It may not be a sexy offseason transaction that made you look, but acquiring Arron Afflalo is a tremendous upgrade for the Denver Nuggets.

Last season, the Nuggets used Dahntay Jones at the 2-guard and even though he did a “decent” job, Jones was very limited offensively and he’s not a shut-down, one-on-one defender who can take out an offensive player. He’s more like a free safety who prefers to play zone defense. Besides, he’s from Duke. Duke guys don’t play defense in the NBA.

Carmelo Anthony, left, is guarded by Arron Afflalo in practice. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Afflalo is a lock-down defender. He is a big guard (6-5) with lots of athletic ability and very quick to the ball. He is a product of the Ben Howland School of defense at UCLA, so you know he is tough as nails and won’t back down against anyone – and that includes Kobe Bryant.

If the Nuggets want to be considered a championship team, they need to improve their defense. If they want to get to the NBA Finals, they must go through the big, bad L.A. Lakers and their reigning Finals MVP.  Afflalo was brought in to upgrade the Denver defense and be a Kobe Stopper.

The value of this pick-up won’t be seen until the Nuggets see the Lakers in the conference finals – if Denver is lucky enough to get there.

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We all know perennial NBA powers Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers and Spurs will be playing deep into May, and even maybe through June. Each team has been there before and it would take a major injury to derail their title chances (see Manu Ginobili and Spurs).

But what about those teams that enjoyed playoff success last season after some no-so-good years. A look at which teams are title contenders which ones are one-hit wonders.

Orlando Magic
A trip to the NBA Finals usually merits a clear-cut “title contender” label but there are a lot of questions that need to answered heading into this season for the Magic. First, can Vince Carter replace Hedo Turkoglu as the team’s go-to guy in the clutch? Is Jameer Nelson completely recovered from his shoulder injury and ready to reclaim his All-Star status? Can Dwight Howard get better after leaping into first-team All-NBA status last year? I say, NO, YES, YES. I guess two out of three ain’t bad. Orlando Magic: CONTENDER.

Houston Rockets
Losing Yao Ming for the season hurts and head coach Rick Adelman will need to scrap his post-up offense in favor of a more wide-open style. Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry have to step into the vacuum left by Yao and Luis Scola must become the team’s No. 1 option on the block. Here’s an addition by subraction: Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest. At this stage of his career, Artest is a shell of himself and Ariza has more upside. It will be feast or famine on offense as the focus shifts entirely on Aaron Brooks. If the young point guard can somehow bottle up his seven-game playoff performance against the Lakers and unleash it for an entire season, the Rockets will be a factor. Speaking of IF, Tracy McGrady won’t be able to rejoin the team until November. Even if T-Mac returns to the court, it remains to be seen how much he can contribute. And can his surgically repaired knee hold up for an entire season? Anything out of T-Mac will be a big plus for the Rockets, but will it be enough? Houston Rockets: ONE-HIT WONDER.

Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets won 54 games last season and reached the Western Conference finals before losing to eventual world champion L.A. Chauncey Billups gets a full training camp the time around and his presence alone can help Denver smooth out all the small problems the Nuggets have had in years past. J.R. Smith, who will miss the first seven games of the season because of suspension, is the key. If he can shave the “hot dog” off his game, he makes the Nuggets a championship-caliber team. Nene’s health is also another factor, but he seems to be fully recovered from all his ailments. and adding Arron Afflalo helps the Nuggets on the defensive end. Afflalo is bigger, stronger, quicker and a better offensive player than Dahntay Jones. Denver Nuggets: CONTENDER.

Derrick Rose was a catalyst in the Bulls' seven-game classic against Boston. (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES)

Chicago Bulls
The epic seven-game war with the Celtics put the Bulls back in the limelight, but to think that Chicago is back as a contender is wishful thinking. Last year’s Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose will get better but he’s the only player on the current roster than has room to improve. Everyone else is tapped out. The loss of Ben Gordon is huge. BG was the guy who made the big shots vs. the Celtics and I don’t think the often-injured Luol Deng can cover for his loss. There’s a saying that you don’t appreciate someone until they are gone. Well, Ben Gordon has left Chicago to be the new microwave in Detroit. Chicago Bulls: ONE-HIT WONDER.

