Wanted: Killer Instinct

Cynics make slow, uneasy converts. My natural tendency is to look at the Nuggets' recent spate of wins as lucky bufoonery. They regularly blow big leads, their coach has been justifiably MIA, and the team doesn't seem to get it.

Because of these characteristics, I view myself as a cynical observer of a team that has the potential to do great things. But I desparately want to be that die-hard fan, the one who believes the Nuggets are the greatest team in the universe. I want to convert to unabashed faith and enthusiasm. But darn it, the Nuggets just haven't earned my conversion. Not even with their recent win over the hapless Kings.

The fan in me is happy with a scrappy win against a mediocre team like Sacramento. The cynic in me thinks it's a bunch of bullshit. The cynic in me wants to see the Nuggets play 48 full minutes of basketball. I would love it if once, just once, Marcus Camby played hard every time he's on the court. I would love it if the coaching staff came out of a timeout with a decent play drawn up. I would love it if the Nuggets jumped out to a big lead and kept it a big lead. Without these essentials in place, it's difficult to see the Nuggets succeeding in the playoffs.

Successful teams master the essentials. San Antonio, Dallas, and Phoenix do not have more basketball talent than the Nuggets. Certainly they are good teams, but none of those teams have a player who exceeds the talent of Melo, A.I., or Camby. The only difference is that the top-tier teams have players who have mastered the fundamentals at both ends of the court. Phoenix wins 20 more games than the Nuggets do each year because they execute better in those 20 games. If Denver ever figures it out, I predict that they will be a 50-55+ win team. And until they figure it out, they will continue to give up huge leads against crappy teams and lose to teams who never waiver in the course of a game.