Technically, Anthony Carter returned to the NBA playoffs last season after a six-year absence.
But when you play just 14 minutes in Game 5 of the Nuggets’ first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, it’s hard to feel like a pivotal player. So, in Carter’s mind, last year can be dismissed.
“That didn’t do any good,” Carter said. “But they got me in a better situation this year, and now I can be in the playoffs from the beginning.”
The last time Carter played in the postseason in a significant role from the start was with the Miami Heat in 2001. Now he and Kenyon Martin are back after missing at least one postseason, and can only help the Nuggets against a Los Angeles Lakers team sure to cause matchup headaches.
“It’s been awhile,” Carter said after Wednesday’s regular-season finale. “I’m looking forward to the playoffs. It’s where people make their names, get paid, and things like that. This is where you can step up and help the team get to the next round.”
The next round is somewhere the Nuggets haven’t been since 1994. Since then, they have lost in the first round of five playoff series, including four in four years. The Lakers (57-25), who finished with the best record in the Western Conference, aren’t going to make advancing easy this time around, either. Their height and versatility make it so the Nuggets will have to take their chances somewhere with a smaller defender on a bigger player.
That may be Carter, who is the Nuggets’ best starting defensive option on bigger guards. Whether that means he will start on Kobe Bryant is unclear, but he will spend some time at some point guarding the Lakers star. The Lakers’ starting lineup of Bryant, Derek Fisher, Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol features four players 6-feet-6 or taller — three 6-10 or taller.
“They’ve got a big man in the low post, which most of the low post up until this year was Kobe there more often than not,” Nuggets coach George Karl said. “Now they don’t even play the triangle as much as they just throw the ball down to Gasol. They have a couple of nice tricks off of their post cutting and post movement. He makes great decisions, and there’s a comfort zone to kind of giving Kobe the fast game, and giving Gasol the slow game.”
Camby likely will be matched up on Gasol. Martin will probably start on Odom, but Martin is the Nuggets’ most versatile defender and can play anyone from Kobe to Gasol.
“One of my favorite players on their team is the Odom guy,” Karl said. “I think he’s a great third star type of player. He can really put huge numbers on the board and he doesn’t get a lot of calls or a lot of options in their offense. He finds the game.”
Carter, Anthony and Allen Iverson will divvy up the perimeter players. Kobe is the focal point, but the Nuggets will give up size to a shooter somewhere. Still, with Carter on the perimeter and Martin anchoring the post, the Nuggets say they feel good about their chances.
“First thing is it’s going to give us toughness,” forward Eduardo Najera said of Carter and Martin. “You need that in the playoffs. Kenyon and A.C. are mentally prepared. They are veterans, and they know how to win games. They are physical. They are two great defenders, probably the two best ones on the team.
“Defensively you can put Kenyon on the best player, whether it’s Kobe or whoever we play. He likes challenges and he knows how to play the game.”
Preparation and comprehension of the defensive game plan is key. With the Heat, Carter said coach Pat Riley clearly defined each player’s role before the first playoff game.
“We kind of have to sit down with everybody and let everybody know their role, this is what they gotta do, this is what I gotta do and things like that,” Carter said. “That’s what Pat Riley did. He kind of told everybody what their role was going to be, and he expected everybody to go out and do it.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
