[Izulde]

I'l be honest. I'm worried going into this postseason. After Minnesota upset us last year and our erratic play this year, someting tells me we're ripe for another one and done.

Can Nuggets Avoid Another Pyrite Finish?
Last season's nightmare first round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves still haunts GM Jestor and the Denver Nuggets. It very nearly led to Jestor's firing and franchise Bob Neal created a tense, financially strict climate in the Mile High City in response to the collapse.

But the Raffle GM showed off his trade wizard skills again, pulling off deals that reeled in supersub Justin Cherry and differencemaker forward Andy Sola, along with two first round picks from San Antonio. Thus, the Nuggets were able to repeat as the #2 seed in a year when many predicted they'd be a low playoff team or miss the postseason altogether.

However, this year's Denver team was prone to slumps, losing streaks that'd be disastrous in the playoffs and in particular seemed lost down the stretch whenever Sola was injured. The new star forward has been banged up three times since coming to the Nuggets, with a bruised calf, a sprained wrest and back spasms, the latter of which look to limit him in first-round action against the Grizzlies.

Such tidings bode ill for Denver's second round hopes.

Point Guard
Zelipe Gama vs. Bernard Kelly
One of the reasons for optimism in Denver is the return of the Spainard Gama, who plays the type of pass-first game Jestor covets in his point guards, as opposed to the shooter type the Nuggets had in Paulinho Buboltz last season. Although he's 32 years old, Gama doesn't appear to have lost a step, averaging 13.5 points, 11.1 assists, 4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in the regular season, setting career highs in points per game and blocks per game and having his second best season in assists per game. Great passer, accurate shooter, good playmaker defender for the man who runs Denver's offense better than anyone else to play the position in Jestor's time here.

Kelly's only 5'11, 157 lbs, but he plays much, much bigger than that, with the kind of silky passing that makes Kenny Graham and Louis Mertens look like Starbury. His 13.6 assists per game this season was the best since John Stockton's 13.7 in 1991. The 26 year old also averaged 16.8 points and 1.8 steals in the regular season and has an absolutely deadly 3 point shot to go with his filthy stealing talents and otherwordly passing skills.

Advantage: Memphis

Shooting Guard
Mateen Yeaton vs. Durko Jagr
How many 35 year olds can do what the immortal Yeaton has done? He averaged 23.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals in the regular season, shooting 49.8% from the floor and converting a career-high 92% from the free throw line. His physical skills may be in decline, but his heart and spirit are as fierce as ever in his 14th NBA season, 11th in Denver.

Jagr has decent size at 6'5, 222 lbs and plays respectable defense. He's a solid all-around starting SG, averaging 13.2 points, 5 assists and 1.2 steals in the regular season, but he's no Yeaton and he doesn't stand out in any particular area. He has a tendency to take a lot more shots in the playoffs, which translate to higher points, but a much lower shooting percentage.

Advantage: Denver

Small Forward
David Jackson vs. Shane Holliway
50 Ninja had a career high 10.8 points in the regular season to go with his 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and steal per game, starting off hot before tailing off in the second half of the season. He began complaining again towards the end of the year about not starting more and the team seemed to play off-kilter whenever he was in the starting lineup. Solid all-around, with a particular knack for drawing fouls and fantastic hands for a big man. He usually does well in the playoffs, but he may be a distraction, particularly given that his future in Denver is uncertain.

The 26 year old Holliway has improved each of his six seasons in the league and posted a line of 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals in the regular season, showing greatly improved accuracy on his shot and more dedication to defense. Phenomenal scoring instincts make him a fun player to watch and he's a pretty good passer for his position. Defense isn't stellar, but his ball thievery skills make up for it and his undersized 6'6, 224 lbs frame. That smallness may be a problem going up against the 6'11, 282 lbs Jackson.

Advantage: Memphis

Power Forward
Tim Butler vs. Ronnie Fry
Injuries limited Butler to 61 games this season and he had an extremely disappointing 16.5 points and 6.4 rebounds. At times, he looked brilliant; other games, he looked lost. That doesn't speak for a promising playoffs, especially since he struggled last year, converting 41.7% of his shots. Not a good defender and can't make disruptive plays, nor can he rebound very well. Basically, he's a one-dimensional inside scorer.

The 21 year old Fry may be spindly at 6'11, 221 lbs, but he has an excellent shot repertoire and fights fanatically for rebounds, as his regular season of 18.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and a steal illustrate. He also plays tough, suffocating defense and has good basketball IQ. Fry looked much more comfortable with shooting the ball this year and that spells trouble for the Nuggets, as he's poised for a much more active postseason presence than last year, when he averaged just 9 points a game.

Advantage: Memphis

Center
Andrew Bynum vs. Narcyz Malinomowski
Bynum's 37, but he's still a nails-tough defender and his 7', 285 lb body lets him get rebounds he would otherwise be too slow to reach. One of the safest shooters in the game, he shot 60.5% on his way to 13.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, a regular season outing that surprised Jestor, who clashed with head coach Jim O'Brien over Bynum's nomination to the starting lineup. But Bynum showed he still has it and it'll be interesting to see how he does this playoffs.

