And the Foul

Wow He's Fast!

By Ben Makin

If you’ve ever seen the movie The Guardian, you’ll hopefully remember the scene where “Fish” (Ashton Kutcher) is breaking all of Senior Chief Randall’s records (Kevin Costner). Sr. Chief looks on the side lines and with great sarcasm remarks, “Oh man he’s fast, you don't even belong in the same pool as him..” Deep down though, amidst all the cynicism, he starts to realize wow, he really is something special. This is how the NBA teams and coaches are starting to feel about the Denver Nuggets. Sure, George Karl has had good, fast, dynamic teams in the past; but this good? What’s different about this team?

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1. Altitude?

When they play at home they don’t lose. The common thing you hear is altitude, but is that really it? Watching the Clippers-Nuggets game Thursday, their fans are ROWDY. They know when to cheer, when to boo, and when to get behind their team to push them over the edge. It also helps that they play ridiculously fast and are more than exciting to watch. That leads us to…

2. NEED FOR SPEED

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The Nuggets are faster than a Maserati. The Nuggets are faster than a groom getting his clothes off on his wedding night. The Nuggets are faster than a grandma with a cheetah taped to her back. The Nuggets are faster than every other NBA team. They run the break quicker than any team I’ve seen. As soon as they rebound its like the start of a race, full throttle going toward the other end. Their speed isn’t just on the break though- they have quick players. Ty Lawson, Andre Iguodala, Kenneth Faried, and even Javale McGee have a step that you just don't see too often. They’re explosive and quick. Combine that with an unreal pace and you see opposing players running circles on defense. When the Clippers bench is yelling to slow the pace, you know you have some speed out there.

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3. Versatility

The Nuggets run deep. They have eight guys who average over 8.0 points per game, and six of those players are in double figures. So they have options if a guy is struggling at any point in the game.  Most Nuggets can play multiple positions and therefore, at any point in the game you could have Lawson, Andre Miller, Iguodala, Gallinari, or Wilson Chandler playing 3 different positions. They can go small (Lawson, Miller, Iggy, Gallinari, Faried) or they can go very big (Koufos 7’0”, McGee 7’0”, and Mozgov 7’1”). What this means is they can match up against any lineup in the NBA.  

4. Defense

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They don't have great team defense, but like the cliché goes- “The best defense is a good offense” (wait?).  They run teams dry on the break so  that when it comes for them to go on offense, they aren’t as fresh. Andre Iguodala is one the best 1v1 defenders in the NBA, and he loves it. He would rather lock a guy down then go out and score 30. This frees up Miller and Lawson to get a rest on defense and explode on offense. Also, Iggy can defend almost anyone- CP3, LeBron, Paul Pierce- whoever.  It helps the Nuggets get around their defense deficiencies. Javale McGee is also a dynamic shot blocker. Sure, he’s on ESPN’s Not Top 10 more than anyone, but when he’s locked in, he’s blocked in. 

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5. Ty Lawson

He’s emerging. No one was convinced he was going to pan out in the NBA. Too Small, Inconsistent jump shot, bad defender. Well: He’s still small, but he’s put on a good amount of muscle and teams don't realize how strong he really is. His jump shot isn’t the best, sure its no Ray Allen, but he can still get buckets when he needs to- inside and out. Bad Defender? He’s better than Steve Nash, and is averaging almost two steals a game. Ty Lawson, since the all star break is averaging about 20 points and 7 assists. Those are great numbers, and his team is winning. With the NBA moving to a more athletic game, Lawson fits the mold. Ridiculously fast, quick and sneaky. There have been comparisons between him and Tony Parker, or Steve Nash (both MVP candidates in years past). While these might be a little bold at this point in his career, don't be surprised if he reaches this level. He’s dynamic.  

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So what can we expect from the Nuggets? That's a hard question. Many people believe that the only way to survive in the playoffs is with good defense, a star player, and a half court offense. In general that is the case, but this Nuggets team is different. They can make defensive stops, they have a little bit of a half court offense, and they’re fast. They can pound down low on some of the smaller teams in the playoffs. Comparisons are made to DiAntoni’s Sun’s teams, but George Karl is a better coach and schemer. He can plan around teams, and set up defenses to stop a lot of teams. If they can get home court advantage, look for the Nuggets to make a splash in the playoffs. That is one team I would not want to see in the first round, does anyone have the stamina to last with Denver for seven games? We’ll see!!