Author: Mark Kiszla [email protected]
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Kickin’ It with Kiz: Nuggets need to end era when team depends on Joker to do it all
This won’t happen, but the Nuggets’ best chance to win again just might be trading Nikola Jokic. I don’t want that to happen, but not a lot of options to move forward unless ownership pays heavy luxury tax, which it won’t do. – K&C, sees end of era Kiz: This team cries out for an…
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Mark Kiszla: Denver is hockey mecca that State of Hockey wants to be when it grows up
Minnesota likes to boast it’s the State of Hockey. But the No. 1 Hockey Town in the whole USA? That’s no contest. It’s Denver. “They call it the State of Hockey for a reason,” Avalanche defenseman Sam Malinski told me Saturday. “Playing hockey is what every kid in Minnesota dreams about. I think back on…
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Mark Kiszla: Big Nuggets’ error that mars Jokic Era on painful display in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — The Nuggets’ championship window didn’t close. It shattered. And losing to the team that broke Denver was as painful as chewing glass. With chants of “M-V-P!” rattling the rafters of the Target Center for Jaden McDaniels, the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated Nikola Jokic and his disconsolate teammates Thursday with a 110-98 loss that left…
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Mark Kiszla: Why Nuggets coach David Adelman can’t ignore the noise and claps back at criticism
MINNEAPOLIS – All the noise drenched with foul negativity that coaches preach to ignore, David Adelman absorbs and wrings into a stinking bucket he feels obligated to carry. “I understand that people want me to crush our guys after losses,” Adelman said Wednesday. “But I’m not going to do that, when I know the temperament…
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Mark Kiszla: Nuggets shut yap of Howlin’ Wolf Jaden McDaniels in blowout victory
On a night when their angry home arena was drunk on boos, Nikola Jokic and his Denver teammates finally gave Nuggets Nation a reason to stand up and cheer. They ain’t dead yet, folks. “I have been here before,” Jokic said Monday, “and we know when you play in an elimination game, you need to…
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Mark Kiszla: Nuggets too weak to stop Minnesota from punking them in Game 4
MINNEAPOLIS – The Nuggets got punked, then turned into whiny, little chumps. As a 112-96 loss to Minnesota covered them in shame, center Nikola Jokic lost his cool when Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels laughed in the Nuggets’ face by scoring a breakaway layup as the clock wound down to the final horn. After Denver had…
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Kickin’ It with Kiz: Did Broncos, Raiders or Chiefs find the steal at RB in draft?
I like the Broncos drafting defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim because he’s from the same place as where Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller played his college football. – Robert, pit bull mentality Kiz: While Onyedim will get a chance to fill the big roster hole left by the departure of John Franklin-Myers, it’s the Broncos’…
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Mark Kiszla: Is Nikola Jokic losing grip on crown as world’s best basketball player?
MINNEAPOLIS – After a five-year reign as the undisputed best hooper on the planet, Nikola Jokic’s championship belt is on the line. There’s no debating the No. 1 reason Denver’s season is on the brink in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The greatest player to ever wear a Nuggets uniform has stunk. In…
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Mark Kiszla: Nuggets’ championship era fades fast after ugly Game 3 loss to Timberwolves
MINNEAPOLIS – Getting run out of the gym without so much as a whimper of protest might not have been the sad end of a glorious era for the Nuggets, but you can see it from here. And it ain’t a pretty sight. Those NBA championship rings earned in 2023 will shine forever. Denver, however,…
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Mark Kiszla: Avs survive mugging by dirty Kings, get revenge with 2-1 victory
The Colorado Avalanche laced up their skates for a hockey game and a UFC fight broke out. This bitterly fought 2-1 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings should’ve been staged inside a steel cage rather than on a sheet of ice. Nicolas Roy put the visitors out of their misery with a hard-working goal…