In the last 15 seasons, Malinomowski has missed a grand total of 4 regular season starts and has never missed a postseason start. That kind of durability and stability isn't one you often see in today's NBA and while his mediocre defense earned Narcyz the nickname of The Great Polish Sieve, he's a top-notch shotblocker, averaging 3 blocks on the season along with 16.2 points and 11.5 rebounds. One of the better all-around centers in the league throughout his lengthy career with the Grizzlies after being taken 2nd overall in the 2009 draft, he's consistent and a team leader.

Advantage: Draw

Bench
One of the biggest stories in Denver this year was the #3 overall pick, Wendel King, being traded to Cleveland for the #22 overall pick, Justin Cherry and Cherry bursting on the scene with a string of high-scoring games off the bench in his first several NBA games. Although he tapered off the down the stretch, he still averaged 8.8 points on 51.4% shooting and appears to be Yeaton's heir apparent. Lawrence Smiley, a mid-season acquistion also from the Cavaliers who plays tough-nosed defense and has a good scoring game off the bench, averaged 7.1 points between the two teams. Ever-steady Belgian and Jestor favorite Tzvetan Kishishev averaged 5.7 points with his trademark lockdown defense. An injured Andy Sola is here too after averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals as Denver's lynchpin after coming over from San Antonio at the deadline. He plays very good all-around defense and has a beautiful outside shot. If the Nuggets have a weakness, it's that they don't have a truly good pass-first backup PG that's usually a priority on Jestor's teams.

Second year man Deon Sterley, a former Nugget with a great all-around game, particularly on rebounding and defense, will seek to avenge himself on his old employers after averaging 7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in the regular season. Lannce Dudley, another player who suited up once for Denver, is an underrated shooter who plays lockdown defense and finished the regular season averaging 6.2 points. Dudley's also capable of playing every position but C. But like the Nuggets, the Grizzlies lack a legitimate passer, as Dave Linton is too turnover prone. More importantly, Memphis has no bench guards they trust, despite the presence of Jeremy Steele, a good, balanced guard and yet another once upon a time Nugget who should be getting a lot more playing time than the paltry 5.2 minutes a game he's been getting with the Grizzlies.

Advantage: Denver

Final Thoughts
On paper, the Grizzlies are favored, especially with all these former Nuggets having extra incentive to beat Denver and indeed, the Grizzlies pulverized Denver by 30 in Memphis during the last ten games in the regular season. But then the Nuggets came back and trounced the Grizzlies in Denver during that same set. Homecourt advantage and Andy Sola's health are going to decide this and in a long enough series, particularly a seven game one, that just barely favors the Nuggets.
Prediction: Denver in 7

Frankly, I'd be happy with that result, especially given how inconsistently we've played this year.

Game One
I wouldn't be surprised to see us lose this game, but Mateen Yeaton comes out on fire, adding to his already storied legacy with 32 points. Zelipe Gama trolls in his wake for 17 points and 10 assists and Tim Butler has a dynamite all-around game with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. All of our starting 5 scores at least 13 points and the Grizzlies just can't match that kind of production. Bernard Kelly scores 22, Narcyz Malinomowski pulls down 12 points and 13 rebounds and Deon Sterley impresses with 14 bench points, but we blow Memphis out of the water and send notice to everyone watching that the playoffs is a whole new ballgame.
Final - Memphis 89 Denver 110

Game Two
Three Memphis players break 20+ points: Narcyz Malinomowsk (26 points, 12 rebounds), Shane Holliway (22 points) and Ronnie Fry (21 points, but Tim Butler has his turn to go bananas on the Grizzlies, exciting the home crowd with a breathtaking 38 point, 11 rebound performance. Mateen Yeaton chips in 25 points and Zelipe Gama gets a near 20/20 line with 21 points and 19 assists. By the time the final whistle blows, we've got a 24 point win and the unbeatable satisfaction of having crushed them 38-15 in the fourth quarter. The 2-0 series lead is nice, too. Oh yes, that reminds me. David Jackson had a perfect 8 for 8 shooting night for 16 points. Great to see that from 50 Ninja, even though he probably won't be here next year.
Final - Memphis 98 Denver 124

Tim Butler strains an abdominal muscle while he's out there shredding the Grizzlies, making his Game 2 outing all the more amazing. Our probable future team captain is showing toughness by playing through it, though.

