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

[Kenny]

Playoffs Round 1: The First 4 Games

Game 1: Melo's hoop and Harm sinks OKC



In the dying moments of the game, Carmelo Anthony was fouled on the continuation by Kevin Durant. The free throw that he hit seeled the 1 point victory for the Denver Nuggets. The score ending up 92-91.

Tony Parker was the best player of the game, getting 30 points and 10 assists, while he was nicely supported by Rudy Gay (22) and Stanley Alston (18). However, it was Denver's superstars that did it again. Chauncey Billups and Melo combined for 41 points, while they got help from Michael Beasley (13), Grant Hill (12) and Marcus Camby (11).

With such a close game, it's hard to say whether starting Billups at the two-guard was a success or not. Chauncey and Mario played well in tandem, but if Denver make it through to play bigger guards, it might get them in trouble.

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DEN@OKC

DEN: 92 (Billups 21, Anthony 20, Beasley 13)
OKC: 91 (Parker 30, Gay 22, Alston 18)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Tony Parker 30 points 10 assists

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 11
OKC: Przybilla 13

Assists

DEN: Chalmers 6
OKC: Parker 10

Double-doubles

DEN: none
OKC: Parker (30 points, 10 assists), Przybilla (10 points, 13 rebounds)
-----------------------------------

Game 2: OKC roll the Nuggets and even up series



Oklahoma City have tied the playoff series at 1 a piece with their 86-76 win over Denver. In possibly the game of Rudy Gay's career, he scored 37 points and grabbed 14 boards. The Durantula came to life as well, with 21 points of his own, while Tony Parker got his second double-double of the series with 18 points and 10 assists.

Denver managed to keep it close most of the game, with Chauncey Billups scoring 24 points. Marcus Camby provided a spark off the bench with 15 points and 13 rebounds (11 of which came in the second quarter). But in the end, the Thunder had a massive 4th quarter and Denver's clutch shooters didn't arrive.
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DEN@OKC

OKC: 86 (Gay 37, Durant 21, Parker 18)
DEN: 76 (Billups 24, Camby 15, Anthony 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Rudy Gay 37 points 14 rebounds

Rebounds

DEN: Camby 13
OKC: Przybilla 16

Assists

DEN: Billups 6
OKC: Alston, Parker 10

Double-doubles

DEN: Camby (15 points, 13 rebounds)
OKC: Gay (37 points, 14 rebounds), Parker (18 points, 10 assists)
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Game 3: Denver claim control



After being run down in the 4th of game 2, the Denver Nuggets have claimed victory at home, winning 91-85. Carmelo Anthony was the high point man with 26 points. He led the list of Denver's double digit scorers which included Billups (18), Chalmers (15), Brown (13) and Camby (10).

Rudy Gay was once again influential for OKC picking up 22 points, while Tony Parker once again picked up the Sprite Performer of the Game with his 14 point, 12 assist performance. Przybilla had yet another strong night with 14 points and 15 boards, but ultimately Denver came out the better team. They were helped in the clutch by recently activated guard Shannon Brown, who hit 3 telling shots from beyond the arc in the 4th.

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OKC@DEN

DEN: 91 (Anthony 26, Billups 18, Chalmers 15)
OKC: 85 (Gay 22, Durant 16, Alston 15)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Tony Parker 14 points 12 assists 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 8
OKC: Przybilla 15

Assists

DEN: Billups 7
OKC: Parker 12

Double-doubles

DEN: none
OKC: Parker (18 points, 12 assists), Przybilla (14 points, 15 rebounds)
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Game 4: Thunder embarrass Nuggets in Denver



The Denver Nuggets suffered a 14 point loss at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, going down 94-80. Rudy Gay one again led his team with 30 points, while Kevin Durant picked up the performer of the game with his 25 points and 13 rebounds. Alston and Parker scored 13 each, while Joel Przybilla had another great game with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

For Denver, Melo and Chauncey were both playing great once again, scoring 22 and 21 respectively. However, Matt Bonner was the only other Denver player to reach double digits with 10 points. This proved to be a key point, as Oklahoma City had an array of scorers.

