Top Ten Colorado Sports Events for 2021

 2021 didn't see any championships for Colorado sports teams.  Generally it was a down year for our teams but there were a few highlights:

NUMBER TEN:

Oct 1st: Rockies 9 Diamondbacks 7 at Arizona: The Rockies come back from a 7-0 deficit to win 9-7, scoring 3 runs in the 9th to cap the come from behind victory.  It was the largest road comeback in team history, and I was in attendance to see it.

NUMBER NINE:

June 1st: Nuggets 147 Blazers 140: Double Overtime Game 5 playoff series win.  Nuggets overcome a stellar performance by Portland's Damian Lilliard (55 points, multiple clutch 3 pointers to extend the game) to win the game and eventually win the series.

NUMBER EIGHT:

February 19th: Nuggets 120 Cleveland 103: Jamal Murray scored 50 points on hitting 21 of 25 field goal attempts and 8-of-10 from behind the three-point line, with NO FREE THROWS!  First player in NBA history to score 50 points with no free throws.

NUMBER SEVEN:

March 20th: Colorado 96 Georgetown 73, first round ncaa tournament:  12th seeded Georgetown was favored by many media experts over 5th seeded Colorado, but the game wasn't close.  The Buffs dominated from the start for a sweet win against a prestigious program like Georgetown and their legendary player turned coach Patrick Ewing.

NUMBER SIX:

June 2nd: Avs 3 Golden Knights 2 in overtime:  There's nothing like overtime in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and this game was no exception.  Despite being outshot 41 to 25 the Avs got an outstanding performance from goalie Philipp Grubauer (39 saves) to steal a game from Vegas.  This game would have been higher in my rankings had the Avs won the series, however after this game the Avs lost four straight to Vegas to lose the series in one of the year's biggest disappointments.

NUMBER FIVE:

November 28th: Broncos 28 Chargers 14. After a disappointing loss to Philadelpia and the bye week, the Broncos surprised division rival Chargers with a convincing win.  Rookie Patrick Surtain had two interceptions including one for a touchdown that clinched the victory.

NUMBER FOUR:

April 1st: Rockies 8 Dodgers 5 In their first time opening at home since 2011 the Rockies beat the defending World Series champion Dodgers.  It was not a good year for the Rockies starting with the terrible trade of Nolan Arenado, but opening day was a bright spot in an otherwise dreary season.

NUMBER THREE:

June 8th: Nikola Jokic voted NBA's Most Valuable Player.  An amazing accomplishment for a little known second round draft choice from Serbia.

NUMBER TWO:

July 12th: Home Run Derby at Coors Field: No Trevor Story didn't win but the Home Run Derby was a huge success in front of a sellout crowd and a national tv audience. With home runs flying out of the ballpark one commentator said "Baseball should have the home run derby at Coors Field every year."

NUMBER ONE

November 7th: Broncos 30 Cowboys 16: The Broncos had lost 3 games in a row and then had an unimpressive win over the Redskins at home.  The Cowboys had won 6 in a row and were big favorites in this game.  The Broncos shocked the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, opening up a stunning 30-0 lead before eventually winning 30-16. One of the biggest upsets in team history.

My Top 10 Colorado Sports Events in 2018

It was another interesting year for the Colorado sports fan, with the Rockies and Avalanche having strong seasons while the Broncos did not.  For this fan who has followed Colorado sports since the 1960's, here are my top ten sports events in 2018:

Number 10: 

October 21st - Nuggets 100 Golden State 98 - Nuggets beat the defending nba champs to go 3-0 to start the season despite missing 18 free throws. A big block by Juancho Hernangomez at the buzzer preserved the win.  This early season victory was an indication of how competitive the Nuggets would be in the NBA this season (at year's end the Nuggets win/loss record was in the top 3 in the Western Conference).

Number 9:

February 4th - Going back to the previous season, the Nuggets seem to play Golden State better than most NBA teams.  On this night the Nuggets beat Golden State 115-108 in front of the largest crowd to ever watch a game at the Pepsi Center.  The defending champ Warriors were 41-11 coming into the game and the Nuggets were only the second team to beat the Warriors twice during the 2017-2018 season after this game.

Number 8:

November 18th - Broncos 23 Chargers 22.  It was another down year for the Broncos but this game was the team's biggest surprise win. The Broncos appeared headed for another loss, down 19-7 in the second half, before coming back to win in the fourth quarter.  With the Chargers being 7-2 and the 

Broncos 3-6 entering this game, few gave the Broncos a chance for a win, especially since the team hadn't won an AFC West road game since 2015.

