No one on the Nuggets knows Los Angeles Clippers point guard Sam Cassell better than coach George Karl. And there is no Clipper who knows Karl better than Cassell.
When the teams start their NBA playoff series Saturday night in Los Angeles, there is no one Karl and Cassell will worry about more than each other.
“I’m a huge Sam Cassell fan,” Karl said. “I’m amazed he still gets it done at an all-star level. But he believes in himself. He has tremendous confidence. He’s the best 18-foot jump shooter I’ve ever coached. He wants to play in big games. He wants to take big shots.”
Said Cassell: “George is a unique coach. A lot of different schemes. That’s the thing that scares me about a George Karl- coached team.”
Karl coached the Bucks from 1998-2003 and helped lead Milwaukee to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001. After being traded from New Jersey to Milwaukee during the 2002-03 season, Cassell was Karl’s point guard for 32 playoff games.
“I respect the man a lot for his knowledge of the game, his preparation,” Cassell said. “His pregame talk, he used to always say, ‘Give us a chance to win the game.’ Me knowing him, he’ll try everything in the world.”
Karl said he believes Cassell, 37, is in better shape now than he was in Milwaukee. The 13-year veteran has been credited with getting the Clippers to the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Cassell entered the season finale at Dallas on Wednesday night averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 36.8 percent from 3-point range.
The Nuggets know all about Cassell’s ability to hit big shots. He helped Minnesota oust Denver in a first-round playoff series two years ago, and scored a franchise playoff-record 40 points in one of the victories.
“He’s a guy that believes in his talents as much as anybody I’ve ever coached,” Karl said. “His talents are kind of old-school and fundamental. When you watch him play you sometimes say, ‘How does he get the job done?’
“I think he’s the reason L.A.’s having a sensational year.”
Whether it’s in the hallway by the locker rooms or on the court, Cassell and Karl usually embrace and exchange pleasantries when they face off. They also admit to butting heads in Milwaukee over such things as Cassell’s admittedly poor practice habits.
“He would always say, ‘Some players prepare differently for games,”‘ Cassell said of Karl. “Game time? Sam Cassell, I don’t have to worry about him. Ten o’clock in the morning (at practice)? I’ve got to worry about him.
“We had our battles. And after you left the battle, it was good.”
Like Cassell, Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony hasn’t always seen eye to eye with Karl. When asked what advice he would give his fellow Baltimore product about playing for Karl, Cassell said: “Listen. He’ll make you a better ballplayer. He’ll make the game easier for you. He always said, ‘The ball finds the best players every night.’ He has ways of getting you the ball.”
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