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OKC@DEN

OKC: 94 (Gay 30, Durant 25, Alston 13, Parker 13)
DEN: 80 (Anthony 22, Billups 21, Bonner 10)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Kevin Durant 25 points 13 rebounds 2 blocks

Rebounds

OKC: Durant 13
DEN: Anthony 7

Assists

OKC: Parker 9
DEN: Billups 7

Double-doubles

OKC: Durant (25 points, 13 rebounds), Przybilla (11 points, 12 rebounds)
DEN: none
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This series could really go to any side. Right now the Thunder probably have the upper hand, since they have the homecourt advantage... but Denver have proven that they can bring their game to another level in the playoffs. Stay tuned for the conclusion of the series

[hova-]

This is a sweet dynasty. I don't follow live Ds a lot. But this one is great. Hopefully you can snatch the series, but will be tough with OKC homecourt advantage.

[Andrew]

Looks like the Thunder are giving you quite a challenge. Good luck with the final games!

[Kenny]

This is a sweet dynasty. I don't follow live Ds a lot. But this one is great. Hopefully you can snatch the series, but will be tough with OKC homecourt advantage.

Thanks mate. It's always nice to be appreciated by the readers

Looks like the Thunder are giving you quite a challenge. Good luck with the final games!

The Thunder give me endless headaches with Durant and Gay. Now with Tony Parker, they're even worse. Thanks for the encouragement.

[Kenny]

Starting Lineup Announcement

Due to lack-lustre form and the prominance of Rudy Gay, Michael Beasley is going to be relegated to the bench for the game 5 matchup. Who will his replacement be? Well, in his draft report, he was compared to the OKC Power Forward. Of course I'm talking about enigmatic Sophomore player Ty Maximilian. Will he be able to lockdown the man he's been compared to?

Find out soon in the concluding games.

[kibaxx7]

Gay's playing huge for them. Good luck man, hope you can advance!

[cavs4872]

I was just able to get caught up on everything, and all I can say is that you are still doing a great job on this. Very interesting series with the Thunder so far. I could see it going right down to the wire.

[Andrew]

Hope the lineup change works out for you.

[Kenny]

Gay's playing huge for them. Good luck man, hope you can advance!

The guy is an absolute beast. Playing him at Power Forward has been a stroke of genius for the Thunder.

I was just able to get caught up on everything, and all I can say is that you are still doing a great job on this. Very interesting series with the Thunder so far. I could see it going right down to the wire.

Thanks mate. Along with Memphis, the Thunder always give me a run for my money. If I can beat the Thunder, I'll be quietly confident about the next round.

Hope the lineup change works out for you.

Thanks, I hope it works too. The last thing I want in a title defense is to be a first round casualty.

[megarover]

Gay and Parker are on a rampage.You'll probably win though

[Kenny]

Gay and Parker are on a rampage.You'll probably win though

Yes, they have been nightmarish

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Oklahoma City: The Concluding Games

Game 5: Denver steals game from OKC



After yet another close game, Denver managed to beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City by 3 points. The score was 100-97.

The story at the beginning of this game was of course the inclusion into the starting lineup of Ty Maximilian, and did the gamble pay off? Despite the fact that Rudy Gay scored 21 points, Ty managed to equal his efforts, scoring 21 of his own. Durant was the leading scorer of the game with 30 points, while Parker had another MVP performance with 26 points and 10 assists.

Denver however regained the winning edge in the game with 22 points from Melo. Maximilian's 21 all came in the first half, as he was given a breather in the second as Beasley came on. Not to be out-done, Beasley scored 21 points of his own, including a couple of clutch plays down the stretch. Arron Afflalo is also worth mentioning in this game as he scored 16 points in the fourth quarter. Afflalo's reputation of getting points when it matters is still very much valid as he proved with his performance.

This game was full of all-star performances, but not all neccessarily from the All-Star players.

