Sorry, this is about sports, part MCMXLMM
Right now is probably the peak, the most glorious moment of the 2006-2007 season for a Denver Nuggets fan such as myself. It's been quite a rollercoaster of a year: they were strong out of the gate, and Carmelo Anthony was the leading scorer in the league about 20 games into the season. And then he became the league leader in sucker punches one ill-fated night at Madison Square Garden, and I figured the season was over.
But then a blockbuster trade brought All-Star Allen Iverson to Denver. And then I figured the next 4 or 5 seasons were over. But "A.I." managed to keep the team afloat, and their record around .500, during Melo's suspension. Perhaps I judged Mr. Iverson too quickly.
Then Melo returned and the Nugs had a couple of big wins, and started talking like they were a force to be reckoned with. "Just wait 'til we have time to really start gelling," etc.
Then they alternated between little winning streaks and losing streaks, all the while floating around .500, sometimes a game or two over, sometimes a game or two under.
And then a 7-game winning streak came along at the most crucial time. And this was quite a winning streak indeed -- they beat the Mighty Dallas Mavericks (by the very un-Nuggets-like score of 75-71), the Goddamn L.A. Lakers, and finally on Wednesday a road win over the division-leading Utah Jazz. This victory clinched a playoff spot, and put them in the driver's seat for the #6 seed.
So this is the time to rejoice, because I can only believe that it's downhill from here. Tonight they will visit the New Orleans Hornets in Oklahoma City (I guess they're not done mopping the basketball arena in New Orleans yet). I predict they will annoy the shit out of me by losing this game for no good reason. I haven't looked at the schedule to see what the last 5 games will be, but assuming they win at least a couple of them, they will probably be the number 6 seed, which means that they will be crushed in the first round by the Formidable San Antonio Spurs, who are as good a bet to win the Championship this year as any other team.
Thank you, then, to the Denver Nuggets, for an exciting (at times too exciting) season. And I say again with my annual heavy sigh, maybe next year we can hope for a 50-win season and a first-round playoff series at home, with some prayer of advancing. This seems to be the lot of the Nuggets fan. Other franchises, like the Spurs or the Mavericks, go through droughts, bad seasons, & mediocre seasons, but then they seem to get a turn at being Championship contenders, elite teams. For the Nugs, it always seems to be that they're either one of the very worst teams in the NBA, or they're mediocre. They never seem to get a turn at being a powerhouse. They have this in common with the Golden State Warriors, whose fans around here I greatly sympathize with.
Anyway, to end on a positive note: Let's go Nugs!
P.S. to Carmelo Anthony: Please don't punch any more dudes in the face.
But then a blockbuster trade brought All-Star Allen Iverson to Denver. And then I figured the next 4 or 5 seasons were over. But "A.I." managed to keep the team afloat, and their record around .500, during Melo's suspension. Perhaps I judged Mr. Iverson too quickly.
Then Melo returned and the Nugs had a couple of big wins, and started talking like they were a force to be reckoned with. "Just wait 'til we have time to really start gelling," etc.
Then they alternated between little winning streaks and losing streaks, all the while floating around .500, sometimes a game or two over, sometimes a game or two under.
And then a 7-game winning streak came along at the most crucial time. And this was quite a winning streak indeed -- they beat the Mighty Dallas Mavericks (by the very un-Nuggets-like score of 75-71), the Goddamn L.A. Lakers, and finally on Wednesday a road win over the division-leading Utah Jazz. This victory clinched a playoff spot, and put them in the driver's seat for the #6 seed.
So this is the time to rejoice, because I can only believe that it's downhill from here. Tonight they will visit the New Orleans Hornets in Oklahoma City (I guess they're not done mopping the basketball arena in New Orleans yet). I predict they will annoy the shit out of me by losing this game for no good reason. I haven't looked at the schedule to see what the last 5 games will be, but assuming they win at least a couple of them, they will probably be the number 6 seed, which means that they will be crushed in the first round by the Formidable San Antonio Spurs, who are as good a bet to win the Championship this year as any other team.
Thank you, then, to the Denver Nuggets, for an exciting (at times too exciting) season. And I say again with my annual heavy sigh, maybe next year we can hope for a 50-win season and a first-round playoff series at home, with some prayer of advancing. This seems to be the lot of the Nuggets fan. Other franchises, like the Spurs or the Mavericks, go through droughts, bad seasons, & mediocre seasons, but then they seem to get a turn at being Championship contenders, elite teams. For the Nugs, it always seems to be that they're either one of the very worst teams in the NBA, or they're mediocre. They never seem to get a turn at being a powerhouse. They have this in common with the Golden State Warriors, whose fans around here I greatly sympathize with.
Anyway, to end on a positive note: Let's go Nugs!
P.S. to Carmelo Anthony: Please don't punch any more dudes in the face.