FanHouse LinasKleiza

The Nuggets far exceeded expectations this season. The team ranked not as the squad most likely to scare the snot out of the Lakers, but as the old guard least likely to return to the postseason in the New World.

Chauncey Billups, Nene, Kenyon Martin, Carmelo Anthony, George Karl, Chris Andersen, J.R. Smith and Joe Dumars changed that. The opening week trade for Mr. Big Shot completely transformed the spirit of the team, as did Karl's summer decision to focus on defense, even at the expense of his stars' allegiance. Everything else went right, for the most part.

But the franchise sit has payroll cuts to consummate, and little in the way of burgeoning youth to fill the holes. By trading the promise of cap space (in the convenient form of Allen Iverson) for Billups, the Nuggets trade a minor rebuild for contention. It worked -- the Nuggets were legit contenders. But what now? How can they possibly get better?

Cherry Picking recaps yesterday's NBA playoff action.

Three-point shots often play a critical role in an NBA playoff contest. But in Denver's win over the Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the threes that were made (and missed) by both teams came at such key moments, that they ended up defining this game.

---

---

In many ways, Game 2 of the Western Conference finals was an exact replica of Game 1. Except in this one, the Nuggets and the Lakers seemed to switch roles, and Denver was the team celebrating a hard-fought, last-second victory as they left the court.

The Nuggets overcame a double-digit deficit early and ended up making the clutch plays down the stretch to get the split in Los Angeles, sending the series back to Denver tied at one game apiece.

---

---

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.

---

---

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

The Denver Nuggets are among the top teams in the West. Their success starts in the locker-room, where everyone gets along and chemistry is good. In this video, after the jump, the team's players share with us some of the nicknames they've given each other, including 730, Quack, Suite 200 and more.

Renaldo Balkman, who is known as "Kool," even shows us his one-of-a-kind tattoo.

Matt Watson: The Pistons finally shook up their core and the Nuggets cashed in on Allen Iverson's expiring contract. We know this deal will give Detroit uber-cap-flexibility the next two summers, but does how does it change their status this year? Can they get back to the Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals, with AI replacing Chauncey Billups? Did they make up any ground on the Celtics?

Matt Moore: Give me a list of elite scorers in this league. How far does it take to get to Iverson? You're inserting an elite scorer, albeit aging, into a sound defensive squad that's made of committed, professional veterans. When Billups started to falter, the team lacked a guy who could hit the big shots down the stretch. I think Hamilton is or could be that guy, but it never hurts to have more. Is there really any question that Iverson will do whatever is asked of him to get to a championship?

This is why everyone's afraid of Spain. The team didn't play particularly symbiotic in its semifinal win over Lithuania, but the sheer amount of talent wearing Spanish white made that irrelevant. Pau Gasol, the second leading scorer of the tournament, scored 19. Rudy Fernandez, who got clocked in the third and looked somewhere between dizzy and asleep on the bench as a masseuse worked on his neck, dominated the fourth quarter. On the night, he had 18 points in 27 minutes.

Ricky Rubio -- who played big minutes in the absence of injured Jose Calderon, even starting the second half -- was unspectacular in total. His fundamentals leave much to be desired at this point, as would be expected for a 17-year-old apprentice. He did, however, frustrate the spit out of Sarunas Jasikevicius on at least a few occasions. In one case the elfish Rubio drew a foul on Saras near the end of the first half by kicking out his leg on a jumper. Jasikevicius looked like he could stab fair Ricky. (Of course, Jasikevicius often looks like he could stab somebody.)

One thing which will be sure to cause non-Ricky partisans annoyance in the NBA: he draws really odd fouls. As a devoted Kevin Martin fan, I know how rooting for a slight guy who draws fouls with crafty behavior can put you at odds with other fans. Ricky takes this to the extreme. He molested Rimantas Kaukenas in the third, near midcourt. Kaukenas got called for the foul. He looked as if he'd punt Rubio into the third row.