Portland Trail Blazers
The young Blazers grew leaps and bounds a season ago and are primed for bigger and better things this season. Brandon Roy is a star and LaMarcus Aldridge is getting there. The addition of point guard Andre Miller will help take some of the ball-handling duties from Roy, and will push Steve Blake to the bench where he can be more effective. The key is Greg Oden. If he can give Portland a solid 70 games, Portland could challenge Denver for the top spot in the Northwest Division. Portland Trail Blazers: CONTENDER.

Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade can’t possibly carry this team by himself. He needs help and I don’t think Pat Riley did enough to give D-Wade support during the offseason. Center Jermaine O’Neal can’t stay healthy and forward Michael Beasley is still trying to get his life in order. Miami made the playoffs last year but could struggle to get back this season. Miami Heat: ONE-HIT WONDER.

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The Lakers' terrific trio of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are poised to win an NBA title. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

After sleep-walking through the first two rounds of the playoffs and the first four games of the Western Conference finals, the Lakers are now fully caffeinated and wide awake.

Pau Gasol is fully stretched, Lamar Odom is back to form and Kobe Bryant looks unstoppable. To borrow a line from the popular Nike Most Valuable Puppets commercials that features Kobe and LeBron James … “What makes his unstoppableness unstoppable?” Nobody knows.

So, cue the Lakers’ championship parade. Bring back Mark Madsen and let him do a little reign dance in front of Staples Center. Give Jack Nicholson a chest bump. And find one of Hef’s Playmates and give her a smooch. As the late great Chick Hearn would say, “This one is in the refrigerator. The door’s closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter’s getting hard and the Jell-O’s jiggling.” The Lakers are back in the NBA Finals and four victories away from a 15th NBA championship. It’s banner time!

When the Lakers are locked in on defense and playing with a high efficiency on offense, no team in the league – and that includes Cleveland and Orlando – that can stop them. The Denver Nuggets saw the Lakers at their best in Game 6 when the Lake Show dispatched the Nuggets, 119-92, on Denver’s home floor.

The domination was evident from the start. Trevor Ariza got the party started by hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter. After the Nuggets took a 31-30 lead thanks to J.R. Smith, the Lakers went back to work and the game became one-sided. When the Lakers kicked it into sixth gear, there was nothing the Nuggets could do. Kobe Bryant punctuated the first-half assault by swishing a 3-pointer from the corner to give the Lakers a 13-point lead right before halftime. Dagger!

“All through the series, I saw little cracks in the Lakers. Somehow we’ve cemented those cracks back up and I think they’re the best team right now in the NBA,” said Denver coach George Karl, who reluctantly congratulated the Lakers after they eliminated the Nuggets from the postseason.

As usual, Bryant led all scorers with 35 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. The Black Mamba, who also had six rebounds and 10 assists, showed Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith how to close out a series.

“Their offensive execution was the best it’s been all series, and their box defense kinda frustrated our offense,” Karl added. “Then No. 24 had a great five minutes at the end of the (half) that no one in basketball could have covered. He made about four shots during that stretch; I think Jesus would have had trouble covering him.”

Though Karl was mesmerized by Bryant’s holy game, Kobe was not alone in cutting up the Nuggets. Pau Gasol also flirted with a triple-double with 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and his proficiency in the post allows the other Lakers to get involved and creates a better balance on offense and defense.

“The last two games we really proved to ourselves and everybody else that we can be an extremely high quality team that deserves to be in the NBA Finals and is going for the NBA championship,” Gasol explained. “We have to do more of that. I think we have been a little inconsistent throughout the year with that. When we move the ball and use all of our weapons, we become really dangerous because the defense then hesitates and doubt if they double team Kobe or not, or go double team me or not and they’re out of balance. Hopefully we can keep it this way.”

Lamar Odom came off the bench to score 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and Luke Walton enjoyed his best game of the series with 10 points. When Odom is actively involved in the game, teams have a really hard time matching up with the Lakers because it gives them three highly-skilled scoring options. A perfect triangle offense built to overcome any defense. “Whoever woke up Lamar Odom should be fired,” Karl joked. “I thought we had him contained, but he has been sensational the last two games.”

Karl hinted that when Bryant has is going offensively, Gasol is working his post-up game and the 3-point snipers are hitting their mark, the Lakers become unstoppable.

“We never got control of their post-ups,” Karl said as the Lakers made 43 of 75 of their shots from the field (57%) and were 9-of-16 from 3-point range (56%). “When we doubled it, they scored – the three or the two. And when we didn’t double it, they scored on the post-up. Offensively, they got into control of us more than we got in control of them.”