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DEN@OKC

DEN: 100 (Anthony 22, Maximilian 21, Beasley 21)
OKC: 97 (Durant 30, Parker 26, Gay 21)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Tony Parker 26 points 10 assists

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 14
OKC: Przybilla 6

Assists

DEN: Billups 5
OKC: Parker 10

Double-doubles

DEN: none
OKC: Parker (26 points, 10 assists)

------------------------------

Game 6: Maximilian propels Denver to the second round



If anyone asked you who the key players in the Denver Nuggets are, Ty Maximilian would probably come somewhere near the bottom of the roster list. However in the important Game 6 clash, he did something that only 1 other player in the history of TNL has done. He registered a triple-double for Denver with 34 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. Denver ended up winning the game 82-67.

Amongst the other scorers for Denver were Carmelo Anthony with 19 points and Chauncey Billups with 12. For Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant (19), Tony Parker (18) and Rudy Gay (16) all had productive nights. The night well and truly belonged to Ty Maximilian though, as he led the game in points, rebounds and assists. You'll be hard pressed to find a better game from anyone in such a pivotal game, let-alone from a previously obscure player like Ty.

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OKC@DEN

DEN: 82 (Maximilian 34, Anthony 19, Billups 12)
OKC: 67 (Durant 19, Parker 18, Gay 16)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ty Maximilian 34 points 14 rebounds 13 assists 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Maximilian 14
OKC: Przybilla 14

Assists

DEN: Maximilian 13
OKC: Alston 5

Triple-doubles

DEN: Maximilian (34 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists)
OKC: none

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Click the picture below for the slideshow of the Oklahoma City series


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So with this series win, I will face either the Lakers or the Kings in the next round. Results from the rest of the league will be up soon.

[Kenny]

Playoffs Round 2



Results

WEST

(8) Sacramento 4 - 2 LA Lakers (1)
(5) Denver 4 - 2 Oklahoma City (4)
(3) Portland 4 - 3 New Orleans (6)
(2) Memphis 4 - 1 Houston (7)

EAST

(1) Orlando 4 - 3 Miami (8)
(4) Detroit 4 - 2 Chicago (5)
(6) Cleveland 4 - 2 Milwaukee (3)
(7) New Jersey 4 - 2 Toronto (2)

Comments:

-The Lakers once again can't make it past the first round, being eliminated as the top seed once again.
-The East was full of upsets, with team 2 (Toronto) and team 3 (Milwaukee) both being eliminated.
-If everything works out, Earl Smith III could possibly take on his old team in the Conference Finals.

---------------------------------

Denver Vs Sacramento

The Lineups

Denver

The Starters



| Chris Andersen | Ty Maximilian | Carmelo Anthony | Chauncey Billups | Mario Chalmers |

The Bench



| Michael Beasley | Matt Bonner | Marcus Camby | Shannon Brown | Grant Hill | Arron Afflalo | Louis Williams

IR



| Ray Warren |

Sacramento

The Starters



| Brook Lopez | Francisco Garcia | Andres Nocioni | Kevin Martin | Beno Udrih |

The Bench



| David Andersen | Tyler Hansbrough | Donte Greene | Myron Boyd | Bart Harvey | Sean May | Rashad McCants |

IR



| Ernst Christian | Ryan Zimmerman | Tyreke Evans |

Key factors

Denver

Carmelo Anthony: While he's in a basketball team, he's always a key factor. The man is a legit superstar and the playoffs bring out the best of him.

Ty Maximilian: Somewhat of a surprise this playoffs, Ty helped Denver turn the corner in the first round. Playing against another undersized forward in Francisco Garcia (very much questionable if he actually is a power forward), he has a big opportunity to capitalise on his career form.

Sacramento

Kevin Martin: He's the premier scorer of the Kings and he'll have to be at his best if they're to even compete with Denver.

