San Antonio – After speeding past nearly everyone in the second half of the regular season, the Nuggets have played like a Ferrari on blocks in two postseason games. Getting back on the track is key to how long they stay in the playoffs.
San Antonio held one of the NBA’s best running teams to one fast-break basket in Wednesday’s 104-76 victory at the SBC Center.
“That’s not us,” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. “We like to go on the open court and do what we do.”
Said guard Andre Miller: “We don’t want to get caught up in half-court basketball. We have to run. If we don’t, we’re stuck in that half-court basketball and we have to execute. That’s not one of our strengths.”
So Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, can you talk about why you had success stopping Denver’s fast break?
“No,” Popovich said.
The Nuggets led the NBA in fast- break points in the regular season, averaging 19.3 per game. Under coach George Karl, the Nuggets averaged 22.1 fast-break points.
The Spurs, however, have had success slowing Denver. The Nuggets managed just 12 fast-break points in their Game 1 win Sunday. Wednesday, the Nuggets experienced their worst running game of the season. The team’s previous low was two fast-break baskets at Memphis on April 5.While Popovich wouldn’t reveal his team’s secret, some of his players talked about the keys.
Tim Duncan said the Spurs’ goal is beating Denver back down the court.
“We want to make sure that we keep people in front of us,” Duncan said. “They’re very good in transition. They have incredible athletes. We just need to do all we can to keep them in front of us and make them score over the top of us.”
The Spurs were sixth in the NBA in rebounding during the regular season. Because of their rebounding prowess, the Spurs often send only two players for offensive rebounds, keeping three players back to prevent fast breaks. Most teams in the NBA send three players to the offensive boards.
Adding to Denver’s problems in Game 2 was the Spurs’ efficiency on offense. San Antonio made 61.1 percent of its first-half shots, leaving the Nuggets few opportunities to run.
To run their fast break, the Nuggets need to rebound well, get steals and block shots. In Game 2, they scored nine points off nine turnovers and had six steals and three blocks. In Game 1, Denver scored 17 points off 17 turnovers and had nine steals and eight blocks.
“We’ve got to force turnovers,” Miller said. “Make it uncomfortable for them.”
Said guard Earl Boykins: “We have to continue to try to push the pace. They did a great job today of stopping the fast break. But we can’t get frustrated. We can’t go away from the game plan. We have to continue to push the pace no matter what.”
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