Right now, the Lakers are in complete control of their destiny and it would not matter who plays them in the NBA Finals because there is no stopping the Lake Show.

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Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson were not happy with the way Game 4 was officiated. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

The inconsistent officiating in the NBA playoffs is becoming predictable. In Game 3, the Los Angeles Lakers were awarded 45 free throws and won 103-97. In Game 4, the Denver Nuggets were awarded 49 free throws and won 120-101. It is coincidence? Neither coach doesn’t believe it is.

Nuggets Coach George Karl reasoned his players “could not get a feel for the whistle” during the loss in Game 3. After his Lakers lost in Game 4, it was Phil Jackson’s turn to take the mic to voice his displeasure. He was quick to point out the 49-35 free-throw disparity and the 31-24 personal foul differential, both in favor of the Nuggets. The Lakers starting frontcourt of Andrew Bynum (5), Pau Gasol (4) and Trevor Ariza (5) combined for 14 personal fouls. Add Lamar Odom’s (5) and Luke Walton’s (6) fouls to the mix and it’s a 25-12 disadvantage for the Lakers’ big men.

The usually cool and calm Zen Master took out his frustration on Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers. When Simers brought up the subject of the Lakers not competing all the time, Jackson paused and replied: “I’ll explain it to you in deep terms, okay.

“Basketball is a game where the aggressor gets the advantage. And tonight, we didn’t know what a foul was and what wasn’t a foul,” Jackson explained. “The start of the ballgame, we got guys knocked around going to the basket and they said we’re gonna let these things go. And by the end of the ballgame, little fouls were being called all over the place. Forty-nine foul shots in a sequence of a game like that. That’s not how we wanted to play and that’s not what we wanted to do in a game.”

When Simers tried to interrupt Jackson, the Lakers coach told Simers, “Just be quiet while you’re standing there. You asked me a question and I’ll give you the answer, alright.”

Jackson continued, “So, as the momentum changes in a ballgame like that, you’re always on your heels because guys are now in foul trouble. Then you’re not the aggressor anymore. Then you’re the guy that’s defensively playing the game. And that’s what I don’t like.”

The thorough analysis from Jackson is sure sign that the Lakers coach is clearly irritated by what he witnessed in Game 4. And he’s also clearly irritated with Simers, who followed up his initial question by asking Jackson, “So, are you saying it’s the referees and not your team’s inability to compete all the time?” To which Jackson responded by saying, “No. I don’t think I said that. I think you’re trying to put words in my mouth and I’m not gonna let you do that.”

In defense of Simers, Jackson was clearly criticizing the refs and placed much of the blame on the officials without calling them out by name. The Zen Master will surely get a call from Stu Jackson and could be hit with a costly fine, which is fine by Jackson. He basically used the post-game news conference as a platform to make his argument.

Jackson pointed out a sequence of events late in the fourth quarter that helped the Nuggets pull away from the Lakers. He said Walton went across the lane and got hit in the throat by Nene, and no foul was called. When Walton complained to the officials, he was whistled for three fouls in a row that awarded Carmelo Anthony six consecutive free throws.

“The referee gave him (Walton) a technical and subsequently gave him three consecutive fouls,” Jackson said. “That kind of disparity we don’t like in ballgames. That’s not equal refereeing, and those are the things that changes the course of games and we don’t like that. We want the game fair and evenly played.”

One unfair play that was completely missed by the referees was the obvious tripping foul on Nuggets forward Dahntay Jones that got Kobe Bryant steaming. When Bryant was asked about it, he sarcastically said, “I fell on my face for no reason. I’m a klutz.”

Jackson called Jones’ alleged dirty play “unacceptable defense” and “unsportsmanlike basketball.” He also said it’s not the first time Jones had done such a thing during the series.

But the noncalls was just part of the Lakers’ woes in Game 4. After spending an enormous amount of energy in winning the previous game, the Lakers appeared to be tired on Monday and the numbers supported that as the Nuggets outrebounded them, 58-40, a clear indication the visiting team was suffering from fatigue.

“We just didn’t get to the ball. Their offensive rebounding disparity was quite obvious. A lot of it was breakdowns so there’s some action to create situations where our bigs needed to help, so they’re weren’t ready (to rebound),” Jackson said on how the Nuggets collected 20 offensive rebounds to the Lakers’ 9.

