Up 2-0!

Wednesday night Carmelo Anthony surpassed one of his long bad streaks as an NBA player. He finally won more than one game in a playoff series. 'Melo played admirably, and did so in about every stat category. 'Melo had 22 points on 10 of 20 shooting, while hitting 2-5 three pointers, and had 9 assists. Cool stat of the night; 'Melo surpassed his playoff high assist mark at 5 in the first quarter! You know that you are playing well if you have pass you single game record in the first quarter. 'Melo hit his first jumper that he took, and from then on he couldn't be stopped. Shooting 50 percent by 'Melo is a very good mark for him, considering the high difficulty of shots that he takes on a regular basis. One other interesting stat; Melo didn't get to the free throw line once. Just for your information, 'Melo gets to the free throw line on average of about 4 times a game. So far he has only been there 3 times in two games, so you can see that while 'Melo hasn't been getting to the line, he has still been able to put up points at a good rate. This is a good sign for 'Melo. If he is able to knock down his jumpers at a 50 percent rate, he will open up the lane, and inevitably get layups or trips to the free throw line. Game 2 was a great game for 'Melo, and I expect this 'Melo to show up more times than not. When this happens, and other guys are knocking down shots, the Nuggets are just about unbeatable. 

But the guy that changed the game for the Nuggets was Dahntay Jones. Dude is just a pest, and he is really getting under the skin of the Hornets; especially Chris Paul. Paul is only shooting 40%, and is averaging an abysmal 4.5 turnovers a game. And not only is Dahntay playing well on the defensive side of the ball, but he is also putting up good numbers on the offensive end. In game 2 Dahntay put up 11 efficient points shooting 5-5 from the field. His production has really been valuable for the Nuggets in the first two games of the series. 

Kenyon Martin played like a stud once again. He held David West to 9 of 20 shooting, even though West sat much of the fourth quarter. I keep praying that West keeps shooting. Martin also forced West into 4 turnovers. Kenyon's defense on the pick and roll has been the most impressive for me though. Chris Paul just can't get into the paint, and when he does, Kenyon is there. The proclaimed X-factor by myself for this series has gone above and beyond my expectations. Kenyon has practically shut down the Hornets' two best players. Can't ask for anything more than that. Add to the fact that Kenyon is putting up points on the offensive end as well, and you have a force out there. 

And once again, Chauncey B-B-B- Billups came through. Mr. Big Shot is playing like a stud, and the Hornets have absolutely no answer for him. Chauncey had 31 points on 8 of 15 shooting, 4 threes on 6 shots, and hasn't missed a free throw all series; he is 19 for 19 in his FT attempts. The biggest asset that Chauncey has brought to the team in this series though is his leadership and veteran presence. I recalled a fast break last night where JR was open for a three. Billups looked at JR, looked at the clock, realized that they had the last shot of the quarter, and pulled it back. Years before, I'd expect Iverson to give JR that ball, and who knows, it might have gone in? The great thing about this though, is that even in the midst of an intense playoff game, Chauncey never losses his control of the game. Years before, that was the Nuggets' achilles heal; make bad decisions under pressure. But not anymore. Smooth is the new sheriff in town. K, I'm done with the nicknames now.

The bench as a whole played pretty good as usual, but not as good as game one. Luckily 'Melo showed up, and we didn't need the extra points. The thing that I love about this bench though, is that while they may not put up the greatest numbers all of the time, they change the facet of the game. The energy that exudes from The Birdman, AC, and JR is invaluable to the team. Birdman's dunk last night was just phenomenal. The Can just lit up, and the game shifted entirely in the Nuggets favor from that point. The Nuggets' bench is the largest advantage that the Nuggets have over the Hornets, and these first two games have proven so. 

So now the Nuggets took care of business at home court. I heard a great quote by George Karl saying that a series doesn't change until a team wins on the road. Well, it's the Nuggets' golden opportunity to put a stamp on this series in the next two games. I just ask for one win. One win in New Orleans and I'm a happy camper. Make it two in New Orleans, and I will bring out a broom and sweep for maybe the first time in my life, and have a hell of a time doing it in the process.