EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Nuggets want to run. The Lakers don’t necessarily want to run. But they vow not to shy away from a fast-paced series as long as they stay smart.
“We won’t curtail our guys from getting up and down the court and playing ball,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We have to know what’s good shots and what aren’t in transition. Transition defense has to be our first priority. Get guys back, get numbers back, so that we can stop the ball.”
The Nuggets ranked second in the NBA, averaging 110.7 points per game. The Lakers gave up an average of 101.3 during the regular season.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said his team isn’t looking to hold the Nuggets under a certain point total.
“Not necessarily,” he said. “I think the real key is just the tempo, more so than the score itself, making sure it’s at our pace. You just have to be smart and value possessions.”
Karl vs. Karl.
Coby Karl was on a bus at 4:30 a.m. Saturday after having played in a D-League playoff game the night before in Boise, Idaho. He arrived in Los Angeles and went straight to the practice center, where he played J.R. Smith.
Not against J.R. Smith, but taking the role of the Nuggets guard, which, of course, gave him license to shoot “whenever I wanted,” he said, smiling. “I shot like a 28-footer,” Karl said.
He might not suit up for any of the games during the series, but Karl is looking forward to his team facing his father’s team just the same.
“It’s a situation where obviously I want my father to do well, but at the same time we need to win the series,” he said. “So, I’m on the Lakers right now, and that’s just the way it is.”
Footnotes.
Forward Trevor Ariza (broken foot) has a slim chance of playing in the series, Jackson said. . . . The Lakers will likely have Bryant guard Allen Iverson. . . . Jackson interspersed clips of the movie “Best in Show” in basketball film to impress upon his players what he wants them to be.
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
