Denver Nuggets fire coach Brian Shaw with team in slide

Last week, Denver Nuggets players broke huddle with a chant of “1-2-3 … Six weeks,” interpreted by some as a countdown to the end of a season gone sour. Brian Shaw didn’t even make it that far. The first-time head coach was fired after 1 1/2 seasons on Tuesday, with the team at 20-39 and on a six-game losing streak. Assistant coach Melvin Hunt will be the interim coach. The timing of the dismissal was somewhat surprising given that just last week general manager Tim Connelly seemed to signal Shaw’s job was safe at least through the end of the season. “You won’t find a better guy than Brian, and he is one of the brightest basketball minds I’ve ever been around,” Connelly said in a statement Tuesday. “Unfortunately things didn’t go as we hoped.” Shaw went 56-85 for a .397 winning percentage. – AP