Bryant had a more unsubtle response to the Lakers’ rebounding woes. “They just kicked our ass,” Bryant said. “They whupped us.”

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Kobe Bryant went to the foul line 17 times in Game 3, which clearly frustrated Kenyon Martin the Nuggets. (GETTY IMAGES)

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 41 points in the Lakers’ 103-97 victory in Game 3, the first playoff game in Denver since 1985. But Kobe received a lot of help. However, help did not come from his teammates. It came in the form of three guys wearing the Footlocker shirts: Dan Crawford, Derrick Stafford and James Capers.

The Nuggets were whistled for 31 fouls, compared to the Lakers’ 24. Two Nuggets starters, Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin, both fouled out and starting center Nene Hilario played nearly the entire fourth quarter with five fouls. That’s 17 personal fouls on the Nuggets starting frontline.

On the other hand, the Lakers’ frontcourt starters Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza were combined for nine personal fouls. Even if you add Lamar Odom, who committed four fouls off the bench, it still does not add up to the Nuggets’ total.

For the game, the Lakers attempted 45 free throws and converted 31. The Nuggets attempted 31 free throws and made 26. Had the Lakers shot better than 68% from the foul line, Game 3 would have been a blowout. Bryant was the beneficiary of the questionable officiating, cashing in on 15 of 17 free throws. That number was a little inflated because the Nuggets had to intentionally foul Bryant late to extend the game.

In the second half, the Lakers were awarded 28 free throw attempts and the Nuggets received 11. Now, I don’t believe Denver lost the game solely because of the refs, but you have to wonder why there was such a free-throw disparity in the last 24 minutes when clearly both teams were playing with the same intensity on both ends of the court.

Anthony got to the line 12 times in the first half but just twice in the second half. Why? Not sure. When Anthony was asked what the Lakers defense did to him differently in the second half to shut him down, he smiled and paused because he did not want to get fined. Then, he said he “just missed shots.”

“It was the same shots, just missed them,” said Anthony, who finished 21 points but 18 of them came in the first half. “I don’t think they did anything different. I just missed open shots. Some of them was tough, some of them wasn’t. I’ll continued to take those same shots.”

Denver Coach George Karl said the Lakers simply “beat up” Anthony, who made just 4 of 13 shots.

“We usually win the free throw line against most teams. Even though we got 31 free throws, we threw away way too many opportunities,” Karl said. “When you attack, attack, attack, you get a better feel for the whistle. When we went back to attacking in the fourth quarter, we didn’t get a good feel for the whistle. I thought Melo got fouled, I thought Chris Andersen got fouled on the dunk. It seemed like we weren’t getting consistencies on the whistle.”

Karl added that the foul problems prevented the Nuggets from rotation different guys on Bryant.

As much as free throw shooting was a factor in Game 3, it was not the only reason why the Nuggets lost. When the calls were not going their way, the Nuggets self-destructed and made some bonehead decisions that did not help their cause. The technical fouls on J.R. Smith, Linas Kleiza and Anthony Carter did not help, the 5-for-27 shooting from behind the 3-point line did not help and K-Mart’s brain lock during another critical mistake during an inbounds play definitely did not help. Someone needs to the tell Nuggets that you can throw the ball into the backcourt in the last two minutes.

This is how the NBA works. The Lakers needed a split in Denver to keep this series moving. This means the Nuggets will get the benefit in Game 4, and more than likely Anthony and Nene will not foul out; Kobe will not get 17 free throw attempts and the Lakers will be lucky to shoot 30 free throws. The series will be tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 in Los Angeles.

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Denver guard Chauncey Billups made just 2-of-7 3-pointers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson made the first move in the Western Conference finals and now it is up to the Denver Nuggets to adjust. Jackson put Kobe Bryant, his best defender, on Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups for much of Game 1. Even though Billups scored 18 points, he made just 38% of his field goals (5 of 13) and was just 2 of 7 from 3-point range in Denver’s 105-103 loss at Staples Center.

Entering the conference finals, Billups was shooting 54% from the field and making almost half of his 3-point shots (14 of 32). Jackson – who is 42-0 when he wins the first game of a playoff series – was definitely concerned about Billups before the series began. By putting Bryant on him early, the Lakers coach made it very clear that slowing down Billups is the key to winning the series. Jackson made a similar move during the 1998 playoffs when he assigned forward Scottie Pippen to smother Indiana Pacers point guard Mark Jackson in the beginning of that series.

