NBA Playoffs 2011: Are Denver Nuggets a Better Playoff Team Without Carmelo?

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The 2011 NBA Playoffs are right around the corner, and all 16 of the postseason berths have been clinched. The Eastern and Western Conference have eight teams each who will battle it out for a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals. Yet while we may know which teams will continue playing once the regular season, it remains to be seen who they will match up with and which team will have home court advantage in each series.

The Denver Nuggets are fairly set as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, although their first round opponent has still not yet been determined. They will either be hitting the road to face the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks or Los Angeles Lakers. The way the Nuggets have been playing, they most likely could not care less who they play in the first round.

The Nuggets went through a bit of a tumultuous season at times. Generally speaking, when a team trades its best player right before the trade deadline, they take a major step backward during the rest of the regular season. Denver, however, proved that that is not always the case.

The Nuggets traded away Carmelo Anthony, but they acquired the New York Knicks. Well, at least many of them. By getting Raymond Felton, Danilo Galinari, Wilson Chandler and others, this team immediately became stronger. Denver now gets more production out of different players than they did when Anthony was leading the team. They are more complete, and are therefore 17-6 since dealing their superstar to New York.

That is why they are one of the hottest teams in the league, having gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. They will not be able to earn home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, which is a shame for them since they are 32-8 at home. Winning on the road has not been as easy for Denver.

Jeff Caplan of ESPN says that it will be a wild final two games of the regular season for many teams in the Western Conference, with the Nuggets being at the forefront.

"We had Denver Nuggets coach George Karl publicly request a playoff meeting with the Dallas Mavericks over the Oklahoma City Thunder after the Nuggets beat the Mavs, which was then followed by the Thunder thumping Karl's new-look Nuggets for the second time in a matter of days," said Caplan.

Maybe Karl really does know what is best for his team.

Unfortunately for him, the NBA Playoffs are unlike boxing or MMA. You cannot simply extend a challenge as to who you would like to face next. You play the cards you are dealt, and it is still unknown as to what sort of hand the Nuggets will receive.

For more on Denver and its run without a superstar, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Contributor Magnus Johnson, who takes a look at How the Denver Nuggets Are Saving the NBA As We Know It.

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