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Nugets see no reason to fear Lakers
By Marc J. Spears
February 5, 2010
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl believes he owns a recipe the rest of the NBA wishes it had: The Nuggets, Karl thinks, have all the ingredients necessary to beat the Los Angeles Lakers.
Karl won’t reveal too many specifics about what it takes to conquer Kobe Bryant and the defending champs. But it’s clear the Nuggets aren’t lacking for confidence as the Western Conference’s top two teams prepare to square off for the second time this season on Friday. Not only do the Nuggets think they know how to win against the Lakers, they believe they can beat them regularly.
George Karl says the Nuggets "know we can play this type of game and beat" the Lakers.
For years, the Lakers routinely had their way with the Nuggets. That changed in last season’s West finals. After losing the opener by two points, the Nuggets won two of the next three games to even the series. The Lakers won the final two games, but the Nuggets believe they learned a lot from the series. Namely, that they don’t have too much to fear from the champs.
It might simply be brash talk, but the Nuggets don’t seem worried in the least about the mighty Lakers.
“Why should we be? [The championship] was last year,” Carmelo Anthony said. “They are the same to me. They are the Lakers, I guess.”
Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups says the Lakers might have actually digressed from last season.
“I don’t know if they’re better,” Billups said. “But they won it all. They don’t have to be better. Nobody was as good as them.
“That’s yet to be seen. I really, really thought Trevor Ariza was good for that team. I think they miss him.”
Adding to the Nuggets’ confidence was their 105-79 beat-down of the Lakers on Nov. 13 in Denver – a game, albeit, that Los Angeles played without the services of All-Star forward Paul Gaupgh. The Lakers scored a mere eight points in the third quarter while Bryant was held scoreless in the second half. After the game, Bryant said the Nuggets “beat the hell out of us,” and mentioned that Gasol might not have made a difference.
While the loss was just a blip on the Lakers’ schedule, it was a major confidence boost for Denver.
“It mattered to us,” Karl said. “I don’t think it has a high difference to them as [Lakers coach] Phil [Jackson] would always tell you.”
So what exactly is the recipe to beating the Lakers? Having a quick guard like rookie Ty Lawson, Karl said, helps. So does Kenyon Martin’s ability to knock down open jump shots from the elbow of the lane.
“I know what we have to do,” Karl said. “I’m not going to totally divulge, but I think we know we can play this type of game and beat them.
“We have a couple ingredients: Kenyon shooting and scoring from the high post. They left him a little free last year. It’s a little different this year, a lot better this year.
“The little point guard, they have a history with. I’m not saying they don’t cover little point guards well. They just don’t like to cover that little point guard from Aaron Brooks last year to [Tony] Parker in [previous] years. They’ve had struggles. The little point guard is going through their defense. They can’t do much about it.
“It’s all bothersome.”
While the Nuggets don’t give the Lakers much praise, they do admire the champs’ focus – a trait, Chauncey Billups said, that Denver still lacks on some nights.
Denver has played well against many elite opponents this season with wins over the Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. But the Nuggets have also lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings.
“When you talk about the Lakers, you have to play with a serious mindset,” Nuggets center Nene said. “You have to play focused. If you don’t come prepared, they are going to embarrass you. Their team is good. They have a lot of veterans, a lot of good players. They explore all the parts of the court. They go to the bigs. They go to the smalls. They go to Kobe. When they don’t go to Kobe, they have other players that can finish the game who can be the difference in the game.”
Just like in the teams’ first meeting when Gasol didn’t play, the Nuggets and Lakers could have a hard time using Friday as a true measuring stick of where they stand. Anthony expects to miss his seventh straight game and Billups is playing on a sore ankle. Bryant’s own ankle problems also could slow him.
The teams will meet twice more this season: Feb. 28 in Los Angeles and April 8 in Denver. Between now and then, the Nuggets don’t plan to lose their swagger. They think they’re capable of winning a playoff series against the Lakers unless someone convinces them otherwise.
“I’ll take our chances against anybody,” Anthony said.
Iguodala on the move?
The Philadelphia 76ers are still evaluating their trade options with swingman Andre Iguodala. One source says the Cleveland Cavaliers remain interested in Iguodala, but might need a third team to get a deal done since the 76ers don’t seem to want center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. While Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady’s expiring contract continues to draw interest, his hefty $23 million salary would make him hard to deal for players like Iguodala ($12.2 million this season) and Ilgauskas ($11.5 million) in a three-way deal.
Carrying the torch
Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash isn’t expected to arrive in Dallas for the All-Star weekend until late Friday, causing him to miss the afternoon media availability session. He does, however, have a good excuse: Nash, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, will be in his hometown to carry the Olympic torch to help start the 2010 Winter Games.
Nash will fly to Vancouver after the Suns play the Portland Trail Blazers in Phoenix on Wednesday. While players have received fines for missing previous media sessions, Nash is confident the NBA will excuse him.
“It’s going to be an incredible experience for me,” Nash said. “Obviously, for us to host the Olympics, to host the world, it’s something very special. And for me to be asked to run with the torch is a big honor.”
Tip-ins
…An NBA source said the Sacramento Kings are open to moving guard Kevin Martin(notes) and swingman Francisco Garcia(notes) prior to the trade deadline while the Chicago Bulls are still exploring options to trade forward Tyrus Thomas(notes). The Bulls, however, have no interest in adding any player that could negatively affect their salary-cap space for free agency this summer. …One NBA executive said he wouldn’t be surprised if the Washington Wizards don’t make a major move before the trade deadline because of the uncertainty about their ownership situation and Gilbert Arenas’ future. Still, that hasn’t stopped the other Wizards’ players from fretting about their own futures. The players think only one of them is safe from a trade: Mike Miller. …Phoenix Suns forward Amar’e Stoudemire said he expects the team to make him another contract offer soon, but rival team executives insist that hasn’t kept the Suns from trying to move him. “I know they’re fielding offers and I would be surprised if he isn’t dealt before the deadline,” one executive said. …While the Nuggets are still looking at ways to add another veteran reserve big man, it seems less and less likely they will get something done before the trade deadline because of financial concerns.