Number 7:

November 25th - Broncos 24 Steelers 17.  The best home win for the Broncos in the 2018 season.  Building on the upset victory over the Chargers the week before, the Broncos again came from behind to beat the Steelers.  At the time this game got the team back in playoff contention. The Steelers had won 6 straight before this game so the Broncos victory was a big one.

Number 6:

August 11th - Rockies beat the Dodgers 3-2 with a 2 out 3 run homer by Ryan McMahon in the bottom of the 9th, pulling within 1 1/2 games of first place.  The Rockies and Dodgers were in a tight race all season for the National League West crown (and eventually tied for first place after the 162 game season).  This game looked hopeless as the Dodgers dominated the Rockies through 8 and 2/3rds innings before McMahon's big blow.  The game also gave an early indication of the impact McMahon could have on the Rockies in the future.  McMahon will have a much bigger role with the team in 2019 with the expected departure of DJ LeMahieu.

Number 5:

April 7th - Avalanche 5 Blues 2. It's rare in the NHL's 82 game season you will find two teams playing each other for the last playoff spot in the season's final game.  That's what happened on this night, and the home town Avs didn't disappoint with a thrilling win. Making the playoffs for the Avs was a huge accomplishment after the terrible season the team had the season before.

Number 4:

September 5th - Trevor hits 3.  Rockies shortstop Trevor Story hits 3 home runs in his first 3 at bats, including the longest home run in Coors Field history, as the Rockies beat the Giants 5-3. The win extended the team's lead for first place in the NL West.

Number 3:

April 20th - Avalanche 2 Nashville 1 in game 5 of the teams' NHL playoff series.  Trailing 1-0 with 5 minutes to go in an elimination game, the Avs score 2 goals in the the last 5 minutes for a thrilling win over the heavily favored Predators.  Andrew Hammond, the team's 3rd string goalie, had 44 saves!  “One of the most epic periods I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Kyle Keefe of Altitude TV afterwards.

Number 2:

September 8th - Colorado 33 Nebraska 28.  An extra sweet win for this longtime Colorado football fan as the Buffs spoiled the debut of the Huskers head coach Scott Frost in Lincoln. The Buffs came from behind to beat the Nebraska on 40 yard td pass from Buff QB Steven Montez to wide receiver Laviska Shenault with a minute left to the play in the game!  While the Buffs season was an overall disappointment, this win was the Buffs' best in the past 10 years.

Number 1:

October 2nd - Rockies 2 Cubs 1 in 13 innings in the National League's wildcard playoff game.  The Rockies weren't given much chance to win this one after losing their division to the Dodgers the day before.  Kyle Freeland showed he was one of baseball's best pitchers, shutting out the Cubs over 6.2 innings.  Light hitting Tony Wolters was the extra inning hero, driving in the go ahead run in the top of the 13th with a 2 out single.  Though the Rockies were to lose the next series vs the Brewers, knocking the Cubs out of the playoffs in this game was a huge surprise!

What will 2019 have in store for Colorado sports fans?  A new head coach for the Broncos?  Playoff appearances for the Avs and Nuggets?  Can the Rockies stay competitive with the Dodgers like they did in 2018?  I'll be watching and compiling my 2019 top 10 Colorado Sports Events list - check back next year at this time!

My Top Ten Colorado Sports Moments of 2017

Nolan Arenado's walk off game winning homer for the cycle is #1 on my "Top Ten Colorado Sports Moments of 2017" (photo courtesy of MLB)  Here's this year's list:

10.  Avalanche 4 NY Rangers 2, Opening Night, 10/5/17 - The 2016/17 season was one to forget for the Colorado Avalanche.  "The 22-56-4 record, for 48 points, not only was by far the franchise’s worst in its 21 seasons in Denver, it was the worst in the NHL since the 1999-2000 Atlanta Thrashers went 14-57-7-4 for 39 points," as reported in the Denver Post.  The surprising win on the road in the season's opener, on the league's biggest stage (Madison Square Garden) signaled that better times were ahead for the Avalanche. While the Avs are still out of a playoff position at year's end (17-16-3 as of 12/28), the team is on the upswing and the opening night win against the NY Rangers was a start to a much better season.

9.  Nuggets 96 Golden State 81, 12/23/17 - I had my top ten list all set then the Nuggets worked their way into my list with a stunning road win against the defending champ Warriors just before Christmas.  The win stopped Golden State's 12 game winning streak.

