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Melo keeps his cool but teammates don't

Anthony ignores chants of 'DUI'; Iverson ejected

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 20, 2008 at 9:29 p.m.

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Carmelo Anthony, here battling for a rebound, was greeted by chants of "DUI. DUI. DUI." while attempting free throws.

Photo by Chris Carlson / Associated Press

Carmelo Anthony, here battling for a rebound, was greeted by chants of "DUI. DUI. DUI." while attempting free throws.

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Carmelo Anthony stepped to the free- throw line late in the first quarter, and the chant started.

"DUI. DUI. DUI."

The Staples Center fans wasted no time Sunday reminding the Nuggets forward about his arrest April 14 on suspicion of drunk driving.

But Anthony took it in stride.

"It was funny to me," Anthony said after the team's 128-114 Game 1 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. "I was able to block it out and just focus on what I need to focus on. . . . I wasn't expecting anything different. I'm on the road.

"They're supposed to try to distract me out there. I've got to take my hat off to myself and not getting frustrated out there and not getting involved with what the crowd was saying."

Some of Anthony's teammates showed less restraint Sunday. The Nuggets picked up four technicals, including two that resulted in the late-game ejection of guard Allen Iverson, and guard J.R. Smith had a flagrant foul 1.

"I was frustrated," said Iverson, who, like Anthony, scored 30 points.

Yet the Nuggets vow Game 2 on Wednesday at the Staples Center will be different. Anthony said shortly after the final buzzer that Game 1 "is behind us."

Of course, the Nuggets don't want to put everything behind them. Iverson said they did a "lot of good things."

While Denver's overall defense hardly was anything to e- mail home about, forward Kenyon Martin did do a solid job on Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who started out shooting 1-for-9 and finished 9-for-26.

By making 13-of-14 from the line and scoring 28 points in the second half, Bryant finished with 32 points.

"We played New Jersey in the (2002) Finals," Bryant said. "(Martin) was the one responsible for guarding me then."

On offense, the Nuggets got solid production off the bench from forward Linas Kleiza and Smith, who scored 23 and 15 points, respectively. Both were nonfactors in the playoffs last season.

Sunday, though, the focus was on Anthony when he stepped to the foul line with 2:28 left in the first quarter, and the "DUI" chant first began.

It happened regularly for Anthony, who shot 8-for-10 on free throws.

But he insisted it didn't bother him. What bothered him was the Nuggets being outscored 39- 22 in the third quarter.

"I'm pretty sure they won't break it open again," Anthony vowed about Game 2. "I'm pretty sure we won't come out and play the way we did and lay down the way we did for a few minutes."

When it came to showing their frustrations, the Nuggets didn't always lay down. But at least Anthony kept his cool.

Comments

  • April 20, 2008

    9:48 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    JGagnon19 writes:

    Blech.

  • April 20, 2008

    11:40 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    AnToneB writes:

    MAYBE you should show some type of emotion. Iverson does!! Maybe you should show up to practice late or sleep in late or something!

  • April 21, 2008

    2:54 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Highcountry writes:

    "I've got to take my hat off to myself and not getting frustrated out there and not getting involved with what the crowd was saying." Kind of like when he thanked himself when he won an ESPY. I'm not a hater. Melo could be the best thing to ever happen to the Nuggets organization. But he needs to grow up and get over himself.

  • April 21, 2008

    11:47 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    KP13 writes:

    Can we chant

    "Rapist Rapist Rapist" when kobe steps to the line in denver?

    Nobody on this team deserves any credit for anything yesterday, The nuggets looked a high school team out there.....can we get a couple of big men who can box out and put a body on someone. We looked soft yesterday!