I know this means nothing but if...The Nuggets were in the Eastern Conference, they would be the fourth seed in the postseason. As you know, as of today, in the West, they are out.
They are now 38-26, good enough to be the ninth invitee in an eight-member party in the West. In the East, they would be ahead of Cleveland, Toronto, Washington, Philadelphia, and New Jersey--all of whom would be in the postseason today and Denver would not.
To put that in perspective, consider that the Nuggets would have to sit and watch two teams-the Sixers and Nets-who have losing records. The Nets are 27-38 and may be rewarded for that. The Nuggets have played considerably better and might reward George Karl with his walking papers. This disparity is frustrating, though the world of professional basketball is cyclical. The Celtics, the Pistons, and the Bulls, all Eastern Conference teams, have had their moments over the years.
The NBA's Western Conference may be very strong now, but eventually, if history is any indication, things will even out. Although, there are two issues that are going to make NBA fans in our city even more disappointed.
First, the one squad in the West that may have the most upside of all--is a team not even in the postseason hunt this season. Portland has a young collection of talent and with Greg Oden practicing yesterday, they added to their mix a center who they hope can be a centerpiece for their franchise. They are too inexperienced to compete for a spot this season, yet even without Oden, held their own most of the way and in the opinion of many, overachieved. Their future looks bright.
Second, the Nets are in with a losing mark, though consider what makes this even more strange. The Bulls at 26-38 so far, the Hawks also with a 26-38 record, the Pacers with a 25-39 record, and even the Charlotte Bobcats at 24-40, still have a chance. Forty losses with 18 games to go and still with a shot? The Bobcats, with that subpar play are just 2.5 games out of it. The Nuggets, with 14 more wins and 14 less losses, are two games out. So in a way, 38 wins for the Nuggets, has them just slightly better off than a team with 24 victories.
Life is not fair, even in world of the NBA, though if the Nuggets have to sit and watch one of these teams come the postseason, they are going to be in a world of hurt.
To all, enjoy your weekend, I hope to see you here on Monday.
"z"
