Opinion: Nuggets need to be better in West

DENVER - Fate has been cruel to the Denver Nuggets, who must compete in the NBA’s mighty Western Division.

The Nuggets, if they played in the East, would rank among the elite. In the West, they may not even earn a journey to the playoffs.

Denver’s 118-115 overtime loss to Utah on Wednesday night featured all the brutal fun of a playoff series. Vicious fouls were abundant. Bodies crashed to the wooden floor. Players begged officials for justice.

All this passion makes sense when you examine the standings. Although the Nuggets soar 10 games above .500., they barely hover above the playoff cutoff.

The Nuggets could win, say, 49 games and still watch the most important games of the season.

Coach George Karl grimaced as he considered this possibility.

“It’s very depressing to be in danger of having a great year and not being a playoff team,” he said.

It is depressing. The West boasts 10 of the NBA’s best 14 teams, with Boston, Detroit, Orlando and Cleveland making the cut from the East. Only eight of those West teams will travel to the playoffs, and Denver sits precariously at No. 8.

The West features the NBA’s best player — Kobe Bryant — and the best point guard — Steve Nash — and the best coach — Phil Jackson — and the best power forward — Tim Duncan — and the best showman — Baron Davis.

Still, not all news from the West is encouraging. On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns, the fastest team on earth, welcomed Shaquille O’Neal to their fold. O’Neal, who turns 36 in March, moves about as fast as a glacier.

So why did the Suns make such a ridiculous trade?

“Well,” said the Nuggets Marcus Camby, “I don’t know. If it’s the old Shaq, then, yeah, it changes a lot, but Shaq’s banged-up right now.”

But Shaq’s problems go beyond being merely banged up. Never a fitness nut, O’Neal’s knees are staging a rebellion against carrying 340 pounds up and down the court.

Karl disagrees with this assessment, which makes sense. Karl faces O’Neal three more times this season, and he doesn’t want to anger the massive man in the middle.

“You can say he’s this,” said Karl. “You can say he’s that. You can say he’s a little down.”

But, Karl said, O’Neal is a future Hall of Fame inductee and a terrifying physical presence. No doubt, Shaq was great, but the emphasis is on was.

The Jazz and coach Jerry Sloan work their magic without the benefit of a marquee star. The Jazz wins the old-fashioned way, with generosity and snarling hustle. The Jazz refuses to make desperate trades.

The system works. Sloan has pushed his team to 10 straight wins and a two-game lead over the Nuggets.

Despite the Jazz’s impressive show, the Nuggets should have won this game. They erased the Jazz’s lead, which swelled to 16 points in the first half.

The Nuggets looked ready to seize a big win. They looked ready to ease their playoff worries.

And they blew it.

With 2 seconds left in regulation, Carmelo Anthony missed from 19 feet.

“Oh, it was wide open,” Anthony said. “I would take a million-and-one of those shots. I had a chance to win the game.”

He better drain his next chance. Remember, he plays in the unforgiving land of the West.