Boston Massacre

The Denver Nuggets 119-93 loss to the Boston Celtics in Bean Town on Wednesday night hurt more than the average regular season loss: it was watching the World Series all over again. It could easily have been game five in a five game sweep of the pride of Denver sports.

Sure, it was the second game of a back-to-back on the road against a heavily hyped (and well rested) Celtics team. Sure, the Nuggets have been blanketed by injuries, leaving them no good options at point guard or power forward.

But as I quietly wept next to my AM radio, I couldn’t help but think of the smarmy Boston fans, gleefully gloating over the pathetic showings of the Rockies and Nuggets over the past weeks. As with the Rockies, I couldn’t help but be disappointed: we’re better than this. The Nuggets are a better basketball team than they were Wednesday night, just as the Rockies aren’t the JV of baseball, as Boston fans would suggest.

Something has been forgotten, between the sweep of the World Series, the Nuggets lackadaisical start, and the Broncos pathetic season. Just weeks ago, we were a proud state, gleaming as the Rockies tore through the National League like a blitzkrieg. Now, we don’t want to talk about it. Bring up the Broncos? I don’t want to talk about it. The World Series? I don’t want to talk about it. Somewhere between Rocktober and November, we, as a state have lost our pride.

It may be too late for the Broncos this year. The Rockies will have to wait till April to prove that they weren’t a fluke. But the Nuggets are here and now, and need to play every game with heart, pride, and dedication worthy of our great state. The Nuggets are a great team: they simply need to remember it.