Brook Lopez: A dominant presense in the middle and probably Sacramento's only presense... atleast in the starting lineup. If Brook can outplay the Birdman and Camby this series, the Kings are in with a chance.
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So a few anomalies are noticeable with the Kings squad, with Garcia starting at Power Forward, to Tyreke Evans being on IR (and not being injured). Hopefully this is something I can take advantage of. Find out soon, as my first 4 games will be posted next.

[Andrew]

Congrats on getting the series win against the Thunder, they certainly gave you a challenge on the road to a repeat. Huge game by Maximilian to clinch the series, looks like it was a good move bringing him into the starting five. Sacramento don't look to be quite as an intimidating matchup, at least on paper. Guess they were good enough to upset the Lakers though!

[kibaxx7]

What a night by Maximilian Good luck against Sactown.

[Dee.]

Oh god,Live rosters are so weird.
Good luck.

[Martti.]

Sac-town doesn't look so strong, having Garcia at PF. Amazing game by Ty.

[megarover]

Tyreke on IR . Make em pay for being stupid

[NovU]

I'm little bit behind the story but WADE winning MVP? FUCK YEAH!!!

Hahaha. Ty pushed Beasley out of starter line up. That is a major line up change during important moment of playoffs. Anyways, Good luck.

[Kenny]

Congrats on getting the series win against the Thunder, they certainly gave you a challenge on the road to a repeat. Huge game by Maximilian to clinch the series, looks like it was a good move bringing him into the starting five. Sacramento don't look to be quite as an intimidating matchup, at least on paper. Guess they were good enough to upset the Lakers though!

Yeah, looking at their lineup, it's hard to imagine them beating a star studded Lakers team... maybe my Dynasty just hates them... I am controlling Denver after all

What a night by Maximilian Good luck against Sactown.

Yeah, I never would have imagined him coming up with such a big game at a crucial time like that. Hopefully I can take the Kings

Oh god,Live rosters are so weird.
Good luck.

Definitely. Out of the two teams, both James Harden and Tyreke Evans have been on IR. Something weird is definitely going with Live 10.

Sac-town doesn't look so strong, having Garcia at PF. Amazing game by Ty.

Yeah it's pretty crazy. You'd think they would have slotted Nocioni or even David Andersen in the PF. Who knows what they're thinking...

Tyreke on IR . Make em pay for being stupid

Haha, I will do my best mate

:lol: I'm little bit behind the story but WADE winning MVP? FUCK YEAH!!!

Hahaha. Ty pushed Beasley out of starter line up. That is a major line up change during important moment of playoffs. Anyways, Good luck.

It's about time isn't it? Frankly, I think Wade was robbed the previous season.

As for the Beasley situation, it's not that he was playing horribly, but he just wasn't fulfilling a role that I thought he might. At 2-2 in the series, I thought I had to take a gamble, which luckily paid dividends.

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Sacramento

Game 1: Maximilian destroys Kings



Ty Maximilian has continued his meteoric rise with a career high 45 point game to lead the Nuggets to a 89-58 win against the Kings in game 1. He also managed to pick up 11 rebounds and 4 assists. He caused nightmares for Sacramento, taking advantage of a mismatch against Francisco Garcia. Amazingly, he scored the first 27 of Denver's points, and he had 39 in the first half alone. Carmelo Anthony, playing an unfamiliar supporting role these playoffs scored 21 points of his own, as him and Ty combined to score more than the Kings combined.

For Sacramento, Beno Udrih scored 18 points, while Francisco Garcia (10), Kevin Martin (8) and David Andersen (8) provided little scoring assistance. There was little doubt that Denver went into this series as favourites, but I'm sure no one predicted this landslide result in the first game.

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SAC@DEN

DEN: 89 (Maximilian 45, Anthony 21, Billups 7, Afflalo 7)
SAC: 58 (Udrih 18, Garcia 10, Martin 8, Andersen 8)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ty Maximilian 45 points 11 rebounds 4 assists 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: C Andersen 13
SAC: D Andersen 11

Assists

DEN: Billups, Chalmers 5
SAC: Udrih 6

Double-doubles

DEN: Maximilian (45 points, 11 rebounds)
SAC: none
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Game 2: Denver destroy the Kings once again



In another blowout game in the Mile High City, the Denver Nuggets have smashed the Sacramento Kings 102-73. Denver had 3 players who registered 20+ points, with Grant Hill leading them with 25 points. Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points, while Ty Maximilian had another MVP performance scoring 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.

