[Izulde]

World's Best Damn 6th Man Turns Ninja
Nuggets set to take on Jazz in Opening Round

David Jackson hasn't been as noticeable a presence this season in the statlines and that's just fine with the outspoken 26 year old. In fact, it's led the former self-proclaimed World's Best Damn 6th Man to give himself a new nickname: 50 Ninja.

"See, people don't know I'm there; opponents don't know I'm there. But then you look, you see I'm shooting over 50% from the floor. That's me, man. I'm all invisible, stealthy like ninja, killing you with my shots before you know what hit you. 50 Cent don't got nothing on me man, cuz I've got the mad hoops ninja skills. I'm 50 Ninja and ain't nobody can hang with me", Jackson recently commented in an interview.

When it was pointed out that he's only averaging 9.4 points a game, the lowest of the Nuggets starters, Jackson answered, "Well see, that's just because we got my homeboys Marcelino Augusto and Mateen Yeaton to put up the action while I'm sneaky down low, sniping those unsuspecting fools. You put me on a team without those two, I'd be hitting 15-20 points a game, easy."

The wildly popular starting SF also has a rap album coming out titled Hoops Ninja and he gave us a lyrics sample of the title track "Hoops Ninja".

My shots be sharp like motherf---in' shruikens
I'm more mysterious than the Rosicrucians
You don't get no stays of execution
What! Homeboy!
Didn't think ya could win, now didja?
Cuz I'm the numba one, macdaddy hoops ninja.

While it's uncertain how Jackson's music career will pan out, what does seem clear is that the Nuggets stand a good chance of defending their title. As it did last year, the playoff run begins against a divisional opponent, in this case the Jazz.

Point Guard
Zelipe Gama vs. A.J. Dunkley
Head coach Jim O'Brien told Gama over the offseason to focus on returning to his roots as a passer and the Spainard was largely successful, putting up 12.7 points, 10 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.5 steals in the regular season. More significantly, he cut his turnovers per game, going from 3.2 last season to 2.5 this year.

Dunkley's an extremely talented passer and a better scorer than Gama, averaging 12.6 points, 10.4 assists and 1.2 steals in the regular season. However, the Nuggets PG has better defensive skills than Dunkley and a size advantage, making this matchup a wash.

Advantage: Draw

Shooting Guard
Mateen Yeaton vs. Chris Gearheart
Last year's Finals MVP picked up right where he left off in the postseason, averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.6 steals in the regular season. He's a highlight reel on both ends of the court and he's hungry to win another title in addition to last year's long-awaited championship. He may be 31, but there's no signs of slippage.

Gearheart was a blockbuster free agent signing for the Jazz and he posted a career high 19.2 points, block and 1.3 steals in the regular season. He's a dynamite scorer who, much to the worriment of Nuggets fans, has the size (6'7, 222 lbs) and the defensive skill to match up with Yeaton, the superstar's Achilles heel. Gearheart, whose game GM Jestor has long publically lauded, is also a proven playoff warrior.

Advantage: Draw

Small Forward
David Jackson vs. Grant Fomby
50 Ninja has quiet regular-season averages of 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and a block, but he shot 53% in the regular season and knows how to pick his spots carefully. He's also a great passer and ballhandler for a forward and keeps getting better with more starts. His defense is, much like the rest of his game, underrated.

Fomby's not quite as choosy a shooter as Jackson, but he takes more of them, as evidenced by his 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds line. There's almost an 80 pound difference between the two and Fomby's defense isn't as good as Jackson's, so it's clear to see that the path of the Ninja will have the advantage here, even if they're pretty evenly matched in all other areas. Even better for Jackson, he recently signed a 5 year contract extension with a $6 million base and a 9% raise each year after that.

Advantage: Nuggets

Power Forward
Marcelino Augusto vs. Henry Fisher
The league scoring champion and MVP candidate needs no introduction. 26.9 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and a steal per game and continual improvemnt on the few weak areas of his game. Actually, let's face it, the only -real- weakness Augusto has is that he's 6'9, 217, but he has the overwhelming talent to play like he's 7', 300 lbs. Just a brilliant player, the greatest of his generation.

Jestor once called Fisher the best PF of a weak class and he's gone on to fulfill that prophecy. A dazzling tour de force on offense, the 23 year old, 5th year Jazz PF, taken 10th overall in 2015 by the Trailblazers, has developed into a 23.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game player. But his shining offensive exploits are counterbalanced by mediocre ballhandling ability and absolutely atrocious defense. He's also not the biggest PF at 6'8, 245 lbs and the matchup between these two great fours is going to be fascinating to watch.

Advantage: Nuggets

Center
Andrew Bogut vs. Terrence Howard
At 35, Bogut is a good, but no longer great center. He averaged 9.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and a steal during the regular season, split between Milwaukee and Denver. The nice thing is, unlike the Bucks, he doesn't have to generate much offense; he can just concentrate on grabbing rebounds and using his 7' frame to be a space-eater and draw defenders off of Augusto.

Howard, another former 1st round Trailblazers pick who made his way to the Jazz (12th overall, 2012), is, like Fisher, an underrated player who's blossomed into a fine athlete. 17.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks testify to the quality well-roundedness of his game as well as to the validity of his being selected to five straight All-Star teams. Terrible free throw shooter though and not the best defender. Still more than a match for the taller Bogut, though.

Advantage: Jazz

Bench
Rico Wolfe is still the sublime sniper off the bench, averaging 8.7 points and bringing toughness and solid perimeter defense. Victor Gipson averaged 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks and while not as flashy as a sub as David Jackson was, the former starter is still a bruising nightmare against weaker bench competition. Louis Mertens averaged 4.5 points and 4 assists as a reserve and is absolutely dazzling to watch direct the offense.

