See the additional editorial notes at the end for more details about late postings and how they are not going to be a problem any longer.
Although ironically Quest for the Ring is middle of the road by definition, because the mission is to explain exactly how basketball games are won, not how they should be won, there is always a minority on every forum that thinks we are out in left field (or right field) and wants to contest what we are saying. But this is exactly why we go to forums, to get tested by anyone who disagrees, which helps us make sure that everything we are saying is correct and, just as importantly, complete.
So here in Part Eight, following the Nuggets 108-93 win in Game Two of the 2009 Round One Nuggets-Hornets series, a minority handful on the Hornets board stepped up to challenge our Nuggets reporting.
Basically, these dudes were thinking that the Nuggets were more for real than I was saying they were. They didn't openly claim that the Nuggets could beat the Lakers, but they very possibly were thinking that.
FROM APRIL 23, 2009 FOLLOWING THE NUGGETS 108-93 WIN IN GAME TWO
Posted by redhornet
Actually the Nuggets, although as a team have below average basketball IQ, have championship level pieces on their roster already. Multiple playmakers, solid defensive minded role players, veterans with winning playoff experience. Two or three tweaks and or the light bulb comes on for some of there players and they could hang with anyone. I went to both Nuggets home games this year. Melo sat out the first one, but when fully loaded that team can beat anyone on any given night. Sure the Lakers are in their head, but they fear no other team. Should LA fall, The Nuggets are capable of winning it all. Bold prediction, but I don't think they fear anyone in the East.
Veterans with winning playoff experience? They have a grand total of one of them with any recent experience: Chauncey Billups.
All teams have Championship level pieces on their roster. Chris Paul is a much
better player than anyone the Nuggets have. The Nuggets do not even have
a "Championship level" 3-point shooter, whereas you have at least one PS.
So you are predicting the Nuggets over the Lakers? Very interesting if you are.
But careful, just about every prediction that everyone has made regarding the Nuggets has been wrong this year. Even those who overlook all of Karl's playoff failures underestimated the number of regular season wins the Nuggets would get.
I thought I would try to end America's string of wrong Nuggets predictions by predicting the Lakers will defeat the Nuggets. And like I said, if I'm wrong on that one, I think I might switch to football.
FROM APRIL 23, 2009 FOLLOWING THE NUGGETS 108-93 WIN IN GAME TWO
Posted by sleepingbunch
I'm at a loss.
"better team in theory" - what on earth does that mean? They have better players, a better coach, and a better gameplan. We're 2-8 in our last 10 games. Most WC teams would shut us down in the first round, because we're a mediocre team with an all-world point guard, and Denver is working very hard to slow down our great point guard, which just turns us into a very mediocre team.
I have absolutely no idea what the point of your post is, and I don't agree with any of it. I don't think that Karl's coaching is simplistic at all. Denver's ball movement on offense is excellent, their in-game substitutions are very effective, and sticking D. Jones on CP3 was a great adjustment.
Illegal wins????????? Come on. Every team got by with a few controversial ones, the Hornets included.
But did your team finish two seeds higher due to an illegal win?
What I mean mostly by telling you the Hornets are a better team in theory is that your team is on the "right track" for competing for a Championship. Your team is following the tried and tested path toward the ultimate objective of being the best team out of 30.
Whereas the Nuggets are obviously out in left field. Or right field, I'm not sure which, laugh out loud.
Although it's important to be able to fast break and drive for fouls, you can't have those two things be just about the only things you do on offense and expect to win a Championship. It's never going to be that easy. The Pistons when they won a Championship with defense first had a far more sophisticated offense to go along with their defense than what the Nuggets have. As did the Rockets when they won theirs. As did everyone else. No team ever won an NBA Championship with an offense that is fast breaking and driving for fouls and not much more than that.
So far as I am aware, your team is not taking big, obvious shortcuts and is not oversimplifying your game managment and your roster management. Whereas Denver is using intensity and aggression to substitute for a well designed offense. And Denver is using a lucky roster to substitute for a well managed roster.
They gave away Marcus Camby for nothing and they knew they would drop to as low as 20-62 unless they changed their traditional emphasis on a fast, high scoring offense and went for the ultra intense defending. This gave them far more regular season and playoff wins than anyone predicted, but you can not win a Championship with almost no organization on offense at all. And no offensive superstar for that matter.
Laugh out loud at Carmelo Anthony's limited role in the Nuggets' offense. Keep in mind that Anthony played a huge role for the United States team in the Olympics, but he's just an also ran for the Nuggets.
The Lakers have a well managed offense and a well managed roster. The Nuggets have a simplified offense and a lucky roster.
The best specific example of the Nuggets' roster luck is Chris Andersen. Hornets fans should know better than most about the Chris Andersen luck. How is it anything other than luck for the Nuggets that he is one of the best defensive players of the year? Did you know that he is 2nd in the NBA in blocks, and I would bet 1st in blocks per minute?
So is he making 5 or 10 million dollars a year? Um, no. The Nuggets picked him up for a very small salary last summer because no one else wanted him! How would anyone have known last summer that Chris Andersen would end up being one of the very best defensive players in the NBA this year? Not to mention he has been a perfect addition to Denver's simplistic offense. They were obviously very, very lucky.
They were lucky about many other things as well; read my other posts for them.
========== Editorial Notes ==========
--The above was written in late April, 2009.
--As promised, we are finally posting material written and posted on forums in the spring. Obviously, if you have your own site, you should be posting at least simultaneously on your own site when you for whatever reason post elsewhere. But there has been a bad habit of not doing so, a bad habit that is being beaten down due to new content sharing regulations that have teeth.
========== VIDEO PLAYERS ==========
NEW ORLEANS HORNETS 2009 MOST POPULAR VIDEOS PLAYER
iDesktop.tv
DENVER NUGGETS 2009 MOST POPULAR VIDEOS PLAYER
iDesktop.tv
