Mile High City vs. Big Easy
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
It’s the biggest surprise of the 2008-09 season in the Western Conference – maybe in the entire NBA – against the team that delivered the most notable breakthrough performance of last season. It’s the Mile High City vs. the Big Easy, the latter a rare American metro area that was built below sea level.
It’s a Nuggets team that features two former Hornets players, squaring off against a Hornets club with three ex-Nuggets.
The first-round series pitting Denver and New Orleans includes several interesting parallels and contrasts. In many ways, this ’09 Nuggets postseason appearance mirrors that of the ’08 Hornets. Much like last season’s Hornets, very few outside observers expected much of Denver, which was projected to miss the playoffs by virtually everyone. In fact, in ESPN.com’s excellent NBA season preview, none of the website’s 10 writers picked the Nuggets to reach the postseason, with an average projection of a 10th-place finish in the formidable Western Conference.
Instead, George Karl-coached Denver zoomed to the top of the Northwest Division standings and sealed an unexpected No. 2 seed on the final night of the regular season. It was just the Nuggets’ second division crown over the past 20 years.
Sound familiar? It should. Prior to the 2007-08 season, the Hornets were considered a fringe playoff team, expected to potentially vie for perhaps a No. 7 or No. 8 seed. Instead, with Byron Scott garnering Coach of the Year honors, New Orleans compiled a 56-26 record, the best mark in franchise history (the 2008-09 Nuggets tied their best-ever regular season). The Hornets managed to secure the second seed in the West last year, doing so on the penultimate night of the regular season.
Among the other intriguing storylines of this series will be the return to the Crescent City of current Denver reserves J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen. Smith was New Orleans’ first-round draft pick in 2004, while Andersen became a cult hero among Hornets fans for his energetic and inspired play during the team’s otherwise forgettable 2004-05 season. Neither Smith nor Andersen ever got the opportunity to appear in a playoff game while in New Orleans, but will do so as a visiting player this time.
Although it will likely receive considerably less media attention than Smith and Andersen getting a chance to face their former team, as it turns out, New Orleans has more ex-Nuggets than Denver has ex-Hornets. James Posey, Ryan Bowen and Devin Brown all played for Denver early in their NBA careers. In fact, Posey and Bowen were both Nuggets draft picks who spent a combined 8 ½ seasons in Denver (Brown’s Nuggets background is considerably briefer – he appeared in three games for them during the 2002-03 season).
The Hornets and Nuggets split their four-game regular season series in 2008-09, with both teams prevailing once on the other’s home floor. New Orleans won the first matchup, a national TV game on Thanksgiving, as well as a Jan. 28 home game. Denver notched a home win on Jan. 3, and took the only matchup that took place after the All-Star break, March 25 in NOLA.
Here’s a look at the projected lineups for both teams:
Without question, this is the marquee individual matchup of the series, one that will receive considerable attention from around the NBA. It’s not often that you see a previous regular season MVP runner-up square off against a past NBA Finals MVP at the same position, but that’s what you have here. Both players turned in phenomenal regular seasons. Paul actually improved upon the statistics he compiled last season, when he took second place in MVP voting behind Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, from a team-results standpoint, you could argue that this has been the most impressive season of Billups’ 12-year NBA career. His arrival in Denver via a trade from Detroit on Nov. 3 was the impetus behind the Nuggets going from mediocre to the elite of the West. In head-to-head matchups prior to this season, the durable 6-foot-3 Billups had given the 6-foot Paul trouble, a big factor in Detroit’s success over New Orleans. However, Paul held the upper hand over this season’s four games. Billups shot only 35 percent from the field and averaged 4.8 assists vs. the Hornets, below his season stats of 41 percent and 6.4 assists.
Prior to the season, it would have been an extreme reach to believe that Butler and Jones would be opposing each other as starters for 2009 NBA playoff teams. Butler received DNPs for the final two months of last season and entered this campaign hoping just to cement a spot in the Hornets’ rotation. He ended up emerging as New Orleans’ most improved player, moved into the starting lineup in mid-November, and was the team’s fourth-leading scorer. He has improved defensively this season, but his most important job is to help spread the floor for CP3 by draining open perimeter shots. Butler has been a clutch shooter all season, highlighted by memorable buzzer-beaters in Sacramento and Miami. His counterpart, Jones, is regarded as a journeyman, underlined by the fact that he earned a free-agent contract partly by suiting up for Denver’s summer-league team last July. At 6-foot-6, Jones is an excellent defender and one of several athletic Nuggets. His offensive role has been limited; despite starting 71 games in the regular season, Jones was Denver’s eighth-leading scorer at 5.4 points per game.
