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

[hova-]

Good job on the sweep. Maximilian was amazing. Good luck vs Memphis.

[Andrew]

Good idea for a spotlight feature. I'd forgotten about JR Smith but that makes for an entertaining subplot.

[cavs4872]

I can't wait to see how J.R. plays against his former team. By the way, did the Nets make any moves during the offseason to be playing as well as they are of late?

[kibaxx7]

Impressive series by Maximilian, man. Good luck against the Grizz!

[Martti.]

Ty has really excelled in the Playoffs. I think he has a great future ahead of him. You better keep playing him.

[Kenny]

Good job on the sweep. Maximilian was amazing. Good luck vs Memphis.

Thanks mate. If I continue on to the NBA Finals, I wouldn't be surprised if he was the MVP.

Good idea for a spotlight feature. I'd forgotten about JR Smith but that makes for an entertaining subplot.

I thought I had to write something about him since his rise has been so meteoric, and the JR Smith subplot does make for an interesting story. Every now and then in a dynasty, something great like appears and it makes it even more fun to write about.

I can't wait to see how J.R. plays against his former team. By the way, did the Nets make any moves during the offseason to be playing as well as they are of late?

Yes, I eagerly await JR as well. I was really hoping for this matchup. As for New Jersey... they don't have a real star apart from Amar'e Stoudemire, but they have a bunch of nice role players. Guys like Luke Ridnour, Rafer Alston, Rasual Butler and Thabo Sefolosha. It's definitely an interesting lineup.

Impressive series by Maximilian, man. Good luck against the Grizz!

Thanks... hopefully they don't stop me in my tracks. The great thing about Maximilian is that he's still on a rookie contract and will be for another 2 seasons after this one. Definitely a steal of the 2010 draft

Ty has really excelled in the Playoffs. I think he has a great future ahead of him. You better keep playing him.

If he keeps playing like this, I will keep giving him minutes. I started to turn auto-sub off because otherwise the computer would just bench him the entire time. This way I have complete control of my roster, and even guys like Arron Afflalo and Louis Williams are now getting minutes. Lou isn't exactly producing, but he's getting some time.

[Kenny]

Western Conference Finals: Denver Vs Memphis

Game 1: Denver crash down to Earth



After a series clean sweep against the Sacramento Kings, the Denver Nuggets were reminded that their path to a repeat isn't going to be without obstacles. They lost the opening game of the Western Conference Finals 102-88. Ty Maximilian continued on his stellar form with 37 points and 6 assists, however he was often out-muscled by Zach Randolph, who won the Sprite Performer of the Game with his performance. He scored 25 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

OJ Mayo was the high point man for Memphis with 28 points, while Jon Hunt (17), Hasheem Thabeet (12) and Earl Smith (12) all provided him good support. As well as Randolph, Thabeet registered a double-double with 14 rebounds.

For Denver, Grant Hill scored 16 from the bench, while Melo had a sub-par game with 13 points. This game was quite possibly the wake up call that Denver needed. Memphis are the real deal this year and are not to be taken lightly.

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DEN@MEM

MEM: 102 (Mayo 28, Randolph 25, Hunt 17)
DEN: 88 (Maximilian 37, Hill 16, Anthony 13)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Zach Randolph 25 points 17 rebounds 2 blocks

Rebounds

MEM: Randolph 17
DEN: Camby 8

Assists

MEM: Mayo 9
DEN: Maximilian, Billups, Chalmers 6

Double-doubles

MEM: Randolph (25 points, 17 rebounds), Thabeet (12 points, 14 rebounds)
DEN: none
--------------------------

Game 2: Wake up call received - Denver stomp Grizzlies



After an ordinary first game, Denver have bounced back to win against Memphis in a blowout. The score ended up being 95-73. Ty Maximilian had yet another outstanding game with 35 points and 9 rebounds. Arron Afflalo provided a late surge of points, scoring 20 in the second half. Anthony (13), Billups (11) and Camby (10) were also in double figures. Memphis however only had 3 double digit scorers, with Mayo scoring 19, Hunt with 17 and Smith registering 15.

Denver were able to overcome the size disadvantage in this game, restricting both Randolph and Thabeet to single digit scoring.

