The Los Angeles Lakers get wrangled for having a volatile personality like Ron Artest. But the entire Denver Nuggets roster has a shorter fuse, so short that even Chauncey Billups made sure to get a technical foul in Saturday’s loss to San Antonio — a game highlighted by Carmelo Anthony‘s ejection, not Kenyon Martin‘s long-awaited return.
Just the kind the of composure you would expect from a team expecting to prevail in a Western Conference finals rematch with the Lakers in the playoffs.
The reality is that not only is Denver more combustible, it isn’t as good as it was last year, plagued by a slim frontcourt and a defense not nearly as imposing as it was a year ago.
The lack of poise couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Nuggets, who could have clinched the second seed in the West with wins in their final two home games. Instead, they could fall as low as fifth if they don’t survive a brutal regular season-ending back-to-back that concludes at Phoenix.