Nuggets coach George Karl and his players seem OK with standing pat. “I’m not pushing any pressure or stress that we have to get a player. But I think if we’re smart and we keep the phones open, if it’s a player that I will play, then I will be positive,” Karl said. Said Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin: “I’ll rock out with it. I’m fine with what we got.”
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Deron Williams and the Jazz know what they're doing
By Henry Abbott
February 4, 2010
With Chris Paul sidelined, is any point guard playing better than Deron Williams?
There are a few things I try not to do. Among them:
• I try not to wake up my wife and kids when they're sleeping.
• I try not to call people who have little children late at night.
• Realizing I'm a journalist, not a coach, I try not to make statements that rely strictly on my own cobbled-together basketball judgment.
• I try not to curse.
Last night I came this close to breaking all those rules to dial David Thorpe (father of young twins) at midnight, screaming: "The Utah Jazz are f---ing amazing!"
For the second time in a couple of weeks, they were dispatching my Blazers in style. The game started out close. Players on both teams were making tough plays with gritty passion. It had the energy of a playoff game, but with more scoring (in the playoffs, extensive preparations help defenses more than offenses). A viewer's delight.
Through one quarter, both teams were making amazing plays. The story of the game was, in essence, that the Jazz simply never stopped, and won by 13.
Their attack was a pleasure to watch.
Of course, last night was no aberration for the Jazz, who have recently dispatched the Mavericks, Cavaliers, Spurs, Suns and Blazers twice, in winning 11 of 12. They are quickly climbing through the thicket of teams on the playoff bubble in the West, and are now just behind the Cavaliers, second overall, in John Hollinger's power rankings. (They're just ahead of the Lakers, who are 1-1 against the Jazz once this season, and are due in Salt Lake next Wednesday.)
What's remarkable about the Jazz last night was how the ball moved so quickly and delightfully to the open player, wherever he may be. High school coaches everywhere rejoice.
For instance, the Blazers have been playing without a center since before Christmas. That shortcoming has been evident now and again, but, amazingly, hardly devastating. Until last night.
The conventional recipe to beat a team without a center would be to force a smaller player to guard your best post player. But Portland's fill-in old-guy center, Juwan Howard, knows the secrets of post defense and has done a decent job spackling over that hole in the defense. The Jazz showed the better way to attack: With passing and layups. Move fast, ping the ball around, and find the dunks that a big help defender would usually frustrate. Exploiting the lack of size in the post is not nearly as effective as exploiting Portland's lack of shotblocking from the weak side.
Rumbling through the lane for dunks, layups and runners, Mehmet Okur made 11 of his 13 shots, to finish with 28 points. Andrei Kirilenko made eight of his nine shots, some of which were -- thanks to the pass-happy offense, wide open dunks. Kirilenko also finished with eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Filling in for Boozer, Millsap had nine rebounds, two blocks, twelve points and ... five assists. Meanwhile, had I reached Thorpe, the first player I would have mentioned would have been rookie Wesley Matthews, who didn't miss any of his six shots and was the Jazz's designated athlete on the night. If something athletic needed to be done -- a footrace, a jump, a squabble for position -- he was the man on the scene every time.
Notice the Jazz player I didn't single out for his stats in the paragraph above. Their one All-Star: Deron Williams.
Early in the game, he used his speed and strength to breeze into the paint again and again, but missed several layup attempts -- several were altered or blocked. He also threw an easy pass out of bounds on a miscommunication with Kirilenko, and missed a 3 near the end of the half. There were just 11 or so minutes left in the fourth quarter before he made his first field goal.
But Williams was brilliant.
He's an all-star point guard, with a track record of scoring in the lane and from long-range. None of the Blazer defenders could stay with him. Last night was an opportunity for him to prove that he's playing the best of any NBA point guard right now.
But he didn't make it about him. Williams had a team working nicely on offense, and he alternated between letting the machine run on its own (look how many assists his teammates had) and nudging it along when it needed help, finishing with 13 assists. At times he retreated almost to half-court, without the ball, to keep his defender from mucking with his teammates' offense. He managed the clock smartly at the end of quarters. And when the Blazers snuck within ten in the closing minutes, he calmly got to his spots and hit shots that are easy for him -- a free-throw line jumper off a screen, a catch-and-shoot 3, and ... when Portland was hanging around within nine with a minute-and-a-half left, he burned up the shot clock down to six seconds before beating Jerryd Bayless (and a helping LaMarcus Aldridge) with the layup that ended things.
A lot of point guards can score. Several can get 13 assists. A few can be All-Stars. But it takes a very special one to know it's OK sometimes to fade into the background and let your teammates do their thing. And it's something of a trend. Before New Year's, this season, Williams was taking a shot every 2.58 minutes he played. In 2010, he's going 3.13 minutes between shots, and the team is rolling.
If I had reached Thorpe, I would have told him that Williams was to the Jazz like Bill Clinton was to the economy. People will always argue about whether or not he was responsible for all that success. But one thing's certain: He could have screwed it up, and didn't.
Just like I could have done to the Thorpe and Abbott families' sleep patterns last night.
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