Scanning the blogs and beats following the Nuggets' 106-103 win over the Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals ...

Mark Kiszla, The Denver Post: "This is how basketball legends are born, athletes become friends for life, the momentum of a playoff series turns and a team begins to believe championship dreams can come true. 'Keep fighting,' declared Carmelo Anthony(notes), his determination exploding with a curse word between his two-word plea, as he ran past actor Tom Cruise and all the beautiful people cheering the Lakers. This best-of-seven series between the mighty Lakers and the upstart Nuggets to determine the Western Conference's representative in the NBA Finals is tied 1-1. Both contests have been classics worthy of framing. Game 2 was not decided until a desperate 3-point attempt by L.A. guard Derek Fisher(notes) in the waning seconds failed to find the basket. There appears to be almost nothing to choose between the teams. Except one thing: The Nuggets have so much fight no sane man would want to mess with them."

Britt Robson: "Kobe Bryant was magnificent. Folks can hate on Kobe all they want — I've been there myself — but if you can't appreciate him burying the last two shots he attempted — a contested trey from a standing position and a rapid-fire jumper from the right wing, both tying the score in crunchtime — then your bias is blinding you to the pure beauty of a relentless warrior on the court. And Melo on the other side, rising to the occasion. For all the LeBron-Kobe Finals hype, I don't imagine it can get much better than this, if it ever even comes to pass. Instead, let's appreciate what is right in front of us, right now. This could be a matchup of games we'll be talking about for years. It is a hell of a lot more meaningful than that ballyhooed first round Celtics-Bulls series."

Talk Hoops: "The Nuggets won this game because they made they adjustments that cost them game one. They were aggresively attacking the lane and getting to the foul line, but they were converting on their freebies this time around. Players like Anthony, Nene and Kleiza boxed out, crashed the boards and chased down long rebounds. The defense on Gasol, Bynum, and Odom was once again stellar. J.R. Smith(notes) and Chris Andersen(notes) were no shows on offense, but they didn't let it affect their defense closing out on Kobe and Fisher and finding a way to change shots. George Karl has to be happy with his team keeping their focus and making the necessary adjustments after a rough start."

Jeff Miller, OC Register: "Now we know for a fact the Lakers can lose. And we mean more than just a game. We mean a series. This series. That's the message to take from Thursday, which appropriately ended with a desperate and hurried three-point shot by the shortest Laker on the court over the tallest Nugget on the court. The result of that shot: Airball. Nothing but not. Not now. Not here. Not Game 2. On a night when the Lakers led by as many as 14 points, they eventually lost by three — 106-103 — and now they have to win at least once in Denver. That's on the road, where they flopped their past two times out."

Roundball Mining Company: "... the will and determination Carmelo is displaying is a new side we have not seen in the past. We all know Melo is competitive, you have to be in order to play at the highest level. What he has added is that will to succeed and to win and it is reflected in everything he does. Last season in the first round series against the Lakers if Melo found himself on Kobe, you could see him looking to switch off at the earliest possible moment. He has done a complete 180 as he now welcomes the challenge and is doing a pretty darn good job."

The Baseline: "... ever since Chauncey came to town and the likes of Smith and Chris Andersen emerged as key contributors, this team has pulled off an unlikely yin-yang game that combines total discipline with unfettered frenzy. Denver didn't show much of either tonight, but instead of losing its way or trying to reinvent itself, it just played strong basketball as best it could. And it worked; the Nuggets even fended off a Kobe surge down the stretch. It's also worth noting that Denver had to change tacks early. Andrew Bynum(notes) finally listened to Phil Jackson's urging to 'play big,' and suddenly it became clear that — attitudes and physiques aside — Bynum, Lamar Odom(notes) and Pau Gasol(notes) have a definite size advantage over the Nuggets. By the end, however, Denver had found a way to overcome that deficit and tangle with a Lakers team that was playing at its best."

