by Scott Reichel

Created on: April 20, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Ask people why the Denver Nuggets won't win in the playoffs, and the answers come at you like a fast break. Too many egos. Too immature. Can't play defense. Can't shoot the 3-pointer.

It's true the Nuggets have found themselves bounced in the first round four consecutive years, and the odds makers and pundits are predicting five out of five. Will the Nuggets fall victim to recent playoff patterns, or is 2008 the year this franchise finds a way to match its undeniable talent with some postseason success? Here are 5 reasons Nuggets fans can be optimistic:

1. This is the best Nuggets team, in terms of regular season record, since the 1987-88 squad went 54-28. It only felt like a disappointing season because of head coach George Karl's preseason goal of 55 wins and unprecedented win totals in the West relegating Denver to the final playoff spot. One of the Nuggets problems in the regular season was playing down to their opponents' level; more than a third of their losses (11 of 32) came to teams that did not make the playoff. They won't have to worry about any of those teams now.

2. The Nuggets have Star Power. Allen Iverson spent last offseason fuming about his first playoff performance in a Nuggets uniform. The future Hall-of-Famer averaged 22.8 points on just 36.8% shooting, both playoff career lows, as the Nuggets were drubbed in five games by the Spurs. There may not be a player in the NBA more eager for the playoffs to begin this year than A.I.

The enigmatic Carmelo Anthony has seen his playoff scoring average increase consistently in each of the last four seasons, and he played quite well against the future champions last year with 26.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in the series. With reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby complementing the two offensive stars, the Nuggets have the potential to match up with anybody, including the Lakers Big 3 of Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.

3. K-Mart is back. The Nuggets oft-injured and oft-criticized Kenyon Martin has arguably been the team's best player down the stretch. As the Nuggets fought with Golden State for the final playoff spot, it was Martin who provided the hard-nosed defense and gritty post work that held them together. He has the defensive flexibility to match up against Bryant, Odom or Gasol, and he will probably see time against each. If he can come close to approaching the 19.1 points and 11 rebounds per game that he averaged for the Nets in 2004, instead of the 4.5 average he had

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