Lakers

Those whispers about the Denver Nuggets, who blistered a path through the first two rounds of the Western Conference playoffs by pummeling New Orleans and Dallas, being a tougher, more determined team than the Los Angeles Lakers are merely whimpers now. Or at least they should be.

It was an absurd notion to begin with but hopefully one that has now been put to rest in wake of Denver squandering a seven-point fourth quarter lead, in no small part due to it's inability to execute something as simple as an in-bounds pass; Kenyon Martin's silly, last-minute foul on Kobe Bryant 20 feet away from the basket with the score tied didn't help the cause much either.

The tougher, more determined team doesn't make mistakes like that down the stretch.

Their meltdown erased a 48 percent shooting night, including 14 of 20 by Carmelo Anthony, who scored 39 points. Those numbers will be hard to match in Game 2, even against the Lakers' defense. Meanwhile, Los Angeles shot 41 percent, which is feeble for them at home. Count on them to be much better Thursday night.

It all adds up to a short series. Denver is now 1-11 against the Lakers over the last two seasons, including the playoffs. Hard to believe they win four of the next six, especially after blowing such a golden opportunity in Game 1.