Over at Denver Stiffs, Andrew Feinstein notes that Denver’s off to the best start in franchise history. But is this really the best start they’ve ever seen in Denver?
The Best Start In Nuggets History
First off, let’s congratulate this band of Nuggets for completing the best 26-game start in Nuggets history. That’s no small feat. Yes, they’ve had a pair of dreadful, alarming losses combined with a few more clunkers that we’d expect better from, but overall this is a damn good team. They still open games lethargically (as we witnessed again tonight), but there may not be a better third quarter team in the NBA right now. I remember just a few seasons ago when the third quarter was the Nuggets death knell. Oh how times have changed.
But is this really the best start in Nuggets history? Record-wise, yes. Through 26 games last season, the Nuggets stood at 17-9, but you could argue the first four games didn’t count (no Carmelo Anthony for games one and two, versus the Lakers in game three and at Golden State in game four with no Allen Iverson). In the Nuggets first 26 games W.C. (with Chauncey), they were 18-8, one off this team’s pace.
But this season’s Nuggets have lost five games to sub-.500 teams, including once at home, whereas last season’s Nuggets (again, W.C.) didn’t drop a single contest to a sub-.500 team in those first 26 games W.C. So while technically their records are almost a wash, I still liked the spirit and game-by-game seriousness of last season’s Nuggets better at this point in the season.
It’s funny, because this really typifies the whole question with Denver—they’re good on paper, but how good are they really? Consider: they can beat any team in the league. Most significant, they match up well with the Lakers, making them one of only two or three teams that can make L.A. look NOT invincible on a consistent basis. It’s a testament to the Lakers’ dominance that another team being consistently competitive with them merits praise, but it does, and it’s a testament the sheer talent they’ve got in Denver. They can beat the best in the league; not many teams can say that.
Of course, as Feinstein mentions, they’ve also lost five games to teams below .500, and it’s missteps like those that keep Denver from being “the best” themselves. Where teams like Boston and Los Angeles will knock off ten or twelve wins in a row, Denver will have two head-shaking losses amidst those stretches. They just can’t quite put it together.
Does this mean they won’t put it together? Not necessarily; it’s almost better that the Nuggets are still floating along right now. They’re winning—off to the best start in franchise history—but they haven’t peaked yet. Remember last year at this time? The Boston Celtics were blowing teams out of the water; they were a juggernaut. And ultimately, it was all shortlived. Garnett couldn’t hold up, and the team was never the same.
To some degree, and especially for a mercurial team like the Nuggets, it’s better for them to bide their time and continue on this pace, hoping that it all comes together in say, February or March. There’s nothing wrong with the occasionally boneheaded loss in November, but the Nuggets have the talent: if they can get it together at the right time, they’d could be winning in June.
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