Nuggets: Duncan no problem

[Kori Ellis]

Nuggets: Duncan no problem
Web Posted: 04/30/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA043005.6C.BKNnuggets.sider.2284cd6d9.html

DENVER — This is going to come as a shock to Spurs fans.

It likely will come as a shock to Spurs' star Tim Duncan.

The Denver Nuggets believe they did a good job of controlling Duncan in the first two games of their NBA Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Considering Duncan made 11 of 15 shots and scored 24 points in just 28 minutes in Game 2, such an assertion seems odd, unless you think Duncan's 7-for-22 shooting in Game 1 was a result of Denver's defensive dynamics, rather than a spate of typically reliable shots that just didn't fall.

Nevertheless, so confident are the Nuggets that they have been able to control the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player that they go into tonight's Game 3 focusing their defensive efforts on limiting the dribble penetration moves of Spurs guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, rather than limiting Duncan's opportunities in the low post.

The Nuggets insist they will open Game 3 with Duncan's defender — either power forward Kenyon Martin or center Marcus Camby — playing him without double-team help.

"I'm actually happy with how we've played Duncan," Nuggets coach George Karl said after his team's Friday morning practice session. "In general, in Game 1 we had great control of him. In Game 2 he had a great game, but it was only part of why they kicked our butts.

"We're going to have a double-team ready for him, but we're going to hand Kenyon and Marcus the same responsibility they had the first three games and probably play him mostly straight-up."

Should Duncan have too much success against one-on-one coverage, Karl is confident he can make defensive adjustments to deal with him, using variations on defensive rotations and double-teams.

Karl said he is not sure there is any defensive scheme that can keep Parker and Ginobili out of the lane, driving to the rim and creating opportunities for themselves and their teammates.

"Right now," Karl said, "we don't have a clue how to stop it."

Greg Buckner, Denver's best on-ball perimeter defender, figures to see much more court time in Game 3 in an effort to slow down Ginobili. He may even open the game, along with Andre Miller, in the Nuggets' backcourt.

"We've got to figure out a way," Buckner said. "(Ginobili) has to be one of the toughest guys to stay in front of, and he's always creating contact. Nowadays, when the offensive guy creates the contact it's almost always a foul (on the defender)."

Stops are doubly vital to the Nuggets, Karl said, because the running game that has been paramount in their 19-1 home record since the All-Star break is predicated on defensive rebounds. The Spurs shot the ball so well in their Game 2 blowout victory that Denver never had a chance to get its fast break rolling.

Compounding the problem is the fact the Spurs, in Karl's opinion, are the NBA's best team at dropping their big men back on defense.

"They are a great defensive transition team," Karl said. "Duncan runs the court, at both ends. So (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) tells every big guy they have to run as hard as Duncan does, and he runs as hard as any big guy in the NBA.

"You usually find your opportunities in transition when big guys don't run back. I would love to have 10 possessions where their big guys aren't back, maybe 20. In the regular season we were getting 20, 25 a game where the big guys weren't protecting the paint. I don't know that we're going to get that many, but we'd like to get more than we've gotten."

[T Park]

"We've got to figure out a way," Buckner said. "(Ginobili) has to be one of the toughest guys to stay in front of, and he's always creating contact. Nowadays, when the offensive guy creates the contact it's almost always a foul (on the defender)."


You know you have a team worried, when their best wing defender is whining about the refs.


Bring the freakin Hammer Spurs.

[SpursFanDan]

wow.. I smell denial

[TDfan2007]

wow... this is just plain pathetic / stupid.

"Yay guys, let's just forget about defending the guy who torched our so-called DPOY candidate Marcus Camby for 24 points on 11-15 shooting!"

-Nuggets locker room after a heavy amount of acid intake

[Phonzie20]

Yes.. I agree this thread needs to die.

[Solid D]

Another thing Duncan did was he helped TP and Manu with their penetrations in Game 2. How you say?

The Nuggets sent Camby to spy on TP, occasionally Manu in Game 1. Whenever they drove, Camby left his man and came across for the block or he inhibited their shot.

In game 2, the Spurs used several high screen/rolls and Timmy would roll down the lane facing the ball-handler and purposely sealing Camby. It's sort of a moving screen in effect, but it's legal because he's rolling to the basket.

