On the eve of the first day of spring, Andre Miller showed he still has some Colorado spring(s) in his step. Miller marked his 37th birthday and the new season by scoring a season-high 20 points in a mere 23 minutes, including 13 in the fourth, to extend the newsworthy Nuggets winning streak to 13 games. Andre Miller navigated the court like Bode Miller does a slope, grabbing 7 rebounds and also handing out 9 assists while handing Oklahoma City, owners of the third-best record in the Association, just its fifth home loss, but third overall to the Nuggets. The game was a piece of cake for Miller.
Denver, perhaps due to snow blindness or sand bias (the second term we totally made up), has been buried beneath the avalanche of attention allocated to Miami, where warm weather and warm feelings are widespread. Certainly, the Heat are on a renowned run, however no team may run better than the nimble Nuggets, who dash and dunk like they're the less celebrated cousin of the Clippers, which is why we're designating Denver "(ski)Lift City."
Like Picasso, the Nuggets are naturals in the paint, leading the league in the highest percentage of points derived from down low, outscoring opponents on the inside in an outstanding 50 consecutive games. That's why the thin air team is in the thick of things in the Western Conference, winning without a preeminent player*, defeating foes using Kosta Koufos. Lacking a big shot, the only question is: Who will take the big shot when the outcome is on the line? Denver is missing the alpha male it had during its Carmelo Anthony days, but the team may be better off with a bunch of betas maximizing their talent. Even in the age of Blu-Ray, we could envision this "Betamax" strategy succeeding in the NBA.
*although JaVale McGee is the singular star of Shaqtin' a Fool, assembling a blooper reel longer than his wingspan.
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