[Izulde]

Portland. Man, I -hate- this matchup. To the article.

"The Nuggets took another step towards reuniting with the Raptors in another Finals by dispatching the Supersonics in five games. The road gets rocky from here on out though, as the Trailblazers have an extensive history of getting the better of Denver in the regular season. The two have never met in the playoffs during GM Jestor's tenure. However, if the regular season record is anything to go by, the Nuggets are in trouble here.

Point Guard
Zelipe Gama vs. Jerian McCrary
The Gama of old showed up in the first round, averaging 13 points, 10.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks. If Denver wants to keep going, they'll need the Spainard to keep his newly rediscovered form going.

McCrary may be better suited to SG, but so what? He averaged a team-high 22.2 points against the Grizzlies and is adequate enough to get the job done in the passing game with 6.5 assists and 2.2 blocks. At 6'6, 224 lbs, he's going to create matchup problems for Gama, particularly since he's a very nice all-around player with good shooting and scoring instincts and no real weaknesses.

Advantage: Trailblazers

Shooting Guard
Mateen Yeaton vs. Sonny Boxler
Yeaton's another one who's found his old self, ripping Seattle for 21.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.2 blocks. He's focused, he's healthy and he's hungry to shut down the Boxler hype.

But that's going to be hard to do when Boxler's averaging 21.2 points, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks in the playoffs and when he averaged 16.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1.1 steals in the regular season. He's undoubtedly this year's Marcelino Augusto, an explosive talent. One caveat: Despite his ability to make the highlight defensive play, he's still very, very raw on the fundamentals of defense on the NBA level and that's something Yeaton can cash in on. Particularly since Boxler's only 6'3, giving the Nuggets star the height advantage. Boxler's also got a small sprained wrist injury that could affect him slightly.

Advantage: Nuggets

Small Forward
Luol Deng vs. Kevin Durant
Deng didn't make any highlight plays in the opening round; he simply played steady, consistent, quietly effective basketball in racking up 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds. That's the kind of balanced, consistent, unobtrusive play Denver needs out of the SF position and that's something they haven't had the last few years.

Part of Deng's job is going to be shutting Durant, who;s a firecracker in a loaded Trailblazer offense. This is the third time Kevin's been to the playoffs and each time his scoring average has gone down while his rebounding average has gone up. This postseason he's averaging 14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals following a 20 point, 8.9 rebound, 1.4 steal regular season. Good rebounder, good defender, great shooter, smart and disciplined, there's a reason why he's a regular guest on the All-NBA teams.

Advantage: Traiblazers

Power Forward
Marcelino Augusto vs. LaMarcus Aldridge
People have a hard time believing Augusto's just 20 years old when he's putting up MVP-like numbers in the first round of 27 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 1.2 steals against the Supersonics, but it's true. His defense and ballhandling are also rapidly improving and he's beginning to replace Yeaton as Denver's primary scoring option.

Aldrige is a good defender, great shotblocker and excellent rebounder, but his career's been a huge disappointment because he could never fully adjust to the NBA and become the kind of dominant player people hoped he might become. Instead, he's averaging a very quiet 9.2 points, 8.3 rebound and 1.7 blocks in the playoffs and looks every bit his 33 years. If Portland wants to advance, they should have him concentrate solely on shutting Augusto down.

Advantage: Nuggets

Center
Victor Gipson vs. Marcus Honeycutt
Gipson's been one of the most pleasant surprises about Denver's season and he acquited himself well against heralded second year Scott Palmer in the opening round while averaging 8.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and a steal. He's a big boy, physically intimidating who won't back down like Tim Davis was notorious for doing last year.

Honeycutt's a curious case. Coveted by Jestor at times, the 28 year old is a phenomenal defender playing out of position at C. A natural SF, his 6'10, 224 lb body is too slender to go up against the likes of Gipson and he's going to have a very hard time matching his first round output of 14 points and 10.8 rebounds. Gipson isn't The Great Polish Sieve Narcyz Malinomowski after all.

Advantage: Nuggets

Bench
Rico Wolfe proved Jestor's shrewdness in picking up at the deadline from Toronto in scoring 9.4 points against Seattle. More importantly, his defensive skills will help contain the dynamite Portland offense that makes Seattle's look substandard in comparison. David Jackson is a versatile inside player who can spell the frontline well and he's averaging 5 points and 7.6 rebounds thus far in the playoffs. Emeka Okafor provides the interior defense and shotblocking.

Darrell James is a former 3 year starter at PG for the Sacramento Kings and he's been a capable backup around the league since then for the Pacers and now the Trailblazers. He's averaging 7.3 points and 4.7 assists in the playoffs. Charles Howard, this year's 7th overall pick whom Portland stole from the Washington Wizards for Waldemar Althusser is raw, but still averaging 7.1 postseason points and will be an All-Star by the time he's done developing. Sean Bergmann provides the inside muscle with 6.8 points and 6.2 playoff rebounds. However, he's bothered by a sore hamstring. A lot of good defenders on the Portland bench, but no shutdown defender like Okafor.