It’s likely that these players won’t be matched up against each other very often at the Nuggets’ offensive end of the floor, where stronger defender Butler may slide over to guard Anthony. That would allow Stojakovic to cover the less offensive-minded Jones. The latter portion of Stojakovic’s 2008-09 season was hampered greatly by injuries, with him missing 15 consecutive games beginning March 5 due to a back ailment. Over the final eight games of the regular season, the native of Serbia averaged 10.1 points and shot just 35 percent from the field. His offensive production could be pivotal in determining how deep New Orleans advances in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Anthony averaged his fewest points since 2004-05, but has been credited with improving in other aspects of the game including defense, one factor in the Nuggets’ overall success as a team. He was very solid in his three outings against New Orleans this season, averaging 25.0 points and shooting 51.9 percent from the floor (his season numbers in those categories were 22.8 and 44.3).
West and Martin, a former standout under Byron Scott in New Jersey, bring contrasting styles of play to this matchup. West is one of the most skilled big men in the NBA, possessing the proven ability to draw defenders away from the basket by consistently connecting on 20-foot shots. He also sprinkles in a few low-post moves and mid-range attempts that make him a versatile offensive threat. Meanwhile, the bulk of Martin’s offensive production comes from close-range buckets around the hoop including layups, short hooks or dunks. His performance has dropped off in three previous postseason trips with Denver, partly because the slower tempo of the playoffs has not allowed him to thrive on high-percentage fast-break scores. However, perhaps more importantly, the 6-foot-9 Martin is one of Denver’s feared shot-blockers on defense and will be asked to try to limit West’s scoring ability. West, who increased his scoring average for the fifth consecutive year during the regular season, was tremendous for the Hornets during the ’08 playoffs, averaging 21.2 points and 8.5 rebounds.
Chandler’s health is the biggest X-factor of the 2009 playoffs for the Hornets. After severely spraining his ankle in the Jan. 19 game against Indiana, Chandler missed two extended periods of time due to the injury. His second return did not occur until Wednesday at San Antonio, the final game of the regular season. How critical was it that the Hornets have the 7-foot-1 pivot in the lineup? New Orleans won two-thirds of its games (30-15) when he played, but was barely .500 without him (19-18). With most media members focusing on Billups’ arrival and the impact he’s made, Nene has been an underrated part of Denver’s success this season. After the Nuggets unloaded Marcus Camby to the Clippers during the 2008 offseason in a salary cap-related move, it was expected that Denver would have a difficult time replacing Camby’s production. However, Nene has given Denver a legitimate low-post scoring option for the first time in recent memory (Camby was a jump-shooting center) and been extremely efficient, shooting 60.4 percent from the field, second-best in the league behind Shaquille O’Neal.
BENCH
Hornets
James Posey was acquired during the offseason partly based on his ability to play lockdown defense against talented opponents. That skill could become critical during this series. When the Nuggets use Anthony and J.R. Smith at the same time, it will likely require that Posey defend one of them. … Sean Marks has been the most consistent backup big man for New Orleans, especially in the second half of the season. … Antonio Daniels has played relatively limited minutes since his arrival in December, but at times he’s been on the floor at the same time as Paul in a two-point guard alignment. ... Melvin Ely moved back into the rotation late in the regular season, including starting four games this season when Chandler could not play. … Devin Brown took over the backup shooting guard role recently and was on the floor in crunch time of several March and April games.
Nuggets
J.R. Smith is Denver’s most dangerous reserve, an explosive scorer who is capable of putting up 30-plus points with a barrage of three-pointers and athletic moves. Despite coming off the bench 63 times, Smith was the Nuggets’ third-leading scorer. … In his second stint with the Nuggets, Chris Andersen rejuvenated his career. He led the NBA in blocks per 48 minutes (a staggering 5.75) and averaged 6.2 rebounds in 20.6 minutes. … Forward Linas Kleiza has a football player’s build (6-foot-8, 245 pounds) but is comfortable on the perimeter, attempting 267 three-pointers this season. … Anthony Carter is a defensive-minded guard who may see extended time guarding Chris Paul. … Renaldo Balkman doesn’t always get on the floor (53 appearances), but when he does, the bundle of energy is capable of creating havoc on the boards and on defense.
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
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No. 2 Denver (54-28) vs. No. 7 New Orleans (49-33) |
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It’s the biggest surprise of the 2008-09 season in the Western Conference – maybe in the entire NBA – against the team that delivered the most notable breakthrough performance of last season. It’s the Mile High City vs. the Big Easy, the latter a rare American metro area that was built below sea level.
