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Nuggets' belief system will be challenged

Denver attempting to do what no other 0-3 playoff team has done: advance

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published April 28, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Kenyon Martin is one of the Nuggets players who refused to talk to the media Sunday about teammate Carmelo Anthony's comments that the team quit in Game 3.

Photo by Doug Pensinger / Getty Images

Kenyon Martin is one of the Nuggets players who refused to talk to the media Sunday about teammate Carmelo Anthony's comments that the team quit in Game 3.

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When the Lakers arrived to use the Nuggets' practice court Sunday at the Pepsi Center, players and coaches looked through the glass into the weight room. Strung about were white signs with black lettering that looked to be fresh off a Xerox copier.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson is known for being philosophical. But even he didn't have to get too complex.

"They have about 150 'I Believe' signs on all their machines," Jackson said. "I think they're trying to get the mentality that you've got to go out there and believe."

Whether the Nuggets really believe, though, is a question being debated. After they lost 102-84 Saturday to fall behind 3-0 to the Lakers in a West first-round series, star forward Carmelo Anthony said, "We Quit. Everybody."

Game 4 is tonight at the Pepsi Center. With history saying NBA teams are 0-83 trying to recover from a 3-0 deficit, does Anthony believe the Nuggets still have some fight?

Well, Anthony actually quit Sunday when it came to talking with the media.

"I talked Saturday," Anthony said as he bolted out of the Pepsi Center, with teammates Kenyon Martin and Anthony Carter soon following with their own no comments.

Anthony said plenty Saturday. But Nuggets coach George Karl, who wished some of his players had been more "professional" and met Sunday with the media, said he didn't hear much of that interview.

"I don't quite comprehend the connotation other than fighting through frustration and being emotional after the game," Karl said.

When asked about reports Anthony yelled at Karl on the bench during the fourth quarter about a lack of moves being made, Karl said he didn't hear that.

Anthony is hardly the only frustrated Denver player. Star guard Allen Iverson was benched for the final 11 minutes Saturday and was disappointed afterward that Karl offered no explanation.

"To not go back in, I don't understand that," said Iverson, who shot just 5-of-16 Saturday for 15 points while Anthony was even worse at 5-of-22 for 16 points. "And (Karl) didn't even say nothing to me."

Karl, saying "there's no personal thing there," said he didn't reinsert Iverson because the score remained lopsided. Karl hasn't discussed the situation yet with Iverson and doesn't know if he will.

"I'm happy he's angry because he wants to play," Karl said.

Karl claimed the Nuggets aren't in "disarray." But he didn't deny Sunday was a "day of regrouping and re-energizing" and the Nuggets need to get "the cloud away from our heads and get the sunshine out."

The Nuggets watched 10 minutes of film. Karl and Nuggets assistant Tim Grgurich took turns trying to motivate the players.

"The mood was almost like somebody died and 'Coach Grg' just came in and started talking about the great life that we had," forward Eduardo Najera said.

Karl likened the scenario to 1996, when Karl coached Seattle and Grgurich was an assistant. The SuperSonics trailed Chicago 3-0 in the NBA Finals before losing 4-2.

Meanwhile, Lakers star Kobe Bryant wondered if Anthony's comments about quitting actually could spur on the Nuggets.

"It depends on how the team responds," Bryant said. "You've seen Larry Bird say some pretty crazy stuff about his Celtics. Back in the day, he'd say they played like a bunch of sissies. It's all in how it turns out."

As far as the Denver players who did talk Sunday, Najera, center Marcus Camby and forward Linas Kleiza denied the team folded its tents in Game 3.

"I don't think the team quit," Kleiza said. "I know you guys (the media) try and want to get guys when they're frustrated and say the things they don't want to say. Nobody quit and we're all together."

Well, maybe not as much as Karl would like.

Karl continued to stress the Nuggets aren't passing the ball enough. They're averaging just 18.0 assists in the series, nearly seven below their regular-season mark.

Anthony is averaging a meager 1.7 assists. Apparently, he's not the only one in the family not passing.

"His son already has basketball fever," Bryant said while innocently recalling a weekend meeting with Anthony's fiancee, La La Vazquez, who was with their 13-month-old son, Kiyan. "I went over to him and he grabbed the ball from my hands and he was playing with the ball and he wouldn't pass it back to me."

Meanwhile, nobody is questioning the Lakers' passing. They're averaging 30.7 assists and seem quite content to watch the Nuggets implode.

"The assumption is that they're in disarray or whatever," Lakers guard Derek Fisher said.

But at least the Nuggets have unveiled the motto, "I Believe." Jackson knows what his team now must do.

"Our job is to place doubt in their mind," Jackson said of something that hasn't been too tough so far.

LAKERS AT NUGGETS

* When: 8:30 tonight.

* Where: Pepsi Center.

* TV/radio: TNT, Altitude; KKFN-FM (104.3).

