phyzik
05-01-2007, 12:49 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_5789880
These are the pains of the Nuggets' growth: Youth. Inexperience. Rough play at critical moments.
And the San Antonio Spurs, especially an elder statesman.
Robert Horry made the shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the right corner with 30 seconds left after receiving a pass from Tony Parker. That rainbow all but buried the Nuggets, who fell 96-89 Monday night at the Pepsi Center and now trail 3-1 in the best-of-seven playoff series.
"I'm in shock," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said long after the game ended. "I don't know what part of the game it turned around for them.
"I got to take my hat off to my teammates. We still ain't coming out on top of it, but as long as we play hard on every
Nuggets vs. Spurs
Schedule
Game 1: Nuggets 95, Spurs 89
Game 2: Spurs 97, Nuggets 88
Game 3: Spurs 96, Nuggets 91
Game 4: Spurs 96, Nuggets 89
Game 5: at San Antonio, Wed., 6 p.m., TNT, ALT
Game 6*: at Denver, Fri., TBD, ALT
Game 7*: at San Antonio, Sun., TBD
(*if necessary)
News, stats and buzz
Discuss the Nuggets-Spurs series on DenverPost.com's All Things Nuggets blog
Team stats: Nuggets | Spurs
Scout the enemy camp by visiting the Spurs Page at MySA.com
Listen in on what Spurs fans say of the series at MySA.com
Game 4 audio
Listen to comments from Carmelo Anthony
Listen to comments from Allen Iverson
Listen to comments from George Karl
night, I'm all right with that. You take that 3-1 (series) stat away, I think we still play as hard as anybody against the Spurs."
Horry's clutch shot gave San Antonio a 93-89 lead.
"It wasn't designed for me, it was designed for Tony to penetrate," said Horry, a 15-year veteran.
Denver had nearly tied the game moments earlier when Steve Blake hit a long two-pointer to draw the Nuggets within 90-89. Blake's left foot was ruled to be on the 3-point line when he shot.
"We make good plays to try to win it, then Horry breaks your back with that 3," Nuggets coach George Karl said.
For the third consecutive game, the Nuggets had chances late but couldn't get it done for an entire 48 minutes.
"It's a 48-minute game, and that's the most important thing in the NBA," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "If enough people can understand that, the momentum changes a heck of a lot of times."
The Spurs owned the fourth quarter, which Denver entered with a 73-67 lead.
"I thought we fatigued a little bit in the fourth quarter," Karl said. "The experience we're going through is good for us. ... It doesn't feel good now, but in time it will be good for us."
Poll - Nuggets chances
How many more games in the series do you think the Nuggets will win?
None (sigh)
One
Two
Three! Round two or bust!
I don't know
I don't care
The Spurs didn't play their greatest game, but made the necessary plays at the right times. Forward Tim Duncan wouldn't let his team lose in the second half, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the third and fourth quarters.
San Antonio erased a 10-point second-half deficit with substance, if not much style.
Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer with 8:37 left in the game capped a 12-2 run that began in the third quarter and gave San Antonio its first lead of the second half, 74-73.
The game was tied at 85 with 3:01 left when Blake threw an errant pass that was picked off by the Spurs' Bruce Bowen, who went the length of the court for a dunk and an 87-85 lead.
Duncan made a free throw to make the score 88-85 before a Nene basket pulled Denver within 88-87.
Duncan tapped in his miss with 1:15 to go, but the Nuggets answered on a Nene steal and Blake's long jumper to make it a 90-89 game.
Then came Horry's killer 3, and the Spurs hit their free throws to seal the victory and seize control of the series.
Duncan added 11 rebounds and six assists to his point total, leading four Spurs in double figures. Ginobili had 18 points and Parker finished with 15.
Once again, the biggest story for the Nuggets was the cold shooting from Allen Iverson. The all-star guard suffered through a 9-of-25 performance, scoring 22 points with seven assists but missing several close shots in traffic. He had just four points in the final period.
Meanwhile, Anthony played well, finishing with 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting and six rebounds. Nene had 18 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Camby added 10 points with 17 rebounds.
