We talked about this a couple of times on the RoundCast, and even though the Nuggets lost in their Game 5 meeting with the Lakers, this is one highlight that surely won't be forgotten. Chris Andersen meets Lamar Odom at the rim, and rejects a slam dunk attempt with nothing more than his fingertips standing in the way of Odom putting down a monster dunk which would have undoubtedly featured the Birdman as the victim in an upcoming poster.
The first couple of views of the play really don't do it justice; make sure you hang in for the slow motion, HD-like replay where you can see Andersen's fingers bend back to thwart the dunk attempt. I'm no Nuggets fan, but this one was spectacular.
Bloggers knee-jerking on the phone + roundtable style = RoundCast.
In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, George Karl made sure that Kobe Bryant wouldn't be the one to beat the Nuggets all by himself. Karl sent two defenders at Kobe as soon as he got the ball, which was a pretty big change from the way he chose to defend Bryant through the first four games of the series.
Will Brinson and I discussed the change in philosophy, as well as the fact that Denver's bench players (we're looking at you, J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen) were largely ineffective as the Lakers went on to take a three games to two lead in the series.
All that, plus some thoughts on the probability of the Magic being able to close out the Cavs in Game 5.
After LeBron James hit that magical shot to down Orlando in Game 2 on Friday, many wondered if Kobe Bryant might have noticed, and have something similarly special in store for us when his team hit the floor in Denver for Game 3 out west.
As it turns out, he did.
Bryant's thee-pointer with just over a minute to play gave his Lakers the lead for good, and he finished the Nuggets off at the free throw line by hitting five of six down the stretch to give L.A. the 103-97 victory.
Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 35 points over his last five playoff games, led the Nuggets with just 21.
It seems apparent the Denver Nuggets are in the Western Conference finals for the long haul. But whether or not they can beat the Lakers and advance to the NBA Finals may hinge on a few players who haven't done much yet.
The Nuggets have every right to feel pretty good about Thursday night's 106-103 win that evened the series at one game apiece. But the Nuggets will be long shots if Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups have to keep carrying a disproportionate part of the load.
Specifically, the Nuggets are going to need more out of their front line: Kenyon Martin, Nene and Chris Andersen.
In hindsight, Monday's gut-wrenching loss to the Mavericks in Game 4 was a blessing in disguise for the Nuggets, allowing them to trade the hostile crowds of the American Airlines Center for a more welcome environment at the Pepsi Center. And in front of an appreciative fan base that hasn't seen the hometown team advance past the second round since 1984, the Nuggets took care of business with a 124-110 win.
Just like they've done the entire postseason, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups led the way with obscene efficiency: Anthony poured in 30 points (13-22 shooting) while Billups added 28 (10-16 shooting) with 12 assists. The Nuggets jumped out to a 14-point lead at halftime and matched every run Dallas made in the second half.
If it's true the two most important positions in basketball are the point guard and the center, than the L.A. Lakers are going to be in for a doozy of a Western Conference final.
OK, so technically the Lakers haven't quite advanced that far yet. But after their 118-78 Game 5 blowout win over the Rockets, is it really going out on a limb to say L.A. is going to get there? Ditto for the Denver Nuggets, who lead the Mavericks 3-1 in the conference semifinals and have two cracks at putting them away on their home floor to close out the series.
You might have thought differently from their over-the-top celebration last week after getting out of the first round for the first time since 1994, or perhaps from the lackluster way in which they allowed the Mavericks to jump out to an early lead in Game 1 of the conference semis on Sunday afternoon.
But finally, the real Denver Nuggets, as focused and dangerous as any team left in the postseason, re-appeared over the final three quarters on Sunday, knocking the visiting Mavs on their heels before running away with a 109-95 victory.
Nuggets 109, Mavericks 95: Recap | Box Score Nuggets Lead 1-0 | Next Game: Tuesday @ Denver, 10:30 PM ET
It's trophy time in the NBA, and the FanHouse crew has submitted its ballots. Find out which players deserve to take home the hardware and which ones don't, in our NBA Awards series. First up: Sixth Man of the Year.
The Sixth Man award, as you probably have guessed from its name, is given to the player believed to have the biggest impact for his team coming off the bench. Over the past couple of seasons, the discussion is one that's been dominated by two names -- Manu Ginobili and Leandro Barbosa. This year, however, we have a new group of players in the conversation, and, while the voting was close, we were able to come up with a clear cut choice.
David Lee has always been a productive energy player but he's flourished in Mike D'Antoni's system, leading the league in double-doubles while posting career numbers across the board. But does that mean he's a permanent piece of New York's future?
Maybe not. According to HOOPSWORLD's Travis Heath, the Knicks not only listened to offers for him at the trade deadline but also nearly dealt him to the Nuggets. In fact, the potential trade was so close to being consummated that several members of the Nuggets actually spoke to him about it before the Knicks played the Nuggets in Denver on Tuesday.
PHOENIX -- There was a playoff atmosphere at the US Airways Center for Monday night's game between the Suns and the Nuggets, and why not? For Phoenix, who now sits three games out of a playoff spot with just 12 remaining, every game is critical to keeping its slim postseason hopes alive. And the Suns were able to do just that, at least for one more game. In a wild one that went down to the wire, the Suns squeaked out a 118-115 victory over the Nuggets.
We talked about this a couple of times on the RoundCast, and even though the Nuggets lost in their Game 5 meeting with the Lakers, this is one highlight that surely won't be forgotten. Chris Andersen meets Lamar Odom at the rim, and rejects a slam dunk attempt with nothing more than his fingertips standing in the way of Odom putting down a monster dunk which would have undoubtedly featured the Birdman as the victim in an upcoming poster. 
In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, 
After 
It seems apparent the Denver Nuggets are in the Western Conference finals for the long haul. But whether or not they can beat the Lakers and advance to the NBA Finals may hinge on a few players who haven't done much yet.
In hindsight, Monday's gut-wrenching loss to the Mavericks in Game 4 was a blessing in disguise for the Nuggets, allowing them to trade the hostile crowds of the American Airlines Center for a more welcome environment at the Pepsi Center. And in front of an appreciative fan base that hasn't seen the hometown team advance past the second round since 1984, the Nuggets took care of business with a 124-110 win.
No, the Nuggets aren't "just happy to be here." 
It's trophy time in the NBA, and the FanHouse crew has submitted its ballots. Find out which players deserve to take home the hardware and which ones don't, in our 
PHOENIX -- There was a playoff atmosphere at the US Airways Center for Monday night's game between the Suns and the Nuggets, and why not? For Phoenix, who now sits three games out of a playoff spot with just 12 remaining, every game is critical to keeping its slim postseason hopes alive. And the Suns were able to do just that, at least for one more game. In a wild one that went down to the wire, the Suns squeaked out a 118-115 victory over the Nuggets.