Marvin Williams is the every-position reserve who averaged 7 points a game thanks to his versatility. Not exceptional by any means, though. Andris Biedrins averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds and should be a good challenger to Gipson in second unit time. Kyle Lowry posted regular season averages of 4.2 points and 3.9 assists and while nowhere near the ball wizard that Mertens is, he's also a much more accomplished defender.

Advantage: Nuggets

Final Thoughts
Utah matches up very well with Denver, with not much separating the teams even in the areas the Nuggets have the advantage. This is a tough draw, but in the end, the composite talent level and depth favors the defending champions. This isn't going to be any sweep, though.
Prediction: Nuggets in 6

That's actually fair and I wouldn't have been surprised to see the pick be us in the full 7. This is not a fun match for us by any means.

Game One
Great statement game to open the series as we can't miss anything, shooting 54.4% on the night. Mateen Yeaton showed the hunger's still there, netting 30 points. Marcelino Augusto has something to prove as well and he starts off with 28 points. Andrew Bogut grabs 15 points and 12 rebounds, Zelipe Gama 12 points and 10 assists. Terrence Howard abuses Bogut for 23 points and 10 rebounds and Kyle Lowry scores 10 points off the bench, but it still can't stop our emphatic victory.
Final - Utah 87 Denver 105

Game Two
High-scoring game as Henry Fisher kicks into gear for 22 points, Terrence Howard adds 16 points and 14 rebounds and Utah's reserves continue to outplay our bench, Marvin Williams with 14 points and Kyle Lowry with 12. But who needs a good bench when you've got 4 players with 20+ points. Mateen Yeaton scores 25, Marcelino Augusto 23 and David Jackson and Zelipe Gama both 20. 50 Ninja also puts up 9 rebounds as we win the shootout by a comfortable margin, taking the 2-0 lead.
Final - Utah 100 Denver 113

Game Three
Now, I'm not thinking in terms of sweep as we head to Utah. It'd be nice, but as I said before, the Jazz are much better than their record and seeding. Or maybe not. Henry Fisher is absolutely astounding with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 8 blocks and a steal, but nobody helps him out and that's not going to cut it when Marcelino Augusto's scoring 29 points, Zelipe Gama's surging for 20 points and 13 assists and our bench is ending their silence with 10 and 12 points respectively from Victor Gipson and Rico Wolfe. It's a rout and we may be looking at a sweep after all.
Final - Denver 111 Utah 92

Bad news on the injury front. Mateen Yeaton's back flares up and Victor Gipson sprains his wrist. We need to get this series done quickly.

Game Four
A fired-up Jazz team in front of their homecourt and our superstar SG hurt. Yeah, this isn't a good recipe for a sweep. Henry Fisher scores 20 points and Marvin Williams and Andris Biedrins lead Utah's second team with 13 and 10 points a piece. Like what always happens when Mateen Yeaton's hurt, we fall apart on offense, even with Marcelino Augusto's 22 points and 10 rebounds and Andrew Bogut's 11 points and 14 rebounds. Even though it's going to be Augusto that gets the MVP consideration, Yeaton's truly our most valuable player. 3-1 and we go to a fifth game.
Final - Denver 86 Utah 91

The good news is, the only sweep was in the East, Atlanta sending Cleveland home in four. It's too bad the Hawks don't have a legitimate superstar or they'd be truly scary.

Game Five
Back in Denver and I'd really like to close it out here to give Mateen Yeaton time to heal up. What follows is the most evenly matched game of this series so far. Marcelino Augusto rises up for 29 points and 13 rebounds and Zelipe Gama goes on a hot shooting streak for 25 points. But Henry Fisher continues his lights out series with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Grant Fomby gets 11 points and 10 rebounds, Chris Gearheart finally breaks out for 20 points and A.J. Dunkley plays his way to 17 points and 11 assists. But the true dagger in the heart is the ressurected spectre of Shawne Williams, who reprises his Nugget Killer role with 10 bench points to give the Jazz the 2-point win. Now it's 3-2 and we're suddenly facing a real challenge.
Final - Utah 108 Denver 106

Every other series is going at least six games, save for the Knicks eliminating the Bucks in five. New York's become an interesting team the last few years and really are back as a good, legit playoff team again. Good news for the NBA, I guess, though not as good as a continued Toronto/Denver Finals rivalry would be.

Game Six
And so off we go to Salt Lake City again. I'm going to feel really salty if we lose. Marcelino Augusto scores 21 points, Victor Gipson snags 11 bench rebounds and I'd feel remiss if I failed to point out David "50 Ninja" Jackson's 19 points on 8 of 11 from the floor, particularly given the low-scoring game. We hold the Jazz to 38.8% shooting, even with Chris Gearheart's 21 points and Terrence Howard's 16 points and 10 rebounds. It's not a pretty win, but it gets us the series victory and critical healing time for Mateen Yeaton.
Final - Denver 99 Utah 77

Orlando eliminates Philadelphia, Dallas punts Portland and Minnesota knocks off San Antonio. Yep, that's exactly what it means. Toronto's being taken to a Game 7 by the Pistons. Sacramento and Seattle are also going the full seven.

The high seed wins out in both cases, the Raptors disposing of the Pistons 103-89 and the Kings taking care of the Sonics 97-86. I'm glad to see Toronto win, because despite our 1-4 record in the Finals against them, it's been a thrilling rivalry, good for basketball.

D-League
The Timberjacks crush the Sea Dogs 92-56 in Round 1 and our Tzvetan Kishishev wins Game MVP with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. Great to see and it really gives me high hopes that he'll be a presence on next year's Nuggets.