FanHouse StanKroenke

Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA Playoff action.

After a grueling, physical seven-game series with the Rockets, there was some worry the Lakers might come out flat against the Nuggets (even if history suggested otherwise). And for the first 10 minutes, that's what happened as the Nuggets jumped out to a surprising 27-14 lead. All told, Carmelo Anthony finished with an impressive 16 points in the opening quarter.

Not to be shown up on their home floor, the Lakers spent the second quarter chipping away at Denver's lead, eventually going into halftime with a slim two-point lead of their own. Things continued to go back and forth in the second half until finally Kobe Bryant took over, scoring 18 of his 40 points in the fourth en route to a 105-103 victory.

The only lesson here, though, is that it's better to be a closer late than a front-runner early -- which we already knew. Nothing else should be taken from this game.

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When Denver jettisoned all-defense center Marcus Camby to Los Angeles for nothing more than cap space this summer, most figured the presence of several big-minute big men in Nuggets powder blue was at least a minor factor. Kenyon Martin nor Nene will be going anywhere soon; as Camby held solid trade value, it (almost) made sense to move him as a way of freeing up space for the others (and cash for owner Stan Kroenke).

But backup center Steven Hunter has been knocked out of play by recurring knee problems; George Karl believes Hunter may never play again. No Camby, no Hunter ... no Antonio McDyess. There's no one left behind K-Mart (who might miss a third straight game with a sprained wrist) and Nene but Cheikh Samb (more raw than steak tartare) and The Birdman, Chris Andersen (who has a broken rib and won't play until roughly Thanksgiving). The Nuggets aren't happy about it, writes Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News.

"We don't have no big men," the 6-foot-8 [Carmelo] Anthony said. "I was the big man (Tuesday at Charlotte when the small forward played some center). Why not (acquire another post player)? If there's somebody out there we can get, why not?"

St. Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere has died, TMZ and NFL Network are reporting. Frontiere was 80 and had battled breast cancer. She is survived by a son, a daughter and six grandchildren.

Frontiere, one of the most prominent women in the history of the National Football League, inherited the Rams from her husband, Carroll Rosenbloom, who died in 1979. At the time the team was based in Anaheim, California; she later moved the franchise to St. Louis, making her a popular figure there when the Rams won the Super Bowl and a figure of derision in Southern California.

It is believed that her son, Dale "Chip" Rosenbloom, will take a more active role in running the team, although his mother usually let the football people run things. It is not clear at this time whether the family will sell the team, but in recent years co-owner and vice chairman Stan Kroenke has taken a more active role in franchise operations.