Have We Seen a Team Be So Talented and Yet So Stupid?

The Nuggets found themselves in the same position they were in near the end of Game One. With less than a minute to go, the Nuggets needed to inbound the ball to have a chance to either tie or take the lead.

Instead of Anthony Carter they had Kenyon Martin inbounding the ball, instead of trying to inbound it to Chauncey Billups it was Carmelo Anthony. The end result was the same though, another turnover in a crucial moment of the game and another heartbreaking loss.

This year's Denver team is mentally tougher with the addition of Billups. If the hometown hero was not on this team they would not have been a No. 2 seed in the West and they would've fallen completely apart after the way they lost Game One.

With that said, how many heartbreaking losses can one team bounce back from in one postseason, let alone in the same series? I mean coach George Karl is heartbroken and looks defeated.

Why is it so hard for Denver to inbound the ball? I know Odom is playing great defense on the "in-bounder" (using his 6'10 frame to cloud the passer's vision) and Ariza is using his speed and great anticipation to steal the ball. Both of those players deserve a lot of credit. However, this is professional, playoff basketball. I mean a well-coached 12-and-under team would not have screwed this up twice!

If I'm Karl, I would have my best two players handling the most important possessions/moments of the game. Why not have Anthony or Billups inbound the ball to the other. That takes away Anthony Carter being too short to see over Odom and that takes the ball out of Martin's hands because I'm not sure he has all his marbles.

It's bad enough that this gaffe cost the Nuggets Game One. To make the same mistake twice is inexcusable, let alone at this level of basketball.

We know that the Nuggets can play with the Lakers. The real question is are they smart enough to beat the Lakers in the series? After three games, it doesn't appear the Nuggets have the mental capability to do so.