* Series: Lakers lead Western Conference first-round, best-of-seven series 3-0. *

Starting lineups

Lakers Pos. Ht. Pts.

10 Vladimir Radmanovic F 6-10 11.0

7 Lamar Odom F 6-10 7.0

16 Pau Gasol C 7-0 22.7

2 Derek Fisher G 6-1 9.0

24 Kobe Bryant G 6-6 34.3

Coach: Phil Jackson

Denver Pos. Ht. Pts.

15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 23.0

4 Kenyon Martin F 6-8 9.0

23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 3.3

43 Linas Kleiza G 6-8 16.0

3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 25.3

Coach: George Karl

* Injuries: Los Angeles - F Trevor Ariza (fractured right foot) and C Andrew Bynum (left knee surgery) are out. Denver - None.

* Notes: In 20 NBA seasons, Karl never has been swept in a seven-game series. . . . The only sports teams to win a best-of-seven after trailing 3-0 are Toronto in 1942 and the New York Islanders in 1975 in the NHL, and Boston over New York in baseball in 2004. "My uncle called . . . and he was telling me, 'Remember what Boston did?' " Camby said. . . . Kleiza remains bothered by a hyperextended right elbow suffered in Game 2. . . . The Nuggets have been outscored in the series by an average of 15.7 points.

Comments

  • April 28, 2008

    12:34 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    lntriguing0ne writes:

    Hey Nuggets fans, no need to do the floors today... Kobe and the Lakers will SWEEP tonight! GO LAKERS!!

  • April 28, 2008

    9:10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    fishtanksamurai writes:

    I believe...we're going to get swept.

  • April 28, 2008

    9:16 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    DeimosJB writes:

    I'm a Nuggets fan, but I don't have much hope at this point. Perhaps the best thing for us is to get swept, go back to the drawing board, and make the kind of tough choices and changes that can get us out of the 1st round next year.

  • April 28, 2008

    9:37 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    GovermentCheese writes:

    I think its funny that it's ok for Karl to throw JR Smith under the bus to the media most of the season, but when his players call him out to the media he says they should've taken a more "professional" approach...AWESOME!

  • April 28, 2008

    11:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ONEman writes:

    "I don't quite comprehend the connotation other than fighting through frustration and being emotional after the game," Karl said.

    Hey George, I don't comprehend how watching Kimbo Slice footage was supposed to help the Nuggets play against such a strong team rather than concentrating on basketball. This guy is a clown.
    I'm saying it right now can this jack off.

    Somebody please start FIREGEORGEKARL.com !!!!!!!!!

  • April 28, 2008

    11:33 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    paguy1955 writes:

    I have seen the good times with George Karl and have seen the bad times.. It seems that he is being outcoached by Phil Jackson..So if his ego will not allow him to do a better job then......GEORGE MUST GO!

  • April 28, 2008

    11:41 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ONEman writes:

    You can also add Jerry Sloan,Greg Poppavich,Byron Scott, Mike Dantoni, Avery Johnson and Rick Adelman to the list.All the playoff Coaches in the East as well. He's the worst Coach in the playoffs and he does'nt even mind. We need Van Gundy .

  • April 28, 2008

    12:16 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mark79trans writes:

    For those that want to fire Karl, Anthony is averaging 1.8 assists and Iverson isn’t much better. Anthony is doing what Anthony always does…fight through double teams into a losing effort. These guys need to learn how to pass. Karl can say it until he is blue in the face. If Anthony and Iverson don’t pass the ball…the Nuggets lose. They aren’t playing the Grizzles here…the Lakers are an excellent TEAM! The Nuggets are playing individual basketball. This isn’t a coaching problem…it is a personality problem. I say trade Anthony while he is still worth something…he won’t be worth anything in a couple years.

  • April 28, 2008

    1:10 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ONEman writes:

    I agree the team chemistry is'nt there with the likes of Camby(the tallest point guard and ugliest shot in the NBA), K Mart(nuff said), the one man show AI and Carmello is just not as hustle player( puff, puff, drink DUI)...... What a bunch of winners.

    But how fired up does Karl get ever, he's not even trying to coach this team . He's made countless errors losing games for not fouling when they should . Playing Camby at the top of the key where he can take his 30% shot rather than rebound, dislikes our MVP J.R., runs no offense what so ever and has turned us into the enver Nuggets with no D at all. He's just not the guy for our team. We're still a better team than what he makes us. Even if it is a team built straight outta the Prison league.

  • April 28, 2008

    1:34 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    blm69 writes:

    The nuggets have the talent, they need a leader on the floor. Iverson for Andre Miller -- not a good trade.

  • April 28, 2008

    4:29 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    lntriguing0ne writes:

    The obvious and overwhelming difference in Saturday's blowout game (and throughout the entire series so far) was that the Lakers played as a team... the Nuggets did not.

    GO LAKERS!