Preview of the first round

Well if the Nuggets don’t learn how to stop the Suns’ pick and roll you can kiss Denver’s chances of advancing to the Western Conference Finals goodbye.

You can say Denver didn’t play defense, you can blame the coaching staff or you can say the Nuggets were tired from the night before. But the bottom line is the Suns are a good three-point shooting team and the Nuggets are a inconsistent shooting team and it showed Tuesday.

Not much else you can say, but it might be time for the Nuggets to start tweaking for next season.

Studs

• Arron Afflalo played great D on Steve Nash, too bad he didn’t get much help.
• Ty Lawson came in and played well, scoring 13 points and five assists.
• Carmelo Anthony had 28 points and six rebounds.

Duds

• Chauncey Billups (5-13, 1-6 threes and 5-6 FTs) had 16 points and zero assists.
• JR Smith had 11 points on 4 of 13 shooting.

Of course there is a chance that the Suns, who are the most overrated team in the NBA, beat the Jazz tonight. However, if pigs fly the Nuggets could be hosting the first round of playoffs against the Jazz.