Advantage: Portland

Final Thoughts
Never once in their three year streak as West Conference champions have the Denver Nuggets met an opponent that matches up so well with them before the Finals. Portland has the offense, the defense and the depth to be able to beat the Nuggets and the gold rush ends here. The Trailblazers will ensure a new West Conference champion this series.
Prediction: Portland in 6

....Thanks for the confidence, guys. Yes I'm sweating out this series, but I still think we've got it in us to win.

Game One
This is what you call a statement game. Where one team gets really, really pissed off and blows the doors off the other team. Victor Gipson was the most impassioned, rattling Marcus Honeycutt for 25 points and 10 rebounds. Mateen Yeaton sneered in Sonny Boxler's face and scored 25 points, while Marcelino Augusto put up 18 points and 11 rebounds. David Jackson went on the hunt for his Best Damn 6th Man in the World title back and came up with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Rico Wolfe added 13 points off the bench. All the Trailblazers could do in the face of this Nuggets fury was 22 points from Kevin Durant, 14 bench points from Charles Howard, who I still can't believe the Trailblazers managed to get, and Joel Freeland's 11 bench rebounds. In short, a 34 point ass-kicking that told the Trailblazers they're going to have work their tails off if they want to steal our West Conference crown.
Final - Portland 90 Denver 124

Game Two
The Trailblazers get up off the mat in Game 2, Kevin Durant leading the surge with an impressive 22 points and 9 rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge and Marcus Honeycutt double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds and 12 points and 13 rebounds respectively. But Mateen Yeaton and Marcelino Augusto step up with 23 points a piece, David Jackson pulls down 13 bench rebounds and Rico Wolfe continues to be our second team sparkplug with 15 points. A solid win to seize the 2-0 series lead. What's this about Portland winning in 6 again?
Final - Portland 83 Denver 94

Game Three
On we travel to Portland and I know the Trailblazers are in defensive mode now. They've been beaten soundly two games in a row and they need to at least split, if not outright sweep these next two contests if they want to stay alive in this series. Kevin Durant has his third straight super game in the series with 32 points, LaMarcus Aldridge double-doubles with 11 points and 12 rebounds and Marcus Honeycutt somehow scores 23 points. We just can't answer them, held to 36.6% shooting and our lone highlights are Zelipe Gama's 12 points and 12 assists and Rico Wolfe's 10 bench points. We're the ones to get blasted away this time and the series goes to 2-1.
Final - Denver 88 Portland 109

Game Four
This one's the most critical game of the series to this point. We win and the Traiblazers have their backs to the wall. Portland wins and we've got a whole new series on our hands. Zelipe Gama's been taking a lot of flak from the media about how he's virtually disappeared this postseason and this series in particular and so he gets his revenge here by scoring 26. Mateen Yeaton comes up with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Victor Gipson's right there with him, netting 17 points and 13 rebounds. Portland's only real counter is LaMarcus Aldridge's 19 points and 10 rebounds. Decent series so far by Aldridge, but when we're shooting 51.8% from the floor, teams simply can't stop us. We avenge the 21 point loss in Game with a 21 point win in this one and we're on the verge of going back to the West Conference finals at 3-1.
Final - Denver 100 Portland 79

Just one sweep in the second round and it's Detroit knocking out the upstart Knicks. I'm privately pleased to see New York still isn't back to the promised land and I secretly hope they never win a title as long as I'm in the league.

Game Five
Kevin Durant doesn't want the series to end here and he scores 22 points. Marcus Honeycutt plays a valuable second with 12 points and 16 rebounds and all five Trailblazer starters score in double digits. On our end, Marcelino Augusto scores 28 points and Zelipe Gama is still mad, pummeling Portland for 21 points and 10 assists. David Jackson grabs 10 bench rebounds. Yet, even these men were not the angriest Nugget of them all. For our star, the one who's been dogged by doubts from everywhere in the media; newspapers, television, the Internet, by naysayers all season long, saying that once the clock struck 30, he was done. Mateen Yeaton isn't done, not by a long shot and he emphatically makes that point in taking Player of the Game with 30 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. He's had an absolutely fantastic series and most dramatically and significantly, he absolutely schooled Sonny Boxler, holding the rookie phenom to 34.3% shooting and a 12.4 point per game average. By comparison, Yeaton averaged 22.6 points a game in the five game series. In short, it's a massacre and we triumphantly march back to the conference finals!! Take that, doubting media!!!
Final - Portland 96 Denver 118

Nobody else ends their series in five games, but the Raptors shake off the Magic in 6 games, moving the chains another notch forward in the march towards a fourth straight Raptors/Nuggets Finals. Even better, the Spurs refuse to lie down to a 3-1 Lakers lead and force a Game 7. Although the Purple and Gold finally prevailed in the decisive game, the fact that it took the Lakers so long to advance to the conference finals against us has to take its toll on their collective psyche. They also only get one day of rest.

And so, for the first time this playoffs, we'll be facing a familiar postseason foe.