Jackson was bitten by Billups before – he led the Detroit Pistons past the Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals and was MVP of the Finals – and the Zen Master was not about to let that happen again. By making Billups work for every shot, Jackson is trying to kill the head of the snake. The Lakers are willing to live with Carmelo Anthony getting 39 points. But Bryant, along with Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown, will not allow Billups to get comfortable.

Billups is playing in his seventh consecutive conference finals, a remarkable feat considering only three players have made more consecutive trips to the conference finals since 1970. Kurt Rambis played in seven straight Western Conference finals with the Los Angeles Lakers. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper, all members of the Showtime Lakers during the 1980s, made eight straight trips to the conference finals under Pat Riley.

Billups played in six consecutive Eastern Conference finals as a member of the Detroit Pistons. When Detroit traded Billups to Denver, the Pistons went south and failed to reach the second round. In fact, the Pistons failed to win a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Billups has stabilized Denver’s once undisciplined offense and has somehow taught the Nuggets how to play defense, which was like teaching a pitbull how to cuddle. Much like a veteran quarterback who does not throw interceptions, Billups rarely makes mistakes on offense and defense.

By taking away Billups, the Lakers are banking on the fact that the Nuggets, a team they swept out of the playoffs a year ago, will revert back to their old ways.

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Kobe Bryant should have no problem leading the Los Angeles Lakers back to the NBA Finals.

Last June, the Los Angeles Lakers were humiliated by the Boston Celtics by 39 points in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at the new Boston Garden. That drubbing is still fresh in the minds of Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. Both future Hall of Famers are chomping at the bit to get back to the Finals and redeem their legacy.

No team in the Western Conference has the size nor the strength to push the Lakers. The Lakers run the most explosive and efficient offense in the NBA, and Kobe and Co. play enough defense to get stops late in games. Bryant is determined to win a championship without Shaquille O’Neal and Jackson is determined to move ahead of Red Auerbach in number of championships won by a coach.

Portland is the only team that can match up with the long and lengthy Lakers, but the Trail Blazers are probably a year away from seriously contending for a title.

Manu Ginobili is out with an injured ankle and the wear and tear of all those playoff games are finally getting to Tim Duncan. Despite the fact that Coach Gregg Popovich limited his minutes all season, Duncan’s knees were flaring up so bad that Popovich had to shut him down the last three weeks of the season. The Spurs are old and beaten up. Tony Parker is the only real starter under the age of 30. We could be watching the final stand of a great champion.

Denver, the No. 2 seeded team in the West, is a far better team with Chauncey Billups at the point than with Allen Iverson. But can Coach George Karl count on Carmelo Anthony in a big game? We shall see. Denver faces a formidable foe in New Orleans in the first round, and even though the Hornets have not been playing their best ball lately they still have the best point guard in the league in Chris Paul.

OneManFastbreak.net analyzes and predicts the winners of the Western Conference playoffs:

FIRST ROUND

(1) L.A. Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz – This was the easiest series to predict. Jazz are not athletic enough to stay with Kobe and are not tall enough to deal with 7-footers Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum. LAKERS IN 5.

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets – Before Billups arrived, the Nuggets were a borderline playoff team. With Mr. Big Shot, the Nuggets have a shot at the conference semifinals. NUGGETS IN 7.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks – If Devin Harris was still in Dallas, Mavs would be a cinch. But Harris is in New Jersey and Dallas is stuck with Jason Kidd. SPURS IN 6.

(4) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets – In three head-to-head matchups, the home team won each time. It will be no different in the postseason. BLAZERS IN 7.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(1) L.A. Lakers vs. (4) Portland Trail Blazers – Good news is, the Blazers are good enough to beat L.A. in Portland. Bad news is, the Blazers are not good enough to win in L.A. LAKERS IN 7.

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (3) San Antonio Spurs – Denver has never advanced past San Antonio in the Duncan era. Billups is poised to show the Nuggets how it’s done. NUGGETS IN 6.

CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) L.A. Lakers vs. (2) Denver Nuggets – After going through a tough series with Portland in the semifinals, the Lakers catch a break and are rewarded with a cakewalk in the conference finals against overmatched Denver. Too much Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. LAKERS IN 5.

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