Game 5: Denver Nuggets 107 New Orleans Hornets 86 Analysis: Congratulations to the Denver Nuggets, who advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time since 1994, when they upset the top seed Sonics and my boy Shawn Kemp. The Nuggets deserve crazy props for dismantling the Hornets in a series that I thought would be pretty close and go at least 6 games. The Nuggets played excellent defense all series on Chris Paul and if you chop off the head then the body is pretty much useless, which is what happened to the Hornets. I can't wait to see the Nuggets play throughout the rest of these playoffs and I'm really hoping to see a Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals.
Key Players of The Game
Carmelo Anthony: Okay, this is exactly what I wanted to see from Carmelo. In a close, possible series clinching game, 'Melo played like a star, scoring 34 points, grabbing 6 boards, dishing out 3 assists, and coming up with 4 steals. If he continues to play at this level I think the Nuggets can give the Lakers a run for their money.
J.R. Smith: I didn't give Smith any love in this series, but he played well throughout it. He averaged 16 points a game and shot 49.2% from the field and 42.4% from downtown. He is a lethal weapon off the bench that most teams do not have. Game 5 might have been his best game of the series as he went off for 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting, and nailed 5 threes.
Kenyon Martin: K-Mart did a little bit of everything in this one and finished with 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting, while grabbing 7 boards and blocking 3 shots.
Chris Paul: Once again, Chris Paul had a horrible offensive game shooting just 5 of 16 from the floor, while scoring only 12 points. Rough series for Paul, who finished with averages of 16.6 points, 10.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. However, he also average 4.8 turnovers a game and shot just 41.1% from the floor. The Hornets had no chance to win with Paul putting up less than 20 points a game.
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