Maybe it was an omen for the Nuggets.

On Sunday afternoon, around two-and-half hours before Game One of their Playoff series opener with the Lakers, the Nuggets boarded the team bus to head to The Staples Center.

One problem: The bus broke down on I-10 on the way to the venue.

Later that afternoon, it was the Nuggets that broke down, especially on defense ( Oh yeah, I know, so what else is new?)

They scored 114 points......and still lost by double figures.

After the game George Karl said there was no sense of concern and that the first thing they will address is defense. Sounds great, but wasn't he saying that about defense back in October?

My opinion: After 82 games, for better or worse, you are what you are as a team. The Nuggets played inconsistently on defense, as they have more or less the entire season. To think that they are just going to flip the switch and turn up the defensive intensity at this point seems hard to imagine. Although, if they don't, it seems hard to imagine they would advance.

Have a great Monday everyone.

-"z"