Denver Nuggets Defy Conventional Thinking, Prove They Can Win Without Superstar
The stage was set. The crowd packed into the arena. The popcorn popped and the cold beverages flowed.
Lights. Camera. Action.
And the highly physical game had a playoff-intensity as the two teams fought to the final whistle.
In the end, the new Nuggets edged out the world champions, in their own arena.
It stands as the signature win of the season, a statement screamed to the NBA, “The Nuggets are a legit title contender!”
Let's face it, the Lakers are chock full of more stars than the Academy Awards. They're the back-to-back champs and they've been the favorite to win the NBA title this season by the most realistic basketball observers.
And for the young Nuggets to prevail on the road, only 19 games as a team together, against a team that was 17-1 since the All Star break was impossibly incredible.
In Hollywood, the Staples Center was stacked with stars; in the crowd were Will Ferrell, Laurence Fishburne and of course Jack Nicholson, on the Lakers' bench were Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and others.
In fact, the only place there weren't any stars Sunday was on the Denver Nuggets' bench (it was a juxtaposition of talent any director could appreciate), but they still won the game.
Not only did the Nuggets win, they were short-handed (without starting shooting guard Arron Afflalo and backup bigman Chris “Birdman” Andersen) and Denver didn't even play their best game.
Don't believe me?
On their current six-game winning steak (which makes them the hottest team in the NBA after ending LA's nine-game streak), the Nuggets have had six or more players score in double digits in every game except against the Lakers, when only four scored 10 or more.
Furthermore, Raymond Felton struggled shooting, Wilson Chandler was nearly a no-show on offense (seven points) and the Nuggets scored only 13 fast-break points.
Still, the new star-less Nuggets found a way to fight and beat the NBA champion Lakers, who could have a starting five of only “stars” (Kobe, Pau, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum).
Conventional thinking says in this star-oriented NBA the team with all the stars would win.
But conventional wisdom says that basketball is the quintessential team game; wherein the team is only as good as its weakest player.
The team can only be great when the individuals pool their talents and come together to become something greater than their individual worth.
Basketball is played five-on-five, not one-on-one or three-on-three, and it takes a team to win championships.
A team can only function when individuals are willing to sacrifice their own shine for what is best for the whole.
A team like the Nuggets, who run 11-deep and could field two starting fives in the NBA (Kobe said it himself), must have selfless players, not selfish superstars.
How else would Raymond Felton, nearly an All Star this season as a starter in New York, be comfortable coming off the bench behind a younger player in Ty Lawson?
A team shares the ball and allows a multitude of different players score on a nightly basis.
Selflessly sharing the rock is the reason scoring is spread so evenly on the Nuggets and it's what makes them so difficult to scout or stop.
There is no pressure for one man to carry Denver on his shoulders, and seemingly a different player leads in scoring every night.
A team plays defense together, rotating and switching to benefit one another.
And the Nuggets give an extraordinary amount of effort on the defensive side of the court; stealing passes, blocking shots and flat-out frustrating even the greatest offensive players (see: Kobe crying to the refs relentlessly).
The Denver Nuggets are a complete team, a rare NBA squad that plays their hearts out on both ends of the floor.
It's the reason why NBA.com currently has them No. 5 in the power rankings, because the Nuggets are the best offensive team in the NBA and the No. 1 defensive team since the All-Star Break.
It's also the reason why the Nuggets are now striking fear in the rest of the West.
Still, conventional thinking says a team without superstar talent can't compete for a title, while conventional wisdom argues that team play (not isolation) is the right way, and that defense wins championships.
The Nuggets are the antithesis of the star-studded “superteams” the NBA has celebrated as of late. They're a true team that gives hope to the future of the NBA while proving basketball is about the team, not the individual.
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist actively seeking a career in journalism. Along with being the CSU Rams Examiner, Kurtzman is a Denver Nuggets and NBA Featured Columnist for bleacherreport.com, the Colorado/Utah Regional Correspondent for stadiumjourney.com, a weekly contributor to milehighhoops.com and a contributor to milehighreport.com writing on the Denver Broncos.
Rich also heads up PR for K-Biz and Beezy, a Colorado-based rap group.
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