No. 4 Denver Nuggets (53-29) vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz (53-29)
The No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets take on the No. 5 seed Utah Jazz in a first-round, Western Conference playoff series. This is a best-of-7 series.
Denver won the season series against the Jazz, 3-1.
Denver might not have coach George Karl back for the first round, but they’ll be playing with him in their hearts … cue the violins. Yes, it’s a cliche to play for your sick coach, but it’s also a tangible thing. Another thing that’s tangible is Carmelo Anthony’s ability to win games for his team _ and now he’s got his full posse of Kenyon Martin and Chauncey Billups healthy again. Billups, in case you didn’t know, is one of the best postseason performers in NBA history.
It was Wednesday’s collapse against Phoenix that denied Utah a dream matchup in the first round against the Brandon Roy-less Portland Trailblazers. Now, they face the prospect of being the away team in a series against the ultra-dangerous Denver Nuggets. Not good. The Jazz have one of the best point guards in the NBA in Deron Williams, sure, but they are also a foul-prone team that likes to hack away on defense and have no one that can guard either Anthony or Billups. That’s real talk!!!!
The odds makers have the Denver Nuggets at -5 -point favorites.
Anthony loves the postseason and the spotlight, so you can expect him to bring a little extra to his game every time he steps on the court from here on out. One thing the Jazz do have is a couple of bangers in Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur that can compete with Denver in the post and keep Utah in the game.
Prediction: Look for the Nuggets to win a back-and-forth series in seven games.
Utah vs Denver 2010 Playoff Schedule
Game 1: Sat, April 17 Utah at Denver 10:30 pm EST on ESPN
Game 2: Mon, April 19 Utah at Denver 10:30 pm EST on TNT
Game 3: Fri, April 23 Denver at Utah 10:30 pm EST on NBATV
Game 4: Sun, April 25 Denver at Utah 9:30 pm EST on TNT
Game 5: Wed, April 28 Utah at Denver TBD on TBD*
Game 6: Fri, April 30 Denver at Utah TBD on TBD*
Game 7: Sun, May 02 Utah at Denver TBD on TNT*
* If necessary
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