Subject: National Basketball Association

• Shmuck of the Week: Anyone wearing stripes

  I was feeling a little Shmuck Light this week, unsure that anyone had really risen their shmuck game to a level deserving of this honor, which is fast becoming the Teen Choice Awards of the half-baked-insult-blog world. I engaged our Twitter friends, and even they, at first, were a little unsure. One guy suggested we lay the shmuck down on the Conifer teen who injured herself boogie-boarding on the hood an SUV. But Shmuck Bylaw 4.247-A clearly states that all high school students are "permitte

  May 29, 2009

• Another sex dispute between a Colorado woman and an L.A. Laker

  Shannon Brown, in an image from his MySpace page. Maybe Los Angeles Lakers players should keep it zipped when they visit Denver. Earlier this decade, Kobe Bryant spent month after month in legal hell after a woman said he'd sexually assaulted her, precipitating a media free-for-all in Eagle County that only ended after his accuser stopped participating in the case against him (Bryant settled her civil suit against him in 2005). Now, ESPN is reporting that another Laker, Shannon Brown, "is being

  June 1, 2009

• Denver Blogs: Trimming the fat, and maybe a little bone, in Boulder

  Wikipedia Commons Our daily blog round-up. Send links this way. How CU will cut $30 million from its budget. (Hint: It won't be pretty). (Face the State) An abortion-clinic doctor in Boulder: "I'm next on the List." (Colorado Independent) Now that the burning sensation behind our eyes has subsided... five questions about the Nuggets' offseason. (Denver Stiffs)

  June 2, 2009

• Nuggets: Let's remember the good times -- and try to forget about tonight

  A Flickr photo....aargh.... As I write this blog, the Nuggets are down by 24 points to the Los Angeles Lakers with 1:36 to go in game six of the Western Conference finals -- playing out the string in the kind of loss we'd come to expect in previous years, but had thought the Nugs had finally managed to outgrow. Denver didn't look ready for prime time, and they were so self-conscious about the officiating that by the second half, Kobe Bryant was able to treat defenders look turnstiles. And yet:

  May 29, 2009

• Calling Dwight Howard: Here's why you can avenge the Nuggets

  Yes, I know that the Nuggets-beating Los Angeles Lakers are supposed to school Orlando in the NBA finals series, which begins tonight. But although I'd have to give the edge to the Lakers, too, I'm not ruling out a sweet, ever-so-satisfying Magic victory. No doubt the refs will give every advantage they can to the Lake Show, by ticketing anyone who dares to so much as exhale on Kobe Bryant -- and if similar whistle-happiness gravitates to the paint, it'll undermine Dwight Howard's size, streng

  June 4, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, May 29 edition

  Photo by Aaron ThackerayWhat cute Offspring you have! Hello, we must be going. Today in Backbeat Online: • Last night: Punk Rocks at Red Rocks. • Catch the Buzz 3 Mixtape features Spoke-In-Wordz, Playalitical, DJ Chonz. • MP3 Freeloader: Saturday, the Rouge CD release party at Larimer Lounge. • Flier of the Week: Inactivists at the D-Note. • MP3 Freeloader: tonight, Tim Pourbaix CD release at Larimer Lounge. • Freaky Friday: Jan Terri -- "Losing You." • Dualistics unveiling new t

  May 29, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, May 19 edition

  All Capitals, suddenly van-less. Wouldn't you like to know? Today in Backbeat Online: • Lowlife jerkwads steal All Capitals' van. • Moving Pictures: B-Boys represent at Mighty 4. • Last Night: Mike Watt & the Missingmen at the Larimer Lounge. Today in Cafe Society: • RSVP fast for Slow Food dinner at Il Posto. • Two wine-tastings uncork tonight. • Park Burger a pickle short of perfection. • Denver Pizza Company isn't ready to rise... yet. • Recovery Room offers a sure-fire cur

  May 19, 2009

• Nuggets' confidence cuts both ways in game two win

  J.R. Smith. During the first half of last night's playoff matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, the Nuggets lacked focus. Moments when they exhibited the scorching intensity of the New Orleans series would be followed by static offensive possessions or blown defensive assignments of the sort that have been blessedly rare of late. And then there was the last sequence before the break. The Nuggets should have been able to run down the shot clock to just shy of zero, but J.R. Smith couldn't resist

  May 6, 2009

• What makes Denver happy? Pot...

