Entering last season’s NBA playoffs, the Nuggets carried the uncertainty inherent to a team making its first postseason appearance in nine years. Now, despite having moved up just one spot in the Western Conference pecking order and facing a San Antonio team that has won two of the past six league championships, Denver seems anything but hesitant.
“Last year seems so long ago,’ center said Wednesday.
The thought of Camby returning to the lineup after missing the past three games with a strained right hamstring is what gives Nuggets coach George Karl that warm, fuzzy feeling. Given Camby’s expected return starting with Sunday’s playoff opener, Karl said he has every expectation of a long, tight series, despite the Spurs’ pedigree.
“We’ll make it a six- or seven-game series. Maybe I’m being cocky, but we’re 28-4 with him in the lineup,’ Karl said of Camby. “If he’s out there, I feel we’ll figure it out.’
That 28-4 mark is Denver’s record with Camby on the court and Karl on the sideline.
Denver’s first task is finding a way to win in San Antonio, which was 38-3 at the SBC Center this season, the best home record in basketball. That was with all-star forward Tim Duncan missing much of the past month with an ankle injury, including one game the Nuggets won there. Since the start of the 1998-99 season, when they won their first championship, the Spurs have won 221 of 271 home games, almost 82 percent.
Perhaps it was the 90-87 win March 12 on the Spurs’ floor that gave them confidence, but the Nuggets appear unfazed about finding a way to win in San Antonio.
“I don’t think we’re worried about that,’ guard said. “We’re confident that we can win there.’
Should the Nuggets find a way to steal a win in Sunday’s opener or in Game 2 on Wednesday, it could set the tone for an unpredictable and, yes, long-lasting series – one in which traditional bench marks for success, such as home court, mean next to nothing.
“There are lots of ways to win in the playoffs,’ Karl said. “The thing about the NBA is that you’re always adjusting and changing and adjusting and changing. The thing we have working for us is that people haven’t figured us out yet.’
But the Spurs are among the best at figuring out countermoves. It’s not like the Nuggets are playing the Clippers or Trail Blazers or most of the teams they’ve run over the past two months.
Although Miller and the Nuggets say they believe they’re a good road team, they know San Antonio, with 21 road wins this season, is as well. If Denver does win on the road, there will be pressure to hold serve at home, where the Nuggets are an incredible 19-1 under Karl with an average victory margin of more than 15 points. “Sometimes you have to coach the idea of winning at home,’ said Karl, speaking of both teams’ success. “The formula is, you have to win 30-35 games at home to be successful. Sometimes I think you have to coach to win at home. You might drain your gasoline tank a little bit to win at home, knowing it might hurt you on the road. But you have to protect your home court.’
Footnotes
The NBA released the remainder of the opening-round schedule Wednesday. After the two games in San Antonio, Denver will host Games 3 and 4 on Saturday, April 30 (8:30 p.m.) and Monday, May 2 (TBA). If necessary, the final three games are slated for May 4, 6 and 8. Tickets for all potential home playoff games will go on sale at noon Saturday at Ticketmaster locations and the Pepsi Center box office.
Tickets will also be available by phone at 800-4NBA-TIX or at www.ticketmaster.com. …
Karl said despite assertions from the player to the contrary, it’s unlikely forward Eduardo Najera will play in the first two games of the series. He has a broken right hand and is wearing a cast.
“He says he wants to play, but he can’t move his hand,’ Karl said. “He’ll be in uniform, but I don’t think he can play if he can’t make a layup.’
Najera’s presence on the postseason roster will likely mean guard won’t be included. Rosters must be finalized today. Once a team sets its playoff roster, it can’t be changed. …
The San Antoniocoaching staff is trying to determine whether to put injured guard Devin Brown on the playoff roster. Brown has been on the injured list since March 25 with a back injury. Before going on the injured list, Brown averaged 15 points over his final eight games.
“It’s going to be a very difficult decision,’ Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We’d obviously love to have him.’
Staff writer Marc J. Spears contributed to this report.
Staff writer Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