It’s a Nuggets team that features two former Hornets players, squaring off against a Hornets club with three ex-Nuggets.
The first-round series pitting Denver and New Orleans includes several interesting parallels and contrasts. In many ways, this ’09 Nuggets postseason appearance mirrors that of the ’08 Hornets. Much like last season’s Hornets, very few outside observers expected much of Denver, which was projected to miss the playoffs by virtually everyone. In fact, in ESPN.com’s excellent NBA season preview, none of the website’s 10 writers picked the Nuggets to reach the postseason, with an average projection of a 10th-place finish in the formidable Western Conference.
Instead, George Karl-coached Denver zoomed to the top of the Northwest Division standings and sealed an unexpected No. 2 seed on the final night of the regular season. It was just the Nuggets’ second division crown over the past 20 years.
Sound familiar? It should. Prior to the 2007-08 season, the Hornets were considered a fringe playoff team, expected to potentially vie for perhaps a No. 7 or No. 8 seed. Instead, with Byron Scott garnering Coach of the Year honors, New Orleans compiled a 56-26 record, the best mark in franchise history (the 2008-09 Nuggets tied their best-ever regular season). The Hornets managed to secure the second seed in the West last year, doing so on the penultimate night of the regular season.
Among the other intriguing storylines of this series will be the return to the Crescent City of current Denver reserves J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen. Smith was New Orleans’ first-round draft pick in 2004, while Andersen became a cult hero among Hornets fans for his energetic and inspired play during the team’s otherwise forgettable 2004-05 season. Neither Smith nor Andersen ever got the opportunity to appear in a playoff game while in New Orleans, but will do so as a visiting player this time.
Although it will likely receive considerably less media attention than Smith and Andersen getting a chance to face their former team, as it turns out, New Orleans has more ex-Nuggets than Denver has ex-Hornets. James Posey, Ryan Bowen and Devin Brown all played for Denver early in their NBA careers. In fact, Posey and Bowen were both Nuggets draft picks who spent a combined 8 ½ seasons in Denver (Brown’s Nuggets background is considerably briefer – he appeared in three games for them during the 2002-03 season).
The Hornets and Nuggets split their four-game regular season series in 2008-09, with both teams prevailing once on the other’s home floor. New Orleans won the first matchup, a national TV game on Thanksgiving, as well as a Jan. 28 home game. Denver notched a home win on Jan. 3, and took the only matchup that took place after the All-Star break, March 25 in NOLA.
Here’s a look at the projected lineups for both teams:
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POINT GUARD Chris Paul vs. Chauncey Billups |
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Without question, this is the marquee individual matchup of the series, one that will receive considerable attention from around the NBA. It’s not often that you see a previous regular season MVP runner-up square off against a past NBA Finals MVP at the same position, but that’s what you have here. Both players turned in phenomenal regular seasons. Paul actually improved upon the statistics he compiled last season, when he took second place in MVP voting behind Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, from a team-results standpoint, you could argue that this has been the most impressive season of Billups’ 12-year NBA career. His arrival in Denver via a trade from Detroit on Nov. 3 was the impetus behind the Nuggets going from mediocre to the elite of the West. In head-to-head matchups prior to this season, the durable 6-foot-3 Billups had given the 6-foot Paul trouble, a big factor in Detroit’s success over New Orleans. However, Paul held the upper hand over this season’s four games. Billups shot only 35 percent from the field and averaged 4.8 assists vs. the Hornets, below his season stats of 41 percent and 6.4 assists.
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SHOOTING GUARD Rasual Butler vs. Dahntay Jones |
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Prior to the season, it would have been an extreme reach to believe that Butler and Jones would be opposing each other as starters for 2009 NBA playoff teams. Butler received DNPs for the final two months of last season and entered this campaign hoping just to cement a spot in the Hornets’ rotation. He ended up emerging as New Orleans’ most improved player, moved into the starting lineup in mid-November, and was the team’s fourth-leading scorer. He has improved defensively this season, but his most important job is to help spread the floor for CP3 by draining open perimeter shots. Butler has been a clutch shooter all season, highlighted by memorable buzzer-beaters in Sacramento and Miami. His counterpart, Jones, is regarded as a journeyman, underlined by the fact that he earned a free-agent contract partly by suiting up for Denver’s summer-league team last July. At 6-foot-6, Jones is an excellent defender and one of several athletic Nuggets. His offensive role has been limited; despite starting 71 games in the regular season, Jones was Denver’s eighth-leading scorer at 5.4 points per game.