Beno Udrih once again provided the scoring with 24 points, while Garcia and Martin had 14 each. Andres Nocioni managed 13 of his own. It's early in the series, but already things are looking grim for the Kings. They simply have no idea what to do in defense, with Melo and Maximilian running rampant. Grant Hill just adds insult to injury because their game plan goes out the window if he's scoring 20+. With the next two games in Sacramento, hopefully they can stretch this series past 4 games.

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SAC@DEN

DEN: 102 (Hill 25, Anthony 22, Maximilian 21)
SAC: 73 (Udrih 24, Martin 14, Garcia 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ty Maximilian 21 points 5 rebounds 7 assists 2 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: C Andersen 9
SAC: Lopez 10

Assists

DEN: Billups, Maximilian 7
SAC: Udrih 5
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Game 3: Kings get close, but still lose



After being terrible in the first two games, the Kings have narrowly lost to the Denver Nuggets, with the score 77-74. Udrih (20) and Martin (17) once again provided some scoring, but it was Brook Lopez' game that kept them close. He scored 15 points and grabbed 16 boards in a huge display for his team. Francisco Garcia also registered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite facing an impressive resistance, the Denver Nuggets managed to come together as a team and withhold the Kings. Carmelo Anthony led the way with 16, while Ty Maximilian picked up his 4th Sprite Performer of the Game in a row with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Marcus Camby chipped in off the bench with 11 points and 9 rebounds, while Chauncey (10) rounded out the list of double digit scorers for Denver.

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DEN@SAC

DEN: 77 (Anthony 16, Maximilian 15, Camby 11)
SAC: 74 (Udrih 20, Martin 17, Lopez 15)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ty Maximilian 15 points, 7 rebounds

Rebounds

DEN: Camby 9
SAC: Lopez 16

Assists

DEN: Billups 7
SAC: Udrih 6
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Game 4: Denver complete sweep



Denver have completed a lopsided series against Sacramento by winning game 4, and it was their bench that provided the spark. Shannon Brown was the high point man with 17 points, while Grant Hill (12) and Marcus Camby (10) all provided solid contributions from Denver's bench. Ty Maximilian and Carmelo Anthony also scored in double figures with 13 and 11 respectively.

For Sacramento, Kevin Martin scored 16, while Udrih netted 14. Brook Lopez had another outstanding game with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, but he was unable to deny Denver in the end. Their class and experience has been on show all series, and while they're in this kind of form, they're well in the hunt for a repeat.

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DEN@SAC

DEN: 81 (Brown 17, Maximilian 13, Hill 12)
SAC: 62 (Martin 16, Udrih 14, Lopez 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Brook Lopez 12 points 7 rebounds 5 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen, Anthony 7
SAC: Lopez 7

Assists

DEN: Billups 11
SAC: Garcia 5
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Click the picture below for the slideshow of the Sacramento series



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Well, after that series sweep, Denver will play either Portland or Memphis in the Western Conference Finals. Results from the rest of the playoffs will be up soon.

[Andrew]

Looks like that first round upset was a fluke (or a sign of NBA Live's flawed sim engine, but for the sake of the story let's just say a fluke ), another huge game from Maximilian. They didn't put up much of a fight at all, congrats on the sweep!

[Lamrock]

Nice job sweeping the Kings. I think a series with Memphis would be interesting. Didn't JR Smith sign with them in this dynasty?

[Kenny]

Conference Finals Preview



Results from Round 2

WEST
--------
(5) Denver 4 - 0 Sacramento (8)
(2) Memphis 4 - 1 Portland (3)

EAST
------
(1) Orlando 4 - 2 Detroit (4)
(7) New Jersey 4 - 2 Cleveland (6)

Notes

-New Jersey can now have the ultimate underdog story, reaching the Eastern Conference finals as the 6th seed.
-Denver will now faceoff against Memphis. Earl Smith will be looking to inflict some damage on the team that let him walk.

