Even without star forward and MVP candidate Carmelo Anthony, the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers last night, on the road in the Staples Center. Chauncey Billups stepped up his game and led the Nuggets with his excellent shooting and defesne.
With Kobe Bryant playing with an injured ankle, and also being botherd by a season long finger injury, the Lakers never showed the quality play that helped them beat the Nuggets in the 2009 Western Conference finals.
The Nuggets in 2009 took a major step forward, and with a full year of playing with each other, their confidence is sky high. Chauncey Billups is proving why he is the most important player to any team in the western conference. Without Chauncey, the Nuggets are an 8th seed team, not a legitimate western conference contender.