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SMALL FORWARD Peja Stojakovic vs. Carmelo Anthony |
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It’s likely that these players won’t be matched up against each other very often at the Nuggets’ offensive end of the floor, where stronger defender Butler may slide over to guard Anthony. That would allow Stojakovic to cover the less offensive-minded Jones. The latter portion of Stojakovic’s 2008-09 season was hampered greatly by injuries, with him missing 15 consecutive games beginning March 5 due to a back ailment. Over the final eight games of the regular season, the native of Serbia averaged 10.1 points and shot just 35 percent from the field. His offensive production could be pivotal in determining how deep New Orleans advances in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Anthony averaged his fewest points since 2004-05, but has been credited with improving in other aspects of the game including defense, one factor in the Nuggets’ overall success as a team. He was very solid in his three outings against New Orleans this season, averaging 25.0 points and shooting 51.9 percent from the floor (his season numbers in those categories were 22.8 and 44.3).
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POWER FORWARD David West vs. Kenyon Martin |
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West and Martin, a former standout under Byron Scott in New Jersey, bring contrasting styles of play to this matchup. West is one of the most skilled big men in the NBA, possessing the proven ability to draw defenders away from the basket by consistently connecting on 20-foot shots. He also sprinkles in a few low-post moves and mid-range attempts that make him a versatile offensive threat. Meanwhile, the bulk of Martin’s offensive production comes from close-range buckets around the hoop including layups, short hooks or dunks. His performance has dropped off in three previous postseason trips with Denver, partly because the slower tempo of the playoffs has not allowed him to thrive on high-percentage fast-break scores. However, perhaps more importantly, the 6-foot-9 Martin is one of Denver’s feared shot-blockers on defense and will be asked to try to limit West’s scoring ability. West, who increased his scoring average for the fifth consecutive year during the regular season, was tremendous for the Hornets during the ’08 playoffs, averaging 21.2 points and 8.5 rebounds.
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CENTER Tyson Chander vs. Nene |
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Chandler’s health is the biggest X-factor of the 2009 playoffs for the Hornets. After severely spraining his ankle in the Jan. 19 game against Indiana, Chandler missed two extended periods of time due to the injury. His second return did not occur until Wednesday at San Antonio, the final game of the regular season. How critical was it that the Hornets have the 7-foot-1 pivot in the lineup? New Orleans won two-thirds of its games (30-15) when he played, but was barely .500 without him (19-18). With most media members focusing on Billups’ arrival and the impact he’s made, Nene has been an underrated part of Denver’s success this season. After the Nuggets unloaded Marcus Camby to the Clippers during the 2008 offseason in a salary cap-related move, it was expected that Denver would have a difficult time replacing Camby’s production. However, Nene has given Denver a legitimate low-post scoring option for the first time in recent memory (Camby was a jump-shooting center) and been extremely efficient, shooting 60.4 percent from the field, second-best in the league behind Shaquille O’Neal.
BENCH
Hornets
James Posey was acquired during the offseason partly based on his ability to play lockdown defense against talented opponents. That skill could become critical during this series. When the Nuggets use Anthony and J.R. Smith at the same time, it will likely require that Posey defend one of them. … Sean Marks has been the most consistent backup big man for New Orleans, especially in the second half of the season. … Antonio Daniels has played relatively limited minutes since his arrival in December, but at times he’s been on the floor at the same time as Paul in a two-point guard alignment. ... Melvin Ely moved back into the rotation late in the regular season, including starting four games this season when Chandler could not play. … Devin Brown took over the backup shooting guard role recently and was on the floor in crunch time of several March and April games.
Nuggets
J.R. Smith is Denver’s most dangerous reserve, an explosive scorer who is capable of putting up 30-plus points with a barrage of three-pointers and athletic moves. Despite coming off the bench 63 times, Smith was the Nuggets’ third-leading scorer. … In his second stint with the Nuggets, Chris Andersen rejuvenated his career. He led the NBA in blocks per 48 minutes (a staggering 5.75) and averaged 6.2 rebounds in 20.6 minutes. … Forward Linas Kleiza has a football player’s build (6-foot-8, 245 pounds) but is comfortable on the perimeter, attempting 267 three-pointers this season. … Anthony Carter is a defensive-minded guard who may see extended time guarding Chris Paul. … Renaldo Balkman doesn’t always get on the floor (53 appearances), but when he does, the bundle of energy is capable of creating havoc on the boards and on defense.