  This afternoon, dozens of 16th Street Mall walkers had this experience: You're walking along, sipping on a Frappucino and poking at your iPhone, trying to look busy and important enough so the panhandlers won't bother you but unable to suppress a smile because of the gorgeous sun and the fact that you've stretched your lunch hour to an hour and a half. Then a lady in a poofy black-and-yellow dress, striped high heels and giant gold sunglasses pops out in front of you. "Do you want to tell the

  May 6, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, May 6 edition

  Photo by Mark Manger Hungry yet? Today in Cafe Society: • Up Close: Cracovia. • MiniBAR mini-opening; grand opening this weekend. • James Mazzio set to open the Icehouse Tavern. • Eat Your Beer With Old Chub Bread. • Our Weekly Bread: Snarf's, mmmm, Snarf's. • Win $500 from El Monterey for a good idea. • News from the James Beard Awards. Today in Backbeat Online: • Q&A with Elvis Perkins. • Distrakt continues on video direction path. Today in The Latest Word: • Denver's b

  May 6, 2009

• Make room for Charles Barkley on the Nuggets bandwagon

  Embedded video from NBA Video Isn't it nice to hear national basketball commentators like Charles Barkley say nice things about your Denver Nuggets for a change? Sir Charles has typically treated the Nugs with all the respect of something he scraped off his shoe -- but the further the team gets into the playoffs, the more effusive he's become. The TNT clip above (also featuring Chris Webber, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson) dates from just prior to the start of the team's current series with the

  May 8, 2009

• High on Highland

  June 4, 2009

• Referee Steve Javie is MVP for Mavericks in win over Nuggets last night

  Referee Steve Javie reassures Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Yeah, yeah, given the non-call that helped the Nuggets win game three of their playoff series against the Mavericks on Saturday, complaining about the officiating in the Mavs' 119-117 victory last night seems churlish. But there's no denying that the outcome bore the fingerprints of the NBA's most intrusive referee, the ultra-irritating Steve Javie. The guy's so technical-foul-happy that he'd deserve the nickname Mr. T if a certain form

  May 12, 2009

• Clip and save: Nuggets take game five, polish off Mavericks

  In the past few days, Mark Cuban has been dancing without the stars. During last night's late newscast, 9News' Drew Soicher said that if the Nuggets manage to blow their series against the Dallas Mavericks, blamecasters will suggest that Mavs owner Mark Cuban got into their heads via his antics -- namely trash-talking about Kenyon Martin to his mom on Mother's Day weekend and then offering an obseqious apology via his blog rather than directly to K-Mart and his family. Chances that the Nuggets

  May 13, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, May 13 edition

  Spend a minute with Mike Watt, man. I think his eyes are at cross purposes... Today in Backbeat Online: • Q&A with Mike Watt. • Tori Amos tour hits Denver in July. • Last Night: Ghost Buffalo at 3 Kings Tavern. • Last Night: Mogwai at the Bluebird. • Moving Pictures: the Atlantic, Epilogues, 29th Street Disciples and MTHDS. • MP3 Freeloader: Fill your ears with the crunked glitch hop of Jantsen. • Bocumast Records showcase announced. Today in Cafe Society: • Get happy tonight

  May 13, 2009

• Next stop Kobeville for the Nuggets

  A Flickr photoKobe Bryant and Kenyon Martin -- or a reasonable facsimile. As a lifelong Nuggets fan, I've grown accustomed over the years to waiting for the team to blow leads. But I don't think I've ever been so zen about the Nugs as last night, during their series-clinching victory over the Dallas Mavericks. My confidence was so high going in that I posted a blog declaring their victory about twelve hours before tip-off -- and even during that second-half Mavs run, when Jason Kidd started dra

