For the Nuggets, Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s win the Northwest Division or bust.
There is no question the reigning Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks, the fast-paced Phoenix Suns and the veteran but disappointing San Antonio Spurs are the class of the conference – and basically unreachable in the win column by the rest of the West. The Northwest’s winner won’t have to worry about the three West powers until the second round. For any Northwest team that doesn’t win the division but makes the playoffs, good luck.
“The West is tough this year,” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. “They say that every year. But this year, the West is tough. You never know who is going to be up there (at the top).”
The Jazz seemed to have a clear path to a Northwest title and the fourth seed in the West playoffs after Anthony was suspended for 15 games and J.R. Smith for 10 because of a Dec. 16 fight at New York.
The then-hot Jazz was 17-6 at the time of the suspensions, but Utah did little to take advantage of the Nuggets’ drama and is currently 27-14. Denver is five games behind Utah, with Minnesota 5 1/2 back.
“It’s going to be very hard, we know that,” Anthony said of catching Utah. “It’s possible.”
The scoring combo of Anthony and Allen Iverson and other factors still make the Nuggets the favorite to win the Northwest.
Anthony and his NBA-leading 31.6-point average return Monday. The arrival of an inspired Anthony will kill frequent double and triple teams on Iverson. With the focus on Anthony and Iverson, the remaining Nuggets will get countless easy shots.
Anthony, Iverson and Smith will be well-rested. Anthony said he is in the best condition of his career. Iverson has played only 29 games because of his hiatus prior to being traded by the Philadelphia 76ers to the Nuggets. Smith has played only 27 games. The big question is whether underappreciated center Marcus Camby, who has a history of injury woes, can continue to stay relatively healthy.
The Nuggets do have the most remaining road games with 25, while Utah has 18 and Minnesota has 23. Denver, however, has a winning road record (9-7). The Nuggets have a chance to gain a lot of confidence soon – 10 of their 13 games before the all-star break are against teams with sub-.500 records.
But there is no reason to think a well-rounded and veteran-coached Jazz squad or Kevin Garnett’s Timberwolves will go away quietly. A big key will be the head-to-head meetings.
Utah is 1-0 against Denver with three meetings left, including Friday at Salt Lake City. The Nuggets are 1-1 against the Timberwolves with two games left.
“We’re playing much better basketball now,” Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey said. “I don’t think anyone is going to put us as a favorite, but that’s OK.”
When asked if Denver is the Northwest front-runner because of the Anthony-Iverson combo, Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko said: “We’re in first place in our division, so why would they say that? Let people think what they want. Our job is still to step on the floor and win the game.”
What could have been a comfortable run to back-to-back division titles for Denver was ruined by the suspensions of Anthony and Smith. Utah has a small margin for error, while the Nuggets and Wolves have even smaller margins. After losing in the first round three straight years, the Nuggets have more pressure to win the division than any Northwest Division team.
“We can’t think like that,” Anthony said. “We just have to go out there and play. If we say, ‘We got to win, we got to win,’ we are putting too much pressure on ourselves. If we go out there and just play and have fun, we’ll be cool.”
Footnotes
Iverson still has a shot at getting voted in by the fans as a starting guard for the Western Conference team for the All-Star Game. But if Iverson, Anthony and Camby aren’t voted in as starters, the Nuggets are planning to send promotional material with a Las Vegas theme to the West coaches who are voting for reserves. …In hopes of Hawks guard Joe Johnson getting voted in as an Eastern Conference reserve, the Hawks mailed the voting East coaches a highlight DVD, which also can be viewed on YouTube.com. Johnson entered Friday’s games 12th in the NBA in scoring (25.0) and 3-pointers made (73), but the Hawks entered Friday’s game against Charlotte with a 13-23 record….Maybe the most coveted party ticket during all-star weekend is for the NBA Players Association soiree. Over the past month, tickets for the Feb. 17 party at Mandalay Bay have doubled in price and are being sold in the $800 range. At a much cheaper (but not cheap) price, you can hang out with Iverson, Magic Johnson and famed DJs Kid Capri and Biz Markie at Magic Johnson’s All-Star Celebrity Weekend on Feb. 17 at Studio 54 in the MGM Grand, where tickets are $100…. When asked if he has been mentoring Ohio State freshman center Greg Oden, projected as the top pick in this year’s NBA draft, Cleveland star LeBron James said: “We have no friendship. But if he needs my advice or needs someone to talk to, he’s right up street, so it’s no problem.” … Speaking of King James, he will be the guest of honor at a comedy roast in Cleveland next Sunday. On the guest list are comedians Cedric the Entertainer, Paul Rodriguez, Mo’Nique and Ralphie May. Proceeds will go to the James Family Foundation.
