How Bout them Nuggets

Just when you think the Lakers can make a stand, they lose on the road to Utah. They are the losers of six straight, five on the road and one at home, and they have lost seven of their last ten games. The Lakers face the Nuggets at home tonight, where the Nuggets are 23-10 on the season. The Nuggets are riding a four game win streak, and they've won 9 of their last 10 games. What a difference a week makes. The Lakers are now looking like a lottery team. If they lose tonight they will be 5.5 games behind the Nuggets with 14 games left. Those are insurmountable odds. Good luck next year Kobe. So how do you like your team sans Shaq? Miami rode Kobe's ego to engineer a steal for Shaq, and the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Kool Moe Dee's song "How ya like me now?" just seems so fitting here. The Lakers are going to get a decent pick in a thin draft, and most of the draftees aren't at positions they need filled. It looks like more off-season moves are in the cards for Kobe and the Lakers.

Denver on the other hand has the #7 seed in striking distance. Memphis is only 2 games ahead of the Nuggets. They face each other twice before season's end and Memphis has to hear the footsteps. Bonzi Wells is still injured, Pau Gasol is still recovering from an injury, Stromile Swift is still on the injured list, and Jason Williams is still coming back from an injury as well. Those players healthy make a formidable squad. At half speed they aren't as good. The Nuggets just got Nene back from the injury list, K-Mart is suffering some knicks and bruises, and Camby is always day-to-day. The #7 seed will probably face either San Antonio, or Seattle. San Antonio is going through the rest of the season without Tim Duncan, who fell to a nasty 2nd degree ankle sprain over the weekend.

The Nuggets in the #7 slot will have a chance to get out of the first round and make it fairly deep in the playoffs.