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DEN@MEM

DEN: 95 (Maximilian 35, Afflalo 20, Anthony 13)
MEM: 73 (Mayo 19, Hunt 17, Smith 15)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ty Maximilian 35 points 9 rebounds

Rebounds

DEN: Maximilian 9
MEM: Randolph 11

Assists

DEN: Billups 9
MEM: Hunt 6

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Game 3: Denver outlast Memphis and take series lead



An impressive team display by the Nuggets have seen them outlast the Grizzlies in a tight game, winning 97-91. OJ Mayo was the Performer of the Game with 32 points, but Denver were able to stay in it with Carmelo Anthony and Ty Maximilian, who had 22 and 18 respectively. The real game breaker was Shannon Brown. He was absolutely on fire in the fourth, scoring 19 points to help Denver pull away. Known earlier in his career as a high flyer, he has now added a lethal 3 point shot to his game.

Marcus Camby was the other double digit scorer for Denver with 12, while for Memphis, Mike Conley (17), Zach Randolph (12), Jon Hunt (11) and Earl Smith (10) all made meaningful contributions.

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MEM@DEN

DEN: 97 (Anthony 22, Brown 19, Maximilian 18)
MEM: 91 (Mayo 32, Conley 17, Randolph 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: OJ Mayo 32 points 6 assists 1 block

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 12
MEM: Thabeet, Randolph 10

Assists

DEN: Billups 8
MEM: Mayo 6

Double-doubles

DEN: none
MEM: Randolph (12 points, 10 rebounds)

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

Game 4: Memphis tie series in thriller



It took an emphatic stuff towards the end of the game by former Denver Nugget Earl Smith to decide the 4th game of the Western Conference Finals. The Memphis Grizzlies were triumphant winning 95-93.

Ty Maximilian once again picked up the Performer of the Game honours with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Carmelo Anthony supported him nicely with 25, while Camby had another flashback performance with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. In the end though, Memphis had a better spread of scorers with Smith leading the way with 22, Zach Randolph with 20 and Jon Hunt scoring 19 of his own. OJ Mayo had a quiet game with 11 points, while Hasheem Thabeet (10) was the other double digit scorer.

This means the series is now tied at 2 all, as they go on to play in Memphis for Game 5.

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MEM@DEN

MEM: 95 (Smith 22, Randolph 20, Hunt 19)
DEN: 93 (Maximilian 26, Anthony 25, Camby 16)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ty Maximilian 26 points 10 rebounds 6 assists

Rebounds

MEM: Thabeet 13
DEN: Camby 14

Assists

MEM: Mayo 11
DEN: Maximilian 6

Double-doubles

MEM: Thabeet (10 points, 13 rebounds), Mayo (11 points, 11 assists)
DEN: Maximilian (26 points, 10 rebounds), Marcus Camby (16 points, 13 rebounds)

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

Which team?

Either Earl is boasting about being fouled to the Denver bench, or he has forgotten which team he is now playing for.

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

So the series stands at 2-2. Memphis has managed to challenge me in every game except for the second. Hopefully the story can continue... results from the concluding games will be up soon.

[Andrew]

Tough break in Game 4, but hopefully it's just another test before eventual triumph. Looking forward to the conclusion of the series.

[Kenny]

Tough break in Game 4, but hopefully it's just another test before eventual triumph. Looking forward to the conclusion of the series.

Thanks Andrew. The results will be up shortly

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Memphis: The Concluding Games

Game 5: Bonner's huge 4th takes Denver a step closer



After a string of DNPs, Matt Bonner has scorched Memphis off the bench to help Denver win game 5 by 95-89. Bonner exploded for 23 points in the 4th quarter to lead all scorers in the game. Ty Maximilian (19) and Anthony (16) were both instrumental in helping keep the game tight, while Camby had another solid game with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Birdman scored 10 of his own. But it was Bonner who proved to be the breaking point of the game. He went 8/12 from the field in a miraculous 4th quarter push for Denver.

Memphis played well the whole game, with Zach Randolph picking up the award for the best performance. He had 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Hasheem Thabeet also picked up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jon Hunt (19), OJ Mayo (16) and Earl Smith (13) all contributed to the Memphis cause. However none of them realised what would come in the 4th. As Steve Kerr proved many years ago, just because a player hasn't been playing, doesn't mean they can't go off. Bonner may have found himself some more minutes in the rest of the playoffs.