Game Three
An injured Timmy B is made up for by the return of Andy Sola, or at least that's how it appears before we trek to Memphis for the third game. Unfortunately, theory doesn't match reality as Andy Sola's 26 points is more than countered by Ronnie Fry's 35 points and 11 rebounds. Zelipe Gama does his best with 11 points and 10 assists, but Bernard Kelly outplays him with 22 points and 22 assists, getting the 20/20 Gama missed in Game 1 and Deon Sterley provides the icing with 16 bench points. We get beat and beat badly and our series lead is cut in half. 2-1.
Final - Denver 86 Memphis 109

Game Four
It's a story we've seen written the past few years, needing to win a pivotal Game 4 on the road to put an opponent on the brink. The chapter's not pretty here, unfortunately, as Ronnie Fry continues to take advantage of Timmy B's injury, abusing us for 31 points. Narcyz Malinomowski bangs around inside for 31 points and 11 rebounds, Bernard Kelly cooly distributes 15 points and 13 assists and Deon Sterley and Lannce Dudley combine for 12 and 11 points off the bench. All we can do is waste 30 points from Mateen Yeaton and the first good bench showing we've all had series in Tzvetan Kishishev's 12 points. And just like that, it's all tied up at two games a piece.
Final - Denver 95 Memphis 120

Much to my surprise, there's no sweeps this season.

Game Five
Home's always a good thing and Tim Butler scores 20, thankful to be back in Denver. Justin Cherry rises off the bench for 27 points, but it comes at a terrible price. Four minutes into the game, Mateen Yeaton shatters his finger, breaking it in two places and ending his season. It's heartbreaking, just as gut-wrenching as the fact as we lose this momentum-changing game. Ronnie Fry (14 points, 14 rebounds), Narcyz Malinomowski (15 points, 13 rebounds) and Bernard Kelly (26 points, 10 assists) all double-double, while Durko Jagr exploits the rookie Cherry for 31 points. A six point loss, a 3-2 series deficit and our season appears as ended as Yeaton's.
Final - Memphis 110 Denver 104

Portland beats Golden State in 5 games, Atlanta puts away division foe Orlando and Cleveland pulls off an unexpected upset in knocking out the three-time defending East champion Raptors in five. To put this in a little more perspective, Toronto's been the East representive 7 of the last 8 years and I can't remember the last time they lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Justin Cherry gets his first ever NBA start in Game 6 and what a pressure-cooker situation for the rookie.

Game Six
Barring a miracle of epic proportions, our season ends here. No miracle here, as we get 15 points off the bench from David Jackson and 10 points and 13 rebounds from Andrew Bynum and that's it. Justin Cherry goes 3 for 4 for 10 points in 19 minutes in his starting debut, but he lands hard on his arm after a shot and has to sit out the rest of the game. In counterpoint, Narcyz Malinomowski scores 20, Ronnie Fry double-doubles for 17 points and 12 rebounds, all five Grizzlies starters score 13 or more and Bernard Kelly finishes us off with 22 points and 14 assists in front of a wildly cheering, standing ovation Memphis home crowd. Oh and Deon Sterley poured salt in our wounds with 10 bench rebounds.
Final - Memphis 97 Denver 77

It's a season for upsets, as the Knicks upend the heavily favored Bobcats in six and the Suns do the same to the Kings.

But the biggest upsets happen in the Game 7 finales, as 8 seed Boston stuns 1 seed Chicago and the two-time defending champion Dallas Mavericks go out in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Wow. Now I don't feel so bad about our own first round exit.

In the next round, the Traiblazers continue the unprecedented postseason by sweeping the Clippers, handing the Red and White another frustrating conclusion to their playoffs.

Atlanta beats Cleveland in five games and the way they're playing, they could be repeating their 2019 performance as the last non-Raptors East Conference representative in the Finals.

Phoenix furthers their dramatic turnaround by ousting the Grizzlies in six, the same margin the Knicks use to eliminate the Cinderella Celtics. How dramatic a turnaround is it? Last season, the Suns were 23-59. Their last winning season was all the way back in 2013 (43-39) and the last time they made the playoffs was 2010, when they won the Pacific with a 50-32 record. That's a 13 year playoff drought, one that frequently got glossed over because of Golden State and New Orleans.

The Suns destroy the Traiblazers hopes of finally reaching the NBA Finals by unexpectedly sweeping Portland. It's the first time since 2009 Phoenix is going to the Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Chicago Bulls. 2007 was the Suns' other Finals appearance since I joined the league and they swept the Bobcats for the title.

Atlanta blows a 3-1 series lead and the New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1998 as they make the improbable comeback, storming for a Game 7 victory that sends the Big Apple into a frenzied celebration.

This sets up the lowest seeding Finals pairing since I've joined the league - 5th seeded New York versus 6th seeded Phoenix. Paradoxical as it may seem, I'm rooting for the Knicks. I mean, their lottery is what allowed me to even break in the business in the first place and I'd love to see Paulinho Buboltz get a ring. He's having a great postseason, averaging 17.1 points, 9.4 assists and 2.1 steals.

And Paulinho Buboltz gets his ring as the Knicks sweep the Suns in four games!!!

Pandemonium erupts in New York City with the Knicks' first championship since 1972. Wow, I can't believe it's been that long. They last won the title about seven seasons before I was even born (1979).

But won they have, ending a 52 year drought. I'm almost as excited about their victory as I would be with another championship for the Nuggets.

Almost.