When the Spurs did side screen/rolls, TP would get around the show of the 2nd defender and then pass it to Tim a little later, after Camby's attention was drawn to him and Tim got some baseline buckets that way.

I expect more of the same strategy of picking off Camby or boxing him out on seals to open it up for the drivers.

[Solid D]

One more thing the Spurs did was to make the extra pass between the two bigs. When Camby left one, Duncan or Nazr would feed across with a bounce pass to the other for the layup or dunk, Duncan to Nazr or Nazr to Timmy.

[Phonzie20]

One more thing the Spurs did was to make the extra pass between the two bigs. When Camby left one, Duncan or Nazr would feed across with a bounce pass to the other for the layup or dunk, Duncan to Nazr or Nazr to Timmy.

I read the last post. And yes. I cannot speak,

But really... Manu was the guy in game 2.

[Phonzie20]

I read the last post. And yes. I cannot speak,

But really... Manu was the guy in game 2.

you deny me... that's cute.

[Phonzie20]

One more thing the Spurs did was to make the extra pass between the two bigs. When Camby left one, Duncan or Nazr would feed across with a bounce pass to the other for the layup or dunk, Duncan to Nazr or Nazr to Timmy.

No he went to eat.

I think you are being WAY to full yourselves.

[Kori Ellis]

No he went to eat.

I think you are being WAY to full yourselves.

How does talking about strategy equate to being full of yourself? Some of your posts are so senseless.

[orhe]

That leaves the Nuggets still facing a dilemma when it's man-to-Manu.

"It's tough," center Marcus Camby said. "Ginobili himself, I don't care what defense you have for him - trapping him, sending him down (low) - he's going to find a way to get to the hole.

"I've never seen a player like him, I swear in my whole career, be able to get to the hole like he does and create so many foul troubles for our big guys."

[SpursFanDan]

How does talking about strategy equate to being full of yourself? Some of your posts are so senseless.


thats exactly what I thought.

[milkyway21]

wow:Nuggets overrate themselves, as usual.

We saw how the Nuggets double-teamed Duncan. How they cover him with two big men, still he had a 70%FG.
Okay, in the 1st game he was 7-22 but he was recuperating from an ankle injury.

Anthony made just 2 pts at halftime, so what's the excuse?
Baloney!

Transition defense still, Pops! And feed the ball to Duncan early, let's see if Camby survive' 'til the 4th Qtr.:lol
And Bowen/Devin on Anthony...then I'll say "good luck" 'jello".

[Tom_Foolery]

I sense some "mindgames" going on with Karl. He sounds like Pop is a dictator or something. My guess is he's trying to get inside the heads of the bigs of San Antonio. I wouldn't be surprised if he was playing mindgames to make the bigs for San Antonio feel like "dogs" how they "run as fast as Duncan down the floor because he tells them to". He makes our bigs sound like they're dependent on Pop's every word.

Which only leads me to believe Karl is worried about our bigs and not too much about Parker & Manu. Karl is a smart coach...why would he go out of his way to say, "we have no answers for Manu & Parker"? He's smarter than that. He's been coaching for how many years? And he's had success against the likes of Kobe & Shaq while in Seattle...so I HIGHLY doubt he is being honest about Parker & Manu.

Karl is revealing too much, which makes me very suspicious of his intent. Denver will not play Duncan straight up. I bet Denver throws many double-teams at Duncan. He knows as well as anybody that Duncan is the reason why Parker & Manu are successful. When Duncan can't get it going, Parker struggles badly.

Don't underestimate George Karl. The guy is smart, very smart coach. He's revealing these things for a reason...to keep the Spurs confident.

Overconfidence was one of the reasons why the Spurs lost game 1 and I think he's just buttering up Parker & Manu as well as letting Duncan feel "relaxed" about the supposed single coverage he'll get.

[td4mvp21]

Those are some pretty interesting quotes. I'm really surprised at how prideful Denver is. I'm not saying those are bad quotes, but admit it, it does show A LOT of pride. I hope the Spurs don't lose to this team...........

[TroyF]

Another thing Duncan did was he helped TP and Manu with their penetrations in Game 2. How you say?