  May 14, 2009

• The pros and cons for the Nuggets of last night's Houston Rockets win

  A Flickr photoKobe shoots and (probably) scores. Watching the Houston Rockets-Los Angeles Lakers game last night caused this particular Nuggets fan an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. Like the Nugs have done for ages (until, for the most part, this year), the Rockets blasted off to an early, commanding, seemingly insurmountable lead only to gradually but steadily give almost all of it back. During this stretch, the Lakers displayed the sort of mental toughness associated with champions. They c

  May 15, 2009

• Mark Cuban's suggestion to Nugs about racial-taunt complaints: Increase security

  A Flickr photo"I didn't hear a thing..." The Dallas Mavericks are in the Nuggets' rear-view at this point -- but Mavs owner Mark Cuban continues to make comments sure to rev up the rivalry again next year. As a guest on Dan Patrick's syndicated radio show, Nugs coach George Karl complained about some of the invective that was hurled at his players during games in Dallas, declaring that "there was a racist mentality to it." In an e-mail response to a question on this topic from the Dallas Mornin

  May 15, 2009

• Does the Staples Center have to be a house of horrors for the Nuggets?

  A Flickr photoWhere the Nuggets will be playing Tuesday night. As predicted, the Los Angeles Lakers handled the Houston Rockets on Sunday, setting up a Western Conference finals matchup with your Denver Nuggets, who the Lakers have dominated in recent years. But even though the game was never competitive, the Lakers hardly looked invincible. Simply put, the Rockets had no scorers with both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady on the bench, leading to ugly sights such as Ron Artest repeatedly tossing up w

  May 18, 2009

• Umm, Coach Karl, why is that little guy inbounding the ball?

  I said it first, but ESPN Sports Guy Bill Simmons probably said it best last night, questioning aloud on Twitter why Anthony Carter, the Nuggets' shortest player on the floor, was impounding the ball with his team down two and just seconds to go: "How to Blow a Huge Game by George Karl," Chapter 23: "Have My Shortest Guy Inbound the Ball On the Biggest Possession Of the Game." The result, of course: With six-eleven Lamar Odom smothering him, Carter threw a floating pass to Chauncey Billups tha

  May 20, 2009

• "J.R. Swish," "In Chauncey We Trust:" Still more shirts to show your Nug love

  Watching the Nuggets third-round-opening loss to the Lakers on Tuesday, I heard a plug for the NBA's team shop, and immediately wondered what the local designers at DeRailed Ink had come up with for Denver's run. As usual, they didn't disappoint, coming through with the "J.R. Swish" design at right, and a slightly-less-cool-but-still-cooler-than-an-$80-jersey "In Chauncey We Trust" shirt. See them both -- plus shirts devoted to the Birdman, Eddie Royal, Troy Tulowitski, Todd Helton and (ahe

  May 21, 2009

• Nugget fans should wear allegiance on their sleeves

  The Nuggets lost by two points last night in a very close game. Why? Well, a big part of it was unusually poor free-throw shooting from Chauncey Billups and company. My suggestion, then, is that the rest of the team start wearing Carmelo Anthony's super-phresh shooting sleeve. You know, that sky-blue, nylon-looking thing that he, and Allen Iverson before him, wear around their arms. In fact, I think all the fans should start wearing them too. There are rally caps and rally monkeys. Why not a

  May 20, 2009

• How the Nuggets can go to school on Cavs' loss

  Still a king... While watching the Orlando Magic's 107-106 comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, I saw connections aplenty between the Cavs and the Nuggets, who fell to the Lakers in a nailbiter they should have won 24 hours earlier. These had been the two top teams in this year's NBA playoffs to date, but because they'd finished off their previous opponents so quickly, they had much longer layoffs than either the Magic or the Lakers -- and the extended idleness may have been a

  May 21, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, May 21 edition

  "Hey, this burrito is shaped like a really big, fat penis!" Take a bite. Today in Cafe Society: • Quiznos is the sandwich of choice for half-naked playmates. • Eat Here Now! at 910Arts. • Jax puts its fin into the wine game. • Up Close: The Q Worldly Barbecue. • Candy Girls: Sweet Action Ice Cream. • Patio season approaches; share your favorite spots. • D Bar Desserts celebrates its first anniversary with free cupcakes! Today in Backbeat Online: • Mile Hi-Fidelity playlist --

