It’s pretty simple. If Denver wins tonight, the series is theirs. If L.A. wins tonight the series is (more than likely) theirs. Nuggets coach George Karl knows & relayed this to his team.

“My focus to our players is that this is our must-win game, almost as much as Game 4 was,” Denver coach George Karl said the day after his team had an impressive, 120-101 beatdown of Los Angeles. “You want to win there in Game 5 because history is against you in Game 7. — George Karl

Carmelo, Chauncey & J.R. will all need to be on tonight and the team will need all the energy they can muster from their bigs and bench.  I like their chances tonight because they’ve always played with urgency and a desire to win.  I can’t say that about the Lakers.

Kobe’s chomping at the bit to take the series over and his teammates seem obliged to let him do so.  He’s’ got to be looking out east to his Muppet brethren, realizing that he alone can’t carry his team to the next level.  Contrary to his belief, he’s got to get someone else involved and Gasol is probably going to be his best bet. He’s had success in the paint this series in his limited touches.

Regardless of the game’s outcome, we’re the real winners as this game promises to be nothing less than spectacular.

Nuggets See Game 5 As Most Critical Of The Series [Yahoo]

Home-Court Is An Advantage…Especially In The Playoffs [NBA]