The Nuggets sent Camby to spy on TP, occasionally Manu in Game 1. Whenever they drove, Camby left his man and came across for the block or he inhibited their shot.

In game 2, the Spurs used several high screen/rolls and Timmy would roll down the lane facing the ball-handler and purposely sealing Camby. It's sort of a moving screen in effect, but it's legal because he's rolling to the basket.

When the Spurs did side screen/rolls, TP would get around the show of the 2nd defender and then pass it to Tim a little later, after Camby's attention was drawn to him and Tim got some baseline buckets that way.

I expect more of the same strategy of picking off Camby or boxing him out on seals to open it up for the drivers.

I think you'll see the opposite.

The Nuggets will give the responsibility of doubling Duncan to another guard or forward early in the game. They'll see if the Spurs three point shooting is as solid as it was the other night. In the meantime, Camby will be the one cutting off TP's and MG's drives.

Before the series started, we had a discussion on the Nuggets forum about the KEY guy to stop in the series. I felt the key guy was Tony Parker, by far and away.

I love Duncan. Best player on the floor in the west, period. (and only Shaq tops him for domination in the East, and God, do I hate saying that)

But TD is one of the superstars who is almost always going to fall into the 20-30 point range, no matter what you do. He'll rarely go off for more than that. (I didn't say NEVER, I said rarely) You can come up with fancy schemes to slow him down, but they aren't going to work. He's going to get his double/double and that's that.

So why bother throwing all of your energy in trying to find a way to shut Tim Duncan down? You know what he's going to do to you.

All things considered, I'm happy with Duncan taking a fifteen foot hook on the baseline. He just happened to hit it on Wednesday night.

The guys who can kill you with this Spurs team are Parker and Ginobili. Think about this: The Spurs were 25-5 when TP had 7 or more assists in a game this year. In three of the five losses, Duncan was out of the lineup.

If TP is driving and distributing the ball, you are dead. I don't care what you are doing on Duncan, I don't care how good of offense you are playing, the game is over before its started.

The Spurs are 13-2 if Manu scores 20 or more in a game. Again, he goes off, you are probably dead.

Well, I've said you can't control TD. I don't think you can. You CAN control TP or Manu. They aren't unstoppable like TD. You can create schemes to frustrate them. Pop made some nice adjustments in game 2 and the Nuggets got lit up.

I expect Karl to make some major adjustments in game 3. We'll see how they play out, but my guess is the Nuggets will win the game tonight. Call it a hunch. You guys haven't seen our best yet and I think tonight will be the night. If we play our best at the Pepsi Center, you don't beat us there. Think of Philly/Detroit.

Game four is the game. I've thought it all along. Game four. :)

[td4mvp21]

^Very good post. Thats what the playoffs is about-making adjustments and thats why it is still very tough no matter who you play. The opposing team is always going ot be able to make adjustments fit to beat you. Game 3 is going to be the toughest of the series for both teams. Denver is going to be so pumped, so the Spurs will have to match that. Will Duncan dominate? Will TP and Ginobili produce numbers? Will our bench step up? Will we rebound and defend? The plot thickens........

[CrazyOne]

You've got a point there, Troy. This game will definitely be tighter than game 2. I doubt the Spurs will play as poorly as in game 1. I still think the Spurs will take it tonight, but either way, game 4 is the clincher.

Tom, you're right about Karl. I don't believe a word of what he gave in that quote. He's slick, but I doubt Pop will let the Spurs fall for it.

[Shelly]

Geroge Karl = Phil Jackson light?

He comes off very smug.

[TroyF]

Geroge Karl = Phil Jackson light?

He comes off very smug.



He does, but he's changed a bit from his previous coaching days.

One of the things I like about Karl now that I've had a chance to see him in Denver is that he seems to have a better sense of when to push, when not to push. With Seattle and Milwaukee, he pretty much stayed the same way, no matter what.

With this team, he's been hard on them. One of the things we needed was what you guys have. We needed the confidence to think we'll win every game. That we are good enough to compete and that we don't have to bow down to anyone. Watching game one, with six minutes left on the clock, I told my friend that what was different about THIS Nuggets team is that "THEY think they are going to win this game. There isn't any doubt in their minds they'll make the plays to win it."

