Last week, we wondered aloud about how odd it would be that the Denver Nuggets -- flush with superstars and semi-stars -- might miss the playoffs, while the Houston Rockets could take to the postseason without Yao Ming. A week has passed, and holy Bryant Stith: Denver's still two games out of the playoff bracket, and five behind Houston.

And though you might be surprised to note that Houston is doing its damage with white hot offensive games, you might be even more surprised that I'm telling you once again that the Nuggets are still keeping things close on the defensive side. That's right: even though it makes all the sense in the world to say otherwise, Denver is still a very good (if incredibly inconsistent) defensive team, ranked 6th overall in defensive efficiency. 

Doesn't make sense? Well, watch all the games, and not just the ones on national TV (Chuckstradamus, I'm lookin' at you), and you can tell what's up. They cause a ton of turnovers (fifth in the NBA, adjusted for pace), don't send opponents to the line, hold teams to about the average field goal percentage, and generally play a tough brand of defensive basketball that is often obscured because the Nuggets off likes to take a lot of shots with 21 seconds on the shot clock.  

It's the offense that, while it might not be killing Denver, could use some work. The Nuggets get to the line a lot, but on a night where streaky types like Allen Iverson, J.R. Smith, and Anthony Carter might be off, the team can throw up 102 points in a high possession game while shooting a lousy percentage, and lose.

I went over it in more detail in this post, providing a list of games where the Nuggets hold teams defensively, and Denver's defense (8th in defensive efficiency since then) has actually gotten better in the weeks since.

So why the disappointment in Denver?

Well, has it really been a disappointing season? The Nuggets are on pace for 49 wins, and with that top-heavy roster ... yeah, 49 wins seem about right. Maybe a couple off where we'd like, but that doesn't seem like a bad run considering the Western Conference schedule, and the lesser lights that dominate this team's nine-man rotation.

Time is running out for Denver, however. They've made late surges before, most notably a brilliant run late in the 2004-05 season, but that was most the function of real coaching meeting an underachieving team playing against Western opponents with little to lose as the season dwindled.

This time, the opponents will be fighting to stay alive in the playoff bracket, and I'm having a hard time believing Denver is underachieving that much. 

Maybe a little. The Spurs will be in their home whites tonight, and coming off a streak-breaking loss to the Suns on national TV, they'll be angry. I'd like to be wrong, but I don't think Denver's turnaround starts tonight.  

San Antonio: 43-19, 87.4 possessions per game (28th-most in the NBA), 109.4 points scored per 100 possessions (12th in the NBA), 103.6 allowed per 100 possessions (3rd).

Denver Nuggets: 37-25, 97.5 possessions per game (1st), 109.9 points scored per 100 possessions (11th), 106.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (6th).

Related: Game to pay attention to