  May 21, 2009

• In Vegas, still no love for Nuggets

  A Flickr photo.If Barkley's been gambling on the Nuggets like he's been talking about them, he's richer than ... well, he was before. Asshole. As you might recall, TNT's Charles Barkley was the first national analyst to say the Nuggets could win a title. As you also might recall, Charles Barkley has quite the gambling habit -- so fierce that he was once sued by the Wynn for $400,000 in unpaid gambling debts, which he probably racked up while waiting for a cab. But if Barkley's been putting his

  May 21, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, May 22 edition

  Photo by Amber NowellStella Luce. Going that extra mile. Today in Backbeat Online: • MP3 Freeloader: Tonight, Stella Luce CD release at Avogadro's Number. • Freaky Friday: "Superbroker Shuffle." • MP3 Freeloader: More free dubstep from Alert. • Ancient Mith gets live in Paris. • Rumors of Born in the Flood's demise are... well, just that. Sorry, misanthropes. Today in Cafe Society: • A mountain of food fun this weekend. • Argyll goes far afield to tout its patio. • Meat with m

  May 22, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: Week starts with a win

  It wasn't just the decisive win that made last night's Nuggets victory so gratifying. And it wasn't the fact that Denver looked so good -- if very, very wet -- on national TV. What was particularly sweet about this chapter in the Cinderella story is that the Nuggets were never supposed to be at the Pepsi Center last night; facility owner Stan Kronke had so little faith that his team would make the Western Conference finals that he'd let professional wrestling book it for a Memorial Day gig. J

  May 26, 2009

• Surviving the Denver Nuggets' down-and-up weekend

  J.R. Smith. To be a fan of the Denver Nuggets -- even the new, improved Denver Nuggets -- is to risk cardiac arrest on an all-too-regular basis. Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers would have put the Nugs in a commanding position, and they seemed to have everything going for them -- momentum, swagger and a mammoth home-court advantage thanks to an absolutely berserk crowd thrilled to be witnessing the first Western Conference Finals game to take place here in a generation. So h

  May 26, 2009

• Vince McMahon takes on faux-Stan Kroenke's killer toupee

  The McMahon-Kroenke smackdown -- captured in the "Raw." True Nuggets fans didn't watch last night's edition of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw, in which Nugs owner Stan Kroenke and the ballers on his payroll were spoofed by WWE's Vince McMahon and his unitard-clad minions -- an act of revenge/publicity stoking inspired by a Pepsi Center double-booking. We were too busy watching the real Nuggets thump the Los Angeles Lakers in game four of the Western Conference Finals. But judging by the Ra

  May 26, 2009

• Denver Blogs: So you think you can run an election (without screwing it up colossally)?

  Take a luxurious, four-click cruise through the local blogosphere. Know of something worth linking to? Send it along. For reasons we can't figure, people really want to run the state's elections. (Face the State) Tom Tancredo says Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a racist. (

  May 27, 2009

• The Nuggets aim to break up the Kobe-LeBron love match

  LJ. Okay, okay: I get it. After watching LeBron James' epic performance during the fourth quarter of Cleveland's 112-102 victory over the Orlando last night, when he essentially schooled the entire Magic squad singlehandedly, I understand why the NBA, Nike and assorted TV networks would like to see him and Kobe Bryant go at it head to head in the championship round. And while I don't necessarily subscribe to the officiating conspiracy theory, which holds that referees are consciously using thei

  May 29, 2009

• MiniBAR's patio party and Denver Nuggets stimulus package go hand-in-hand

  MiniBAR, the subterranean Cherry Creek hot spot recently opened by Bill Ward and Michel Wahaltere at 222 Columbine Street, is holding its patio launch party tonight from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., but the tiny bar with the really big patio is also doubling as a Denver Nuggets fan bar and TV viewing pad for game six of the Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and that other team we won't mention.As part of the bar's Denver Nuggets Stimulus Cheering Package, you can imbibe $3 Nuggets martinis and