Denver Vs Memphis

The Lineups

Denver

The Starters



| Chris Andersen | Ty Maximilian | Carmelo Anthony | Chauncey Billups | Mario Chalmers |

The Bench



| Michael Beasley | Matt Bonner | Marcus Camby | Shannon Brown | Grant Hill | Arron Afflalo | Louis Williams

IR



| Ray Warren |

Memphis

The Starters



| Hasheem Thabeet | Zach Randolph | Jon Hunt | Earl Smith III | OJ Mayo |

The Bench



| CJ Watson | Mario West | Mike Conley | Acie Law | Chris Stuart | Lino Keates | Bill Christian |

IR



| Terrence Williams |


The Keys

Denver

Ty Maximilian: He has been without doubt Denver's best player throughout the playoffs. In saying that though, he hasn't really played against a true power forward. His matchup against Zach Randolph is going to be key for both Denver's future in the playoff series and his future as a starter.

The Bench: The past two series' I've said Melo as the key to Denver's success, but now I'm believing that the bench is. On any given night, any player on this deep bench can perform and give Denver that added advantage. At stages each player on the bench (with maybe the exception of Lou Williams and Matt Bonner) has had a meaningful contribution.

Memphis

The Front Court: Memphis have an overwhelming advantage when it comes to size in the front court. Whether they can take advantage of this or not is key. Zach Randolph in particular will have the job of defending the newly emerged superstar Ty Maximilian.

Earl Smith III: Denver know all too well the threat of Earl. He has unlimited range and can get hot on any night. Denver will have to choose carefully who guards him, otherwise he could cause many headaches for the Nuggets perimeter defense.

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Special Report

From DNP to MVP



During the regular season, Ty Maximilian was struggling to find playing time in the Denver Nuggets system. He was stuck in the rotation behind a former All-NBA second team member (Michael Beasley) and a former 6th man award recipient (Matt Bonner).

During the playoffs, no one ever really thought he would have anymore than a Mark Madsen-esque type cheerleader role off the bench. But with the series against Oklahoma City tied at 2 games a piece, the Nuggets needed some lateral thinking and threw the Dominican Republic born Maximilian a chance of a lifetime and he hasn't looked back since. Out of 7 starts, he has received the Sprite Performer of the Game an impressive 4 times.

At 6'7, he's an undersized power forward, however, he's turned into one of the most versatile performers in the game. He can post players up, hit outside jumpers and even handle the point on the odd occassion. He was labelled as the steal of the 2010 draft and with his latest performances, it's easy to see why.

It seems like there's nothing that Ty can't do this playoffs and with him emerging, all the sudden players like Matt Bonner and Michael Beasley have become expendable. They're both in the last year of their contracts and with Beasley likely to ask for more, Denver might have to revise their team direction. There's no doubt that the off-season will pose some dilemmas for the Denver Nuggets management.
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Results for the first 4 games against Memphis will be up soon

[Kenny]

Looks like that first round upset was a fluke (or a sign of NBA Live's flawed sim engine, but for the sake of the story let's just say a fluke ), another huge game from Maximilian. They didn't put up much of a fight at all, congrats on the sweep!

I think it's a nice story the fact that Ty Maximilian is just emerging out of nowhere. It definitely keeps my dynasty exciting enough to keep persisting with it. On paper I didn't really expect much from the Kings. Teams like that aren't a big problem for me. Anyone team with size can tend to throw me off a bit though.

Nice job sweeping the Kings. I think a series with Memphis would be interesting. Didn't JR Smith sign with them in this dynasty?

Yeah, it definitely will be interesting. J.R did sign with them, so he could provide a nightmare matchup for one of my guards, but in saying that, I know most (if not all) of his tendencies, so hopefully I can defend him effectively.