duncan228
03-09-2008, 07:01 PM
Starting early, it's distracting me. :lol
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/09/nuggets-aim-get-track-vs-spurs/
Nuggets aim to get on track vs. Spurs
Paul Willis
How’s this for a change? The Nuggets have a chance to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in a series.
OK, so it’s not a playoff series, but a win Monday night at the AT&T Center will give the Nuggets a 3-1 win in the regular-season series against the team that ousted them from the first round of the playoffs last season and in 2004-05, each time by a 4-1 margin.
The Nuggets, who ended San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak Friday in Denver before getting trampled 132-105 at Utah on Saturday, haven’t been much more than speed bumps for the Spurs, who marched to NBA titles each season they eliminated Denver.
That doesn’t mean the Spurs are eager to meet Denver again in the playoffs, assuming the Nuggets, currently two games out of the eight and final spot in the Western Conference, get in.
“I’m never going to say that last year was an easy thing to beat them,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “We beat them 4-1 but every game we had to fight.”
Granted, the Spurs likely wouldn’t provide any bulletin-board fodder by proclaiming they would love to meet Denver again in a playoff series, but it appears at the very least, the Nuggets have earned some genuine respect from the defending champs.
“They’re a dangerous team year in and year out with their athleticism and their two guys, the two scorers,” said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, referring to Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. “Then (Friday) they got a good effort out of Eduardo (Najera) that really hurt us. They’re as dangerous as they always are. They’re always someone that people look at and don’t want to see in a playoff series. They’re that good.”
Despite Denver’s ninth-place standing in the conference - - with a 37-25 record - - and four-game deficit to Utah in the Northwest Division, Duncan said the Nuggets are perceived around the league as a top-flight contender.
“Nobody in the West is a 7 or 8 (seed),” Duncan said. “Those teams need to be respected as much as a 1, 2, 3 or 4.”
Nuggets coach George Karl claims Monday's contest “will be a like a playoff game” and that each team will be “kind of reshaping what worked and what didn’t work” on Friday.
Whether this season is an issue of the Nuggets narrowing the gap on San Antonio or the Spurs inability to fully capture their groove is debatable. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hinted the latter might be the case.
“We’re not at the same level we were last year at this time even though we seem to be situated relatively well in the West,” said Popovich, whose team entered Sunday’s game at Phoenix 43-18 and a half-game behind the Lakers for the top spot in the conference. “This team isn’t as good as last year’s as we sit. We’ve got significant improvement we have to make both mentally and physically to be able to contend for the championship.”
Like Denver, the Spurs didn’t make a huge splash near the trade deadline, but they did trade former Nuggets center Francisco Elson to Seattle for workmanlike center Kurt Thomas and signed free agent point guard Damon Stoudemire. The Spurs had been 6-0 with since the acquisition of Thomas, who has been placed in the starting lineup, before the loss to the Nuggets.
“He’s been working out great,” Duncan said. “Pop’s trying to get him a lot of time on the floor and trying to get him acclimated to what we do and an understanding of what we do. They’ve thrown a lot of stuff at him and he’s sucked it all up and he’s really reacted and picked our team up.”
It will be seen Monday whether the prospect of winning a series against the Spurs picks the Nuggets up after Saturday’s blow out.
NUGGETS AT SPURS
Starting lineups:
Denver (37-25) Pos. Ht. Pts.
15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 25.9
4 Kenyon Martin F 6-8 11.4
23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 9.4
3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 26.8
25 Anthony Carter G 6-2 7.8
Coach: George Karl
San Antonio (43-19) Pos. Ht. Pts.
12 Bruce Bowen F 6-7 5.7
21 Tim Duncan F 6-11 19.6
40 Kurt Thomas C 6-9 7.1
4 Michael Finley G 6-7 10.0
9 Tony Parker G 6-2 18.6
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Injuries: Nuggets: Martin (mild concussion), probable; F Nene (testicular cancer surgery), out. Spurs: None reported.
Notes: Martin is expected to start after being lost for the night late in the first quarter of Saturday’s 132-105 loss at Utah when elbowed by Utah’s Mehmet Okur . . . Nuggets center Steven Hunter, who missed the past two games due to his grandmother’s funeral in Chicago, said he’ll miss Monday’s shootaround but will be back for the game . . . The Spurs had won 11 straight prior to losing 109-96 at Denver on Friday and 94-87 at Phoenix on Sunday . . . The Nuggets haven’t beaten San Antonio in a season series since 1987-88, but a triumph would give them a 3-1 win this season . . . After starting three straight and 17 of his past 18, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili scored 22 points off the bench Sunday.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/09/nuggets-aim-get-track-vs-spurs/
Nuggets aim to get on track vs. Spurs
Paul Willis
How’s this for a change? The Nuggets have a chance to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in a series.
