I was lucky enough to be in attendance at last year's Conference Semi-final game two against the Dallas Mavericks. I had really good seats and could see and hear more than I was used to from TV or from the "cheap seats." About midway through the 4th quarter, a Nugget player was shooting free throws and our crowd started chanting "You can't beat us! You can't beat us!" Because of the timing (our player at the line) or the fact that it was difficult to hear what was being chanted at first, the Dallas players were trying to figure out what was being said and Dirk Nowitski actually asked Jason Kidd who mouthed slowly the very exaggerated words: "YOU--CAN'T--BEAT--US..."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=Nuggets-090506

Here's what's great: when Dirk "got it" (after Kidd told him what was being chanted,) he gave up. Seriously. Gave up! And so did several of his teammates. Somehow the crowd got far enough into Dirk's head that his multi-million dollar salary and world-class athletic drive weren't enough to keep him focused. He turned into a fragile kid that couldn't possibly overcome what the bully was screaming at him. It was awesome and the first time I had ever been a part of the absolutely undeniable influence that the crowd and the fans can have on a game and on a team.

And here comes my point: be a good fan! Be loud. Be smart. Be tough but be a good fan! If you are lucky enough to have tickets to Nuggets games - GO! Take someone that's a big fan too! If the wife/husband or girlfriend/boyfriend aren't big fans that truly want to be there from start to finish loudly supporting our Nuggets, LEAVE THEM AT HOME and bring a kid (or your loud buddy that drinks too much.) Go cheer for your team and assert whatever influence you might have! You might be surprised how much influence you actually do have.

Tonight we play a team that has no business even suiting up. For that reason (and a dozen others that no one has time to uncover,) our fans either won't show up or will show up late, barely cheer and leave early. That sucks. If you have tickets but you're thinking about not going, give your tickets to someone that will cheer hard (a kid) and that may not get that many chances to attend an NBA game! If you are going but you think that you'll probably get there late and spend most of your time at the Tuaca Bar instead of in your seats, forget it. Donate your tickets to the local Boys and Girls Club or drop the tickets on a neighbor kid and tell him to scream his ass off! Sure, I like the idea of getting underprivileged fans to games. Who doesn't? The real point, though, is that we need to fill The Pepsi Center for every game and we need to make it as difficult to play there during the regular season as it is in the post-season. Look at Utah. Look at San Antonio. When they are at home it's generally a blow out or a high energy win and it has everything to do with the crowd they collect night in and night out...

I'm not saying that a crowd (or lack of a crowd) can win or lose a game for the home team but I'm not NOT saying that either. When you see tonight that most of our wealthier ticket holders decided to dress up for the game as empty seats and then, low and behold, we have low energy and lackluster attitudes on the court, remember game two of the Western Conference Semi-finals last year and how a few rabid fans got inside one superstar's head...

Nuggets lose two in a row and neither game was close. Out-coached, out-played, out-classed. Regardless, if you had told me before the beginning of the season that we would be 5-2 at this time, I would have been pleased. Here's the trick though: we need to be 7-2 going into our Friday the 13th match-up against the dreaded (and very well rested) Lakers. We don't need to be 7-2 because that would make losing that game a little easier to swallow, we need to be 7-2 because - in sports and in life - winning or losing are more habit than anything else. The difference between waking up on Saturday morning the 14th 5-5 versus waking up 8-2 is tantamount to the beginning or the end of our season. We need to beat the Bulls and the Bucks. If we don't, we don't have a chance on Friday the 13th. Not a chance.

Go to the following link and read every word:

http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read?skyline=true&s=x

Whether it's all true or only a very small fraction, there is just no way on earth that David Stern and his refs are impartial and objective about our Nuggets and their "Thugget" alter ego. No way.

I am NOT a conspiracy theorist at all BUT I have found myself lately wondering about calls, suspensions, schedules and more. (And by "lately" I mean since The Malice at the Palace and the insane suspension of Melo that followed.) Do I still watch every game with the hopes that we are getting a fair shake? Sure. Do I believe that our big wins over big teams came IN SPITE of the league and the officials? Absolutely. Do I celebrate a little louder and longer after those wins because I know that the cards were stacked against us and that were winners on the losing end of an unfair fight? Fuckin' A...

I'm sure that Donaghy's book won't be a fun read for those of us that love the NBA and love our teams. Nescessary, but not fun at all.

Fuck David Stern and fuck Tim Donaghy and all the officials that don't call it the way they see it.  

There are dozens of rules in the NBA that need to be changed. The following is a partial list of legit changes as well as some silliness that ought to be considered too. Feel free to add yours. There are no stupid suggestions only stupid Commissioners:

1.) Offensive Goal Tending is a stupid rule and needs to go away. Who is getting cheated when someone breaks this rule? The stat keeper?

2.) Flopping should be a technical foul just like illegal defense. In fact, flopping should be classified as illegal defense.

3.) Players should not be able to plead their cases to officials while the clock is moving or while the ball is in play (free throws.) You (Tim Duncan) wanna waste your own time-out or play stoppage to explain to the officials how you get fouled every time you touch the ball even though you yourself have NEVER actually committed a foul, go for it. When the clock is moving and when guys are shooting free-throws, it's our (the fan's) game, not yours...

4.) Speaking of free-throws... If your shooting percentage is under 80% you have to shoot grannies until it's back above 80%. You think guys would make more free-throws and actually work on their shot (Shaq) if the penalty is shooting like you're playing in the 50s?

5.) You should be able to kick the ball on defense. Chances are you will kick it out of bounds and the offense will maintain possession anyway. Having a kicked ball penalty or play stoppage is a waste of time. There is no rule against heading a ball. Why? Because, chances are, it wouldn't EVER benefit the person who did it so it doesn't change the outcome of the play much at all. Same with kicked balls.

6.) If a player gets "caught in the air" and the ball handler jumps into him it is not a shooting foul. Why? Because that player wasn't actually shooting, and if they were, they were choosing the lowest percentage shot available to them. A foul? Yes. But not a shooting foul. Anyone who has ever played has done this and we've all felt like it was one of those basketball "loopholes." The NBA is too great to have loopholes.

Go Nuggets!