30 Dec 10 Game 76: Portland Trail Blazers 92, Denver Nuggets 109

Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesThe playoffs are right around the corner and one possible match-up was on display Thursday night in the Mile High City, as the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Denver Nuggets. Although the Blazers gave much lip service to taking this game seriously, they played off tonight, matching the eerily low energy from the crowd and perhaps allowing the low intensity atmosphere to sap any motivation they may have had.The Denver Nuggets have the third best home record in the NBA, yet their home crowd is unnaturally subdued and was rarely louder than the PA system. Regardless of the Nuggets' home record and subdued fans, the Blazers needed to show they can compete with the best in the West. Tonight they did not do that.The final score was 109 to 92 in favor of the Nuggets, and the game was never really close. The Blazers gained a lead a handful of times early in the first half but were unable to sustain sufficient momentum in the third quarter and eventually lost any chance of Miami Dolphins jersey
winning by the start of the fourth. The Blazers played sloppy with 11 turnovers and the Nuggets capitalized, scoring 18 fast break points.As the Blazers have finally solidified a spot in the playoffs, many fans (including myself) consider the rest of the season as a sort of "practice run" for the post season. Games such as tonight's are not, in my eyes, so important to actually win, rather they are a good indicator of how well (or not-so-well) certain players perform and how well the team executes on offense and defense.For example, tonight Brandon Roy, who has struggled against the Nuggets in previous games, needed to show that his bad shooting in the two team's last meeting was a fluke. He did not do that. In fact, he was completely shut down again, going 3 for 13 from the field and finishing with just 14 points.Indeed, Roy was literally a non threat, as from the outset of the game he was immediately double teamed. He struggled to find his shot early (0-6 to start the game) and by the time he developed some rhythm, it was far too late to make a difference. What is more, Roy had an uncharacteristic two turnovers, which were the result of a careless mistake and the other, a mental lapse.Another non threat for the Blazers tonight was LaMarcus Aldridge, who despite great play of late, struggled to hit in the first quarter and then kept right on script the rest of the game. Aldridge played solid defense overall (per usual), yet was ineffective in help defense on Nene and very mediocre on the boards. Aldridge finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 4(!) blocked shots.All was not bad in this game for the Blazers however, as it is now apparent that the one player who will excel in a playoff match-up against Denver (or anyone for that matter) is Andre Miller. He finished with 24 points and one assist, often times leading the offense and single handedly keeping the Blazers within striking distance.It is clear that his extensive experience will be an absolute benefit for the Blazers this post-season. All of the "Blake v. Miller" arguments were for naught as Blake was eventually traded, but ask yourself this, was Blake (then our "Veteran point guard") ever able to do what Andre did tonight? Could he drive and get to the basket at will? Was he able to run out and lead the fast break for an easy two? No, No and No.Andre Miller's worth to this basketball team cannot any longer be disputed and I hope all Blakey lovers have finally mopped up their tears . Recognize, Miller's specific skill set that was displayed so perfectly tonight, will do the Blazers very well in the play offs and I cannot wait to watch.One catch with Andre Miller however was his low assist number. As the offense was stagnant and Brandon Roy, among others, couldn't hit a shot, it was clear Miller's ability to score was a bright spot. But at what point does Miller need to create more offense and help facilitate others to score? I think Roy's off shooting and the team's general issues Minnesota Vikings
tonight with scoring aren't Millers' fault, but in general our point guard should have more assists. Just a thought.Other notables for the Blazers include the bench. There, I said it. After throwing up 478 attempts, the bench got 24 points, with 17 (!) coming from Martel Webster alone. Congratulations. Oh yeah, J.R. Smith did go off tonight, but hey, the Blazers' bench is now actually scoring. Baby steps.As I noted above, the Denver Nuggets "home court advantage" most certainly has much more to do with the high altitude than the hostile atmosphere present at almost every other Western Conference, playoff team arena. It is bizarre how quiet their crowd is.Oh well, the Nuggets looked sluggish themselves and Carmelo Anthony had an uncharacteristically off night (way to capitalize Blazers), yet they pulled through and got the win, one they much needed.Just a couple weeks ago, the Nuggets sat at No. 2 in the West, yet a recent rough patch has left them at 5th place coming into tonight's game. They have struggled of late because they miss two important people: their coach, George Karl, and Kenyon Martin, who has been out with a left knee injury. Indeed, the Nuggets have been thrown some serious obstacles (Blazer fans know this adversity very well) and are coping fairly reasonably in many respects, despite their less than stellar record of late.Tonight, the Nuggets' top scorer was Carmelo Anthony (despite early foul trouble), who had 25 points off 10 for 21 shooting. As a team, the Nuggets outscored the Blazers in the paint 52 to 36 (Yikes Blazers) and shot 49.4 percent.Nene had 22 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while flipping 5 assists. He played perhaps his best game of the season in that he ran and moved well and he played solid interior defense all night long, making life difficult for Aldridge and to some extent, Marcus Camby. Of all players tonight, Nene impressed me the most, particularly on the offensive end.Other notable players for the Nuggets included Chauncy Billups, who had 21 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. He only shot 2 for 8 from the three point line, however he caught fire in the third quarter and led the Nuggets into the fourth quarter where they were finally able to pull away for the victory.J.R. Smith, the Nuggets' dynamic sixth man, was semi on fire tonight, going just 2 for 10 from the three point line (who does that remind you of?? I'll give you a hint, it starts with the letter "M"), but finishing with a respectable and important 15 points. New England Patriots jersey
Tonight's game revealed that neither the Nuggets nor the Blazers are 100% and neither team seems poised to make a serious run in the Playoffs right now. Year long adversity (the Blazers) and recent struggles (the Nuggets) have done much to degrade the efficacy of each team, yet the beauty is that the playoffs aren't a sum of the whole season.Once you're in, the regular season records and individual player accomplishments are out the window. As one of those guys said on the TNT half time show, the playoffs are all about match-ups and if Brandon Roy could figure out how to deal with the pressure on defense, I think the Nuggets pose a favorable match-up for the Blazers.Next up, the Blazers take on the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena. Without offending any King fans, this should be an easy and solid win for the Blazers.