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_{Photo copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)}

Lakers-Nuggets Bullets

* Jeff Van Gundy is the game's best sideline voice. It was Van Gundy who suggested early in last night second game of the Nuggets-Lakers series that George Karl should play Linus Kleiza instead of two bigs in order to open up the floor for Melo Anthony. Voila, that's exactly what happened, with the added benefit of better rebounding because the bigs weren't packing the paint for either team, giving Denver's quickness a chance for the caroms and getting Melo, an overpowering small forward, down near the hoop with room to move. \

* Two bad calls by the refs handed Denver their final 4 points. Unless I'm  grossly mistaken, Kenyon Martin was in the lane for at least five seconds, never stepping out as Billups drove, kicked it out to nobody in particular, and had Nene retrieve the ball and whip it to K-Mart, still camped out near the hoop. Then, as more people noticed, again thanks to Van Gundy, JR Smith invaded the circle before anyone touched the late-game jump ball, which should have awarded possession to LA. Instead, Ariza lost the ball and the Lakers were forced to foul Billups, who hit both shots.

* Anthony had the best 12-29 FG shooting performance I've ever witnessed. He missed 17 shots? Really? Not when it mattered.

* If I were Phil Jackson I'd pull the plug on Derek Fisher. If you're going to guard Chauncey Billups with Kobe anyway, why not just use Luke Walton, who doesn't get nearly enough minutes because Trevor Ariza is even better, as your 3 and kick Ariza back to the two. He can nail the trey more reliably than Fisher can right now. And Jordan Farmar had two beautiful assists within moments of each other in the first half that Fisher is simply incapable of completing. He had three dimes overall in 6:14, same as Fisher in 27:42. Walton led the team with 4 in 18:53. So remind me again why Fisher, who shot 1-9 FG, plays. "Veteran leadership?"

* At the other end, be it injury or being mentally overwhelmed, JR Smith is not the guy you want on the Staples Center floor in crunchtime. Maybe at home with the fans behind him. But his stupid pass in the final minutes almost cost his club the game and he's not in any kind of rhythm on his shot. I'd also use Birdman more earlier in both halves, if only to keep Nene out of foul trouble.

* Kobe Bryant was magnificent. Folks can hate on Kobe all they want--I've been there myself--but if you can't appreciate him burying the last two shots he attempted--a contested trey from a standing position and a rapid-fire jumper from the right wing, both tying the score in crunchtime--then your bias is blinding you to the pure beauty of a relentless warrior on the court. And Melo on the other side, rising to the occasion. For all the LeBron-Kobe Finals hype, I don't imagine it can get much better than this, if it ever even comes to pass. Instead, let's appreciate what is right in front of us, right now. This could be a matchup of games we'll be talking about for years. It is a hell of a lot more meaningful than that ballyhooed first round Celtics-Bulls series.

Wolves Reportedly Hire David Kahn

Thanks to my wonderful sources (and they know who they are) who put the scoops in a cone for me, this site was the first place where Kahn's name was uttered this season. Of course that was long ago, before three other candidates were seriously courted and then apparently jilted Glen Taylor. At least two of them, San Antonio's Dennis Lindsey and Portland's Tom Penn, had on-the-surface credentials and temperament that made me more excited for their arrival than what I'm feeling for Kahn. The guy hasn't even been in the NBA since 2004.

Nevertheless, there's no sense in being totally down and negative about Kahn until we see what he can do. I'm going to the press conference this Friday noon mostly just to get a feeling for the guy. I'm thinking that what owner Glen Taylor has to say for himself will be the more informative "news" of the day. Will Kahn have the ability to determine the fate of his personnel guy and his coach? If so, why didn't Lindsey or Penn take the job? Taylor must know that his franchise is fostering a reputation for dysfunction, and his frequent contradictory statements about whether or not Kevin McHale can determine his own future with the ballclub, and whether the Hoiberg/Stack/Babcock crew who have been evaluating talent all these months under the much-hyped blueprint are going to be around to provide input when the Wolves utilize a bevy of draft picks in just a few short weeks. I am all for autonomy for someone from outside the organization. But if those truly were the conditions clear to Lindsey and Penn  during negotiations, why couldn't Taylor cinch a deal?

I'll have my own answers and impressions over the weekend.