Kiszla: Popovich gets best of Karl

link: http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla/ci_5781656

Popovich gets best of Karl
By Mark Kiszla
Denver Post Staff Columnist
Article Last Updated: 04/30/2007 12:45:08 AM MDT

This is not why the Nuggets pay coach George Karl the big bucks.
Why is Denver trailing San Antonio 2-1 in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series? The answer can be found on the bench.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is proving why he has won three championship rings.
Karl is proving 829 regular-season career victories are highly overrated if you can't get it done in the playoffs.

Popovich has dictated the style of basketball in this series, forcing Denver to win the way San Antonio likes to play.

Karl has established he can get a technical foul for failure to stay in the coaching box.
This is not how Karl earns an annual salary of $3 million.

San Antonio is limiting the Nuggets to 91 points per game, 14 fewer than their regular-season average. Is any team in the league as good as imposing its will on a game as the squad coached by Popovich?

"Hmm," Karl replied Sunday. "I think Phoenix is pretty good at it. But when I see Phoenix and San Antonio play, it seems like San Antonio dictates."

Popovich is ordering the adjustments Karl must make on the court. Sound familiar? Since Denver lost to San Antonio in the 2005 playoffs, the Nuggets are better and the Spurs are older.

But the coaches remain the same.

The beauty of the NBA, a major reason why everybody from Jack Nicholson to Rocky the mascot loves this game, is because talent usually wins in the end. With his back to a wall outside the visitors' locker room in San Antonio, Karl recently suggested coaches usually cancel each other out in the playoffs.

A coach gets maybe one psychological gambit a series. Karl blew his by declaring Game 3 was a must-win for the Nuggets.

A coach is guaranteed precious few chances to make a crucial substitution in a series. Karl botched one huge opportunity as the Nuggets came unraveled late in the third quarter of Game 3, allowing the ugly implosion of 21-year-old J.R. Smith, an excitable guy who at any given minute is capable of swishing a sweet 3-pointer or rubbing the Sunday pot roast all over his chest.

An NBA coach who makes a difference would have removed Smith from the court immediately after one boneheaded pass and calmly told the young player to sit down and take three deep breaths.

Karl was not hired in Denver to get bounced from the opening round of the playoffs three straight years.

After watching Robert Horry drop Denver in a big hole by drilling big jump shots that dropped the hearts of Nuggets fans to their stomachs, Karl explained away the 96-91 loss in Game 3 by suggesting the Spurs had tricked his team.

Excuse me? Nobody pays me $3 million a year for my basketball knowledge, but every American household that owns a TV has witnessed Horry make himself a household name during the NBA playoffs. And the coach of the Nuggets acts as if he doesn't know the difference between Big Shot Rob and SpongeBob SquarePants?

This was not why the Nuggets picked up the option on Karl's contract, committing to him through 2010.

Despite the gray in their beards, the Spurs are a lot of good things. Poised. Smart. Tougher than barbed wire. But tricky they ain't.

Karl was asked point-blank if seven games would be long enough to figure out all the tricks by his counterpart on the San Antonio bench.

"I think we're one for three in tricks," replied Karl, wanting credit for not being outsmarted in Denver's lone victory against the Spurs.

OK. We'll give Karl one gold star and an oatmeal cookie as a reward.
Get outsmarted two nights out of three in the playoffs, and it's a surefire formula for Karl seeing his team eliminated in six games.

This series is a reminder of a crazy basketball notion I have been espousing for years: The best coach in the NBA is not Phil Jackson or Pat Riley or Don Nelson. It's Popovich.
Carmelo Anthony, averaging a spectacular 28 points and 10 rebounds against the Spurs, is proving he can compete with Tim Duncan.

But Karl has yet to prove he can handle Popovich.

After kicking away home-court advantage, the Nuggets were defiant. Smith was asked to evaluate the series.

He replied: "We're losing games we should win."

