Melo got knocked around and played with a migraine in the 2nd half. After carrying the Nuggs in his last game, his teammates returned the favor against the Kings.

ESPN Boxscore Web: Nuggets stake playoff claim (Denver Post) Last game: at San Antonio Spurs, Wed @ 6:30MT

NUGGETS CLINCH 8th SEED!

Let's just let this all soak in a bit:

• Nuggets in playoffs for first time in 9 years
• We had 17 wins last year
• Utah's playoff appearance streak ended after 20 years
• We had 17 wins last year and we play in the Western Conference
• Portland's playoff appearance streak ended after 21 years
• We had 17 wins last year... this year we have 43 and counting - a 26 game improvement
• First team to reach playoffs since 1969-1970 Suns after 17 or fewer wins the previous season

Did I mention we had just 17 wins last year? :)

It's tough to put this all into words after this unexpectedly fun and fulfilling season, but I'll try.

This was a huge game. After beating Portland in OT Saturday night, the Nuggets went into Monday tied with Utah and only 2 games remaining. A Nuggets win and a Utah loss would clinch the playoffs for the Nuggets. It seemed a lot to ask though, with both teams going up against the top two teams in the Western Conference (Wolves and Kings) and hoping to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Marcus Camby was a force from the opening tip. His will, effort and intensity kept the Kings at bay whenever they threatened. His mood was captured during a big-time play right before halftime. With just seconds left on the game clock, Boykins launched a three from the top of the key. When the ball bouced high off the front of the rim, both Anthony and Camby positioned themselves to tap the miss back in. Camby rose up above Anthony and any Kings player and slammed it home just before the buzzer. As Carmelo smiled and enjoyed his teammate's success, Camby barked at the back of Doug Christie before walking off the court. It didn't seem to be directed at Christie specifically - he just happened to be the closest Kings player, when Camby wanted to tell someone that the Nuggets were not to be denied on this night.

Camby's boxscore line was amazing:

Basically, Marcus was everywhere on the court, and did a little of everything. He blocked shots, he hit the floor to grab loose balls, and he ran the fastbreak himself several times, finishing with a nifty pass to an open teammate. He led the Nuggets in rebounds, blocks, and assists, and scored effectively - hitting a critical jumper from just inside the free-throw line with the game on the line in the final minutes.

Andre Miller also stepped up in this game, after having stuggled in recent weeks. Andre led 5 Nuggets in double figures with 21 points on 8-17 shooting and 5-6 from the free-throw line. He also had 3 steals and 5 assists.

Carmelo Anthony struggled mightily in this game after leading the team to victory against Portland two nights earlier. He had 17 points on 7-25 shooting. He may have still been tired from the herculean effort he had put out in the previous game, as he often settled for jumpshots in the first half that just weren't going in. Early, in the second half, Carmelo blocked Peja's shot while receiving an elbow to the face. He complained of being poked in the eye and asked to come out. He struggled on the sideline with his vision and actually received oxygen for awhile. He came back in after a few minutes, but you could tell he wasn't quite himself. We later found out from a sideline report that he was suffering from a migraine (remind you of Broncos RB Terrell Davis?) and every time there was a stoppage in game action, he would shield his eyes from the bright lights. If you didn't already know it by now, you could see the heart that Melo has, doing everything he could to help the Nuggets get the win, even when he was feeling lousy.

So there you have it Nuggets fans - we're back in the playoffs. We won't know for sure until after Wednesday night, but we'll either face the Minnesota Timberwolves or San Antonio Spurs in the first round. All I can say is... watch out for the Nuggets - we will be a dangerous 8th seed!

Notes: Several celebrities were in the Pepsi Center Monday night, but none larger than Michael Jordan, who stood in a club level box and cheered on his pupil, Melo. Also in attendance were supermodel Tyra Banks, and 80's-90's pop-singer Lionel Ritchie. Nearly 20,000 stood around and cheered after the game. The celebration was prolonged when the Nuggets tried to get the Kings to come back out of the lockerroom after a backcourt violation was called with 0.5 seconds left in the game. Camby took the opportunity to walk around the entire edge of the court and give everyone five while he clutched the game-ball in his other hand.

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Til next game,

Alan