Linas Kleiza was not a factor, except when he was missing shots and getting called for a (dubious) "unsportsmanlike foul" on Pau with less than five minutes left in the game. In Kleiza's stead, Simas Jasaitis of Tau Ceramica stepped up, hitting 5-of-7 on threes through the third quarter for a team high 19 points (matched by Jasikevicius). Jasaitis's biggest shot, however, failed in the late fourth, and basically became the knock-out punch for Lithuania.

Tattoo of the games: Robertas Javtokas's shark. It's too bad the Spurs have abandoned him as a prospect following his motorcycle accident a few years ago. That tat would fit right in with Manu's bald spot, T-Pizzle's rap career and Duncan's weekly D&D game. (Also, in a bit of actual analysis: Javtokas was a beast on both ends. He and Saras have a strong connection, and Rob's red elbowbands definitely help matters.)

This is why everyone's afraid of Spain. The team didn't play particularly symbiotic in its semifinal win over Lithuania, but the sheer amount of talent wearing Spanish white made that irrelevant. Pau Gasol, the second leading scorer of the tournament, scored 19. Rudy Fernandez, who got clocked in the third and looked somewhere between dizzy and asleep on the bench as a masseuse worked on his neck, dominated the fourth quarter. On the night, he had 18 points in 27 minutes.

Ricky Rubio -- who played big minutes in the absence of injured Jose Calderon, even starting the second half -- was unspectacular in total. His fundamentals leave much to be desired at this point, as would be expected for a 17-year-old apprentice. He did, however, frustrate the spit out of Sarunas Jasikevicius on at least a few occasions. In one case the elfish Rubio drew a foul on Saras near the end of the first half by kicking out his leg on a jumper. Jasikevicius looked like he could stab fair Ricky. (Of course, Jasikevicius often looks like he could stab somebody.)

One thing which will be sure to cause non-Ricky partisans annoyance in the NBA: he draws really odd fouls. As a devoted Kevin Martin fan, I know how rooting for a slight guy who draws fouls with crafty behavior can put you at odds with other fans. Ricky takes this to the extreme. He molested Rimantas Kaukenas in the third, near midcourt. Kaukenas got called for the foul. He looked as if he'd punt Rubio into the third row.

Linas Kleiza was not a factor, except when he was missing shots and getting called for a (dubious) "unsportsmanlike foul" on Pau with less than five minutes left in the game. In Kleiza's stead, Simas Jasaitis of Tau Ceramica stepped up, hitting 5-of-7 on threes through the third quarter for a team high 19 points (matched by Jasikevicius). Jasaitis's biggest shot, however, failed in the late fourth, and basically became the knock-out punch for Lithuania.

Tattoo of the games: Robertas Javtokas's shark. It's too bad the Spurs have abandoned him as a prospect following his motorcycle accident a few years ago. That tat would fit right in with Manu's bald spot, T-Pizzle's rap career and Duncan's weekly D&D game. (Also, in a bit of actual analysis: Javtokas was a beast on both ends. He and Saras have a strong connection, and Rob's red elbowbands definitely help matters.)

During the remainder of the Olympic men's basketball tournament, FanHouse will give you 5 Things to watch for in each game.

Whither El Calderon?: Jose Calderon was injured in Spain's last game against Croatia with a strained adducter, according to Sportsnet.ca and his status for the game against Lithuania is in doubt. Calderon's a pretty huge loss for the Spanish, as he is, you know, their most experienced point guard. While everyone can rave about Ricky Rubio's flashes of brilliance, I doubt Spain's fans feel comfortable going into a game against a very solid Lithuania team with the 17 year old at the helm. If Calderon's not 100%, or out completely, the pressure will be on Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, and Rudy Fernandez to make up the difference.

True Kleiza: Linas Kleiza continues to fly under the radar, he's just knocking down everything in his way while he does it. Kleiza's in a perfect position in international play, able to play between the 2 and 4 spots. He's got the necessary skills. But Spain's got the elder Gasol and a flurry of offensive weapons. Kleiza needs to be downright spectacular to keep up with their firepower.