If we don't have that attitude, we'd have caved in game one and this series would essentially be over now. Karl helps bring that attitude. I expect he'll soften that a little more as time goes on. I think he may last longer in Denver than he did in his previous stints. Just a guess though.

[Shelly]

I really don't know much about him--just the vibe he's given off in post game interviews.

From your post, I can understand why Nugget fans like him. And thank you for not giving a troll-like answer! :lol

[The Coach]

Tom, you're right about Karl. I don't believe a word of what he said in that quote. Remember when Karl coached the Sonics, he used this tactic repeatedly. Karl knows if you can disrupt a teams mental chemistry you can defeat that team. What the SPURS need to do is play with their hearts and not their minds, and they'll be just find.

[TroyF]

I really don't know much about him--just the vibe he's given off in post game interviews.

From your post, I can understand why Nugget fans like him. And thank you for not giving a troll-like answer! :lol


Someone called me a troll last night. Couldn't be further from the truth. Just here for some fun discussion about basketball.

[stéphane]

with interestin takes like the one you gave... its the right place

[Brodels]

I think you'll see the opposite.

The Nuggets will give the responsibility of doubling Duncan to another guard or forward early in the game. They'll see if the Spurs three point shooting is as solid as it was the other night. In the meantime, Camby will be the one cutting off TP's and MG's drives.

Before the series started, we had a discussion on the Nuggets forum about the KEY guy to stop in the series. I felt the key guy was Tony Parker, by far and away.

I love Duncan. Best player on the floor in the west, period. (and only Shaq tops him for domination in the East, and God, do I hate saying that)

But TD is one of the superstars who is almost always going to fall into the 20-30 point range, no matter what you do. He'll rarely go off for more than that. (I didn't say NEVER, I said rarely) You can come up with fancy schemes to slow him down, but they aren't going to work. He's going to get his double/double and that's that.

So why bother throwing all of your energy in trying to find a way to shut Tim Duncan down? You know what he's going to do to you.

All things considered, I'm happy with Duncan taking a fifteen foot hook on the baseline. He just happened to hit it on Wednesday night.

The guys who can kill you with this Spurs team are Parker and Ginobili. Think about this: The Spurs were 25-5 when TP had 7 or more assists in a game this year. In three of the five losses, Duncan was out of the lineup.

If TP is driving and distributing the ball, you are dead. I don't care what you are doing on Duncan, I don't care how good of offense you are playing, the game is over before its started.

The Spurs are 13-2 if Manu scores 20 or more in a game. Again, he goes off, you are probably dead.

Well, I've said you can't control TD. I don't think you can. You CAN control TP or Manu. They aren't unstoppable like TD. You can create schemes to frustrate them. Pop made some nice adjustments in game 2 and the Nuggets got lit up.

I expect Karl to make some major adjustments in game 3. We'll see how they play out, but my guess is the Nuggets will win the game tonight. Call it a hunch. You guys haven't seen our best yet and I think tonight will be the night. If we play our best at the Pepsi Center, you don't beat us there. Think of Philly/Detroit.

Game four is the game. I've thought it all along. Game four. :)

Oh my god. A coherent and well thought out post from a Nuggets fan.

Unbelievable.

Good post.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Geroge Karl = Phil Jackson light?


Very light. A smarmy, head-game press conference does not a Phil make.

Playoff Records:

George Karl, 60 wins, 68 losses, .492, no titles

Phil Jackson, 175 wins, 69 losses, .717, 8 titles

[bigbendbruisebrother]

By the way, I feel wierd saying this, but I like the Nuggets fans on this thread. They love their team, but they're not cocky or unrealistic. It's really interesting hearing from the other side. I hope our guys crush your guys, but y'all are all right.

[TMTTRIO]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nuggets/article/0,1299,DRMN_20_3741714,00.html

Tale of tape: Ginobili, Parker 1-2 punch
Nuggets need to take off gloves to defend them

By Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News
April 30, 2005

Braving the cold to walk his black Labrador at 6 a.m., Denver Nuggets coach George Karl was in front of the television by 6:15 Friday.