8.  Avalanche trade Matt Duchene, 11/5/17 - It was no secret Matt Duchene, the #3 pick overall in the 2009 draft, wanted out.  Duchene demanded a trade over a year ago, and Avs GM Joe Sakic received much criticism as Sakic failed to make a deal over the many months of Matt's discontent.  But in the end Sakic got a great haul for Duchene - promising young defenseman Sam Girard, other prospects, and a bunch of draft picks.  After the trade Nathan MacKinnon stepped up his play to become one of the best players in the NHL this season.  Well done, Joe Sakic!

7.  Gary Kubiak resigns as Broncos head coach, 1/2/17 - Just one year after winning the Super Bowl, Gary Kubiak resigns as Broncos head coach.  Any Bronco coaching change is big news, and this one was more of a shocker given the success the Broncos had achieved under Kubiak.

6.  Rockies 2, LA Dodgers 1, home opener, 4/7/17 - The first of four Rockies moments on my list. The Rockies home opener is always a special event on the Denver sports calendar, and this win was extra sweet as home town boy Kyle Freeland wins his first ever start in the majors in front of a sellout crowd at Coors Field.

5.  Broncos 42, Dallas 17, 9/17/17 - The only Bronco game on my top 10 list.  Everything went right for the Broncos this day as they beat America's team (the Dallas Cowboys) in an early season stunner.  The season as a whole was a big disappointment for Denver fans, but at least for one day the Broncos were the talk of pro football with this dominating performance.

4.  DU Pioneers 3, Minnesota-Duluth 2, National Championship Game, 4/8/17 - The DU hockey team wins its 8th National Championship with a narrow, nail-biting 3-2 win over Minnesota-Duluth.  The Pioneers stellar 2017 and championship gave Denver hockey fans something to cheer about in lieu of the Avalanche' disappointing season.

3.  Rockies 3, Atlanta 0, 8/14/17 - In his first game back after a cancer diagnosis in the spring, Rockies starter Chad Bettis pitches seven shutout innings at Coors Field to defeat the Braves.  Bettis comeback and amazing performance made news beyond baseball, inspiring many whose lives have been affected by this debilitating disease.

2.  Rockies 10, White Sox 0, 7/9/17 - Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland's second appearance on my list, as he takes a no hitter into the 9th inning against the White Sox.  Freeland ends up pitching a one hit gem in what I rate as the best performance by a Rockies starter at Coors Field ever. 

1.  Rockies 7, San Francisco 5, 6/19/17 - In front of a packed Father's Day crowd at Coors Field, Nolan Arenado hits a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 9th to give the Rockies a come from behind win over the Giants.  If that weren't dramatic enough, Arenado's blast also completed the cycle for the Rockies 3rd baseman, only the 8th cycle in Rockies history.  The playoff bound Rockies were the top story in Colorado sports in 2017, and Arenado's performance this day was the highlight of an outstanding season.

Denver Sports Memories: Spencer Haywood's Amazing Season

(this is the first in a series of posts about my Denver Sports Memories)

The pro basketball team in our town once had a player who averaged 30 points and 19.1 rebounds for the entire season! And that player changed the face of basketball forever.  Spencer Haywood put up those gaudy numbers for the American Basketball Association Rockets during his only season in Denver (1969-1970).

Back in the 1960’s the NBA had a rule that college players could not enter their league until the player completed his college eligibility.  Haywood was the first to break the mold - jumping from college to the ABA Rockets after his sophomore year.  After his one year in Denver Haywood challenged the NBA’s college eligibility rule, and was allowed to play for the Seattle Supersonics, opening the door for college players to leave their ncaa teams early.

Today “one and done” college players, entering the NBA after one year of ncaa baskerball, are common place (ask the University of Kentucky!)  But Haywood’s one year was the best I have ever seen by a pro basketball player in Denver - even better than later more well known Denver stars like David Thompson and Alex English.  I remember watching a Rockets game with a friend where Haywood hit a 15 foot turnaround jumper over a defender from an impossible angle.  “Whoa!!” my friend and I said as we looked in each other in amazement.

