Monroe: Nuggets use break to look for theirs

[Kori Ellis]

Nuggets use break to look for theirs
Web Posted: 04/29/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...2231fffba.html

DENVER — Maurice Martin, who played four injury-plagued NBA seasons after the Denver Nuggets drafted him in the first round in 1986, is in charge of the conversion crew at the Pepsi Center.

The group reconfigures the multi-use arena from a Nuggets game to a Colorado Crush arena football game; from a Colorado Mammoth professional lacrosse court to a U2 concert hall.

There is no truth to the rumor that Nuggets coach George Karl cornered Martin on Thursday and asked him to see if the Nuggets' missing transition game was hidden in one of the sections of hardwood panels his crew was busy setting up for Saturday's Game 3 of the Nuggets-Spurs playoff series.

And the Nuggets seem to need nothing so much as re-discovery of the running game that made them the NBA's hottest team from the All-Star break to the end of the regular season.

The Nuggets scored more fast-break points than even the Phoenix Suns, this season's scoring champions. They rolled up an average of 19.3 per game, and that includes the pre-Karl era, when the Nuggets were eight games under .500 and not running nearly as much as when Karl took over.

How, then, to explain their season-worst fast-break output of two points in a 104-76 loss Wednesday night at the SBC Center?

"We've got to find a way to score against these guys," Nuggets center Marcus Camby said of the Spurs' defenders after a light workout Thursday. "They've been stopping our fast break. We haven't been getting any easy buckets in transition.

"We're going to have to rebound the basketball and get out and run. That's easier said than done. They're a great defensive team, and they've really focused on that."

The real clue that might help the Nuggets find their running game can be found at the defensive end.

The Spurs missed only five shots in the first quarter and nine in the second. That is only 14 potential possibilities for a fast break in a half of basketball that produced a Spurs' lead of as much as 32 points.

Said backup point guard Earl Boykins, signed by the Nuggets before the 2003-04 season for the expressed purpose of putting some zip into the Nuggets' running game: "There's only one way to get (the running game) going: Get stops and defensive rebounds."

So intent on getting more stops are the Nuggets that Karl acknowledged he is considering a lineup change that would improve his team's defense.

In all likelihood, the change would mean Greg Buckner, one of the team's best perimeter defenders, starting in place of DerMarr Johnson.

Karl knows the Nuggets can't rely on the energy the players will get from a partisan crowd, or from the mile-high al ude that toys with opposing players who swear their lungs burn more at Pepsi Center, especially when trying to keep pace with the go-go Nuggets.

Karl, too, knows defense holds the key to his team's ability to return to a winning pace.

"Defensively, you've got to make more stops and you've got to keep them off the (foul) line," Karl said. "The last two games, the rhythm of the game has been defense, slow down, free-throw shots. Not a lot of pace.

"We have a personality to run better here. I would like to see us be a little more disruptive defensively. Can we get more deflections? Can we get more in control of their penetrations? Generally, rebounding we're doing OK, but we're not getting a defensive at ude to our offense."

[T Park]

If he starts Buckner instead of Demarr Johnson that works perfectly into the Spurs favor.

Barry doesn't have a tough player to guard, and there isnt a long, good shooting offensive player that could give quick points.

Also, they talk about getting more boards and running.

Uh, dont discount the offensive rebounding from Rasho Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed.

[ChumpDumper]

I sincerely think that Buckner has been instructed to intentionally charge Manu hard once a game. Manu has been taking it well -- but keep an eye on it.

[Mr. Body]

Buckner hasn't been effective this series so far, it doesn't seem.

[T Park]

He did it last night, and got a BS touch foul on Mohammed and a basket I think.

but that is fine, Manu takes charges no problem.

[Phonzie20]

You don't want DJ to start.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

You don't want DJ to start.

Yeah, it was obviously him and not Andre that was the key to game 1.