Can Danilo Gallinari's Damage Ruin Denver Nuggets' Outside Title Opportunity?

As Danilo Gallinari was taken off the courtroom on Thursday night after suffering a leg injury, two different sounds might be heard: the collective groan of Denver Nuggets supporters everywhere and a bell tolling loudly for the racing Nuggets' title hopes. The team's official internet site confirmed the worst on Friday afternoon: GallinariAwas averaging 16.2 points with 5.2 rebounds per game on the season andAhad been an essential contributor to the Nuggets' torrid play.AAfter being only six games over.500 on January 18, Denver has romped to a 28-6 report because, including a 15-game win streak. They have ascended the hill of the Western Conference rankings and established themselves as legitimate competitors, nevertheless now they're hobbled. 'Mi sento male!'Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports It is a big loss for the Nuggets to be certain, however they may stay competitors ifa'and just ifa'Ty Lawson returns at 100 percentAin time for the playoffs. Life Without The Ferrari An appealing question occurs about Gallo's knee: Could the injury have now been prevented?ASources told Yahoo! Sports' Adrian WojnarowskiAthat Gallinari may have had a pre-existing injury. Needless to say, no one needs a loose tendon and the staff clearly had no knowledge there was something amiss, however it does suggest what may have precipitated Gallinari's non-contact injury. Gallo missed four games in February, two with a sinus illness and two more with a left leg bruise, therefore these are unrelated to the knee. Colorado went 2-2 in those contests. The free tendon might describe the new dip in Gallinari's production. In January, he averaged 19.3 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting, while in March, he shot just 37.6 percent as his scoring dipped by a lot more than five points a night.AThat involved clunkers like March 11 from the Phoenix Suns, when Gallinari shot 1-of-8 for five points in half an hour. It is a pity. Italian sign language had been finally mastered by the Nuggets. Dropping Gallo for the summer season is really a severe setback, butAthe Nuggets still feature a choice with excellent detail. An eternal optimist might declare that Denver could be much more efficient on offense after the injury, as Gallinari hasn't been an excellent shooting (41.9 percent for his job). The NuggetsAalso dominate at home in the Mile High City's thin air, where they've lost only 3 x this season, so all isn't lost. Postseason Perspective Colorado currently sits in third devote the West, four games right back of first. The Memphis Grizzlies are directly on their heels, just half a game behind. Because the L.A. Clippers are set to get the Pacific Division, they will be guaranteed in full a top-four seed although Memphis and Denver have better records. But the Clippers are simply two games behind the Nuggets, so Denver might eliminate home-court advantage if they hit the skids before the playoffs. It would be considered a exciting game in Round 1, but Denver should want no part of it.Doug Pensinger/Getty Images The Nuggs have six games remaining, including hard checks in the home from the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs in the next two games. Then two of the final four tilts come on the road. The Nuggets' crime will have to buoy them in order to keep before the defensive dynamos from Memphis.AIf Denver could stay in third place, they'd probably host often the Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors in the initial round. The Nuggets are 6-1 against those opponents. They are quick enough to perform with these groups and stout enough on the inner to outmuscle them. It'd be crucial to contain James Harden or Stephen Curry, butAAndreAIguodala's period and JaVale McGee's shot-blocking reputation are powerful weapons. When he is not Shaqtin' A Fool, JaVale McGee is just a exceptional defender at the rim.Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports If Memphis beats them at the wire, Denver would likely experience the L.A. Clippers. This is the worst-case scenario, even though Denver is 2-1 against them this season. Not just do the Clippers perform far better security than Houston or Golden State, nevertheless they boast Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, a problem known as "Lob City." The Clips are certainly one of the several groups in the category with increased detail than Denver, asAJamal Crawford, Eric Bledsoe and Matt Barnes have been outstanding off the bench. L.A. Also offers sage experts to simply help guide the locker room like Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups. The goal in the aftermath of Gallo's damage? Limp into the playoffs in third place and expect the most effective after Round 1. Ty Lawson's Healing Gallinari's injury makes the schedule for Ty Lawson's return even more important. According toAChristopher Dempsey of the Denver Post on March 3, Lawson is likely to miss at least fourteen days with a tear in his right heel, adding his earliest return date as the last game of the regular time on April 17. Without Gallinari out, Ty Lawson must hurry back.Jared Wickerham/Getty Images Lawson is unlikely to be in flow coming off the harm, but Game one of the first round will have to be his testing ground. The Nuggets are currently without their two top scorers in Lawson and Gallinari, however they still have eight other people who average more than nine points points are posted at least 11.8 by a night; four of them. Because of this, Denver has the fourth most effective offense in the category (measured by points per 100 items, viaAESPN). They'll need people like Iguodala and the Manimal, Kenneth Faried, to carry them into the playoffs when Lawson should really be healed up. Lawson have been red hot recently, averaging 23.3 details and 8.4 assists per game in February. Since January. 1, he's shot just more than 50 percent from the area. Lawson is the straw that stirs the drink in Denver, although veteran Andre Miller is a capable replacement at the idea. The Nuggets might remain genuine dark-horse candidates to take the Western Conference title, if the ground can be hit by him running for the start of the playoffs. Without him at full performance, Denver is useless in the water. In the playoffs, the best teams perform their best basketball. If the Nuggets are without their top two scorers, they're likely headed for a knockout at worst or a second-round cameo at best.