My Top 10 Denver Sports Moments of 2016

2016 was a good year for me as a Denver sports fan.  Here are my top 10 sports moments:

10. Colorado Avalanche 5 Detroit Red Wings 2, Alumni Game 2/26  

The old timers got together for an alumni game in an outdoor venue - Coors Field!  The NHL/Rockies/Avs did a good job of setting up Coors Field for hockey.  I watched this game from a luxury box thanks to an invitation from the Las Vegas visitors bureau.  It was fun to see the Avs alumni from their great teams in the 90's, early 2000's beat the hated Wings this night.  Patrick Roy was fantastic in making several great saves.  The next night was disappointing as the NHL Avs lost to the Wings, but I did get to meet Adam Foote in the club level of Coors Field.

9.  Denver Nuggets hand Golden State Warriors 3rd loss in 40 games 1/13 

The Nuggets were one of the few teams to beat the Warriors in the NBA regular season.  Read more about the game here.

8.  Colorado Avalanche beat Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in OT in season’s 2nd game 10/17

After a thrilling 6-5 win in the opener against the Dallas Stars at home, the Avs win their second game on against the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins at Pittsburgh.  At year's end the Avs had the worst record in the NHL, but the 2-0 start gave their fans some thrills early.

7. Colorado Buffaloes 27 Utah Utes 22 11/26

The Buffs success in football was one of the best stories of 2016, capped by this win over Utah to win the Pac 12 South division and earn a berth in the pac 12 championship game.

6.  Colorado Rockies beat Arizona Diamondbacks 10-5 in season opener 4/4

Trevor Story hits two home runs in his major league debut.  Story was the "story" of the major league season in April as the rookie surprised us all with an early season power surge.  Story had a good chance to be the Rockies first rookie of the year before a thumb injury prematurely ended his season in early August.

5.  Denver Broncos 21 Carolina Panthers 20 9/8

The Broncos win the Super Bowl rematch in the NFL's season opener on a Thursday night before a national TV audience.  The Broncos came back from a 17-3 deficit in the 4th quarter in an exciting game that was decided by a missed Panther field goal as time ran out.

4.  Colorado Buffaloes 41 Oregon Ducks 38 9/24

The Buffs surprise the perennial power Oregon Ducks in Oregon in a high scoring game decided in the last minute.  This was a program defining win for the CU program, and spurred the team to go on to a 10 win season.

3.  Denver Broncos 23 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 in division round 1/17 

The Broncos come from behind to beat the Steelers in a first round NFL playoff game.  This game turned out to be the toughest of the 3 Bronco playoff games.  Brandon Mcmanus 5 field goals on a windy day proved to be the difference.

2.  Denver Broncos 20 New England Patriots 18 AFC championship 1/24 

The 5th time I've seen the Broncos win the AFC Championship at home to earn a berth in the Super Bowl, and this AFC title was one of the best. The last 6 minutes was the most intense for me ever at a bronco home game as the patriots threatened to tie the score to force overtime, but the Broncos held on.  The final failed 2 point attempt by the Patriots was right below my seats in the North end zone.

1.  Denver Broncos 24 Carolina Panthers 10  Super Bowl Win !!! 2/7

The hope for any NFL fan is to see their team win a Super Bowl in person.  I was privileged to have that experience as my Broncos beat Carolina in Super Bowl 50!  It was a memorable weekend in San Francisco that I wrote about on this blog here.

Top 10 Colorado Sports Moments 2012

I've been a fan of all the Colorado sports teams since growing up in Denver in the 60's.  Here are my top sports moments of 2012:

10. Colorado scores 17 points in 4th quarter to beat Washington State at Pullman 35-34.
Bet you didn't think a Colorado football moment would make it into the top 10!  It was an awful season for the Buffs but at least their ONLY win was an exciting one - coming back from 17 points down to beat Washington State on the road.  After losing 69-14 the week before to Fresno State, and losing their first two games to lowly CSU and Sacramento State this win was totally unexpected.  And much maligned quarterback Jordan Webb had his best quarter of the season in that 4th quarter - winning the game on a gutsy quarterback keeper as time ran out.

9. CSU beats Colorado in opener 22-17 after trailing 14-3 late in 1st half. 
I'm one of those rare CU fans who also roots for CSU except when the Rams play the Buffs.  While this game was disappointing for my CU interests, I must admit I was glad to see new CSU coach Jim McElwain celebrating with his team after this huge win in Denver.  Colorado is better off when both CU and CSU are fielding competitive teams, and this win was huge to get the McElwain era off to a good start in Ft Collins.  Now that I have a son going to CSU I'll be rooting for the Rams a little more, but just a little.  The Buffs are still my favorite college football team.