Despite being back inside, Karl could not help but feel an uneasy chill as he studied the film of his team's Game 2 performance against the San Antonio Spurs.


The reason for his anxiety was not All-Star forward Tim Duncan, who scored 24 points in San Antonio's 28-point victory. Karl was more troubled by the play of Spurs guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

"After a game, I prioritize what I think was the reason we lost," Karl said. "I still think Parker and Ginobili are out of control. Duncan is somewhat in control."
Bulling his way to the basket at every opportunity, Ginobili scored 17 points in only 18 minutes of San Antonio's win.

Parker was equally effective, using a wicked crossover dribble to get into the paint and create shots for himself and his teammates.

Make no mistake, the San Antonio offense still runs through Duncan, but the Nuggets need to secure the perimeter detours known as Ginobili and Parker.

"The last two days, we're trying to figure out Parker and Ginobili," Karl said. "I know that every game, they're going to give more touches to Duncan, but I think I have ways to counter that.

"I have changing-up matchups, I have double teams. But right now, the penetration of Ginobili and Parker, we don't have a clue."
For answers, the Nuggets might want to review footage from the second half of Game 1, when Parker missed eight of 10 shots and Ginobili went 1-for-7 from the floor.

Nuggets guards Greg Buckner and Andre Miller did a good job staying with Ginobili and Parker in the opener, but the Spurs' backcourt slump proved to be short-lived.

Asked how Denver plans to contain Ginobili's dribble penetration, Buckner had about as many answers as his coach.

"I don't know. We've got to figure it out," Buckner said. "I don't know if we know yet, but as the series goes on, we'll figure it out."
It will be on-the-court training again tonight as the Spurs and Nuggets play Game 3 of their best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series.

Denver experienced some success with a 1-2-2 zone in the third quarter of Game 2, cutting a 31-point deficit to 19, but Karl says he is "not a zone guy" and would be reluctant to go away from man-to-man for very long.

That leaves the Nuggets still facing a dilemma when it's man-to-Manu.

"It's tough," center Marcus Camby said. "Ginobili himself, I don't care what defense you have for him - trapping him, sending him down (low) - he's going to find a way to get to the hole.

"I've never seen a player like him, I swear in my whole career, be able to get to the hole like he does and create so many foul troubles for our big guys."
Buckner described Ginobili as "controlled chaos," though Ginobili is susceptible to charging calls when he puts his head down without regard to the help defense awaiting him.

Parker, meanwhile, loves to exploit the screen-and-roll with Duncan. The play is one of the most basic in basketball, but the Nuggets struggled to defend it with any consistency during the final few weeks of the regular season.

"Instead of scoring 50 percent on pick-and-rolls, I want them to score 40 percent on pick-and-rolls or 30 percent on pick-and-rolls," Karl said. "You're not going to stop them."

While Karl seeks ways to contain Parker and Ginobili, he plans to stick to his basic strategy for defending Duncan.

Determined to make Duncan show them that his tender right ankle is at full strength, the Nuggets have refrained from double-teaming the two-time MVP at every touch.

On the few occasions that someone dropped down to help on Duncan in Game 2, Spurs shooting guard Brent Barry made Denver pay from three-point range.

"Honestly, I think we came down a little too much in Game 2," Camby said. "We can live with Duncan's touches. We've got enough bigs that we think we can control him somewhat, but we can't have Brent Barry go 4-for-4."
Between Barry, Duncan, Ginobili and Parker, there is no shortage of dilemmas for Denver.

Time will tell if the Nuggets warm up on defense or wind up left out in the cold.

[email protected] or 303-892-5388

[T Park]

You guys haven't seen our best yet and I think tonight will be the night

Uhm, Im gonna say game 1, with your starting 5 having a great game, and Boykins being good, WAS your best game.


Nighty night.

[TroyF]

Uhm, Im gonna say game 1, with your starting 5 having a great game, and Boykins being good, WAS your best game.


Nighty night.

this is something I've fought with your fans from the night of that game. It wasn't even close to our best game. Our starting five didn't all have a good game, and while Boykins his a clutch shot, he went 2-8 in his other attempts.

Teams don't have 24-2 runs in this league shooting 41%, having more turnovers than assists, and having to rely on 8 point runs at the end of the first half to win games.

