In the bowels of Indiana’s Conseco Fieldhouse, after Denver won a game it wasn’t supposed to win, coach George Karl pondered what he learned about his team. Numerous answers would have been acceptable. The 18-point, second-half comeback was the second-largest in the Nuggets’ NBA history.
But Karl flashed a mischievous smile, paused and said: “They’re schizo! They’re good and bad.”
You’ll excuse the coach if he mixed up schizophrenia and multiple personalities. It had been a long night. But Karl’s point was clear. This season, he sometimes doesn’t know which team will step onto the floor. Will it be the soft squad blown out in Boston? Or the team that played Steel Curtain defense in Washington? Or, as seen in Saturday’s win at Indiana, both in the same game?
“We proved when we play D, we can be unbeatable,” starting guard Yakhouba Diawara said. “We just have to do that for 48 minutes.”
Tonight, LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers come to the Pepsi Center, the first of four Nuggets home games after a 2-2 road trip.
For the Nuggets (4-3), tonight isn’t as much about corralling James as it is about corralling their own focus and energy.
“Defensively we stepped up to the challenge (in the second half),” guard Allen Iverson said after the 113-106 win at Indiana. “And I think that’s going to be a big thing with our squad – having the sense of urgency from the beginning. Acting like you’re down 10.”
On Saturday, they trailed by 18 at the half, when the coaches installed a zone defense that focused on team unity, which also threw a wrench in the Pacers’ game plan.
Forward Carmelo Anthony looked at Saturday’s defensive performance – the aforementioned good and bad – as fuel.
“If this isn’t a confidence boost, I don’t know what is,” Anthony said.
Because Kenyon Martin’s minutes were limited during the road trip, the power forward’s efforts might have been overlooked, but his role in the Nuggets’ defense – and offense – is imperative.
“As he goes, the team is going to go,” Iverson said. “As simple as that.”
Martin is slowly returning from knee surgery. But with Nene (thumb) out for six weeks, Martin will have to play more, and did so against Indiana with a season-high 27 minutes. He finished with six defensive rebounds, all in the second half. Though he has played the sixth-most minutes on the team (22.0), Martin is second in rebounding (5.3).
“His toughness and tenacity is something we need,” said Iverson, who joined Denver last December after Martin was already out for the season with his injury. “He’s always upbeat; cares about the team first. He’s a warrior, gets us going, and keeps us in the game mentally.”
Which is just what the Nuggets need, while they hope to stick with just one personality.
CLEVELAND AT DENVER
7 p.m. tonight, Altitude, KKFN 950 AM
Spotlight on LeBron James: He wowed you in the playoffs with his historic, Jordanesque dominance. Then he wowed you with his Bobby Brown impersonation on the ESPYs, while singing (and that’s a stretch) the song “My LeBrogotive.” Tonight, he is making his lone appearance this season at the Pepsi Center. James entered Sunday leading his team with 27.3 points and 7.5 assists and was second with 8.2 rebounds. With the assists and rebounds, he has never finished a season with averages that high.
NOTEBOOK
Nuggets: Forward Nene (thumb) and guards Chucky Atkins (groin) and Anthony Carter (hand) will not play tonight. The status of guard Mike Wilks (hamstring) is questionable. … The Nuggets are 6-2 against Cleveland with Carmelo Anthony on the roster since 2003-04. … The Nuggets’ free-throw shooting helped them win Saturday’s game at Indiana. They were 29-for-34 (85.3 percent). For the season, though, they shoot 65.2 percent.
Cavaliers: In his 10th season, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is looking as good as ever, averaging 16.3 points and 14.3 rebounds entering Sunday. … Daniel “Boobie” Gibson, a darling of the 2007 playoffs, has started every game for Cleveland at guard, averaging 13.7 points and leading the team with 56.3 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
