Well, the last 5 games were wins... this round, it was only one game away from being 5 losses. Consistancy is now proving to be an issue for the defending champs, as they lost games against Miami, New Orleans, San Antonio and Portland... all games in which Denver should be able to win. And I must say, I have never seen so many "And 1s" as I did in that 5 game stretch. And the players who got them?
Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, Richard Jefferson, Desagana Diop, Boris Diaw, Chris Quinn, Nene, Greg Oden... they're just the ones I remember.
So after that stretch of games, Denver sit at 16-9. The feature game is against Portland:
Denver's woes continue
Brandon Roy and the Portland Trail Blazers have overcome a vunerable Denver Nuggets side, winning 76-65. Roy had an outstanding game, getting the Sprite Performer of the Game with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. He was supported nicely by Rudy Fernandez and Greg Oden who both netted 19 points each.
Denver was very team oriented, with 3 players scoring 13 points (Anthony, Billups and Bonner), while Shannon Brown led the team with 22. However the Portland front court proved to be too big and strong, with both Aldridge and Oden picking up 10 boards, while the Birdman and Melo got only 6 each.
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POR@DEN
POR: 76 (Roy 21, Fernandez 19, Oden 19)
DEN: 65 (Brown 22, Anthony 13, Billups 13, Bonner 13)
Sprite Performer of the Game: Brandon Roy 21 points 8 rebounds 4 assists 2 steals
Rebounds
POR: Oden, Aldridge 10
DEN: Andersen, Anthony 6
Assists
POR: Aldridge 5
DEN: Billups 5
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Last 5 Games
@MIA: 71-68 L
NOH: 85-79 L
SAN: 89-85 L
SAN: 89-75 W
POR: 76-65 L
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One shining light of the round
Chauncey Billups has a personal vendetta against San Antonio. They have caused him heartbreak numerous times in the playoffs. In the two games against the Spurs, here were his numbers:
Game 1: 59 points
Game 2: 29 points 11 assists
He was the Sprite Performer of the Game in both encounters... he's still got some amazing left in him.
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Announcement: Season to be Simulated
I've decided to simulate the rest of my third season. I've got two weeks til my holiday in California, in which I'll be away for a month. I decided that I wanted to get to the business end before I left. because a great deal of my core players are on free agency.
I also think it'll be a good experiment. I'd like to see how many of my players are in the All-Star squad without me controlling them. If I have representation, I will play the All-star game and/or Rookie Game. I will take back control in the playoffs, provided I make it. Until then, stay tuned for the season results.
