Nuggets make a nice run

As Dandy Don Meredith used to sing when the game was decided on Monday Night Football, "Turn out the lights, the party's over."

I know, I'm dating myself here.

Nuggets fans were likely singing that at the Pepsi Center midway through the fourth quarter.

Denver's exciting run to the NBA Finals was stopped dead in its tracks by the Lakers in a surprising way, 119-92 Friday night.

Many in this neck of the woods expected one team to take control like the last time the two teams played in the Pepsi Center. Not too many here thought it would be the Lakers.

For a team that has had focus problems on the road this season, Los Angeles looked every bit the part as the favorite, and the team the national media has been slobbering over at times this season. In this case, I guess they were right.

But I have to give the Nuggets credit. If not for their run in the playoffs this season, I'd probably be just lukewarm in watching the NBA this year. They got to me watch and be interested in it again. I do have to say, it really has been some time since I really cared. Thanks to the Nuggets, I cared this year.

Now this is coming from a long-time Lakers fan. I should clarifying that a bit. I was a big-time Lakers fan as kid, imitating every move by Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain. Yes, I'm that old.

Then came Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Company. The classic battles with the Celtics, Knicks and even the 76ers had me hooked.

Once Magic retired I admit, I lost interest. Even with Shaq, Kobe and Phil Jackson winning titles, it wasn't the same. The game had changed and evidently, so did I.

Now, that's not to say I didn't pay attention. I knew what was going on, I just wasn't that excited about it.

Throughout my years in Laramie, I had always followed the Nuggets, to a certain extent. For most of the time, I semi-followed them to either the end of the regular season or through the first round of the playoffs.

This year was different. I was starting to be a fan again. So when the Nuggets faced the Lakers in the Western Finals, I had a vested interest again. If the Nuggets would have won, I would have officially jumped on the bandwagon against the Magic or Cavs.

Now, the old days of being a Lakers fan is better than it had been in a few years. I'm still not ga-ga over Kobe or Phil Jackson, but they are the Lakers.

And what the heck, I'm in it this far. I might as well enjoy it to the end.

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