The Nuggets started hot, and Iverson began the game looking for his shot. As a team, the Nuggets attacked from the paint, scoring 20 of their 27 first-quarter points in the lane. Iverson was 3-of-7 in the period.
Unlike Game 3, the Nuggets stayed strong in the second quarter, using a balanced attack with Nene and Camby on the inside and Anthony and Iverson from the perimeter. The Spurs, however, slowly cut into the Nuggets' seven-point lead and held a 38-37 advantage of their own on two Duncan free throws with 5:10 left in the period.
But the Nuggets finished the quarter on a 13-4 run to take a 50-42 lead at halftime.
"We can't think about anything but winning one," Karl said.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or [email protected].
Fast breaks
HE SAID IT: Camby scales summit
"He has stayed at the top of the mountain, as where I don't think there's a lot of guys coming to the top of that mountain. He and Ben Wallace are big-time defenders, and they've stayed there going on five to 10 years."
- George Karl, Nuggets coach, on Marcus Camby being named to the all-defensive first team for the first time in his career
AROUND THE ARENA: Hot Rod gives boost
Broncos receiver Rod Smith received a rousing ovation in a pregame introduction. Former Broncos running back Mike Anderson also was at the game. ... The Game 4 national anthem by saxophonist Gerald Albright was much more exciting than the tape of Whitney Houston that was used Saturday night.
BESTS: The atmosphere couldn't be beat
Crowd noise: It might have been hard to top the volume of Saturday night's record crowd, but the Nuggets' faithful started with the national anthem and carried it through the night, punctuated by 3-pointers and dunks by Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby early in the game.
Mascot sprint: After spotting the Spurs' mascot, Wile E. Coyote, touting a sign in the upper deck, Rocky raced from the floor to the upper deck, took the "Go Spurs Go" sign and ripped it up. Coyote was then "escorted" from the arena.
Sign: Addressing Manu Ginobili's trademark ability to sell drawing a foul, one fan's display: "Ginobili - Flopping, So Easy Even a Caveman Can Do It!"
WORSTS: Sputtering starts
Return: After struggling in Game 3, J.R. Smith didn't start Game 4 much better. On his first offensive series, Smith missed on a 3-pointer and, after the Nuggets rebounded the miss, he lost the ball driving into the lane.
Half: Tim Duncan didn't seem to have much of anything going his way in the first half. He had just eight points (3-of-10) and no blocks and was constantly questioning the refs.
KEY STAT: 18
The Spurs' differential from 3-point range Monday night. Again, the Nuggets struggled from behind the 3-point line, hitting just 2-of-16 (both from Carmelo Anthony), while the Spurs again flourished at 8-for-25, including Robert Horry's big shot to seal the win.
PLAYOFFS HOOPLA
NBA writer Marc J. Spears gives you a peek behind the scenes at the playoffs:
Locked out and left out
The Pepsi Center has great security. Maybe too great. If you don't believe me, just ask Allen Iverson. A security guard outside the Nuggets' locker room didn't recognize Iverson and refused to allow him inside.
The eight-time all-star and 2001 MVP couldn't get in until Nuggets media relations assistant Dan Tolzman vouched for Iverson. Upon hearing the story, Nuggets guard Steve Blake joked that people who are 5-feet-8 get questioned. ...
I couldn't help but wonder "what if?" as forward Kenyon Martin sat behind a goal during the shootaround Monday morning. While the Nuggets have talented big men in Marcus Camby and Nene, the presence of Martin right now would have added a major dimension inside. Martin played only two games this season before having microfracture surgery Nov. 15. Martin hopes to begin running again in late July and is at 7 percent body fat. He recently added another tattoo, this one on his left biceps, that reads: "God's Plan My Will."
"(God) wouldn't put me through this if I couldn't deal with it," Martin said. "Now it's all on me to get back to where I want to be. I believe that. My sister is very religious and she tells me that all the time. It's God's plan. God's plan, my will. I believe my will will get me back to where I need to be."
Surely the Nuggets have to be wondering "what if?" too.
