The Denver Nuggets eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 last night to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
Once again, it was resident Lakers killer Jamal Murray who led the way with 32 points, including the game winner with just :04 seconds remaining in the game.
Yes, the Nuggets dispatched the Lakers in just five games, but that can be a little deceptive. Denver has not looked as strong as we were hoping they would thus far in the postseason.
For starters, the Nuggets have had horribly slow starts. They were outscored 146-123 by the Lakers in the first quarter of this series.
The Nuggets have also been sloppy with the basketball, averaging 11 turnovers per game.
But maybe the scariest aspect to the Denver Nuggets so far, has been their inability to shoot the basketball, especially from long range. In their five games against LA, the Nuggets shot just 30% from three point range.
Yes, the Nuggets beat the Lakers in only five games. That's the good news.
The bad news is that against their next opponent, the Minnesota Timberwolves, these types of performances won't just get them beat.
They will get blown out.
This team needs to get healthy, and get back to playing at a championship level.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche seem to have found their playoff legs.
After closing the regular season by losing seven of their final 11 games, the Avs entered their first round playoff series with the Winnipeg Jets and were promptly smacked in Game 1.
Winnipeg won 7-6 and the concerns that goaltender Alexandar Georgiev might not be ready for prime time were growing louder and louder.
Georgiev had only faced 23 shots. That is a save percentage of just .696.
Since that loss, the Avalanche have outscored the Jets 16-5, and have taken a controlling 3-1 lead in the series.
There are a few reasons for the change.
One, Georgiev seems to have found his game again. In Colorado's three wins, he has faced 81 shots, but allowed just five goals. His save percentage has jumped to .938.
One of the other reasons for the marked improvement is the play of right ring Valeri Nichushkin.
Back in January, it was announced that Nichushkin had entered the NHL/NHLPA Assistance Program and would be unavailable for the team for an indefinite period. It was no coincidence that the Avs struggled without him. At the trade deadline, while the front office made moves to bring in more depth, it was the return of Nichushkin that has changed this team's fortunes.
Through the four games against Winnipeg, Choo has been everywhere. He has logged six goals and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Obviously, this team is still led by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, but the play of Gerogiev and Nichushkin is taking them to another level.
Finally, we move to the Denver Broncos, who raised more than a few eyebrows when they selected Oregon quarterback Bo Nix with the No. 12 overall pick of the NFL Draft last Thursday. After making a trade for Jet's disappointment Zach Wilson, many thought that the Broncos might look at their many other needs instead of quarterback.
Time will tell whether or not Nix, who was widely considered to be a second round selection, is worthy of that early pick.
Word out of Dove Valley is that head coach Sean Payton held a private workout with Nix. The night before the workout, he sent Nix home with three packets of offensive play installations. The next morning at his workout Payton was highly impressed with Nix's grasp of the offense.
So while the Russell Wilson debacle is firmly on general manager George Paton, this draft seems to be the work of the head coach.
No matter the outcome, it can't be as financially ruinous as the Wilson deal.
The big question will be: "can the Bo Nix selection be the move that finally got the Denver Broncos their franchise quarterback?"
Broncos Country has been waiting eight long years for that to come true. Just remember, the greatest drafted Denver Broncos quarterback is probably a toss up between Jay Cutler and Brian Griese, and that isn't saying much.
Nix and Payton will be making Denver Broncos history if this actually pans out.
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