Nuggets make a quick exit from NBA playoffs

A season full of high hopes turned into another season full of disappointment for the Denver Nuggets. The team was eliminated from the 2010 NBA Playoffs at the hands of the Utah Jazz, who won the series 4-2. The Nuggets looked lethargic all series, and never seemed to get into the rhythm which won them 53 games during the regular season. After watching the six-game series, there is no doubt that the Jazz were the better team and fully deserved to advance into the next round. 

The Nuggets were looked at as one of the top teams in the NBA during most of the season. Carmelo Anthony had a hot start to the year, which put him in the discussion for MVP early on. Their season was also given a spark by rookie point guard Ty Lawson, who shot 51.5% from the field, including 41% on three-pointers. Much of the excitement of the Nuggets was provided by hometown hero Chauncey Billups. He grew up in Denver before playing basketball at CU-Boulder. He played 45 games for the Nuggets during the 1998-99 season before making starting his second stint with the team last season. This year, he had his highest career points per game average.

However, disappointment has been the theme of recent Nuggets history. They have made the playoffs in each of their last seven seasons and been eliminated in the first round during six of them. The one time when the Nuggets have had playoff success came last season, when they won series against New Orleans and Dallas before losing in the Conference finals to the Los Angeles Lakers (who won the NBA championship). Their exciting playoff run last year created much hype for this season. Add that to a very successful regular season, and the hopes were high for this year’s playoffs. 

Many eyed redemption against the Lakers, who are currently battling the Jazz in the second round. The Lakers look primed to make another trip to the finals, as they have already taken a 2-0 lead on the Jazz. Meanwhile in the East, LeBron and the Cavaliers were embarrassed at home by the Celtics on Monday. They’ll look to bounce back this Friday, and may rematch the Orlando Magic in the next round, who eliminated them from last season’s playoffs. The Nuggets will have to view the rest of these playoffs from the sidelines. 

The consensus from Nuggets fans is that the biggest factor in the Nuggets defeat was missing Coach George Karl, who has led the Nuggets to a 278-172 record in his six-year career with the team. Karl has been on a leave of absence from the team since mid-February when he was diagnosed with neck and throat cancer. Adrian Dantley, the Nuggets assistant coach, filled in during Karl’s absence. The team didn’t play particularly well during the end of the regular season under Dantley, a trend that continued into the playoffs. Whether Dantley is to blame for the Nuggets’ demise is a tough question to answer, but it is clear that he won’t be getting an NBA head coaching job anytime soon. 

Many originally believed that the Nuggets would win this series easily, as the Jazz were missing a couple key players due to injury. However, things looked down when the Nuggets lost game two on their home court. After losing two more games in Utah, they won game five at home, before being eliminated in game six. They also lost their Brazilian big man, Nene, during game five. This was a crucial injury for an already undersized Nuggets team. 

As for George Karl, this is the second time he’s had to fight cancer. In 2005, he recovered from prostate cancer. He has had more difficulty this time, as he had to take an extended leave of absence from the team, and undergo a six-week chemotherapy program. He has also been hospitalized twice during his recovery. The team, and the fans, hope to have him back as soon as possible.