Solid D
04-01-2005, 10:55 AM
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article/0,1299,DRMN_20_3666923,00.html
Spurs dangerous with capital 'D'
Karl knows talk of them begins, ends with Duncan, period
By Aaron J. Lopez * Provided The Spurs Have A Healthy Tim Duncan., Rocky Mountain News
April 1, 2005
The San Antonio Spurs* are the team to beat in the West.
A playoff matchup with the Spurs* is a date with disaster.
The Spurs* will roll to the NBA Finals.
With their All-Star forward in the lineup, the Spurs are a nightmare for anyone who crosses their path in the postseason. Without Duncan, San Antonio becomes just another good team in a conference loaded with strong contenders.
The Denver Nuggets will see the sans-Duncan version tonight when they face the Spurs in a possible first-round playoff preview (8:30, Altitude, ESPN).
Duncan, a two-time MVP averaging 20.9 points and 11.4 rebounds, severely sprained his right ankle March 20 and is expected to be sidelined two more weeks.
"I think (the Spurs) could win a series, but I don't think they can come out of the West without Duncan," Nuggets coach George Karl said Thursday. "I think Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, us, everybody in the second round could compete.
"I think they would play hard, they would be a very tough competitor and opponent, but in the end, I think Duncan lifts that team more than any other superstar in the league."
On the surface, Karl's blunt analysis appears to be bulletin-board fodder for the Spurs, who have gone 4-5 in the nine games Duncan has missed this season.
Upon closer examination, though, Karl's opinion is shared by San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who compares Duncan's importance to the Spurs to that of Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal and Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash.
"I don't think Miami is going too far without Shaq," Popovich said the day after Duncan was injured. "We're not going to go too far without Timmy. I don't think Phoenix is going to go far without Nash.
"When you lose those kind of guys, it's a big hit as far as what your final goal is, but it doesn't mean you can't still win games."
The Nuggets (39-31) took advantage of Duncan's absence nearly three weeks ago, beating the Spurs in San Antonio as part of their 12-2 tear through March.
Denver has won seven of nine games since then to pull even with the Memphis Grizzlies for seventh place in the West. San Antonio (53-18) currently is the No. 2 seed and would face the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs if the numbers don't change.
Of course, predicting the Western Conference seedings is like trying to predict the daily price of oil.
When the Nuggets played the Suns earlier this week, it was a - all together now - potential playoff preview between the top seed and the No. 8 seed.
Denver, which currently holds the tiebreaker against Memphis, trails the No. 6 Sacramento Kings by 31/2 games but entered Thursday only 21/2 games ahead of the ninth-place Minnesota Timberwolves.
With the contenders so tightly packed, the first-round seeds likely will not be determined until the final few days of the season. Maneuvering for a particular matchup figures to be impossible.
"I'm not a big believer in that anyway," Karl said. "We sit back and we talk about it, but I don't think you mess with the gods of basketball. I just think you win, you play the game the right way, you play it with a winning mentality and, at the end, you get your opponent.
"It's not an easy opponent. Phoenix, San Antonio both are very difficult, and for us to beat either one of the teams, we're going to have to play 'A' basketball."
Since his arrival Jan. 27, Karl has been able to get his players to buy into his system on the court, and the approach toward potential playoff matchups is no different.
At least publicly, the Nuggets are pleading ambivalence.
"It doesn't matter who we play," forward Carmelo Anthony said.
Based on the regular season, Anthony and his teammates would have difficulty with either the Spurs or Suns.
Denver has gone 0-3 against Phoenix, although all three games have been decided in the final minutes. The Nuggets have gone 1-2 against San Antonio, but the one victory came with Duncan sidelined by the second of his three ankle sprains.
Popovich and the Spurs are hoping to get Duncan back for the final five games of the regular season. Whenever the seven-time All-Star returns, he is sure to shift the balance of power back to south Texas.
"I really think San Antonio is the only team that's separated from everybody else," Karl said. "Some people think Phoenix might be there. San Antonio - with Duncan - there's a hole between the rest of us."
In other words, the Spurs are No. 2 with a bullet and No. 1 with an asterisk.
