he picked up the ball I went straight to replay.

Its always hilarious to see game glitches.

I love spotting them too maybe it's why I love this game

Crawford Muller's ball handling should be decreased.

I was thinking at one stage of making a roster patch for NBA Live 06 of my dynasty rosters and if I did, I'd minimise his handles for sure.

I love Live 10.

As do I

Those are some pretty funny, albeit frustrating-to-see glitches. Definitely buglist in the Wishlist stuff.

I've got a replay saved where the ball flies up into the rafters and then comes back down into the player's hands before he goes in for a dunk. Unfortunately, I've never been able to get it uploaded as EA Sports World would always throw back an error when it was almost completed. I'm able to upload all other videos without any issues though.

If I was Dale Gribble, I'd say it was a conspiracy *lights up a cigarette*

It's frustrating to see, but in a way it adds into the fun and it's really been those 5 that have stood out over the course of 7 seasons of which I actually played. If I continue to get more like them, I'll be submitting them for sure and hopefully EA won't take them down.

[Kenny]

5 Game Summary

After a 5 game win streak, the Denver Nuggets were handed a loss by Michael Beasley's Celtics. Apart from that, it's been all wins this round. Convincing ones at that too with San Antonio providing the greatest resistance, which happens to be the feature game of the round:

Nuggets upset top seed Spurs on the road



The Denver Nuggets picked up their fourth game in a row, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 98-90. In his 10th consecutive game of 30 points, J.R. Smith picked up the performer of the game with 30 points. He was supported by MVP-turned-sidekick Kevin Durant who was dangerous with 23. Promising rookie Ed Reed came off the bench and scored 13, while Borislav Perko registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Rudy Gay proved to be kryptonite for the Denver side with 36 points and 11 rebounds. All-Star selection Alejandro Carlos helped out with 24, while Aaron Brooks was also solid with 11 points an 10 assists.

San Antonio were close at stages in this game, but it was 4th quarter execution that put Denver over the line. J.R. Smith and Kevin Durant are becoming more deadly as the season progresses and it's looking ominous for other Western Conference teams.

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DEN@SAN

DEN: 98 (Smith 30, Durant 23, Reed 13)
SAN: 90 (Gay 36, Carlos 24, Brooks 11)

Sprite Performer of the Game: J.R. Smith 30 points 1 rebound 1 assist 1 block 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Lopez 16
SAN: Gay 11

Assists

DEN: Mills 5
SAN: Brooks 10

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Last 5 Games

BOS: 86-83 L
NYK: 83-68 W
PHI: 97-62 W
@DAL: 92-81 W
@SAN: 98-90 W

Denver are now 39-21

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Make that 10!

J.R. Smith extended his 30+ point games streak to 10, the peak of which was 39 against the Mavs. Here are his last 5 games:

Vs Boston: 30 points
Vs New York: 30 points
Vs Philadelphia: 31 points
Vs Dallas: 39 points
Vs San Antonio: 30 points

His season has done a complete 180 and he's now a model of consistency.

Another Big Performance

The epic fro came up with a great performance in a losing side against the Boston Celtics. Against his brother and Michael Beasley he registered 22 points and 11 rebounds. He's shaping up as a candidate for Most Improved Player.

Reeding the Plays

Ed Reed scored 13 points off the bench against the Sixers, but the most devastating part of his game was the 5 steals he got on the defensive end.

Finding His Range

Taylor MacKenzie's jumpshot has been M.I.A. for a while but his 10 points against the Knicks included 2 from beyond the arc. Will we see a return to his best?

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Next 5 Games

@MEM
@MIN
@DAL
@SAN
@NOH

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After winning 9 of their last 10 games, Denver are now in the thick of a long road stand which started in the last 2 games of this summary. It will be a true test of their championship credentials, particularly since they've been average at best on the road this year. Unless I think of another article to write, next up will be the 5 game summary.

[megarover]

Ed Reed is turning into a new spark off the bench. He really needs his own nickname now

[Axel The Great]

Great to see JR's streak reach 10, but his statline against the Spurs is pretty funny: 30.... 1, 1, 1, 1. T-Mac 2.0's rise against the Knicks is foreshadowing the fact that he's gonna grow his 'stache back real soon.