Steve Jones

Instead of saying goodbye to the NBA playoffs in the first round, like they had done for the last five seasons, the Nuggets have moved on, and in doing so, opened plenty of eyes.

This is not the Denver team of recent springs. It doesn’t have two prime-time scorers in Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, both of whom could get the Nuggets 30 points a game. And that’s turned out to be good news.

That pairing was daunting to opponents, but overall Denver didn’t have all the right pieces to achieve playoff success. So it was time for a new plan, and the team pulled the trigger on major change when in early November it shipped Iverson to Detroit for point guard Chauncey Billups.

The move has made all the difference in the world for coach George Karl’s club, which trampled New Orleans in five games in the first round, gets Denver next, and while not looking ahead, is plotting a path to the conference finals, where the Lakers could be waiting if they win Game 7 of their series against Houston Sunday in Los Angeles.

Once the trade for Billups was made the personality of the Nuggets changed. They started to win games that they hadn’t been winning before. Now they have a certain level of confidence and belief that in tough games, they will find a way to prevail. The Nuggets have found ways to win games this season that they lost last season.

Compare these Nuggets to the last few Denver teams, and they are a more cohesive and committed group. Billups has made them that. With his calling the shots, the right decisions are being made. He is getting the ball to teammates in positions where they can be most effective. The veteran point guard has brought to the Nuggets a more disciplined style of play, and improved attention to detail.

He orchestrates on the court, and when things start to get off track, he takes on the responsibility of getting them under control. And it sure helps that he has a championship pedigree. He’s won a NBA title, and been a NBA Finals MVP. His presence, and his play have changed the chemistry and character of the Nuggets.

The Nuggets are a new challenge for Billups, and he has clearly responded to that challenge. Denver is now more of a team with an understanding of how it wins and how it loses — and it wins a lot more than it loses (54-28 in the regular season).

Anthony has raised the level of his game, and he has enjoyed a breakout season. When needed, he can almost score at will. And his three-point shooting was a career best .371 during the regular season.

Before Billups arrived, the Nuggets were not good at executing in the halfcourt. They struggled the most when they had to play halfcourt basketball because they were primarily a perimeter, jump-shooting team.

Now with Billups when they have to execute in the halfcourt, they have a better chance of going inside to center Nene Hilario, and giving him the option of kicking the ball back out. No longer does Denver rely solely on a perimeter game.

Nene has played an important role as he has taken over at center for Marcus Camby, the league’s leading shot blocker two seasons ago, who was traded to the Clippers last summer in what was a deal where Denver wanted to move a big contract.

With the subtraction of Camby, Denver’s inside game has actually gotten stronger offensively as with more playing time, Nene has shown a little bit more power and consistency in the low post. Nene has flashed brilliance at times in his career, but until this season his play had been marred by inconsistency and injuries.

Besides Billups, Anthony, and Nene, Denver’s starting lineup also includes Kenyon Martin, and Dahntay Jones.

Martin brings intensity. He’s on the edge of anger all the time, but he contributes rebounding and toughness. What made the difference when he was with the Nets wasn’t his offense or his defense, but rather his ability to bring a great level of fire onto the court, and go after rebounds with that fire. He does the same for the Nuggets.

Jones brings defense. His job is to expend a lot of energy chasing and attempting to frustrate the opponent’s big scorer. He did that to Chris Paul in the first round. Jones will make an opponent work hard for points. If it turns out it’s Nuggets-Lakers in the conference finals, will Jones be able to shut down Kobe Bryant? No, but he’ll make Bryant work harder to score, get rebounds, and push the ball up the court. And Jones brings toughness as well.

Denver has a solid bench with the primary contributors being J.R. Smith, Linas Kleiza, Chris Andersen, and Anthony Carter. Their individual roles have meshed well. Production from the reserves has not been an issue.

There’s no need to fix the Nuggets’ chemistry. Denver’s solid team chemistry is part of its equation for its success. If players don’t like each other, and don’t understand they have to work together to win, than a club is in trouble. Denver clicks as a team. It has the chemistry that it lacked in the past.

Denver has the best balance, and poses the greatest threat to the Lakers in the Western Conference.

If winning the West does come down to Nuggets-Lakers, it should be some series. Denver is not going to be intimidated by the talent of the Lakers, the versatility of the Lakers, and the big-moment playing of Bryant. But the Nuggets will have to be in the games from the beginning. What the Lakers have shown all season long is they are a great front-running team. If you let them get out in front, you could be chasing them all game long and never catch up.

The way Billups has most made a difference since his arrival in Denver is through his decision making as the team’s floor general. It’s boosted the confidence of his teammates. He knows how to play. He knows how to win a championship. And he knows it’s not out of the question that these Nuggets could bring him another ring.

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