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Nuggets seeking playoff payoff

Postseason victories at home prove elusive

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 25, 2008 at 9:59 p.m.

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, looks to pass around Nuggets guard J.R. Smith, center, and forward Carmelo Anthony in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series in Los Angeles. The Nuggets will be looking for the right defensive approach against Bryant Saturday at the Pepsi Center.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, looks to pass around Nuggets guard J.R. Smith, center, and forward Carmelo Anthony in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series in Los Angeles. The Nuggets will be looking for the right defensive approach against Bryant Saturday at the Pepsi Center.

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There's something missing on George Karl's resume.

The Denver coach considers the following category blank: big Nuggets home playoff wins.

"We haven't given them (the fans) a really good win," Karl said of his time in Denver during the postseason.

It started in 2005, when the Nuggets lost both home playoff games to San Antonio after the series was tied 1-1. Then there was 2007, when that scenario was repeated against the Spurs.

Wait. What about 2006? The Los Angeles Clippers led 2-0, but the Nuggets won Game 3 at home, the only such Denver playoff win for Karl against five losses.

"I try to forget that year," Karl said of those dysfunctional Nuggets, which featured forward Kenyon Martin being suspended during the playoffs.

Saturday at the Pepsi Center, Karl again will try to beef up his resume. The Nuggets, trailing the Los Angeles Lakers 2-0 in a best-of-seven first-round series, desperately need it.

"I think we know what history says about losing this game," said Karl, knowing no NBA team ever has recovered from a 3-0 deficit.

If there's a good time for a big home playoff win, it's this season. The Nuggets went 33-8, their best home mark since 35-6 in 1989-90.

During the last 1 1/2 months of the season, the Nuggets were in a desperate struggle just to make the postseason. They responded with big home wins over Phoenix (twice), San Antonio, Dallas, Golden State and Houston.

"We're not down on ourselves because we lost two games," said Martin, who will play today in his first Nuggets home playoff game since 2005 because of his 2006 suspension and being injured last year. "They're supposed to win at home. . . . Now, we're at home. That's what we're going to do. . . . We're not feeling sorry for ourselves by any stretch of the imagination. . . . It's prime time to win at home."

Despite losing by an average of 14.5 points in the first two games at the Staples Center, the Nuggets appear to be a confident bunch.

"We just feel more comfortable playing at home than we did in the last few years," said forward Carmelo Anthony, who called it "mandatory for us to go out and win" Games 3 and 4 to tie the series.

The Nuggets last season went a pedestrian 23-18 at the Pepsi Center. They suffered losses to also-rans like Minnesota, New York, Charlotte, Memphis, Sacramento, Atlanta and Seattle.

But the Nuggets this season made a concerted effort to focus more at home. It worked.

"We've been playing particularly good here," center Marcus Camby said. "A far cry from last year. . . . Our level of energy seems to rise up. We run more."

The Nuggets did lose to Los Angeles in the only appearance by the Lakers at the Pepsi Center this season. But they've won five of the past seven at home in the series.

Still, Anthony knows there will be fans showing up wearing Kobe Bryant jerseys. He offered a caution.

"I'm just hoping that they won't be chanting 'MVP' here on this home court," Anthony said. "Things aren't going right if they start doing that."

Things didn't go too right in Game 2 on Wednesday. The Lakers star scorched the Nuggets for 49 points.

The Nuggets, though, didn't do themselves any favors by talking ample trash to Bryant while he lit them up like the Fourth of July.

"The yapping and stuff that they're doing, that doesn't make it better for them," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said.

But Martin, the primary defender on Bryant, isn't concerned. Informed of the Lakers saying the trash talking irritated Bryant, Martin shot back.

"I don't give a (expletive) what Kobe got," Martin said. "Excuse my French. . . . I don't care, man. . . . It's over. Let's start up again. . . . I'm not worried about if somebody got (ticked) off or not. . . . That's irrelevant."

But what about Bryant, who flapped his jersey and blew on his fingers late in Wednesday's game, talking trash at the Nuggets?

"I think anybody that gets 50 points in a game has a right to talk," Karl said. "I would prefer us to stay more professional and stay away from the trash talking."

There are some who suggest the Nuggets didn't do much in the first two games to earn the right to talk. After giving up an average of 125 points, the Nuggets know they must tighten up on defense and Anthony said "that's been in the air lately that we haven't been sharing the basketball."

The Nuggets had a meager 12 assists in Game 2. But now they're hoping for a big assist from the home crowd.

"Simple as that, we've got to win (Saturday)," guard Allen Iverson said. "Our fans, they come and support us. They give you that extra boost, that extra confidence and it's going to be an exciting time. . . . They're going to try to help us get a win."

If so, it would be the first home Nuggets playoff win for Iverson, who arrived in December 2006.

Then again, even though Karl has been around since January 2005, he still considers his resume empty in that category.

LAKERS AT NUGGETS

* When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

* Where: Pepsi Center.