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DEN@MEM

DEN: 95 (Bonner 23, Maximilian 19, Anthony 16)
MEM: 89 (Randolph 21, Hunt 19, Mayo 16)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Zach Randolph 21 points 13 rebounds 5 assists 3 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Camby 11
MEM: Randolph 13

Assists

DEN: Maximilian 7
MEM: Mayo 6

Double-doubles

DEN: Camby (15 points, 11 rebounds)
MEM: Randolph (21 points, 13 rebounds), Thabeet (12 points, 11 rebounds)

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

Game 6: Denver through to the Finals as Camby makes a statement



Marcus Camby has put the Eastern Conference finalists on notice with his performance against Memphis in game 6. If anyone takes him lightly, he will make them pay. He helped Denver to a 82-78 win with 18 points, 13 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks... a stat-line any centre in the league would be proud of, not to mention one who is towards the end of his career. He was a dominant force in the paint and he is finding himself more minutes at the expense of the Birdman. Along with him, Michael Beasley had a good game with 18 points of his own, while Melo scored 14.

As the score would suggest, Memphis kept it close enough. Zach Randolph was the star once again with 21 points and 11 rebounds. OJ Mayo and Earl Smith scored 15 and 14 respectively, while Jon Hunt scored 11. Hasheem Thabeet had another double-double performance with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Memphis were courageous all series, but when it comes down to it, Denver's experience in the big games paid dividends.

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MEM@DEN

DEN: 82 (Camby 18, Beasley 18, Anthony 14)
MEM: 78 (Randolph 21, Mayo 15, Smith 14)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Marcus Camby 18 points 13 rebounds 8 assists 5 blocks 1 steal

Rebounds

DEN: Camby 13
MEM: Thabeet 16

Assists

DEN: Chalmers, Camby 8
MEM: Hunt 5

Double-doubles

DEN: Camby (18 points, 13 rebounds)
MEM: Randolph (21 points, 11 rebounds), Thabeet (12 points, 16 rebounds)

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Click the picture for a slideshow of the Memphis series


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So I've made it again. This season has been slightly more of a challenge, but I feel confident no matter who I come up against. Bring on the finals!

[Kenny]

Playoffs Preview



Results

WEST
(5) Denver 4 - 2 Memphis (2)

EAST
(7) New Jersey 4 - 1 Orlando (1)

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

So there you have it, an NBA Finals for the underdogs. The 5th in the West meets the 7th of the East... rolls off the tongue doesn't it? Will Denver repeat? Or will New Jersey continue to surprise with an NBA championship?

A full finals preview will be up next.

[Alpha_]

New Jersey making it through the finals wow!!

[Kenny]

New Jersey making it through the finals wow!!

NBA Live 10: Where the New Jersey Nets don't suck...

that's the best I could come up with. It's pretty damn amazing though, to think how horribly they're doing in real life.

[Kenny]

Denver Vs Sacramento

The Lineups



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 |




The Starters



| Yi Jianlian | Amare Stoudemire | Ronny Turiaf | Rodney Stuckey | Devin Harris |

The Bench



| Luke Ridnour | Rasual Butler | Vladimir Radmanovic | Sylvester Chapman | Gonzalo Carlos | Jud Reilly | Rafer Alston |

IR



| Thabo Sefolosha | Steven Hunter | Bertrand Carroll |

Key players



Carmelo Anthony: Melo has been playing the supporting role to Ty Maximilian so far this playoffs, however, don't expect him to shy away from the big stage. He is a legitimate game breaker and someone from the Nets is going to have a hell of a hard time keeping him at bay.

Ty Maximilian: He has been Denver's MVP, but now it's time to show up where it matters the most. He'll be up against a bigger forward in Stoudemire, and how he handles that is crucial towards Denver's success.



Amare Stoudemire: No doubt he will be a go to guy in this series for New Jersey. An all-star caliber power forward, he will be up against the in form 4 man in the league in Ty Maximilian. If he can slow Ty down and make him work harder in defense, the Nets juggernaut could roll on.

Devin Harris: While Amare is a go to guy, Devin will have to run the show. He has been on this stage before, but this time he is a major factor towards his team's success.

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

The first 4 games of the NBA Finals will be up next. Wish me luck

[Rta]

good luck on the series final
i read all the story yestrday and i have to say that this is a great story.
and i will keep follow.

