Memorandum to Oklahoma City Thunder from Bachman-Turner Overdrive:
B-b-b-baby, you just ain’t seen Nuggets yet.
The Nuggets and the Thunder could play nine of their next 13 games against each other. Contempt will breed familiarity.
The Thunder, which is in town tonight for its first view of the Newggets, should be very afraid of the din in Denver.
The playoffs are coming, and so are the Nuggets. This isn’t the same old boring Nugs the Thunder saw on Christmas Day and in mid-January.
What’s the difference? No Melo and Mo’ Team.
The Nuggets gave the Lakers, who had been an awe-inspiring 17-1 since the all-star break, all they wanted, and much mo’, in a 95-90 victory Sunday that stapled the center. Late in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets forced Phil Jackson, who always tends to dismiss the Nuggets as pests, to adjust to a small-ball lineup and call nervous timeouts to keep up, especially when Kenyon Martin pulled off a bait-and-switch to get the rebound and the pivotal basket.
Beware of K-Mart and the Powder Blue Light Specials.
The Nuggets earned their preeminent triumph of the entire season — before and after — and have run themselves in a position to catch Oklahoma City for the fourth playoff spot and a first- round extra game at home. And they may just win 50 games again.
See, Thunder.
It has been boldly broadcast in Oklahoma City for weeks that the Thunder, as the Spurs spiraled, had become the second-best team in the NBA West — behind only the Lakers. However, since The Big Trade on Feb. 21, the Nuggets own a 15-4 record, and the Thunder is 15-7. And the Nuggets barely lost three others in the final seconds. In its last 19 games, OKC is 14-5.
The major doubt about the post-Melo Nuggets was their ability to finish games on the road against quality teams.
Not anymore.
Don’t look now, but the Nuggets will beat the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Thunder thuds.
The Nuggets have the better overall team, and play defense.
And the Spurs, the Nuggets’ likely opponents in the second round, will feel the fear.
The Nuggets and the Thunder split home-and-home games when You Know Who was still here. At the deal deadline, the Thunder acquired a value player from the Celtics, center Kendrick Perkins, and antsy guard Nate Robinson, who only now is ready after arthroscopic knee surgery.
But the Nuggets trumped them by adding Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton, who combined for 45 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists Sunday. And don’t sleep on the Wizard of Moz. Center Timofey Mozgov, playing for the injured Chris Andersen, was an authentic rebound-and-hustle factor against the Lakers.
When Nuggets are hurt, others are plugged in. Since The BT, six Nuggets have missed games — Arron Afflalo and Gallinari the most — but the Nuggets honestly haven’t missed them.
The Nuggets-Thunder series will start the weekend of April 15, but nobody knows where. A few days ago, Oklahoma City was a cinch No. 4, but the Thunder dropped two, and the Knuggets have won six in a row. With two victories over the Thunder (sandwiched around a game at Dallas) this week, the Nuggets could be tied with the Thunder, with three Twinkies (Minnesota, Golden State, Utah) to conclude the regular season.
This has gotten intriguing.
Certainly the Thunder will have the two superior individual players in the series with the Nuggets. Small forward Kevin Durant is a scoring android, and Russell Westbrook is a excellent point-shooting guard.
But consider this:
Durant averages 27.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. The Denver duo of Danilo and Wilson at small forward has averaged, with the Nuggets, 28.8 points and 10.8 rebounds.
Westbrook’s numbers are 22.3 points and 8.3 assists. But TyRay Felson (Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton) are averaging 22.5 and 11.1.
Those stats are a wash.
At the other three positions — shooting guard, power forward and center — the Nuggets overwhelm the Thunder. Whom would the Thunder rather have: Afflalo and J.R. Smith (when he’s Mr. Goodwrench) or Thabo Sefolosha and Robinson; Kenyon Martin and Al Harrington or Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison; Perkins and Nazr Mohammed or Nene, Andersen and, yes, Mozgov? The Nuggets would rather have their guys every time.
Ask Kobe.
The Lakers were tested by the Thunder in the playoffs last year, and by the Nuggets the previous postseason, but they don’t want any part of the New Nuggets after Sunday. The Spurs, who lost here recently, don’t, either. The Mavericks will find out Wednesday night.
Most people around the NBA believed the Nuggets would do a trade fade, then considered their early flourish with the freshly assembled group a fluke.
They ain’t seen nothing yet.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