OK, so it’s not a playoff series, but a win Monday night at the AT&T Center will give the Nuggets a 3-1 win in the regular-season series against the team that ousted them from the first round of the playoffs last season and in 2004-05, each time by a 4-1 margin.
The Nuggets, who ended San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak Friday in Denver before getting trampled 132-105 at Utah on Saturday, haven’t been much more than speed bumps for the Spurs, who marched to NBA titles each season they eliminated Denver.
That doesn’t mean the Spurs are eager to meet Denver again in the playoffs, assuming the Nuggets, currently two games out of the eight and final spot in the Western Conference, get in.
“I’m never going to say that last year was an easy thing to beat them,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “We beat them 4-1 but every game we had to fight.”
Granted, the Spurs likely wouldn’t provide any bulletin-board fodder by proclaiming they would love to meet Denver again in a playoff series, but it appears at the very least, the Nuggets have earned some genuine respect from the defending champs.
“They’re a dangerous team year in and year out with their athleticism and their two guys, the two scorers,” said Spurs forward Tim Duncan, referring to Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. “Then (Friday) they got a good effort out of Eduardo (Najera) that really hurt us. They’re as dangerous as they always are. They’re always someone that people look at and don’t want to see in a playoff series. They’re that good.”
Despite Denver’s ninth-place standing in the conference - - with a 37-25 record - - and four-game deficit to Utah in the Northwest Division, Duncan said the Nuggets are perceived around the league as a top-flight contender.
“Nobody in the West is a 7 or 8 (seed),” Duncan said. “Those teams need to be respected as much as a 1, 2, 3 or 4.”
Nuggets coach George Karl claims Monday's contest “will be a like a playoff game” and that each team will be “kind of reshaping what worked and what didn’t work” on Friday.
Whether this season is an issue of the Nuggets narrowing the gap on San Antonio or the Spurs inability to fully capture their groove is debatable. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hinted the latter might be the case.
“We’re not at the same level we were last year at this time even though we seem to be situated relatively well in the West,” said Popovich, whose team entered Sunday’s game at Phoenix 43-18 and a half-game behind the Lakers for the top spot in the conference. “This team isn’t as good as last year’s as we sit. We’ve got significant improvement we have to make both mentally and physically to be able to contend for the championship.”
Like Denver, the Spurs didn’t make a huge splash near the trade deadline, but they did trade former Nuggets center Francisco Elson to Seattle for workmanlike center Kurt Thomas and signed free agent point guard Damon Stoudemire. The Spurs had been 6-0 with since the acquisition of Thomas, who has been placed in the starting lineup, before the loss to the Nuggets.
“He’s been working out great,” Duncan said. “Pop’s trying to get him a lot of time on the floor and trying to get him acclimated to what we do and an understanding of what we do. They’ve thrown a lot of stuff at him and he’s sucked it all up and he’s really reacted and picked our team up.”
It will be seen Monday whether the prospect of winning a series against the Spurs picks the Nuggets up after Saturday’s blow out.
NUGGETS AT SPURS
Starting lineups:
Denver (37-25) Pos. Ht. Pts.
15 Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 25.9
4 Kenyon Martin F 6-8 11.4
23 Marcus Camby C 6-11 9.4
3 Allen Iverson G 6-0 26.8
25 Anthony Carter G 6-2 7.8
Coach: George Karl
San Antonio (43-19) Pos. Ht. Pts.
12 Bruce Bowen F 6-7 5.7
21 Tim Duncan F 6-11 19.6
40 Kurt Thomas C 6-9 7.1
4 Michael Finley G 6-7 10.0
9 Tony Parker G 6-2 18.6
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Injuries: Nuggets: Martin (mild concussion), probable; F Nene (testicular cancer surgery), out. Spurs: None reported.
Notes: Martin is expected to start after being lost for the night late in the first quarter of Saturday’s 132-105 loss at Utah when elbowed by Utah’s Mehmet Okur . . . Nuggets center Steven Hunter, who missed the past two games due to his grandmother’s funeral in Chicago, said he’ll miss Monday’s shootaround but will be back for the game . . . The Spurs had won 11 straight prior to losing 109-96 at Denver on Friday and 94-87 at Phoenix on Sunday . . . The Nuggets haven’t beaten San Antonio in a season series since 1987-88, but a triumph would give them a 3-1 win this season . . . After starting three straight and 17 of his past 18, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili scored 22 points off the bench Sunday.