[Alpha_]

Maximilian is my man lol..

[Andrew]

You've certainly been getting some help from seemingly unlikely players. Good to see though and congrats on making the Finals! A showdown of the underdogs indeed, not to mention a rematch of the 1976 ABA Finals. Best of luck, as always I'm looking forward to the results.

[kibaxx7]

Wow man, straight to the Finals! Great job. Bonner's 4th quarter was incredible. I'm liking some of the Nets, Amare, Sefolosha, Butler, but Turiaf at SF?

[Martti.]

The Nets have three centers starting? And Turiaf at SF?

Then Melo should have an easy series. Although Turiaf's a good defender, but useless guarding him.

[cavs4872]

Nice job advancing to The Finals once again. New Jersey's starting lineup is so screwed up though. You just need to punish Yi inside. The most sense I could make out of their starting lineup is by putting either Amar'e or Turiaf at center, and having Yi play small forward. They also have two point guards starting in their backcourt. I'm expecting you to sweep the series, unless that lineup can somehow cause matchup problems for you.

[Andrew]

The Nets have three centers starting? And Turiaf at SF?

You see that happening a fair bit in NBA Live 10, the Player Rotation really needs to go (or at least undergo major fixes/improvements). The Cavs often end up starting Ilgauskas at centre with Shaq at power forward.

[Kenny]

good luck on the series final
i read all the story yestrday and i have to say that this is a great story.
and i will keep follow.

Thanks mate, it's always nice to have a new reader . Glad you've enjoyed the story so far

Maximilian is my man lol..

Excellent... my plan for him becoming a cult hero is starting to work out

You've certainly been getting some help from seemingly unlikely players. Good to see though and congrats on making the Finals! A showdown of the underdogs indeed, not to mention a rematch of the 1976 ABA Finals. Best of luck, as always I'm looking forward to the results.

I really enjoy it when my role players step up. It's great having guys like Melo and Chauncey playing well, but things are definitely more interesting when players emerge to stardom. The results hopefully should be up by Friday at the latest. But it shouldn't take me that long to play 7 games... if I need to.

Wow man, straight to the Finals! Great job. Bonner's 4th quarter was incredible. I'm liking some of the Nets, Amare, Sefolosha, Butler, but Turiaf at SF?

The Nets have three centers starting? And Turiaf at SF?

Then Melo should have an easy series. Although Turiaf's a good defender, but useless guarding him.

The Nets have three centers starting? And Turiaf at SF?

You see that happening a fair bit in NBA Live 10, the Player Rotation really needs to go (or at least undergo major fixes/improvements). The Cavs often end up starting Ilgauskas at centre with Shaq at power forward.

Turiaf at SF is definitely a head scratcher and it's an issue that EA needs to sort out before 2011 I think. During my simulated season, Denver started Billups at SG and Chalmers at PG, while I had Hill, Afflalo and Williams on the bench with Shannon Brown on IR. Also during gameplay when auto-subs are on, they would always sub in Chalmers to play with Billups. It's something I never really liked because the rest of my shooting guards were rendered somewhat redundant.

I really like NJ's bench. I think Sefolosha on IR is a big mistake because I really rate him as a defender. Ridnour is a quality point guard and Rasual Butler is a good scorer.

[dare]

Nice of you to be back in the Finals, surprised to see the New Jersey in there

Just defend the crown man and give GH it's first ring

[Kenny]

Nice of you to be back in the Finals, surprised to see the New Jersey in there

Just defend the crown man and give GH it's first ring

Thanks dare . Pretty much the motivation behind my playoffs run has been to get Hill and Camby a ring. Here's hoping

[Kenny]

NBA Finals: Denver Vs New Jersey

Game 1: Nuggets hold on



The Denver Nuggets have narrowly avoided a first game upset by beating the New Jersey Nets 76-73. Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian rallied as they scored 24 and 23 for the Nets respectively, while Amare Stoudemire scored 18 of his own. However Denver were able to win thanks to Carmelo Anthony, who scored 25 points. Marcus Camby picked up the Sprite Performer of the Game, with his performance of 19 points and 17 rebounds. Chauncey Billups (12) and Ty Maximilian (10) also made meaningful contributions for Denver.

If this game is anything to go by, it's going to be a tough series for Denver.

