2011 NBA Playoffs: Denver Nuggets Are Similar to the 2007 Golden State Warriors
The New York Knicks, Boston Celtics matchup may be the most hyped first-round series in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, but Game 1 of the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder series showed why it will be the most competitive.
Denver entered the series as the league's highest scoring team with 107.5 points per game and Oklahoma City wasn't far behind in fifth place with 104.8 points.
Both teams' offensive ability was on full display last night.
The Nuggets led 33-24 after the first quarter, but couldn't keep the Thunder down for long. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to score 72 points.
Despite their performance, Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson were the highest scoring duo of the weekend with 73 points in the Orlando Magic's Saturday night loss against the Atlanta Hawks. Eric Maynor was the Thunder's third leading scorer with 12 points, but after that no Thunder player had more than five points in their 107-103 victory.
The Denver Nuggets don't have a superstar duo like the Oklahoma City Thunder, or one superstar for that matter after trading Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in February. Many thought the Nuggets would quickly fall out of playoff contention without Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, but that has been far from the case. Their trade with the Knicks made them a deeper and better all-around team.
The Denver Nuggets are 18-7 since the trade. Compare that to the New York Knicks who are now 14-15 since Carmelo joined the team.
Denver may not have a de facto go to guy on their team, but Nene Hilario and Danilo Gallinari are doing an adequate job taking turns in that role. Denver's biggest strength right now is their depth.
That was evident last night, even with Arron Afflalo out of action. George Karl played nine players, with five scoring in double digits and eight scoring at least 8 points. With their deep bench the Nuggets can play with a traditional lineup or go to a more television entertaining lineup, just like the 2006-2007 Golden State Warriors.
In the 2007 NBA Playoffs those Warriors pulled off a six-game upset in the first round by beating Dirk Nowitzki and the first seeded Dallas Mavericks (who posted a 67-15 record). That lineup consisted of Andris Biedrins, Steven Jackson, Jason Richardson, Baron Davis and Monta Ellis.
Several times during Game 1 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Denver Nuggets used a similar lineup.
C: Nene Hilario
PF: Danilo Gallinari
SF: J.R. Smith
SG: Raymond Felton
PG: Ty Lawson
Nene is used as the defensive anchor similar to Biedrins. Even the most offensive oriented team needs a big guy on the court. Gallinari is taller than Stephen Jackson, but is a small forward who played the power forward position for stretches of the game.
Jason Richardson and J.R. Smith are both offensive minded shooting guards in the small forward spot. Not the best move defensively, but you generally don't become the highest scoring team in the league playing like the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
While their frontcourt lineup is very similar, their small backcourts have some big differences. The Nuggets often use their Tar Heel point guard duo of Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson. Both players are great three-point shooters that have more of a pass first (rather than scoring) mentality.
The 2006-2007 Warriors backcourt featured a shoot-first point guard in Baron Davis and more of a combo guard with Monta Ellis.
These types of lineups can create a lot of scoring opportunities and mismatches on both sides of the ball. It's difficult for any team to guard someone playing power forward who can shoot the three.
However, it can be equally as easy for the opposing team to score when a smaller guard is defending a much bigger forward. This was the case when Raymond Felton (6'1") was helplessly defending Kevin Durant (6'9") on a few plays.
Although those Warriors pulled off an all-time upset in the first round, they fell to the Utah Jazz in the second round in five games.
The Denver Nuggets could face an earlier playoff exit if they are unable to exploit the mismatches in their favor.
