True to his word, Boykins ready right on time

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 22, 2006 at midnight

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SEATTLE - Upon breaking two bones in his left hand last month, Earl Boykins set his clock to PST. Playoff Standard Time.

When the postseason arrived, he would return - regardless of date, regardless of any lingering pain.

True to his word, Boykins will be in uniform tonight for the first time since March 15 as the Denver Nuggets open the Western Conference playoffs against the Los Angeles Clippers.

"I remember when I first broke it, I told everyone when the playoffs came I'd be ready," Boykins said Friday. "A lot of guys were skeptical because I hadn't played but I knew what it took to be prepared, and I'm just ready for the playoffs."

Boykins, playing with a protective wrap on his nonshooting hand, practiced Thursday and Friday with the team at the University of Washington.

He showed flashes of his old form, sprinting the ball up the court, dribbling through a tangle of arms and legs and hitting perimeter jumpers.

"He's looking good - better than what I thought he (would) coming back from a broken hand," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. "He's looking real good."

The Nuggets could use a boost from their 5-foot-5 reserve point guard, who averaged 12.6 points during the regular season.

In the 16 games Boykins missed, Denver went 7-9 and often suffered extended scoring slumps when coach George Karl went to his bench.

"I definitely think we're a different team," Boykins said. "If any team loses their leading scorer off the bench, the second unit is going to struggle. We're no exception."

One of the biggest meltdowns came April 4 at Los Angeles when the Nuggets squandered a 22-point lead against the Clippers.

Because Los Angeles prefers to play a half-court game, Boykins will be essential if Denver wants to establish an uptempo pace.

"This is a series we need him," Karl said. "We need him to have probably just not an above-average game. We need him to be a factor.

"The game he creates is the type of style that we want to play. If we have to go power-to-power against the Clippers, we're playing into their hands."

Boykins certainly feels capable of making the Clippers sweat. Five weeks off have allowed him to rest up for the playoffs; before missing six games because of a hamstring injury earlier in the season, he had played 253 games in a row.

"It feels great. I feel like I'm coming into training camp," Boykins said. "I feel like I'm the freshest player going into the playoffs, so I'm going to use it to my advantage."

Karl noticed some rust in Boykins' game during scrimmages the past two days, but he is hoping to find some WD-40 in a hurry.

"Is his excitement and adrenaline going to overcome his rust? I don't know," Karl said. "Sometimes he's shown me he's been Superman. Hopefully, he can be again."

SIXTH-MAN MARTIN: After initial reluctance, forward Kenyon Martin has accepted a role as a reserve to open the playoffs.

Martin, limited all season by tendinitis in his left knee, expressed a desire to be in the starting lineup, but Karl wants to maximize Martin's minutes by bringing the former All-Star off the bench.

"It don't matter, man," Martin said. "As long as I'm in the game at the end of the game when the game is on the line."

Karl expects Martin to play 20 to 25 minutes tonight, with "80 percent" of his time coming when Clippers All-Star forward Elton Brand is in the game.

Martin had hoped to play 30 to 35 minutes in the playoffs, but he also does not want to overextend himself to the point where he can't play at all.

"Kenyon and I, I'm sure we have differences, but he's never been unreceptive to the philosophies that I've had," Karl said. "I actually think we're closer to being on the same page than the page that everybody's trying to put us on."

ETC: Denver rookie forward Linas Kleiza sprained his left ankle Friday, and he probably will be inactive for the game tonight. Karl otherwise expects everyone to be available, including forward Eduardo Najera, who was limited in practice . . . Karl on NBA playoff basketball: "A win in playoff basketball is better than sex. I'm old." . . . Another reason Boykins will be a key player in the series: The Clippers led the NBA in fewest fast-break points allowed (9.8 a game), while Denver led the league in fast-break points scored (20.2). "If we pass the ball and attack with the pass, I think we can play at our pace. If we hold the ball and stand, we'll probably be playing at their pace," Karl said . . . Based on a tiebreaker process Friday, the Nuggets will have the 49th overall pick in the June draft. Denver does not have a first-round pick because of the sign-and-trade deal that brought Martin to Denver from New Jersey on July 15, 2004.

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