If Denver can't win this series, I just hope to God we have one game where we put it all together so you guys can see what our best looks like. Not only might it convince you this is a good team, but you'd get a chance to see what all the fuss is about.

The team that played last Sunday night was an average Denver Nuggets team. I actually thought we had better ball movement on Wednesday. (We ended up with 4 more assists and easily would have had 10 more assists if guys would have hit open jump shots. . . I'm talking to you Marcus Camby)

[Solid D]

I think you'll see the opposite.

The Nuggets will give the responsibility of doubling Duncan to another guard or forward early in the game. They'll see if the Spurs three point shooting is as solid as it was the other night. In the meantime, Camby will be the one cutting off TP's and MG's drives.

Some good thoughts, Troy. The Spurs are almost impossible to beat when the Big Three are gellin' and doing their thing.

I don't understand what you mean by seeing "just the opposite." Also, how is doubling Duncan with another guard or forward any different than what happened in Game 2?

The biggest problem with the doubling by Boykins or Miller on Timmy was they doubled early and when Tim could see them. There wasn't much element of surprise. The Spurs did knock down their shots in the 1st and 2nd quarters out of those doubles though and that hurt the Nuggets.

It's obvious that Camby was limited on his shot blocking and intimidation in Game 2. The Spurs moved him around and screened him from helping weakside. The Spurs also reversed the ball much better in Game 2, leaving them more open shots.

I agree with you that the Nuggets will try to make the Spurs knock down shots from the outside and then get out and run. I disagree that Camby will be allowed to cut off TP and Manu on their drives if the Nuggets play "man" D. The Spurs figured out how to limit that. Frequent Zone looks would probably give Camby more inside presence.

What will kill the Spurs is if they settle too easily for the 3 and miss. Fast break city will follow and the Nuggets will defeat the Spurs. Another thing that would spell a win for the Nuggets is if they can get to the line at least 10 more times than the Spurs do.

[Leetonidas]

Someone called me a troll last night. Couldn't be further from the truth. Just here for some fun discussion about basketball.

You'd be one of the first.

After I read the title, I thought to myself "What kinda crap is that?"

Well, seems Karl is trying to play mind games with Pop. Don't forget Popovich's past. He's an expert at this, and the Spurs will have no problems with the Nuggets "ploys."

[TroyF]

Solid D,

The Nuggets will drop into zone again before they let Camby be a non factor. They need his weakside presence, without it, they are doomed.

On the flip side, I expct the Nuggets to make Duncan work his ass off on the defensive end tonight. They'll make him move side to side and run as much as possible. All about the altitude. :)

[Cara De Dedão]

Troy is a very reasonable and knowledgeable fella.

Not every one of us came here to troll, you know. What bothers me is the attitude of some of you here, treating us like retardeds and being assholes before some of us even talking our minds...

I've got thick skin, can take more than a few punches, but for what I've seen, some of you have been heckling and "trolling" some of Nuggets fans without even reading what they're posting... And that's just not right...

At our board you're all welcome and respected until you start acting like jerks... There's nothing wrong with some smack and trash-talking from either way... But lack of respect goes a long way...

[spur219]

One on One on Duncan. Kiss the series goodbye Nuggets. Its time for Spurs annihalation.

[ShoogarBear]

I think Karl is blowing smoke.

A healthy Duncan vs. single-man coverage = 40 point night.

[td4mvp21]

This team obviously hasn't seen Duncan play over the last several years.....

[Kori Ellis]

Troy is a very reasonable and knowledgeable fella.

Not every one of us came here to troll, you know. What bothers me is the attitude of some of you here, treating us like retardeds and being assholes before some of us even talking our minds...

I've got thick skin, can take more than a few punches, but for what I've seen, some of you have been heckling and "trolling" some of Nuggets fans without even reading what they're posting... And that's just not right...

At our board you're all welcome and respected until you start acting like jerks... There's nothing wrong with some smack and trash-talking from either way... But lack of respect goes a long way...