8. Todd Helton walkoff home run vs Arizona, April 14, 2012.  
Talk about disappointing seasons.  The Rockies joined the Buffs in having a terrible 2012 campaign.  But in the first two weeks there was a magical moment at Coors Field that made me think I was watching The Natural.  At the end of a cold, rainy 5 hour game Todd Helton was up with 2 outs in the bottom of 9th man, man on first, with the Rockies trailing the Diamondbacks 7-6.  Coors field was virtually empty as most fans had departed the cold weather long before the game got to the 9th.  Todd Helton hits a two run homer just inside the right field foul pole to give the Rockies the win!  This fan captured the improbable blast by Helton on video:


7. Avalanche beat Detroit 4-3 Feb 25th ending the Red Wings 23 game home winning streak
Remember the Avs?  With the NHL work stoppage the local hockey team has been pretty much forgotten this Fall, but the team did have some big wins early in 2012.  The best was a 4-3 victory in Joe Louis Arena to stop Detroit's 23 game home winning streak.  The Avs had some other big wins too, like beating the Rangers in NY, but then fell apart in the season's final 3 weeks to miss out on the playoffs.  There were moments, though, like this win against the hated Red Wings, that hinted the Avs could be back on the right track. (addendum: Vancouver actually ended the Wings long home winning streak with a win in a shootout Feb 23rd, but the Avs on Feb 25th were the first to beat the Wings in regulation in Detroit since the streak started)

6. Colorado wins Pac 12 basketball tourney, beating Arizona 53-51.
For most of my life there was not much to get excited about when it came to CU basketball.  I remember Cliff Meely when I was a kid leading the Buffs to a Big 8 title, and Chauncey Billups had his moments in black and gold in the 90's.  But CU basketball has mostly been a wasteland for the last 4 decades.  That's what made this improbable tourney run by the Buffs so sweet!  The victory over Arizona was the Buffs 4th straight in the tournament, and then they followed it up with a first round upset of UNLV in the Big Dance.  After Colorado's horrendous showing in football it was good to let the other Pac 12 schools know that the Buffs could be competitive in at least one sport (other than skiing!)

5.  Nuggets 126 Lakers 114 NBA playoffs game 5.
Denver sportscaster Vic Lombardi had this one pegged.  After the Nuggets lost game 4 at home to fall behind in their first round series with the Lakers 3 games to 1 most fans thought the Lakers closing out the series in 5 was a sure thing.  Not Lombardi, who said at the time he thought the Nuggets would win game 5.  And the Nuggets did just that, led by Kenneth Faried's 21 points and 15 rebounds.  The Nuggets won game 6, too, in a blowout before losing game 7 and the series at the Staples Center.  But at least the Nuggets gave their fans some post season thrills with 3 victories against the Lakers.

4. Broncos 31 Pittsburgh 19
This was the first Broncos home opener I had missed since 1966!  Away on a business trip in Alaska I could only monitor this game through scoring updates on my cell phone, but Peyton Manning's first non-preseason NFL game in over 600 days did not disappoint.  Manning hit Demaryius Thomas with a 71 yard td pass, Tracy Porter had a huge interception TD to clinch the game, and the Broncos beat the hated Steelers in the opener.  With Denver's tough schedule to open the season I saw this game as very important (even with this win the Broncos started off 2-3).

3. Tebow to Thomas beats Steelers in the playoffs
In only the third home playoff game for the Broncos in 11 years, Tim Tebow completes an 80 yard pass to Demaryius Thomas in the first play of overtime to lead the Broncos over the Steelers in the first round of the NFL playoffs.  This win was especially sweet for me, as I was in attendance for this and the last playoff game in Denver, a disappointing Bronco loss in the AFC Championship game in 2006.  Little did we know at the time that this would be Tim Tebow's last game in Denver as the Broncos starting quarterback.

2. Broncos Signing of Peyton Manning
When I first heard the Broncos were interested in signing Peyton Manning I thought, "Why???"  Denver had just come off an improbable playoff season led by crowd favorite Tim Tebow, and I was anxious to see what Tebow could do with a full off season of workouts that he did not have the prior year.  I also thought Manning was a huge injury risk.  But I trusted that Broncos President John Elway knew what he was doing.  The more I thought about it the more I wanted to see Peyton in Broncos Orange!  Peyton Manning turned out to be the best free agent signing of any Denver team since I've been a sports fan.