THE SCHEDULE | Spurs lead 3-1
These are the pains of the Nuggets' growth: Youth. Inexperience. Rough play at critical moments.
And the San Antonio Spurs, especially an elder statesman.
Robert Horry made the shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the right corner with 30 seconds left after receiving a pass from Tony Parker. That rainbow all but buried the Nuggets, who fell 96-89 Monday night at the Pepsi Center and now trail 3-1 in the best-of-seven playoff series.
"I'm in shock," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said long after the game ended. "I don't know what part of the game it turned around for them.
"I got to take my hat off to my teammates. We still ain't coming out on top of it, but as long as we play hard on every
Nuggets vs. Spurs
Schedule
Game 1: Nuggets 95, Spurs 89
Game 2: Spurs 97, Nuggets 88
Game 3: Spurs 96, Nuggets 91
Game 4: Spurs 96, Nuggets 89
Game 5: at San Antonio, Wed., 6 p.m., TNT, ALT
Game 6*: at Denver, Fri., TBD, ALT
Game 7*: at San Antonio, Sun., TBD
(*if necessary)
News, stats and buzz
Discuss the Nuggets-Spurs series on DenverPost.com's All Things Nuggets blog
Team stats: Nuggets | Spurs
Scout the enemy camp by visiting the Spurs Page at MySA.com
Listen in on what Spurs fans say of the series at MySA.com
Game 4 audio
Listen to comments from Carmelo Anthony
Listen to comments from Allen Iverson
Listen to comments from George Karl
night, I'm all right with that. You take that 3-1 (series) stat away, I think we still play as hard as anybody against the Spurs."
Horry's clutch shot gave San Antonio a 93-89 lead.
"It wasn't designed for me, it was designed for Tony to penetrate," said Horry, a 15-year veteran.
Denver had nearly tied the game moments earlier when Steve Blake hit a long two-pointer to draw the Nuggets within 90-89. Blake's left foot was ruled to be on the 3-point line when he shot.
"We make good plays to try to win it, then Horry breaks your back with that 3," Nuggets coach George Karl said.
For the third consecutive game, the Nuggets had chances late but couldn't get it done for an entire 48 minutes.
"It's a 48-minute game, and that's the most important thing in the NBA," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "If enough people can understand that, the momentum changes a heck of a lot of times."
The Spurs owned the fourth quarter, which Denver entered with a 73-67 lead.
"I thought we fatigued a little bit in the fourth quarter," Karl said. "The experience we're going through is good for us. ... It doesn't feel good now, but in time it will be good for us."
Poll - Nuggets chances
How many more games in the series do you think the Nuggets will win?
None (sigh)
One
Two
Three! Round two or bust!
I don't know
I don't care
The Spurs didn't play their greatest game, but made the necessary plays at the right times. Forward Tim Duncan wouldn't let his team lose in the second half, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the third and fourth quarters.
San Antonio erased a 10-point second-half deficit with substance, if not much style.
Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer with 8:37 left in the game capped a 12-2 run that began in the third quarter and gave San Antonio its first lead of the second half, 74-73.
The game was tied at 85 with 3:01 left when Blake threw an errant pass that was picked off by the Spurs' Bruce Bowen, who went the length of the court for a dunk and an 87-85 lead.
Duncan made a free throw to make the score 88-85 before a Nene basket pulled Denver within 88-87.
Duncan tapped in his miss with 1:15 to go, but the Nuggets answered on a Nene steal and Blake's long jumper to make it a 90-89 game.
Then came Horry's killer 3, and the Spurs hit their free throws to seal the victory and seize control of the series.
Duncan added 11 rebounds and six assists to his point total, leading four Spurs in double figures. Ginobili had 18 points and Parker finished with 15.
Once again, the biggest story for the Nuggets was the cold shooting from Allen Iverson. The all-star guard suffered through a 9-of-25 performance, scoring 22 points with seven assists but missing several close shots in traffic. He had just four points in the final period.
Meanwhile, Anthony played well, finishing with 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting and six rebounds. Nene had 18 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Camby added 10 points with 17 rebounds.