  May 29, 2009

• J.R. Smith's case of chattus interruptus

  J.R. Smith showed up for this photo, at least. The NBA playoffs raised the profile of Nuggets streak-shooter J.R. Smith to the degree that he was included in "65 in 65," a series of NBA chats facilitated by ESPN. Problem is, he didn't show up for the session, which was supposed to take place yesterday -- although he apparently kept the net guessing until beyond the last minute. Here's the posted "exchange" -- although perhaps monologue would be a more appropriate term: Buzzmaster: J.R. should

  June 8, 2009

• The Nuggets give fans the not especially personal touch

  Carmelo wants to know how you feel, NameFirst. Having just completed their most exciting season in years, the Denver Nuggets are smart to get into contact with fans about next season while they're still buzzing from the team's just-ended playoff run. After all, the Nugs' bandwagon is more crowded than ever right now. Still, the franchise might want to work on personalizing its outreach efforts. A local on the Nuggets' mailing list recently received an e-mail inviting him to take a survey "about

  June 11, 2009

• Kobe Bryant: Nuggets' public enemy number one

  So... does knowing that your Denver Nuggets lost in the NBA's Western Conference Finals to the eventual champs, the L.A. Lakers -- and put up more of a fight than did the Orlando Magic -- make the way the Nugs' season ended a little less painful. No. Not at all. But it does give the Nuggets more incentive to stick it to Kobe Bryant next season. The clock is ticking....

  June 15, 2009

• Lamenting the title of Rhino's latest box set: Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets

  And the award for the most unfortunately named release of the year goes to... drum roll, please ... Rhino Records. Just under a month after the crushing elimination of our Denver Nuggets from the NBA Western Conference Finals, comes word of a box set being issued by the folks at Rhino titled Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968. Really, guys? Los Angeles Nuggets? The wounds are still fresh. Of course, the four-disc set, which otherwise sounds pretty enticing, BTW, has absolutely no

  June 24, 2009

• Denver Blogs: "Threatened? Endangered? Who cares, just get me some freakin' cheese"

  Our daily cruise through the Colorogosphere. Are we missing a worthy blog? Let us know. A lot of fuss over a very little mouse. (5280) With the 34th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Nuggets select... (Denver Stiffs) The rise (and rise and rise) of the downtown Four Seasons. (Denver Infill)

  June 24, 2009

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, June 26 edition

  Photo by Aaron ThackerayBy the time you get to see Phoenix.... So far today, all of America's remaining pop-culture icons seem to be hanging in there.... Today in Backbeat Online: • Last Night's Show: Phoenix at The Bluebird. • Polytoxic drummer Chadzilla hitches a ride with Slim Cessna's Auto Club. • Beyond Playlist: The Jonas Brothers and more. • Vintage radio ad for Michael Jackson's Denver tour from 1988 and 911 call. • Monolith announces Yeah Yeah Yeahs as a headliner. Today in

  June 26, 2009

• Show off your shoe game at the 'Sneaker Prom'

  PULSE Arts, the folks behind the annual Shoe Shine event, are taking their appreciation for art and sneaker culture to another level. This Saturday, June 27, the organization will host their first annual Sneaker Prom at the Denver Athletic Club (1325 Glenarm St.) in an effort to raise money for PULSE Arts, which focuses on providing art and music programs for Denver's youth.The event is a semi-formal cocktail and dance party, in which guests are asked to dress in evening gowns, tuxedos and suits

  June 26, 2009

• Nuggets score big with Ty Lawson pick-up

  Even hardcore Nuggets fans didn't go into last night's NBA draft expecting the team to do much. After all, the squad had the number 34 selection -- the sort of position that would likely result in the drafting of a European player we'd never see in a baby-blue uni. And that's precisely what happened. The Nugs grabbed Spanish guard Sergio Llull, then traded his rights to the Houston Rockets for what the Denver Post described as "cash considerations" -- meaning, probably, that Denver won't have

  June 26, 2009

• What's next for the Nuggets after caging Chris "Birdman" Andersen?