1. Broncos 35 San Diego 24
With a 2-3 record and trailing 24-0 at half time, the prospects of the Broncos having a good year looked dim.  But Peyton Manning led an amazing 2nd half comeback, outscoring the Chargers 35-0, to lead the Broncos to this huge win (their best Monday Night performance ever in my book).  Going into the season's final week as I type this, Denver would not lose again.  Perhaps the Broncos would have still rebounded had they lost this game and fell to 2-4, but I think this game was the key to the Broncos miracle season.
 

Thumbs up on the Carmelo trade

I liked the Carmelo Anthony trade to the NY Knicks earlier this week from the Nuggets end. Carmelo wanted out of Denver and the Nuggets got a good package considering the circumstances. Two players coming to the Nuggets I especially like:

Danilo Gallinari 6'10 forward

I've had my eye on Gallinari since the Fall. In preparation for my annual fantasy draft I had targeted Danilo as a player I wanted, and one of the better up and coming young players in the NBA. I drafted Gallinari in the 4th round of my league, which drew some surprise responses from other owners. Danilo did start the season slow, hampered by an injury, but he's been playing much better recently.

What drew me to Gallinari was this scouting report I read in the Basketball Prospectus before the season:

"It’s hard not to compare Danilo Gallinari to Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani. They’re both tall. They’re both Italian. They were both high lottery picks. They both like to shoot a long ways from the basket. Whereas Bargnani has developed in fits and starts, Gallinari’s second year showed a clear progression over his first. He looks like a legit starter in the NBA with the potential for more to come.

Gallinari is already one of the NBA’s deadliest perimeter shooters, and last year’s .381 mark from behind the arc could prove to be on the low end of what he shoots from long range. However, he is more than just a spot-up shooter. Gallinari attacked the basket to get a fifth of his shots at the rim, where he converted at near the league average despite lacking strength. Gallinari also drew fouls at an above-average rate. 21 percent of his shot attempts were long twos, and while the .380 he shot there isn’t terrible, you’d like to see him get that up to a Korver-esque .460 or so. Otherwise, he needs to cut down on that portion of his game.

Gallinari’s passing skills improved as well, but they’re still not quite as good as they need to be, particularly if he ends up playing a lot of shooting guard this season. On defense, Gallinari is way better than expected. He moves well and uses his length to bother shots. Teams look at him and drool like he’s a New York strip, so 20 percent of his defensive possessions came against isolations. (And why wouldn’t you isolate him? He looks like a tall 12-year-old.) He responded by allowing .860 points per play in those situations, which puts him right at the league average. If he plays more twos, however, he’ll probably suffer against isos. The rest of Gallinari’s defensive profile looks solid. He’s a future All-Star."

This highlight reel of Gallinari last season shows he has talent:



The other player I like in the deal is Timofey Mozgov, who shows good mobility for a big man in this highlight reel:



Also coming to Denver are nba regulars Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton making the Nuggets one of the deepest teams in the league, albeit without a superstar like Anthony.

In watching the post trade Nuggets last night, before the arrival of the new players, they reminded me of Larry Brown's first Nuggets team in the 70's. A running team that plays good defense with no established star. That 1974-75 Nuggets ABA team had the best record in basketball (65-19) and an amazing 40-2 record at home.

The key to successful basketball in the Mile High City is to play the running game. Visiting teams not accustomed to the high altitude are no match for a well conditioned Nuggets team. In listening to Nuggets coach George Karl last night that is exactly his plan - to run and play good defense - and he now has two former North Carolina point guards to coordinate that style of play (Ty Lawson and Felton).

Like many Denver basketball fans I will miss Chauncey Billups. With the 34 year old Billups, though, the Nuggets played a slower half court game to setup Anthony.

While Carmelo Anthony was a great talent, I think he was one dimensional. A great offensive player but a liability on the defense. I think the Carmelo Anthony Nuggets had their best chance for an NBA title in 2009. That year they reached the NBA Western Conference Finals and outplayed the eventual champion Lakers in the first two games (splitting those games 1-1). The Lakers rebounded to take the Series 4 games to 2, and swept Orlando in the Finals. Carmelo played well in the Laker series, but not at the superstar level needed to carry the Nuggets to the championship.

I am hearing younger fans lament the loss of Anthony and that Anthony led the Nuggets to their best basketball in team history. I disagree. The 70's Larry Brown Nugget teams were better playing an up tempo style. Perhaps the 2011 Nuggets will play like those 1974 Nuggets with no established super star. It'll be fun to watch.