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DEN@NJ

DEN: 76 (Anthony 25, Camby 19, Billups 12)
NJ: 73 (Harris 24, Yi 23, Stoudemire 18)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Marcus Camby 19 points 17 rebounds 4 assists 2 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Camby 17
NJ: Stoudemire 14

Assists

DEN: Maximilian 6
NJ: Harris 5

Double-doubles

DEN: Camby (19 points, 17 rebounds)
NJ: Yi (23 points, 10 rebounds), Stoudemire (18 points, 14 rebounds)
-------------------------------

Game 2: Birdman's block party destroys Jersey



After losing a lot of his minutes to Marcus Camby, Chris Andersen had possibly his best ever performance in a post-season game to help Denver smash New Jersey 82-64. Birdman tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds and an amazing 7 blocked shots. He and Camby provided a dominant presense in the paint at all times, combining for 10 blocks in the game. As far as scoring is concerned, Melo once again was the high point man with 23, while Chalmers also enjoyed a return to form with 19 points and 7 assists.

New Jersey were nowhere near the Nuggets, however Devin Harris had a good night with 23 points. Yi (14), Stoudemire (12) and Stuckey (10) all scored in double digits, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to be competitive.

-------------------------------
DEN@NJ

DEN: 82 (Anthony 23, Chalmers 19, Andersen 17)
NJ: 64 (Harris 23, Yi 14, Stoudemire 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Chris Andersen 17 points 11 rebounds 7 blocks

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 11
NJ: Yi 16

Assists

DEN: Chalmers 7
NJ: Stuckey 6

Double-doubles

DEN: Andersen (17 points, 11 rebounds)
NJ: Yi (14 points, 16 rebounds), Stoudemire (12 points, 14 rebounds)
-------------------------------

Game 3: Denver 1 game away



Mario Chalmers has led the Denver Nuggets to a 91-84 victory against the Nets in Denver. He was impressive as he top scored for Denver with 27 points and 10 assists to go with that. Once again, Melo and Camby contributed with 15 and 12 respectively. A real story of the night came with Lou Williams. He was put in the 4th quarter to give Chalmers a rest and he was the target of some intentional fouling. He managed to drain 10/10 free throws to give him his first double digit performance in the playoffs since 2010.

Devin Harris was the spark for New Jersey once again with 28 points and 8 assists. Yi and Stoudemire continued their run of double-doubles, while Rodney Stuckey made his first real scoring contribution 12 points of his own.

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NJ@DEN

DEN: 91 (Chalmers 27, Anthony 15, Camby 12)
NJ: 84 (Harris 28, Stoudemire 24, Yi 12)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Mario Chalmers 27 points 10 assists 4 rebounds

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 9
NJ: Yi 18

Assists

DEN: Chalmers 10
NJ: Harris 8

Double-doubles

DEN: Chalmers (27 points, 10 assists)
NJ: Yi (12 points, 18 rebounds), Stoudemire (24 points, 12 rebounds)
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Game 4: Denver complete sweep and repeat



After what could be described as a mediocre year, the Denver Nuggets have managed to defend their title, winning the deciding 4th game emphatically by 102-83. Ty Maximilian was the man, scoring 33 points and 9 rebounds, while both Anthony and Billups scored 20 each.

The Nets were never in the game, but Amare Stoudemire and Rodney Stuckey weren't to blame. Amare scored 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Stuckey scored 21. Devin Harris also had a good game with 18 points and 6 assists. Unfortunately though, they were facing a team who knows how to get it done.

The fairytale is now complete for Grant Hill and Marcus Camby. Whether they decide to stay next year is anyone's guess, but right now, they'll just be enjoying the moment.

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NJ@DEN

DEN: 102 (Maximilian 33, Anthony 20, Billups 20)
NJ: 83 (Stoudemire 23, Stuckey 21, Harris 18)

Sprite Performer of the Game: Ty Maximilian 33 points 9 rebounds

Rebounds

DEN: Andersen 11
NJ: Stoudemire 10

Assists

DEN: Billups 7
NJ: Harris 6

Double-doubles

DEN: none
NJ: Stoudemire (23 points, 10 rebounds)
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Click the picture for the slideshow of the NBA Finals vs the New Jersey Nets


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Well the repeat has been achieved. Following this will be a wrap up of the year, including the Finals MVP and the winning squad.