"I think they're the best team right now in the NBA," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

For so much of the season, the Nuggets played smart and smothering defense, but Denver's defense was deplorable in the biggest game of all. The Lakers finished with 57.3 percent shooting. Oh, and they were 24-for-24 at the line.

"Tonight wasn't Nugget Basketball, and I apologize to the Nuggets fans that we didn't deliver a better performance," Karl said. "We never got control of their post-ups. When we doubled it, they scored an easy basket. And when we didn't double it, they scored on the post-up. I think offensively they got in control of us more than we got in control of them."

Nevertheless, it was one heck of a season. The Nuggets won 54 games, finished second in the power-packed Western Conference, and breezed past New Orleans and Dallas to reach the conference finals. And, of course, it was a year-long homecoming celebration for Chauncey Billups, the homegrown star who rejuvenated his hometown team.

"You really, really, honestly can't put into words how much fun it's been to be home and play these meaningful games," said Billups, a Park Hill native.

As for the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, this just in: He's pretty good. In his biggest game of the season, the dude played like Michael Jeffrey Jordan, scoring a game-high 35 points and, for good measure, recording 10 assists, with just one turnover.

Denver's nemesis set the tone early with his tenacity. The Lakers stormed out to a lead, gave it up just once in the first half, and steadily pulled away, with Bryant providing a big boost late in the second quarter.

Afterward, Karl sighed and said: "No. 24 had a great five minutes at the end of the (first half)that no one in Basketball could have covered him. He made about four shots in that stretch that I think Jesus would have had trouble covering. And those took the game from a manageable game to 13 (points)."

There's no question Denver forward Carmelo Anthony ascended this postseason, including some breathtaking nights against the Lakers. On Friday, though, he couldn't get into a rhythm until the fourth quarter, when he scored eight of his 25 points - after the game was pretty well decided.

Anthony admitted he was "banged up" with a right ankle injury, "but I don't think that's an excuse." He missed 11-of-17 shots.

From a year ago, though, when he was viewed as a playoff bust, Melo came a long way, just like his team. Now, he's the best player and legitimate force on the No. 2-seeded team in the West.

"We came a long way as a team, and yeah, for me personally, I feel like it's a new beginning," said Anthony, who turned 25 on Friday.

A season ago, coach Phil Jackson and his Lakers blew past Denver in the first round, as if the Nuggets were just a minor inconvenience en route to the NBA Finals. Yes, the Lakers are headed to the Finals again, playing the winner of the Orlando-Cleveland series, which the Magic leads 3-2. But as for his conference finals opponent, Jackson saw a completely different Nuggets team this time.

For five games, Denver played good defense. There was teamwork, leadership, hustle and all those enticing ingredients that make up a title contender, something Jackson knows a little bit about.

"Nothing helps a team (better) than going through the playoffs," Jackson said. "It either unifies them or splits them up if they don't perform well. The Nuggets played exceptionally well through the playoffs. They thrashed a lot of opponents. And their physicality, athleticism and scoring ability is remarkable."

And, wouldn't you know, Denver's top-five scorers are all under contract, back next season for another run.

Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com -------------------------------------------------------------------- Highlights

J.R. Swish. Nuggets guard J.R. Smith got into a nice groove in Game 6, finishing with 24 points. In the previous game, Smith scored seven points and was 1-for-10 from 3-point range. On Friday he was 4-for-9.

L.O., Oh, no. After a quiet first four games, the Lakers' Lamar Odom erupted in Game 5 and again Friday, scoring 20 points in 32 minutes, along with eight assists. He had 19 points and 14 rebounds in Game 5.

Lowlights

In pain. Battling a right ankle injury, Carmelo Anthony didn't get into a rhythm until the fourth quarter, when the Lakers enjoyed a big lead. Anthony finished with 25 points on 6-for-17 shooting.

Tough D? The Nuggets' defense was subpar. The Lakers shot 57.3 percent from the field, including 56.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line.

Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post ------------------------------------------------------------- 34.0

Kobe Bryant's scoring average against the Nuggets , including 35 in Game 6.

30

Number of trips

to the NBA Finals

for the Lakers.

61

Total number of seconds the Nuggets led in the game, and only by one point.