Starting tonight, the Nuggets play a series of games against Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio (twice), Utah, the 1987 Lakers and The Dream Team.
Or that’s the way it seems, entering this dog-day stretch against the big dogs.
The Western Conference is airtight. Any losing streak by almost any team, and it could mean the season — notably for Denver, which is double digits over .500 but is already scrapping for a playoff spot.
Tonight, the Nuggets are at Houston, winners of 14 straight. The Suns and Spurs come to Pepsi Center on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, then there’s a back-to-back matchup at Utah on Saturday. To cap it all off, there’s a trip to San Antonio to play the defending champs Monday, the second test against the Spurs in four days.
We will know so much more about the Nuggets following this stretch.
“I told the team: ‘You expect it to be easy? It’s not going to be easy,’ ” coach George Karl said. “In 20 years you’ve probably never has these circumstances (in the conference), but don’t forget — you’re having a good year, you’re in a good place and you’ve overcome a lot of tough situations. Let’s go to work. Let’s grow up, get better and go to work.”
Against these four teams this season, the Nuggets are 3-4. But Denver is the type of team, for better or worse, that sometimes plays up or down to its competition. For instance, the Nuggets have knocked off numerous great teams, notably the Spurs, Jazz and Rockets from this coming stretch of games, as well as Dallas, New Orleans and Boston.
And, in regards to playing down, they’ve fallen to foes such as Milwaukee, Chicago and Atlanta.
“We always seem to play our best basketball against the upper-echelon teams,” center Marcus Camby said. “Those are games we don’t tend to worry about, because we know our mental focus is going to be there. But we’ll definitely have our hands full.”
Class act.
Denver guard Anthony Carter will be the recipient of the 2008 Chopper Travaglini Award, created in 1999 to recognize “a person with a true understanding of the importance of giving back to children.” Carter is a product of the “I Have A Dream” Foundation, which mentors inner-city children. Now Carter helps “IHAD” students and donates time and money.
The award is given by Kroenke Sports Charities, which is hosting its premier fundraising event, The Mile High Dreams Gala, on Monday night at Pepsi Center. Tickets are available at .
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.
One player dealt at the trade deadline whose name seldom comes up is Devin Harris. The former Mavericks guard was shipped to the Nets in the Jason Kidd trade, and in his first game for New Jersey, he scored 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting, along with five assists and just one turnover. It was also his first game since Jan. 27, when Denver visited Dallas and Harris suffered a bone bruise in his left ankle, missing 14 games. Harris could be a good fit in the New Jersey system, similar to Kidd, because Harris is a team-first guard who is a pretty good decision- maker — with quick feet, too.
Together again.
Sam Cassell and Kevin Garnett, close friends while with the Timberwolves, will soon be teammates again, with the Celtics. The Nuggets expressed strong interest in the reserve guard, both during the weeks before the trade deadline and then when Cassell was waived by the Clippers this week.
“I think we were always second, and it kind of angered me a bit,” said Karl, who coached Cassell in Milwaukee. “I understand why he chose Boston, and Kevin (Garnett) is one of his best friends in basketball.
“(Cassell) is a big-shot guy and I’m sure he’ll understand his role. I don’t think they expect him to play a lot of minutes, but he wants to be on a team that has a chance to win a championship. Sam knows the game, knows how to talk the game. If he’s positive, he’s good in the locker room; he has a spirit to him that’s kind of contagious. There’s a bounce to his energy.”
SPOTLIGHT ON . . .
Jason Kidd, G, Mavericks
There have been some questions early on about this Kidd-Dallas reunion. For instance, in Thursday’s game against rival San Antonio, coach Avery Johnson kept Kidd on the bench in the tight final 34 seconds. Wait, didn’t Dallas bring him in to help close games out?
Turns out, Johnson feared that with the pass-first Kidd in the game, Kidd’s man would double-team Dirk Nowitzki, and Kidd would be reluctant to shoot. Dallas lost, but Kidd came back strong Friday night, scoring a season-high 21 points (on 9-of-18 shooting) with 11 rebounds, falling one assist shy of a triple-double, in a 115-106 win over the Sacramento Kings.
It will be fascinating to watch the egos of Johnson and Kidd meld during the final stretch of the regular season. Kidd is third in the NBA with 10.4 assists per game.
Asked how Kidd could help Dallas, Denver coach George Karl said: “I think he’s got a up-tempo game, he can find the 3 in the open court. He’s a guy who makes people better, and he makes the game enjoyable to play. Those are contagious things.”
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
