Pickaxe and Roll

Ryan Blackburn shares seven statistics that have defined the playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers thus far. From the outside shooting of both teams to Damian Lillard averaging over 11 pull-up threes per game, Ryan discusses the numbers that have made the series so interesting thus far. Then, Ryan discusses what he believes will be the five adjustments the Blazers will make in Game 4. Denver will get Portland's best punch, so Denver will have to be ready.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down an incredible 120-115 Denver Nuggets victory that saw Austin Rivers come through in the clutch with 21 points and some big, big shots. Nikola Jokić was his normal, dominant self, Aaron Gordon and Facu Campazzo each had good games, and the Nuggets regain control of the series with a 2-1 advantage heading into Game 4. The Portland Trail Blazers have all of the pressure on them right now, and the Nuggets look like a team playing freely, easily, and comfortably. It's almost like they've been there before...

Ryan Blackburn brings on Gordon Gross, Denver Stiffs writer and legend, to discuss the ups and downs of the Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers playoff series thus far. What have we learned? Can either team stop the other's star? Does Carmelo Anthony deserve the boos? (Yes) Ryan and Gordon break it all down, along with Denver's future if they win or lose this series.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down a big Denver Nuggets blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2 to even the series at 1-1. Nikola Jokić drops 38 points efficiently, Michael Porter Jr. gets the three ball going, and there were several contributors to what was an all-around incredible bounce back performance for the Nuggets. Ryan breaks down what happened, takes a victory lap or two, and discusses what Nuggets fans should and shouldn't count on for Game 3 in Portland on Thursday.

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 123-109 Game 1 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Nikola Jokić and Michael Porter Jr. combined for 59 points, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the white hot outside shooting of the Blazers perimeter players. Ryan discusses what went wrong for Denver, why Game 2 may be just as difficult, and some potential fixes heading into the next game of the series on Monday.

Ryan Blackburn answers several questions in a mailbag edition of Pickaxe and Roll. Here are some (not all) of the questions Ryan tackles throughout the podcast:- How will the Nuggets deploy Aaron Gordon?- Who is the Nuggets X-Factor in the guard rotation?- Who wins the coaching battle between Terry Stotts and Michael Malone?- How will Michael Porter Jr. approach this series?- and so many more!

Ryan Blackburn is joined by Danny Marang, Co-host of Blazers Outsiders on NBC Sports Northwest, to break down all things Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets heading into the NBA playoffs. Where are the advantages? Where are the pressure points? Can the Nuggets stick with the Blazers guards? Can the Blazers match up with Denver's size? Ryan and Danny discuss everything they can in this series before making predictions at the end.

After breaking down All-NBA, All-Defense, and All-Rookie award races last week, Ryan Blackburn breaks down the races for individual awards. From Coach of the Year, to Sixth Man of the Year, to Most Valuable Player, Ryan runs the gauntlet on the awards, shares his list of contenders, and names his award winners. From there, Ryan breaks down important numbers and data from his latest article previewing the matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers.

Ryan Blackburn and Gage Bridgford, lead writer for Denver Stiffs, go in-depth on the Denver Nuggets after the regular season comes to a close. They briefly touch on the final game of the season before going around the league to look at the Eastern Conference and Western Conference playoff brackets. They discuss big storylines and give some predictions before transitioning back to the Nuggets, who will be the third seed and face the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. The first big question they tackle: can the Nuggets guards match up with Lillard, McCollum, and Powell?

Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Denver Nuggets 104-91 win over a team wearing Detroit Pistons jerseys tonight. Nikola Jokić brought his normal impact and accumulated his 16th triple-double. Markus Howard continued his upward trajectory by scoring an efficient 20 points. Monte Morris returned to the floor and looked good in his home state of Michigan. Ryan broke down the game briefly before transitioning into playoff seedings talk. The Nuggets moved into the three seed tonight, and Ryan discussed the scenarios facing Denver in their final game on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, a team fighting to avoid the play-in tournament.