It has been since 1985 that the last time the Denver Nuggets made an appearance in the Western Conference Finals and it is almost a formality that they will be there again in 2009.

No team has ever come back from a 0-3 series deficit in NBA Playoffs history but the Dallas Mavericks need not look any further than across the court for inspiration.

The last time the Denver Nuggets made it to the second round of the playoffs was 1994. After defeating the number one seeded Seattle Supersonics in the first round of a best-of-five series, the Nuggets forced a game seven against the Utah Jazz in the second round after being down 0-3 in the series. The Nuggets barely missed a chance at history as the Jazz just edged the Nuggets out in Game 7 with Karl Malone being the difference in Salt Lake.

Dallas may just have had all the wind knocked out of their sails though, after suffering a heart wrenching loss in Game 3. With just a few ticks left on the clock and a foul to give, the Mavericks needed just one more stop on the defensive end to get right back in the series while clinging to a two point lead. One no call and a huge three by Carmelo Anthony later and the Mavericks are in a three to zero hole that history dictates is virtually insurmountable. With history on their side, the Denver Nuggets most likely will be sitting at home watching the Houston Rockets/Los Angeles Lakers series unfold as that series is now tied at 2-2.

The Nuggets have been playing some of the best basketball of their season in the playoffs and are winning on the road as well as remaining undefeated at home. After blowing a 22-6 early lead in Game 3 in the first round versus the New Orleans Hornets, Denver bounced right back with the largest win ever on the road in not just NBA playoff history, but NBA history period by 58-points. They are now 2-1 on the road in this year’s playoffs after Melo made the shot that is now more famous in Dallas than the shot of J.R.

Mark Cuban and company are still incensed by the no call and the blow was not made any easier with the NBA offices acknowledging that the officials on the floor did indeed miss the call. Gripe as they might, the foul would have come with more than 4 seconds left on the clock which still would have given Denver a look that could have mirrored the one that Anthony knocked down after regaining control of the ball.

Chauncey Billups regained his early playoff form in the scoring column by eclipsing the 30-point mark for the third time in just eight games. Through the first two games of the series, the Nuggets did not have to rely on the shooting of Billups mainly due to the tremendous post play by Nene. With Nene struggling mightily in Game 3, Billups picked up the slack especially in the third quarter where he scored 16 of his game total of 32.

Many pundits including Charles Barkley have picked the Nuggets as the team that just might be lifting the NBA Championship trophy when it is all said and done, but before that can happen, the Nuggets will need to win one more on the road tonight. They will need another solid performance by Billups and Anthony and if they can one other player to put up 20+ points. Dirk Nowitzki has been playing great and is a remarkable talent that can hit any shot on the floor. Nowitzki is one of the most well-rounded offensive players the league has ever seen but he just has not been given any help by his teammates in this series. If the Mavs continue to find offense from someone other than Nowitzki, it might not matter if the Nuggets find their third scorer.

Currently the Nuggets are sitting at an impressive 7-1 thus far in the ’09 while the Mavs are sitting at 4-4 after beating the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in their first round series. In all likelihood, it will be a losing playoff mark for the Mavs tonight as the Nuggets gain their eighth victory and arrive in the Western Conference Finals.

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