One of the best series on paper entering the 2013 NBA Playoffs started off with a bang in Game 1.
Golden State and Denver played to a close ballgame throughout the series-opening game in the Western Conference playoffs on Saturday. Led by 37-year-old Andre Miller, who poured in a game-high 28 points, Denver took the opener 97-95 on the strength of a Miller game-winning lay-up with 1.3 seconds remaining.
The series resumes this evening with Game 2 tipping off at 10:30 p.m., EDT, on TNT television.
While the Golden State Warriors (47-35) put together a great season under first-year head coach Mark Jackson, they'll be forced to continue their series with the Denver Nuggets (57-25) without the services of David Lee, the league leader in double doubles.
Lee suffered a torn right hip flexor in the Game 1 loss to Denver on Saturday and it is obvious that Golden State will miss his 18.5 points per game and 11.2 rebounds moving forward.
All is not lost for the Warriors however because they still have one of the best shooters in the league in guard Stephen Curry. The 25-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native averaged over 22 points per contest during the regular season while setting a new NBA record for most three-point field goals made in a season with 272.
In Saturday's Game 1 thriller at Denver, Curry scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half. While he performed well in the second half of that game, Curry's 7-of-20 shooting from the floor will need to improve with the absence of Lee.
Denver on the other hand has to be feeling great about the position they're in. With 5 players hitting double figure scoring numbers in Game 1, the Nuggets know they have a wealth of offensive options at any time.
Wilson Chandler provided a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds on Saturday while Evan Fournier, Ty Lawson, Corey Brewer and Andre Miller hit double figures in points as well.
The aforementioned Miller scored 28 points in 27 minutes off the bench Saturday night including the game-winning bucket with 1.3 seconds remaining. Following the first game-winning basket of his career, Miller's teammates knew what type of play they needed to run to get the victory.
"Andre was hot, we were kind of like, why don't we just get out of the way and let Andre have the ball," Brewer said to NBA.com reporters. "That's what happened. He had Draymond Green on him and we kind of like those odds."
The ability for Andre Miller to come off the bench provides the Nuggets with an added dimension on offense. Golden State on the other hand will miss the outside scoring of Curry combined with the inside presence of Lee now that David Lee is gone with injury, putting added pressure on the sharp-shooting Stephen Curry.
While Golden State was able to keep Game 1 tight thanks to a late three-point bucket from Curry to tie the game before the Miller winner, Denver is in prime position to take a 2-0 series lead to Golden State if they can continue to balance their scoring and come up with timely defensive stops, something they've consistently done all year long.
Be sure to catch No. 3 Denver battle No. 6 Golden State in Game 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs tonight at 10:30, EDT, on TNT television.
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