Old School Hoops Is Dead: Utah Jazz Beat The Breaks Off The Denver Nuggets

The Utah Jazz announced before Game 3 that Mike Conley was ready to return, so how would Denver respond? By laying a giant turd.

The Nuggets came into contest with high hopes. It left the court having been massacred by 37 points. After a first half of appalling guard play from Jamal Murray and Torrey Craig, the Nuggets didn't have a puncher's chance.

Judas Priest!

Mike Conley's return should show NBA fans what wins in today's league: GUARDS. The skinny guys out behind the arch.

Utah finished 18-37 from deep while Denver made just 12 with most coming in garbage time. The reason the three-point shot took over the NBA is because it works..

3 > 2.

Any roster where your best player is a big man has no chance.

Matter of fact, the last time a center led an NBA franchise to the finals was the 2009 Orlando Magic led by Dwight Howard. Why go backwards when evidence points to little guys like Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving continue to pay off in the playoffs?

The Nuggets reliance on old school "back to the basket" hoops led to a huge disappointment, but none were as upset as Charles Barkley.

The Nuggets continue doubling down on big men as they drafted Bol Bol in last year's draft. The pick turned out, but what the hell was the point? If the mission is to win NBA championships, self awareness over what's working around the league feels like a necessity.

Plenty former players echoed over the years that they would love to see greater emphasis on big men playing in the paint. Teams around the league need to understand this is a colossal failure to close the '02 yearbook.

The Big man is dead. Spread the floor like Golden State and quit worrying about playing like Zach Randolph. Doesn't win titles and it's boring to watch!

RIP to the big man

Show me a team that starts their offense in the paint and I'll show you a team gone fishin' before any meaningful game...It's time to move on from our obsession with the big man so teams like Denver can give themselves a chance with meaningful guards.