* TV/radio: TNT, Altitude; KEPN-AM (1600).

* Series: Lakers lead Western Conference first-round, best-of-seven series 2-0.

* Starting lineups

Lakers Pos. Ht. Pts.

10 Vladimir Radmanovic F 6-10 8.0

7 Lamar Odom F 6-10 10.5

16 Pau Gasol C 7-0 27.0

2 Derek Fisher G 6-1 6.5

24 Kobe Bryant G 6-6 40.5

Coach: Phil Jackson

Denver Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 26.5

4 Kenyon Martin F 6-8 7.5

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 5.0

43 Linas Kleiza G 6-8 16.5

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 30.5

Coach: George Karl

* Injuries: Los Angeles - F Ronny Turiaf (tonsillitis) is questionable; F Trevor Ariza (fractured right foot) and C Andrew Bynum (left knee surgery) are out. Denver - Kleiza (hyperextended right elbow) is probable.

* Notes: Karl expects guard Anthony Carter, who was benched in favor of Kleiza and logged just 9 minutes in Game 2, to have a key role. This despite Jackson saying the Nuggets "liked what happened without Carter on the floor." . . . Nuggets forward Nene, who played 7 minutes in Game 2 after missing seven games because of a groin strain, is sore but could get increased minutes. . . . The Lakers expect the Nuggets to play more zone, which worked well in Game 2. . . . After losing 11 pounds and missing Game 2, Turiaf vows to return, which likely would make guard Coby Karl inactive. In Game 2, Karl became the first player to face his coaching father in an NBA playoff game.

Results, schedule

* Game 1: Lakers 128, Nuggets 114

* Game 2: Lakers 122, Nuggets 107 Lakers lead series 2-0

* Game 3: at Denver, 3:30 p.m. Saturday TV: Altitude, TNT

* Game 4: at Denver, 8:30 p.m. Monday TV: Altitude, TNT

*Game 5: at Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m., Wednesday (if necessary)

* Game 6: at Denver, TBA, Friday (if necessary)

* Game 7: at Los Angeles, TBA, May 4 (if necessary)

Comments

  • April 26, 2008

    2:21 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Condor writes:

    What has this kid Martin have to trash talk about? Nothing. Read his reply and you know you are talking to a immature little brat. He needs to grow up and have some accomplishments before doing his jive talk.

  • April 26, 2008

    2:30 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Jonnbear writes:

    Yeah, honestly why doesn't K-Mart (who is actually 31, not really a kid) just bow down to the all mighty Kobe. Who does he think he is talking back to another professional basketball player? God, he is so immature. Of course Kobe isn't immature at all... I've got an idea Condor, why don't you grow up and just jump on another bandwagon.

  • April 26, 2008

    7:28 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BalltownIA7 writes:

    Here comes your friendly Nuggets, Realist. Karl has got to go, we all get that but just as important, AI has got to go. You can all call me a AI hater but I call myself a Nuggets fan before an AI fan. Think about this, AI is a first ballot HOFer because of his personal stats, he leaves a Philly team that is going no where and Andre Miller steps in and they are up 2-1 on the mighty Pistons, while the AI experiment in Denver is heading no where fast and he basically has the run of the team. The Nuggets played Philly earlier in the year and you should have heard the Philly fans, it was great to see AI play again but WE DON'T WANT HIM BACK! We need to trade him while he is still worth something and get a true point guard that will pass first and make his teammates better. Don't give me this crap that he can be the SG because when he is on the floor he handles the ball the majority of the time. This new point guard also needs to be able to one on one defend the likes of CP3 and Tony Parker, Steve Nash from getting to the basket, this would be a huge improvement. Everyone seems to love AI because he does so much while being small but are the AI lead Nuggets any better than the Andre Miller led Nuggets that had less talent and are the Miller led 76ers better than the 76ers led by AI. AI is a much better individual player than Miller but Miller's teams seem to be doing as well or better and as Luke Walton said the other day on the daily dime, when you are involved offensively, you do everything else better as well, including DEFENSE. If you are a Nuggets fan you will agree, if you are an AI fan you probably won't, just don't call me a Hater when I got the stats to back it up.

  • April 26, 2008

    10:22 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ONEman writes:

    I agree with canning Karl first and foremost. Jeff Van Gundy Jeff Van Gundy! Karl can't even compete with the likes of Poppavich, Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan. Karl is a panzie who does'nt mind losing and has no leadership. He's a college coach at best.

    As far as AI goes I do agree he handles the ball way way way too much and gives us no chance to run set plays. But the real liability is Camby. ya he can block shots here and there. But he's falling off on D and where this moron got the idea that he can shoot 3's or shoot at all for that matter or trying to be a PG, I have no idea, this guy does'nt even know his role. But then again that speaks back to Karls gay ass. Can this bozo ASAP.

  • April 26, 2008

    11:36 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    cap writes:

    By the way- Miller is constantly driving down and not passing and taking the shot!!! This year he is not a pass first point guard. He is getting recognition because he is making shots this year.