Pickaxe and Roll: "Linas Kleiza comes off the bench last night and plays 22 minutes going 5-8 from the floor (4-7 from three, 2-2 from the foul line) for 16 points, eight rebounds (three offensive), and a team high +16 on the night. Let's not going absolutely nuts and proclaim that LK is back, but his shot was falling at all the right times as he hit timely three after timely three. He found himself in good position (or lucky position) on a couple offensive rebounds and helped out on the defensive end with five boards. Every rebound was big last night for anyone wearing Powder Blue as the Lakers were ALL OVER THE GLASS on the offensive end. Kleiza was the wild card off the bench that Denver desperately needed and without his performance the Nuggets do not win that game."

Lakers Blog: "After the game, Sasha offered to shoulder 100% of the loss' blame. 'It was a complete disaster for my part.' Vujacic may be exaggerating how badly he killed his squad, but that's mostly because six minutes (rounding up) ain't enough time to inflict so much damage. Based on the results of that cameo, however, extended run may have been enough to drag the team under by lonesome. Four bricks on four attempts, and the ball often hoarded like it was Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket. That Sasha would play this way after a quick hook during Game 1— more bad and selfish shot selection — suggests lessons aren't sinking in. '(He) looked like he was looking for his own shots sometimes rather than looking to move the ball and do the right thing,' explained Phil Jackson. 'So I limited his minutes a little bit.'"

Denver Stiffs: "In addition to the ongoing LeBron/Kobe puppet show (and I must confess that I like the ads) and the vitaminwater LeBron vs. Kobe ads, before the Game 2 pre-game show ESPN aired a Nike-sponsored special titled 'Dream Season: 23 & 24,' inferring that this will be a 'Dream Season' when LeBron and Kobe meet in the NBA Finals. And during the first quarter when the refs did everything possible to keep the Nuggets from playing aggressively, one of my friends watching the game with me sarcastically noted: 'Was that foul sponsored by Nike, too?' But the foul calls eventually evened out and the Nuggets eventually remembered that they're better than these Lakers. So while the LeBron vs. Kobe 2009 NBA Finals might be preordained in the NBA's offices in New York, I'm thrilled that neither the Nuggets nor the Magic have gotten the memo. I can't really speak for the Magic, but I can assure you that the Nuggets have every intention of ruining the NBA's June ratings party."

CelticsBlog: "The Lakers continued to move the basketball and get Ariza decent looks at the basket from behind the arc. It would hardly have come as a shock if he kept flinging, especially given that he is a young player whose confidence and trigger-happiness have been steadily rising over the last month. Several of the looks he had would have been reasonable shots. But Ariza did something even better instead. He recognized the Nuggets looking to knock him off the line or at least out of rhythm. Several times through the course of the game, Carmelo Anthony or occasionally another powder blue shirt came sprinting out from sitting in help on the interior to challenge Ariza at the arc. Rather than taking a semi-contested shot, Ariza up-faked hard and attacked the rim. The results were excellent."

Silver Screen and Roll: "As Lakers fans, we really do act as though only the Lakers can beat the Lakers. Take a moment to let that sink in, to grasp the arrogance of it. I am not saying that such an attitude is entirely baseless, or even that it is not often right. Such is often the case with teams as good as the Lakers are; when they play up to their potential, they are exceedingly difficult to vanquish. When they lose, it seems more often to be that the Lakers didn't do just that, playing down to their opponents' level instead. But not always. As Lakers fans, we've made this a rule. Perhaps we took this from Phil Jackson and Shaq, back in the Kobe-Shaq threepeat days — we virtually never give credit to the Lakers' opponents. It seems unfathomable to us, at least when the Lakers are any good, that the other team could be better, even just for a night. If we lost, it was because we sucked — it is the only possible explanation, to the mind that doesn't respect the other team. That bothers me. Respect is vitally important to me, and only a person willing to give respect is worthy of receiving it in return. Kobe Bryant(notes) is the ultimate example of this: the greater his opponent, the greater his respect for them. How different that is from the attitude of a fan! On an individual level, if you have the ability and you put in the work, Kobe isn't threatened, he is impressed. He gives respect. It is an example that we would do well to follow."

Related: The Internets are alive, 2009 NBA Playoffs