You can analyze those words 1,000 ways. But here's the bottom line: A team that loses games it should win is the definition of poor coaching.
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^ Denver media exploding on their own team? :)

give him a glass of water, he's choking on his words! :lol

So now he's throwing his coach under the bus.
Fucking asshole.

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Why is Denver trailing San Antonio 2-1 in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series?

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ummm... because san antonio is a better team?

Kizla's trying the ol reverse karma thing.

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And the coach of the Nuggets acts as if he doesn't know the difference between Big Shot Rob and SpongeBob SquarePants?

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That was pretty funny, but he's still a jackass.

"forcing Denver to win the way San Antonio likes to play."

force Denver to win? WTF? Didn't he mean to say:

"forcing Denver to play the way San Antonio likes to win." :lol

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Originally Posted by boutons_

"forcing Denver to win the way San Antonio likes to play."

force Denver to win? WTF? Didn't he mean to say:

"forcing Denver to play the way San Antonio likes to win." :lol

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it happens when you don't mean what you say. :lol

Reminds me of some guys on am 1300 the zone here in Austin. This morning they try to get off the mavs jock and come running to the Spurs. And like I say to them I will say to kiszla YOU GO DOWN WITH THE SHIP YOU PICKED!!!

I notice a slight change of tone in this idiot's article when compared to the first two.

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Originally Posted by conversekid

ummm... because san antonio is a better team?

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Because San Antonio is a three seed? Because Denver isn't better than they were in 2005?

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Originally Posted by Kiszla

Karl botched one huge opportunity as the Nuggets came unraveled late in the third quarter of Game 3, allowing the ugly implosion of 21-year-old J.R. Smith, an excitable guy who at any given minute is capable of swishing a sweet 3-pointer or rubbing the Sunday pot roast all over his chest.

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WTF? Is this some sort of inside joke or cutting edge pop reference I just don't get? Or is this guy insane?

And if this gets Karl feeling like he's in the crosshairs he'll be working overtime to crank out the excuses. Or is it CIA Karl? Did he and Smith conspire to create the impression of an imploding team to lull the Spurs into complacency?

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Originally Posted by spurs_fan_in_exile

WTF? Is this some sort of inside joke or cutting edge pop reference I just don't get? Or is this guy insane?

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Yeah definately a wtf statement.

If you read closely, Karl picks us to beat the Suns in round 2. Waving the white flag already.

What is it with Denver throwing people under the bus? First, the entire city of Denver, the players, the coaches, the ball boy, the guy who scrapes gum out from under the seats, and the popcorn cranker blame JR Smith.

Now their resident standard-bearer of journalism blames Karl (as if anyone who ever watched a game coached by this guy is shocked).

Could it be something so simple (yet obviously so inconceivable for them): from top to bottom...wait for it...waaaaait for it...the Spurs are possibly better? *gasp*

Mark Kiszlamyass

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Originally Posted by smeagol

I notice a slight change of tone in this idiot's article when compared to the first two.

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Complete 180 degree turn. No more of his macho, smack talks. :lol

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Originally Posted by spurschick

Mark Kiszlamyass

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:lol If you say that out loud fast enough it sounds like, "Mark can slam my ass."

I hate Coach Karl. He reminds of the clown from spawn. I'll cyberblow anyone who photoshops that.

He talks like the Spurs were the underdogs in this series. this man is delusional.

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Originally Posted by spurs_fan_in_exile

WTF? Is this some sort of inside joke or cutting edge pop reference I just don't get? Or is this guy insane?

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:lol I wondered the exact same thing. Weird metaphor. Weird writer! When he's not writing homer chest-beating pieces about how the Nuggets are gonna whoop our ass, he's calling out their coach.

I'll give the Denver folks who were around here earlier in the series credit for this -- they were absolutely correct in predicting that Kiszla would turn on the Nuggets at the first signs of adversity. He's obviously unwilling to blame most of the players, choosing instead to lay blame at Karl's feet.

