Evan Fournier called his team out because he felt like they did not seem focused before the Jazz game. Utah unleashed the law office of Burke and Burks on the Nugget back court, and Derrick Favors on the front court, and the Nuggets did not respond to the onslaught. They especially let their hair down when the word got out that Gordon Heyward would not play. By the end of the game, the thing I feared the most became the calling card for the Jazz.
Second chance points.
Along the course of every Nuggets winning streak it has come down to the defensive identity that they capture. Some games they have played around with rebounding but eventually find their man and put a body on him to capture games late. During the most recent streak, the Nuggets owned the boards, but Utah reversed that trend quickly, especially early in the game. By the time the Nuggets got serious about the boards, they couldn't stop Burke and Burks.
Golden State can beat you on the boards if you let them. David Lee can do it all by himself. They can shoot you out of the gym as well, but what Golden State does not do well is shoot you out of the gym without getting a hefty amount of second chance points. No team does that very well except on rare occasions.
This game is on national television and the Nuggets should be ready to prove that they are the team who won 5 straight and not the team that can't dance to Jazz, stepping all over themselves in route to a painful loss in Utah.
A long win streak is possible with a long streak of mental focus. Golden State should inspire a greater focus than Denver brought to the last game, but will it be enough to strangle the life out of the opponents shot attempts like the Nuggets seem to be able to do at times? This Nugget fan says yes.
On a side note: We get to see the Jazz .vs. Spurs before our game.
I am hoping the law offfice of Burke and Burks give San Antonio the same hell they gave our guys.
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