Hope Less

I really have no basketball-savvy reason to think the Nuggets will beat the Lakers in the first round. As obtuse and creepy as Kobe Bryant is, he plays immaculate basketball and has finally figured out that the only way he can transcend his own immaculate-ness is by making those around seem slightly less mediocre than they realistically are. Andrew Bynum excepted. Potentially.

And then of course there's Phil Jackson. He makes his teams win. This season may be his best since 1991 as a coach. Yes Kobe is talented. Yes he's one of the top players in the league - potential MVP material. But he is surrounded by a slew of very average NBA-ers and Phil Jackson has coached both Kobe and the Averages to the best record in the West. Phil manages what George Karl is trying so desparately to achieve - the ability to get the best out of his players without micromanaging and/or turning into a somewhat more PG13 version of Bobby Knight (something Scott Skiles could never quite figure out, though admittedly the Bulls prospered while he ran their militaristic ship). George Karl has toned down the Knightism that defined earlier coaching stints, but he has yet to reach the Zen level that Phil has perfected. It is really quite unfortunate given the talent on this Denver Nuggets roster; three years with Phil at the helm would initiate a Denver dynasty, but Karl will count himself lucky to get out of the first round in the next two years and make it to the Finals at all.

No, the Nuggets don't have much hope of overcoming their Garnett Syndrome (perennial first round exiting) this season. But they do have Allen Iverson. . . .

[For a great piece examining the firstround matchup, click here.]