The Denver Nuggets are 5-2 since the Carmelo Anthony trade and still the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. There hasn't been a collapse or a descent into doom and gloom for this team, but might their current level of play be a mirage?
↵In his latest NBA Power Rankings, Tom Ziller wonders just that. Ziller isn't quite sure of what to think about the Nuggets. Is this newfound defense going to hold up? Kenyon Martin and Nene are pretty good in that regard, but outside of Arron Afflalo there are question marks around the rest of the court.
↵Yet, even with all these questions, Ziller keeps the Nuggets in the same general area they have been in for weeks. They dropped only one spot to No. 9 this week. The Oklahoma City Thunder swapped placed with the Nuggets and are No. 4 in Western Conference playoffs. They'll need Kendrick Perkins back to bolster the team down the stretch.
↵But with a little more crying from the Miami Heat, maybe we'll see the Nuggets and the Thunder move up a couple of slots.