EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Throughout the NBA, it’s sort of understood that Miami is one of the tougher places for visiting teams to play because of the enticing extracurricular activities. Will Smith, after all, didn’t sing “Welcome to Milwaukee.”
But of late, the Nuggets haven’t felt the heat against the Heat, winning three straight at American Airlines Arena, where Denver will play its next game Tuesday.
Yet, for some reason, the Nuggets are routinely Miamied in Orlando, where the Nuggets play Wednesday.
The last time the Nuggets won in Orlando was March 10, 1992, the day Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton won the most presidential primaries on “Super Tuesday.”
Three administrations later, Denver remains 0-for-O-Town — 15 consecutive losses.
This is hardly a good year to try to knock off the Magic, seeing that it leads the Southeast Division, though Denver coach George Karl pointed out “Orlando’s searching for an identity with Jameer Nelson being hurt.”
Asked about keeping focus on the road against these two teams which are both over .500, Karl said, “I think they’re both good teams, but I don’t think we’ve played that way all year. We’ve kept our focus pretty seriously about the opponent at hand. And when you have a long road trip like this, don’t think too much, just get ready for the game you’re playing.”
Inspiration at center.
During the game-after-game, fast-paced season, sometimes folks forget that Nene, just one year ago, was in a hospital bed, wondering if he’d ever play again.
“Anybody at this time last year having cancer surgery and is now playing at an all-star level, this man should be given an award for everything he’s done,” Karl said.
The coach said Nene should win “comeback player of the year,” which makes sense, except that it doesn’t exist. The NBA does honor the most improved player. Sometimes, the players who receive votes for this award are second-year, 21-year-old lottery picks who — surprisingly surprising to some voters — develop into great players. (Rudy Gay, one would suggest, didn’t “improve,” he simply developed into being the player his team expected he’d become.) So, it’s hard to gauge whether Nene “improved” or just finally stayed healthy enough to play a full season. Either way, the fact is Nene averaged 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 16 games last season, and this season those averages are 14.9 and 8.2 while playing in 50 of Denver’s 51 games.
Keeping up.
For Dahntay Jones, it’s been a hilly road trip so far.
In Wednesday’s game at Oklahoma City, Denver’s starting shooting guard, who plays because of his defense, played awful defense on a key play in the final minute, allowing Kevin Durant to score a go-ahead basket.
But in Friday’s game at Washington, he scored a season-high 18 points, along with a season-high six rebounds. He followed it, though, with a forgettable homecoming. The New Jersey native picked up three first-quarter fouls against the Nets, and the Nuggets unraveled.
Karl said Jones will guard the explosive Dwyane Wade in Tuesday’s game at Miami.
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