[email protected] or 303-892-5388
Spurs dangerous with capital 'D'
Karl knows talk of them begins, ends with Duncan, period
By Aaron J. Lopez * Provided The Spurs Have A Healthy Tim Duncan., Rocky Mountain News
April 1, 2005
The San Antonio Spurs* are the team to beat in the West.
A playoff matchup with the Spurs* is a date with disaster.
The Spurs* will roll to the NBA Finals.
With their All-Star forward in the lineup, the Spurs are a nightmare for anyone who crosses their path in the postseason. Without Duncan, San Antonio becomes just another good team in a conference loaded with strong contenders.
The Denver Nuggets will see the sans-Duncan version tonight when they face the Spurs in a possible first-round playoff preview (8:30, Altitude, ESPN).
Duncan, a two-time MVP averaging 20.9 points and 11.4 rebounds, severely sprained his right ankle March 20 and is expected to be sidelined two more weeks.
"I think (the Spurs) could win a series, but I don't think they can come out of the West without Duncan," Nuggets coach George Karl said Thursday. "I think Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, us, everybody in the second round could compete.
"I think they would play hard, they would be a very tough competitor and opponent, but in the end, I think Duncan lifts that team more than any other superstar in the league."
On the surface, Karl's blunt analysis appears to be bulletin-board fodder for the Spurs, who have gone 4-5 in the nine games Duncan has missed this season.
Upon closer examination, though, Karl's opinion is shared by San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who compares Duncan's importance to the Spurs to that of Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal and Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash.
"I don't think Miami is going too far without Shaq," Popovich said the day after Duncan was injured. "We're not going to go too far without Timmy. I don't think Phoenix is going to go far without Nash.
"When you lose those kind of guys, it's a big hit as far as what your final goal is, but it doesn't mean you can't still win games."
The Nuggets (39-31) took advantage of Duncan's absence nearly three weeks ago, beating the Spurs in San Antonio as part of their 12-2 tear through March.
Denver has won seven of nine games since then to pull even with the Memphis Grizzlies for seventh place in the West. San Antonio (53-18) currently is the No. 2 seed and would face the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs if the numbers don't change.
Of course, predicting the Western Conference seedings is like trying to predict the daily price of oil.
When the Nuggets played the Suns earlier this week, it was a - all together now - potential playoff preview between the top seed and the No. 8 seed.
Denver, which currently holds the tiebreaker against Memphis, trails the No. 6 Sacramento Kings by 31/2 games but entered Thursday only 21/2 games ahead of the ninth-place Minnesota Timberwolves.
With the contenders so tightly packed, the first-round seeds likely will not be determined until the final few days of the season. Maneuvering for a particular matchup figures to be impossible.
"I'm not a big believer in that anyway," Karl said. "We sit back and we talk about it, but I don't think you mess with the gods of basketball. I just think you win, you play the game the right way, you play it with a winning mentality and, at the end, you get your opponent.
"It's not an easy opponent. Phoenix, San Antonio both are very difficult, and for us to beat either one of the teams, we're going to have to play 'A' basketball."
Since his arrival Jan. 27, Karl has been able to get his players to buy into his system on the court, and the approach toward potential playoff matchups is no different.
At least publicly, the Nuggets are pleading ambivalence.
"It doesn't matter who we play," forward Carmelo Anthony said.
Based on the regular season, Anthony and his teammates would have difficulty with either the Spurs or Suns.
Denver has gone 0-3 against Phoenix, although all three games have been decided in the final minutes. The Nuggets have gone 1-2 against San Antonio, but the one victory came with Duncan sidelined by the second of his three ankle sprains.
Popovich and the Spurs are hoping to get Duncan back for the final five games of the regular season. Whenever the seven-time All-Star returns, he is sure to shift the balance of power back to south Texas.
"I really think San Antonio is the only team that's separated from everybody else," Karl said. "Some people think Phoenix might be there. San Antonio - with Duncan - there's a hole between the rest of us."
In other words, the Spurs are No. 2 with a bullet and No. 1 with an asterisk.
[email protected] or 303-892-5388