The Nuggets started hot, and Iverson began the game looking for his shot. As a team, the Nuggets attacked from the paint, scoring 20 of their 27 first-quarter points in the lane. Iverson was 3-of-7 in the period.
Unlike Game 3, the Nuggets stayed strong in the second quarter, using a balanced attack with Nene and Camby on the inside and Anthony and Iverson from the perimeter. The Spurs, however, slowly cut into the Nuggets' seven-point lead and held a 38-37 advantage of their own on two Duncan free throws with 5:10 left in the period.
But the Nuggets finished the quarter on a 13-4 run to take a 50-42 lead at halftime.
"We can't think about anything but winning one," Karl said.
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-954-1279 or [email protected].
Fast breaks
HE SAID IT: Camby scales summit
"He has stayed at the top of the mountain, as where I don't think there's a lot of guys coming to the top of that mountain. He and Ben Wallace are big-time defenders, and they've stayed there going on five to 10 years."
- George Karl, Nuggets coach, on Marcus Camby being named to the all-defensive first team for the first time in his career
AROUND THE ARENA: Hot Rod gives boost
Broncos receiver Rod Smith received a rousing ovation in a pregame introduction. Former Broncos running back Mike Anderson also was at the game. ... The Game 4 national anthem by saxophonist Gerald Albright was much more exciting than the tape of Whitney Houston that was used Saturday night.
BESTS: The atmosphere couldn't be beat
Crowd noise: It might have been hard to top the volume of Saturday night's record crowd, but the Nuggets' faithful started with the national anthem and carried it through the night, punctuated by 3-pointers and dunks by Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby early in the game.
Mascot sprint: After spotting the Spurs' mascot, Wile E. Coyote, touting a sign in the upper deck, Rocky raced from the floor to the upper deck, took the "Go Spurs Go" sign and ripped it up. Coyote was then "escorted" from the arena.
Sign: Addressing Manu Ginobili's trademark ability to sell drawing a foul, one fan's display: "Ginobili - Flopping, So Easy Even a Caveman Can Do It!"
WORSTS: Sputtering starts
Return: After struggling in Game 3, J.R. Smith didn't start Game 4 much better. On his first offensive series, Smith missed on a 3-pointer and, after the Nuggets rebounded the miss, he lost the ball driving into the lane.
Half: Tim Duncan didn't seem to have much of anything going his way in the first half. He had just eight points (3-of-10) and no blocks and was constantly questioning the refs.
KEY STAT: 18
The Spurs' differential from 3-point range Monday night. Again, the Nuggets struggled from behind the 3-point line, hitting just 2-of-16 (both from Carmelo Anthony), while the Spurs again flourished at 8-for-25, including Robert Horry's big shot to seal the win.
PLAYOFFS HOOPLA
NBA writer Marc J. Spears gives you a peek behind the scenes at the playoffs:
Locked out and left out
The Pepsi Center has great security. Maybe too great. If you don't believe me, just ask Allen Iverson. A security guard outside the Nuggets' locker room didn't recognize Iverson and refused to allow him inside.
The eight-time all-star and 2001 MVP couldn't get in until Nuggets media relations assistant Dan Tolzman vouched for Iverson. Upon hearing the story, Nuggets guard Steve Blake joked that people who are 5-feet-8 get questioned. ...
I couldn't help but wonder "what if?" as forward Kenyon Martin sat behind a goal during the shootaround Monday morning. While the Nuggets have talented big men in Marcus Camby and Nene, the presence of Martin right now would have added a major dimension inside. Martin played only two games this season before having microfracture surgery Nov. 15. Martin hopes to begin running again in late July and is at 7 percent body fat. He recently added another tattoo, this one on his left biceps, that reads: "God's Plan My Will."
"(God) wouldn't put me through this if I couldn't deal with it," Martin said. "Now it's all on me to get back to where I want to be. I believe that. My sister is very religious and she tells me that all the time. It's God's plan. God's plan, my will. I believe my will will get me back to where I need to be."
Surely the Nuggets have to be wondering "what if?" too.
THE SCHEDULE | Spurs lead 3-1