Chris Marlowe's Two Brand New Blog Entries on altitude.tv

Here is Chris Marlowe's Two Brand New Blog Entries on altitude.tv:

Why Can’t Anybody Ever Give The Denver Nuggets Credit?

I’ve seen it happen over and over again in the 7 years I have been with the Nuggets and I’m sick and tired of it!. The Nuggets get a big win and NOBODY wants to give them any credit. It’s always “the other team played bad!”

Classic example Thursday night: the Nuggets pull off a thrilling, come from behind win over the Lakers and everybody is talking about what happened to LA?? Ernie, Kenny and Charles at TNT, and all the gang at ESPN--crying about the Lakers. “It’s just another game to them”, “everybody gets up for the defending champs”, “don’t worry, they’ll get it together when they need to.” Come on! 

How about some “fair and balanced” reporting? Here are a few legit comments that could have been made. The Denver Nuggets, even without Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson, have a very talented group of players. When they get to full strength, they could be on of the best teams in the Western Conference. The Nuggets, who won 3 of 4 against LA last season, seem to match up well against the Lakers. With his 4th quarter version of small ball, George Karl out-coached Phil Jackson. Shoot, just some decent reporting by the national media would be nice sometimes. 

You know how some people say that Carmelo Anthony needs a better supporting cast to  win a championship? Don’t believe it. When Melo plays like he did Thursday night, he’s good enough to carry his team to victory any time against any other opponent. He played 41 minutes, scored 31 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. But most importantly, he shot 14-25, 56% against Ron Artest, arguably the best wing defender in the game! 

Another key factor in the Laker game was Ty Lawson. In 22 action packed minutes he ran around and through the Laker defense for 17 points and 5 assists. Truth be told, the Lakers have NO ONE that can guard Ty. No one. 

I also liked the play of Nene who finished with 18 points on a variety of spins, layups and dunks. He had two jams that were sensational. One going around Pau Gasol and throwing it down and the other when our Brazilian Beefcake knocked Pau down and then dunked in his face. Those were sweet! 

Finally, anybody out there impressed with the play of rookie Gary Forbes? I am. This guy is a major surprise. He’s physical, jumps out of the gym and shoots 3s. Add in the fact that he can play D, and you have a player who will contribute the rest of the season.

I Think I May Have Jinxed The Nuggets!

“He couldn’t throw a pea in the ocean!”

That’s what I said about Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday night.

And in the first quarter I was absolutely correct--he couldn’t. He was scoreless and clanking shots badly.

How did I know that in the third quarter, Dunleavy would throw a whole bag of Birdseye into the proverbial ocean! Twenty-four points in one quarter--leading to a big win over the Denver Nuggets.

As you might imagine, Tuesday night’s game in Indy was as memorable as it gets for me.  It ranks right up there with the Nuggets shock and awe destruction of New Orleans in the 2009 playoffs. It also brought back memories of Carmelo Anthony’s 33 points in a quarter versus the Timberwolves, and JR Smith’s 11 three pointers against Sacramento.

The final score had Indiana beating the Nuggets 144-113. One of the 6 Pacers in double figures was sophomore forward Tyler Hansbrough who had 20! Nuggets assistant coach Adrian Dantley told me on the flight home that he believes that Hansbrough will NEVER score 20 points or more again in his NBA career! Was it luck or skill for the former Tar Heel? Stay tuned.

By the way, my pal Jake in California, thinks that Dantley compared favorably to Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor. Both were incredibly gifted in scoring around the basket amongst much taller players.

One more Dantley add: we started talking about great players and he told me to look up the numbers for Hall of Famer Bill Bradley. So I did...Bradley in the NBA averaged 12.4 points per game for his career, 3.2 rebounds and shot 45%. Similar numbers to what JR Smith has put up in his 7 years in the association. Sure Bradley was on 2 championship teams with the Knicks, but his NBA career was that of a role player.

If you’ve watched the Nuggets play this season, you probably realize that they are a work in progress. It seems to me that a roller coaster ride is what we’re on until Chris Anderson and Kenyon Martin return to full time duty. When they do, I believe that the Nuggets will be as talented as any other team in the West, save the Lakers.

Finally, some advice for Carmelo Anthony for Thursday night’s game against the NBA Champion Lakers. Don’t try to outmuscle Ron Artest. The only Nugget that can do that is trainer Steve Hess. Instead, use your quickness, speed, jumping ability and brains to baffle Ron Ron. Bottom line: outmaneuver Artest and a Nuggets victory awaits.