From The Sports Network
By Warren Blatt, NBA Editor
Denver Nuggets: 3rd Seed, West (44-38)
Los Angeles Clippers: 6th Seed, West (47-35)
(Sports Network) - The sixth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers will have the homecourt advantage when they face No. 3 Denver in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. This is a best-of-seven series. Denver and the Clippers are meeting for the first time in the postseason.
The Nuggets captured the Northwest Division title this season. They won a division crown for the first time since the 1987-88 campaign, when they finished with a 54-28 record.
Forward Carmelo Anthony raised his game to another level this season. The Syracuse product led the club in scoring (26.5 ppg) and hit big shot after big shot during the campaign. He has become the player that the Nuggets thought he would be when they drafted him with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
Forward Kenyon Martin, center Marcus Camby and point guard Andre Miller team with Anthony to give the Nuggets a formidable lineup. Camby and Martin, who have both been hampered by injuries throughout the season, are solid defenders and excel in transition, while Miller, who averaged a team-best 8.2 assists per games, is a solid lead guard. Anthony, Camby, Martin and Miller are the players that are going to have to come to pay if the Nuggets hope to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1994 postseason, when they fell in seven games to the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals. Denver upset the Seattle SuperSonics in five games, 3-2, in the opening round that season.
The 6-11 Camby, who led the Nuggets in rebounding (11.9 rpg) and Martin both missed 26 games this season. Denver needs them to be healthy if they hope to have any kind of run in the postseason.
Denver is appearing in the postseason for the third straight year. The Nuggets fell in five games in the opening round to Minnesota in 2004 and San Antonio in 2005.
The Clippers have returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign, when they were swept in the first round by the Utah Jazz, 3-0. In fact, the Clippers, who were the Buffalo Braves until the 1978-79 campaign, were eliminated in the opening round in 1992, 1993 and 1997. The Braves, who became the San Diego Clippers after the 1977-78 season, defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 2-1 in the first round of the 1975-76 playoffs for the only series victory in franchise history.
Forward Elton Brand had his best season, as he played in his second NBA All- Star Game and ended up leading the Clippers, who in scoring (24.7 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg). The Duke product has become the team leader and is one of the best power forwards in the league.
Corey Maggette was second on the Clippers in scoring (17.8 ppg), but missed 50 games because of injury. Veteran guards Sam Cassell, who averaged 17.2 points in 78 games this season, and Cuttino Mobley joined the team last offseason and have been positive additions, while center Chris Kaman has continued to develop into an effective presence in the middle. Vladimir Radmanovic was acquired by the Clippers from Seattle in a trade for forward Chris Wilcox during the season. The 6-10 Radmanovic gives the Clippers another dangerous player on the perimeter who causes matchup problems for their opponents because of his size.
During the regular season, the Clippers won three of the four meetings between the clubs. The teams split a pair of games at Denver, while the Clippers won a pair at the Staples Center.
FRONTCOURT: Camby, Anthony and Martin makeup a solid starting frontcourt for the Nuggets. Anthony is a pure scorer and has become the team leader, while Camby and Martin provide defensive intensity and can get out in transition which makes the Nuggets very effective in the open court. Denver acquired forwards Reggie Evans, who was with Seattle, and Ruben Patterson, who was a member of Portland, at the trade deadline in a four-team, nine player deal. The 6-8 Evans gives Denver a solid rebounder, while Patterson is a decent defender who can score. They will be asked to play big minutes in the playoffs. Francisco Elson will also get some minutes behind Camby. The 7-0 Elson is most effective around the basket and could be a factor if Camby or Martin is not 100 percent healthy.
The Clippers matchup very well up front with Denver. Brand will be the best scorer in the low post in the series, while Kaman will have to be very physical against the more-athletic Camby. Brand, who gets his first taste of the postseason, will get his points and rebounds. He should flourish in the half-court game that takes over in the playoffs. But Kaman, Radmanovic, Zeljko Rebraca and Quinton Ross are going to have to hold their own against the athleticism of Denver's frontcourt.
If the Nuggets are healthy, they get the edge here. But they are banged up and injury-prone. Call it even.
EDGE: EVEN
BACKCOURT: The 29-year-old Miller, who averaged 13.7 points per game, had a solid campaign for the Nuggets. He was the only Nugget to play in every regular-season contest. The Utah product was consistent and gave head coach George Karl a reliable player to run the point and control the offensive tempo. Greg Buckner, DerMarr Johnson and Howard Eisley team with Miller to makeup Denver's backcourt. Eisley will backup Miller, while Buckner and Johnson take up the minutes at shooting guard. Buckner is known for his defense and Johnson is also a decent defender and can score in a fast-paced contest.
Cassell, who was acquired in a trade from Minnesota, and Mobley, who was inked as a free agent, turned out be great pickups for the Clippers during last offseason. They could be even more valuable in the postseason, as the 36-year-old Cassell has played in 103 postseason contests during his career and has won two world championships as a member of the Houston Rockets, while Mobley, who contributed 14.8 points per game in his first season with the Clippers, has played in 14 playoff games.
Both Mobley and Cassell are clutch players and have led by example this season for a younger player like Shaun Livingston, who is playing in his second season in the league and will play big minutes behind Cassell.
If Maggette is healthy, he could be the player that pushes the Clippers over the top in this series. He is explosive in the open court and is very effective driving to the hoop.
EDGE: CLIPPERS
COACH:
Karl, who became the head coach of the Nuggets on January 27, 2005, finished his first full season as the leader of the Nuggets. He has plenty of playoff experience and has an impressive resume. Karl guided Milwaukee to four playoff berths and compiled a 205-173 mark in five seasons with the Bucks. Before joining Milwaukee, Karl coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Seattle, leading the SuperSonics to the 1996 NBA Finals, only to lose to the Chicago Bulls in six games. The Nuggets' general knows what it takes to win in the playoffs and will have to play a big part if he hopes to get Denver past the first round for the first time in 12 years.
Mike Dunleavy finished his third season as the head coach of the Clippers and 13th in the NBA. He has also coached the Lakers, Milwaukee and Portland. Dunleavy, who has a 31-28 record on the bench in the postseason, may have done his best job on the bench and is one of the favorites to win NBA Coach of the Year. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dunleavy guided the Lakers to the NBA Finals in the 1990-91 campaign, only to lose in five games to the Bulls.
EDGE: EVEN
PREDICTION: It's hard to believe, but the sixth-seeded Clippers are the better team in this series. If the Nuggets are 100 percent healthy, their frontcourt could give the Clippers fits. However, the playoffs are won down low and Brand is the best low-post player in this series. Also, not having the homecourt advantage will come back to haunt the third-seeded Nuggets in the end. CLIPPERS IN SEVEN
available at Pinny 11:20 pm Thursday night. Line has been going down from the opening of 5. Might continue to go down, tipoff at 7:30 pacific Saturday. Also liked Chicago plus the points, but decided to go with what has gotten me here. HOMECOOKING!
