Today marks the final day of the NBA regular season. And with only the eighth seed in the Western Conference yet to be decided (fingers crossed that the Jazz can slip in past the Lakers), the first round matchups of the 2013 NBA Playoffs is essentially set in stone.
The Denver Nuggets currently sit in the third seed in the West, and because of the win Monday night over the Milwaukee Bucks thanks to a late Ty Lawson shot, have clinched home-court advantage for the first round. If they hold onto third, they would face the Golden State Warriors.
This is a winnable series for the Nuggets, especially with home-court advantage and an insane 37-3 record at the Pepsi Center this season. But there are still question marks as to how far the Nugs can go this season.
Here are the top three:
1. Can the Nuggets get/stay healthy?
First it was second leading scorer Danilo Galinari that went down for the Nuggets with a torn ACL on April 4. Next, leading rebounder Kenneth Faried sprained his ankle and has been listed as day-to-day, though Nuggets head coach George Karl said he would not play in tonight’s season finale. And leading scorer Lawson is still recovering from a torn right heel injury.
It all seems to be stacking up at exactly the wrong time.
Fortunately for the Nuggets, the bench has stepped up in a big way, with the likes of Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer helping to fill the scoring void.
But that will all be moot if Faried cannot get healthy and/or Lawson reinjures that heel. Faried’s energy is the motor behind Denver’s second highest scoring offense in the league, and without Lawson’s playmaking abilities, too much emphasis will be placed on the aging Andre Miller at point guard.
Simply put, if the Nugs get and stay healthy, they can challenge for the title. If not, they won’t.
2. Javale McGee: The enigma
Who can forget the Javale McGee’s 21-point performance in Game 5 of the Nuggets’ first round series against the Los Angeles Lakers last season? I can say that watching that event was one of the most fun times I have had with the sport of basketball.
Of course that was a bit of a one-off, but would it not be great to see McGee step up in the playoffs again.
This season McGee’s minutes have been reduced a bit because of Kosta Koufos (and his asthma). But he is leading the Nuggets in blocks this year with 2.0 per game. So he is still making an impact even though he is not on the floor as much.
The problem with McGee is his consistency, and by consistency I mean mental, not physical. Sometimes he looks like the most dominant center in the league, and other, more memorable times, he looks like a complete buffoon who has never played basketball before. But if he can keep his focus and contribute, we could see another 21-point-esque performance out of him. I have an inkling that he will perform on the big stage again.
3. Can the bench hold up?
I mentioned earlier that Chandler and Brewer have been vital for the Nuggets down the stretch because of injuries to key players. They have stepped up and done the job. Brewer has been doing that all season, but Chandler’s sudden impact has definitely surprised me.
Having said that, I am concerned what will happen if their production begins to tail off. With Galinari out, the Nuggets will have to live and die by Chandler and Brewer, which should not be a problem against Golden State. But with the potential to play a seven game series against either the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder in order to get to the Finals, the duo will have to be firing on all cylinders.
Prediction:
The Nuggets get past the Warriors in five games, leading to a second round matchup against either the Spurs or the Houston Rockets. The Spurs win that series, and the Nuggets lose home court advantage, so I like the Spurs winning in seven.