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Originally Posted by Summers

:lol I wondered the exact same thing. Weird metaphor. Weird writer! When he's not writing homer chest-beating pieces about how the Nuggets are gonna whoop our ass, he's calling out their coach.

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Could it be that he's "greasing himself up"?

Only thing I could think of. It's like he was trying to think of a metaphor, ran out of time, and just thought to himself, "..... That one!"

If you throw enough shit on the wall, it'll eventually stick.

Kisla's writing is a lot like that.

Wait am I suppose to gather from this article this idiot thought his buttnuggs actually had a chance?

"Weird metaphor. Weird writer"

You're being way too gracious.

Not to step to the author's defense or anything, but I believe he gets paid (though not $3 million a year) by the Denver Post, not the Denver Nuggets. His job is to write compelling articles, not play a game of strategy to help the Nuggets win. By saying he is throwing the coach/JR/whomever under the bus is saying that he actually cares, and professionally at least, I don't think he does. And blaming a sports writer for "hurting morale" is simply using that writer as an excuse. Who's under the bus now?

Karl is making for a good story, and Kiszla is writing it. Not his job to hide the coach's mistakes. Those mistakes are what give him a career.

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Originally Posted by Ronaldo McDonald

I hate Coach Karl. He reminds of the clown from spawn. I'll cyberblow anyone who photoshops that.

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I'll pass on the cyber-bj, but here you go...

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/779...wnclownji2.jpg

This guy is a terrible writer.




Also, he's more bandwagon than most of the posters in this place, which is hard to do.

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Originally Posted by spurs_fan_in_exile

WTF? Is this some sort of inside joke or cutting edge pop reference I just don't get? Or is this guy insane?

And if this gets Karl feeling like he's in the crosshairs he'll be working overtime to crank out the excuses. Or is it CIA Karl? Did he and Smith conspire to create the impression of an imploding team to lull the Spurs into complacency?

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Oh, rubbing the Sunday pot roast all over your chest is a Mountain Man thing--very popular around Denver--and then you run outside in the snow and holler, "Here Grizzly, here grizzly!"

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Originally Posted by wildbill2u

Oh, rubbing the Sunday pot roast all over your chest is a Mountain Man thing--very popular around Denver--and then you run outside in the snow and holler, "Here Grizzly, here grizzly!"

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And then Baron Davis comes out of nowhere and dunks over your pot-roasted ass, right? :lol

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Originally Posted by L.I.T

What is it with Denver throwing people under the bus? First, the entire city of Denver, the players, the coaches, the ball boy, the guy who scrapes gum out from under the seats, and the popcorn cranker blame JR Smith.

Now their resident standard-bearer of journalism blames Karl (as if anyone who ever watched a game coached by this guy is shocked).

Could it be something so simple (yet obviously so inconceivable for them): from top to bottom...wait for it...waaaaait for it...the Spurs are possibly better? *gasp*

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"Despite the gray in their beards"

You are right, this guy unfortunately is soooooo hung up on the Spurs age, he feels it automatically makes the Nuggets better. By default of youth. :rolleyes

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Originally Posted by Borosai

I'll pass on the cyber-bj, but here you go...

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/779...wnclownji2.jpg

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:lol

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"We're losing games we should win."

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Denver isn't gonna advance with this state of mind.

If you don't see why you're losing games, you'll never win them.

Thinking you shoulda win without seeing the real reasons why you lost will never make you progress.

It's one think to concentrate on your game an be confident but from the beginning of this series, It seems like Denver don't respect the spurs for what they are and lack a bit of the humility Spurs have.

I've never heard Pop or anyone in the Spurs organization say that they lost a game they should have won. Even when losing to the Bucks or Celtics. You lose for a reason, or rather many reasons.

Isn't this beat writer the loser who wrote that dismissive piece of junk on the Spurs being ousted after Denver took Game 1? And he calls J.R. Smith "excitable"! Gheez! What a moron. No credibility in what this cat spews.