McNuggets Preview

["j.hironaka" <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Years ago I attended this lecture where Spike Lee  was asked by a student 
his opinion on some guy (Justice Clarence Thomas, I think) and replied 
"he's an Uncle Thomas, handkerchief-wearin', 6-piece Chicken McNugget 
Head".  It sounded funny okay but to this day I'm unclear about meaning or 
usage....i.e. is "6-piece" considered less or more offensive than the 
"9-piece" option.

Anyway, the Celtics are home tonight to play the McNuggets. It should be 
fun. It was even fun in the Bird era, when the Nuggets averaged 120+ points 
per game. Simply put, there is no other NBA team more intricately enmeshed 
in Trader Rick's legacy than Dan Issel's Nougats. I'm guessing we could 
come up with ten NBA players who share a recent lineage to the Celts and 
Nuggets, from Chris Herren, to "Ice" Pack and Popeye, to "El Busto", Danny 
Fortson, Calbert, Mercer, Stith, Abdul Wahad etc.

What's left on Boston's side of the roster is Eric Williams, Tony Battie 
and the prospect Kedrick Brown.

In keeping with my (superstitious) intention not to do any more game 
previews until this wonderful Celtics winning streak ends, I'll again just 
paste already available scouting info on Web sites in advance of tonight's 
homecoming contest. I hope its useful.

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 From ESPN Insider, Dec 3rd:
"Why is everyone so hot for the inconsistent Raef LaFrentz? Given the new 
zone defense rules, there is a premium right now on sharp-shooting big men. 
The drooling just got worse this week as LaFrentz, now that he's knows 
everyone is watching, put up 17.3ppg, 12.3 rpg, 3.3 bpg in the Nuggets' 
last three games."

 From SI Season Preview
Raef LaFrentz is fairly solid, but Dan Issel showed last year he didn't 
like him at center, so he'll go with Kevin Willis . What you can say about 
Willis is this: He's better than anyone else they have. Aleksandar 
Radojevic will be ready some day, but right now he's a stickman.

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 From RockyMountainNews
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article/0,1299,DRMN_20_897996,00.html

Probable starting lineup -- Denver: James Posey (G), Nick Van Exel (G), 
Raef LaFrentz (F), George McCloud (F), Shawnelle Scott (C).

Injuries -- Denver: Tariq Abdul-Wahad (knee), Chris Andersen (shoulder) and 
Antonio McDyess (knee) are on the injured list.

Nuggets notes -- Denver (7-10) lost at Indiana on Tuesday . . . Posey and 
McCloud combined to make only four of 17 field-goal attempts against the 
Pacers . . . Denver has won only five times in Boston in its previous 24 
seasons . . . The Celtics lead the all-time series 35-20 . . . Denver 
hasn't won at Boston since Nov. 15, 1996 . . . The Nuggets have lost five 
of their past six games . . . The Nuggets are 1-0 this season in the second 
half of consecutive games, but Denver has not yet played back-to-back on 
the road.

 From TSN, Dec 1st
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/teams/nuggets/
The Nuggets have yet to play a zone defense this season. That could change 
with Abdul-Wahad being out. He was their best defender, and always drew the 
toughest guard or small forward each night. The Nuggets help and use 
double-teams, but they stick to some form of man-to-man.

The only team to throw a zone at the Nuggets this season was Chicago during 
a loss at the Pepsi Center on Nov. 13. The Bulls had little success with 
the ploy. With McDyess out and Van Exel the only real explosive offensive 
threat, teams are comfortable guarding the Nuggets straight up and leaving 
any number of players to double-team Van Exel.

POSITIONAL ANALYSIS
Point guard: Van Exel had a terrible night shooting against the Clippers, 
finishing 4-for-19. But he nailed three consecutive 3-pointers in the third 
quarter to close the gap when the Clippers were poised to run away with the 
game. He added six assists. Grade: B.

Shooting guard: James Posey scored 12 points on 6-for-14 shooting and added 
five steals, which tied his season-high. Grade: B.

Small forward: George McCloud started at small forward for the second 
straight game. He has been all over this season, playing at power forward, 
starting, coming off the bench. McCloud struggled shooting against the 
Clippers, but he grabbed nine rebounds and blocked a shot. Grade: B-.

Power forward: LaFrentz started at power forward against the Clippers and 
feasted. He scored a season-high 26 points, grabbed a season-high 15 
rebounds and tipped in a Van Exel miss with 39 seconds left to give the 
Nuggets the lead for good. He added three steals and two blocked shots. 
Grade: A.

Center: Scott started at center, his second start of the season. Scott 
didn't get much done offensively (four points), but he grabbed 10 rebounds, 
five at the offensive end. Grade: B.

Bench: Avery Johnson played the entire fourth quarter at point guard as Van 
Exel shifted to shooting guard. Johnson ran the offense to perfection, 
scoring at will on drives to the basket off the pick and roll. Johnson 
finished with 13 points and seven assists in 28 minutes. The reserves 
combined to score 30 points off the bench. Grade: B+.

Coaching: Issel never panicked, despite a four-game losing streak heading 
into Friday's game against the Clippers. The Nuggets coach lamented 
Denver's lack of an inside presence all week, and LaFrentz responded with 
his best game of the season. Issel has been altering the lineup almost game 
by game to fit the situation. That the Nuggets are two-games below .500 
with McDyess and, now, Tariq Abdul-Wahad sidelined is no small feat. And, 
Issel has the Nuggets playing with effort nearly every night, something 
that could not be said the past two seasons. Grade: B-.

INJURY REPORT

Abdul-Wahad underwent successful surgery Nov. 24. Is rehabilitating and is 
expected to return in three to six weeks. Nuggets have been using Calbert 
Cheaney and Voshon Lenard sparingly in Abdul-Wahad's absence.

McDyess underwent surgery on Oct. 12 to repair a partially torn patellar 
tendon in his left knee and an arthriscopic procedure to clear debris from 
his right knee. He is expected back by February. McDyess is off crutches 
and is walking with only a slight limp.