Yeah, it bothers me too. I've been trying to get a lot of our regular posters to realize that all the Nuggets (and other opponents) fans are not trolls and a lot are reasonable good people with well-thought out, legitimate basketball takes. Sure, there are bad apples .. but the group of Nuggets fans that arrived on this board in TroyF, Cara and even Phonzie, who gets a little off sometimes, aren't trolls.

I certainly hope that both sides will behave properly tonight, win or lose.

Thanks.

[exstatic]

A healthy Duncan vs. single-man coverage = 40 point night.

I have to agree, because it happens so seldom. When someone is determined to single cover him and stick to it, he can go off. See: Dallas, Don Nelson, 53 points. I would be interested in seeing a breakdown of Duncan'ss coring by opponent, because Sloan seems to do it more than anyone, and I'll bet Tim's average against Utah is probably the highest, and it's not like it cost SA any games, either, Utah pretty much being our bitches for the last 5-6 years.

The best bet is to mix things up. If you show Tim any one look for a game, he will figure out how to carve it up by scoring, or kicking out to the correct man.

[T Park]

If they single coverage TImmy.

4 down will be run more than the ten commandments on Easter.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

That's horrible, Camby will be able to do a good job on Duncan straight up with the 4 down, consider how much explosiveness Duncan still lacks under the rim.

I think George is brilliant, Honestly there isn't any thing they can do to stop Duncan from getting 20 and 10, hell maybe 30 and 20, but there isn't a single other player on our team you cant take out of the game.

On Denver unfortunatley, there isn't a single player that can't be taken out of the game so... it's not going to necessarily give him the win, but Phil figured us out and I think George has too.

[T Park]

That's horrible, Camby will be able to do a good job on Duncan straight up with the 4 down, consider how much explosiveness Duncan still lacks under the rim.




Uhhh, you wayyyy overrate Marcus Camby.



The Denver Nuggets big men are not GOOD defenders. To put it simply they are goons.

Upfake, take it at em, and you get em in foul trouble.

Duncan, Mohammed, Horry havent done this enough.


If they would, Duncan would be goin 1 on 1 against Francisco Elson.

[slayermin]

Not every one of us came here to troll, you know. What bothers me is the attitude of some of you here, treating us like retardeds and being assholes before some of us even talking our minds...

I've got thick skin, can take more than a few punches, but for what I've seen, some of you have been heckling and "trolling" some of Nuggets fans without even reading what they're posting... And that's just not right...

At our board you're all welcome and respected until you start acting like jerks... There's nothing wrong with some smack and trash-talking from either way... But lack of respect goes a long way...

I am beginning to realize that Nugget fan is not Laker fan. It's night and day, so far. But I still don't trust you guys.

[T Park]

If the Spurs win a close game tonight, we will see if they are good or bad fans.

[Kori Ellis]

If the Spurs win a close game tonight, we will see if they are good or bad fans.

And if the Spurs lose, then we'll see all the bad Spurs fans turning on the players and each other, as always. :lol

Everyone just try to behave and keep your heads. It's a seven-game series.

[T Park]

then we'll see all the bad Spurs fans turning on the players and each other,

Turning on the coach, then the players, then each other.

[Rick Von Braun]

Yeah, it bothers me too. I've been trying to get a lot of our regular posters to realize that all the Nuggets (and other opponents) fans are not trolls and a lot are reasonable good people with well-thought out, legitimate basketball takes. Sure, there are bad apples .. but the group of Nuggets fans that arrived on this board in TroyF, Cara and even Phonzie, who gets a little off sometimes, aren't trolls.

I certainly hope that both sides will behave properly tonight, win or lose.

Thanks.
Nice try Kori. Cara de Dedao and Phonzie are trolls even in their own board. TroyF is a good poster.

[Kori Ellis]

Cara hasn't trolled here. I don't care what people do on their own boards.

[Cara De Dedão]

Nice try Kori. Cara de Dedao and Phonzie are trolls even in their own board. TroyF is a good poster.


I'm a flamer, not a troll... There I just provide comic relief... Without the comedy, of course... I'm just a cheap laugh whore...

[SuBZer0]

Hindsight vision is always 20/20

In a way, Karl was right today. Timmy didn't exactly prove to him that he is the Nuggs' biggest concern. Having said that, I'm sure he will go into next game with all the fire and determination that we have come to expect.