The Los Angeles Lakers swept the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. That in itself is not so surprising. The thing that has everyone scratching their heads is how easy the Lakers have made it look. The best the Nuggets have managed is a 114-128 shellacking at the hands of Kobe and company. What happened to the explosive team of the regular season that was second in scoring? The Lakers have made Melo, AI, and the rest of the Nuggets look like they are in kindergarten. The Lakers are out-hustling out-scoring, and out-playing Denver. It looks like Kobe and Gasol are having the time of their lives, while Melo and the rest of the Nuggets are playing the blame game.
The Nuggets took an early exit from the playoffs for a fifth straight year. On paper the Nuggets lineup is as good as anybody else. With Anthony, Iverson, Martin, and Camby you would think they would be good enough to get it done in the rugged west. The bench is not bad either, with rising starts such as JR Smith and Linas Kleiza they add depth to a star studded team. The answer to this mystery is defense. With Denver perennially ranked near the cellar in total defense over the last few seasons it won't be able to get out of the first round without some major changes. The basketball sages say that defense wins championships, a championship is one thing that has eluded the franchise, if the Nuggets want to win they better learn how to play some "D".
