The Denver Nuggets do not have a transcendent player like the Oklahoma City Thunder. They don’t garner the obligatory respect the San Antonio Spurs command, and they fail to receive media attention like the Los Angeles Lakers do. But they win, and win, and win. They’re also starting to look like the scariest team in the West. Their franchise-best win streak hit 14 games Thursday night, as they topped the Philadelphia 76ers 101-100 in incredibly clutch fashion.
Corey Brewer – who finished with 29 points and five blocks – put on his superhero cape this go-round, hitting three clutch free throws as time expired to put Denver up by one. His heroics take their place next to a long line of Nuggets who have been instrumental in the Nuggets’ win streak. Against Oklahoma City, it was Andre Miller. Against Chicago, it was Wilson Chandler. Ty Lawson is also putting in the best run of basketball we’ve seen from him, and Kenneth Faried is becoming known for his paralyzing blocks as much as his ability to put cats on a poster.
There’s really no way around it – Denver is f*cking loaded with talent, and George Karl is finding a way to make everybody reach their full potential. They are scary good, and seem to be getting better by the game. The only player they consistently rely on older than 30 is Andre Miller.* Nobody – not OKC, not the Spurs – wants a piece of Denver come playoff time. Expect that sentence to echo for the foreseeable future.
* – Really, can we give Andre Miller some love? If you can’t appreciate the 37-year-old putting up 9 points and 6 assists a game and providing always-necessary veteran leadership, you are soulless.