  Chris Andersen as he appeared in the November 2008 issue of Denver magazine. We've been lobbying for the Denver Nuggets to re-sign Chris Andersen for over a month, and the more time that passed, the more likely it was that other teams would start knocking on his door. Fortunately, though, the deed is finally done, with the Birdman agreeing to a five-year, $26 million pact he more than earned with his play last season. But as rival teams improve (note the Los Angeles Lakers' wise signing of Ron

  July 8, 2009

• Can Arron Afflalo become the next Dahntay Jones?

  Arron Afflalo. The Nuggets' loss of Dahntay Jones to a free-agent deal with the Indiana Pacers hurt, and not just because Kobe Bryant grew to despise him over the course of the Western Conference Finals this year. His toughness and aggressiveness were just what the Nugs need to become a perennial playoff power. Fortunately, though, the team's braintrust understands that, and made a wise deal to fill his role by obtaining Arron Afflalo from Detroit in a trade that also involved forward Walter Sh

  July 14, 2009

• While India.Arie rocked the Mile High Music Fest, her brother nearly rocked the big house

  July 23, 2009

• Kenny Be's Nuggets of Goodness: Chauncey Billups

  Golden moments in the lives of Denver Nuggets basketball players... ​

  October 6, 2009

• It's the most wonderful time of the year for Denver sports fans

  A Flickr photoWe feel like dancing, too.​ Right now, fans of pro sports in Denver have a difficult task -- figuring out how not to spontaneously orgasm at inappropriate times (like during fully clothed meetings with the boss) due to the magical confluence of seasons involving all the big-four sports: baseball, football, hockey and basketball. The World Series starts tonight, and while the Rockies aren't part of it, the glow from their unexpectedly successful season hasn't worn off -- and b

  October 28, 2009

• Hey, DJ! Q&A with DJ Vajra

  ​Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to them half cocked and ask them to play that new song by such and such -- you know, the one that goes... This week's subject: DJ Vajra, a DJ who's widely revered among his fellow DJs, locally and nationally, for his vast turn

  November 6, 2009

• Denver Blogs: Brad Miller almost (but doesn't quite) rip out the Nuggets' heart

  "Who cares if the shot was in time? Let's surf for porn!"​Finding good local blogs made easy. Denver Stiffs' Andrew Feinstein was at Chicago's United Center last night to watch the Bulls come within a nanosecond of stealing a game from the Nuggets. Suck it, Brad Miller. Square State's Zappatero thinks Betsy Markey's "no" vote on the healthcare bill was a strategic move that will blow up in her face. Hope the deductible's not too high. Meanwhile, is Tom Tancredo running for governor or n

  November 11, 2009

• Hey, DJ! Q&A with DJ Bedz

  Michael Martin​Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to them half cocked and ask them to play that new song by such and such -- you know, the one that goes... This week: DJ Bedz, the host of White Shadow Radio on Hot 107.1 and the official Denver Nuggets DJ. Read t

  November 13, 2009

• Allen Iverson was a perfect gentleman in Denver -- so what's your problem, Philadelphia, Detroit and Memphis?

  Allen Iverson stands as proof that Denver brings out the best in people. When he was in Philadelphia, he was clearly a brilliant talent, but he could also be cranky and petulant, as demonstrated in this classic news-conference meltdown about missing a practice. Denver fans were braced for more of the same upon his arrival. However, all he did during his time with the Nuggets was play hard, share the ball more than expected (if not quite enough), say all the right things, and otherwise disprove

  November 17, 2009

• Hearsay bits: Sean Foreman and Nat Motte put the 'OH!' in 3OH!3 at mtvU's Woodie Awards and more

  ​Some quick news bites from the local scene...Oh my!: Recognize these striking dames? Yeah, us neither. That boa helmet and weird, red, veil, feathery thing kind of obscures any chance we have any sort of face recognition. This pic was snapped a few nights ago at mtvU's Woodie Awards, which we somehow managed to miss. Luckily, the fine folks over at network went ahead and solved the mystery for us. Evidently dudes looking like ladies here are none other than the insatiable hooligans from the P

  November 20, 2009