But Anthony averaged 23 points in the last four games while shooting just 22-for-69. It must be said, though, that in a disastrous Game 4 showing when he shot 3-for-16 en route to 15 points, Anthony was suffering from a stomach virus and a sprained right ankle.

"The Lakers did a hell of a job making adjustments, shifting their defense, putting two, three guys in my face," said Anthony, whose team lost the series 4-2.

Still, Anthony elevated his status greatly during the playoffs. He averaged 27.2 points as the Nuggets went 10-6.

Prior to this season, Anthony's Nuggets had been 4-20 in playoff games during his career.

"I think we've proven we're a top team in the West, in the NBA, period," Anthony said. "We've just got to continue working hard."

--G Chauncey Billups was determined not to take bad shots as the Western Conference final against the Lakers wound down. As it turned out, he took few shots at all.

After averaging 14.8 field-goal attempts in the first four games, Billups averaged just 7.0 in the final two. He shot 4-for-7 in Game 5 and 2-for-7 in Game 6, when the Nuggets season ended with a 119-92 home loss as they dropped the series 4-2.

"One thing I'm not going to do is, the way I was taught and the way I play, I'm not going to take bad shots," he said. "I'm not going to take a lot of bad shots. They made a lot of adjustments. They doubled me on pick-and-rolls."

One thing Billups did do in Friday's Game 6 loss was distribute the ball well. He handed out nine assists.

The loss was disappointing for Billups, a Denver native acquired by the Nuggets on Nov. 3 in a deal in which they gave up Allen Iverson. But he still looked at the big picture.

"When we get a chance to sit back and reflect and look on the year, it was an historical year for us," said Billups, whose team advanced to the West final for the first time since 1985.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Throughout the series, I thought they were beatable. The last couple of games, I'm not sure they were beatable. Whatever cracks they had and whatever nightmares they had going on (were fixed). I think the last few games, they played as a team. They came together as a unit." -- Nuggets coach George Karl, on the Lakers winning the final two games of the Western Conference final to take the series 4-2.