PERKS OF PLAYING
FIRST PRIORITY: THE GAME
Question-and-answer session with six-time all-star guard Ray Allen, whose Seattle SuperSonics host Denver on Tuesday night:
Q: Are you optimistic new ownership will keep the Sonics in Seattle?
Allen: They are doing everything they can to make a good deal (in Seattle). They understand the reason to keep the team and make it such a profitable business in this market because it’s a huge international market. Just having a huge Asian population and diversity is great in Seattle.
Q: You played a big acting role in the movie “He Got Game.” Any future acting plans?
Allen: Basketball has been too good to me. There are some things I have been offered. A film (“Saw II”) was being shot two years ago when we were in the playoffs that they wanted me to audition for in New York. I get asked to do commercials. Rap videos. One time I got asked to do a video. Remember (Brandy’s) “The Boy is Mine” video? I was in Milwaukee at the time. They wanted me to star in the video, but they ended up getting (actor) Mekhi Phifer. My business manager at the time said, “I’m going to tell you this but there is no way you’re going to be able to do this. They want you to come to L.A., do this video, they’re not going to pay you and they want you to miss a couple games.” I told him, “You gave them my answer, I hope.”
Q: Do you think you’re an underappreciated NBA star?
Allen: I’ve been paid handsomely. My organization, my teammates, they respect what I do. I hope, on any given night, that guys I play against respect what I do. To me that’s really what counts. One day you’re being announced to the Hall of Fame or someone is writing about me, anything where my name is mentioned because they respect what I did as a player, respect what I did on the court, what I did for the game. That’s the biggest compliment.
A.I. nearing 20,000 club
Nuggets guard Allen Iverson is close to joining the NBA’s 20,000-point club. But the 11-year veteran has a long way to go to become one of the NBA’s all-time leading scorers, who are listed below:
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
2. Karl Malone 36,928
3. Michael Jordan 32,292
4. Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
5. Moses Malone 27,409
SPOTLIGHT ON …
PACERS CENTER DAVID HARRISON
Background: The former Colorado star departed school a year early and entered the 2004 NBA draft. The 7-foot, 280-pounder was drafted No. 29 overall by Indiana. He averaged 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds as a rookie and 5.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 67 games last season. While his pro career hasn’t been a hit thus far, he hopes that it eventually works out with the franchise that drafted him. He recently bought a downtown Indianapolis 30th-floor condominium.
“I would love for it to work here,” Harrison said. “This is the team that wanted me. That’s my loyalty, to this team.”
What’s up: Harrison, who has a strained left shoulder, has been on the Pacers’ inactive list for the past 16 games and for 28 of their past 31 games. He has averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds this season. He recently had a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain in his injured shoulder and hopes to return to the lineup soon. He plans to play with pain the rest of the season but expects to eventually have surgery. However, he said he did overcome an injury to his right shoulder at CU as a freshman that was expected to lead to surgery, too. “I always heal fast from injuries,” Harrison said. “I think I can work it out by playing, get it in line.”
What’s next: Golden State acquired forward Al Harrington, swingman Stephen Jackson, guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and forward Josh Powell from Indiana last week in exchange for forwards Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu and guard Keith McLeod. The addition of Murphy and Diogu will make getting playing time more challenging for Harrison. Indiana is starting Jeff Foster at center.
Spears’ take: I always have been a big Harrison fan. Big men like him are hard to find, and he is only 24. Considering his size, potential and his $960,840 salary this season, expect Indiana to hold onto him. Harrison must stay healthy to prove what he can truly offer Indiana. But with all the Pacers’ bigs, getting playing time will be a battle.
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or mspears@denverpost.com.
