EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Overconfidence isn’t in these Lakers’ DNA.
They are hard-wired to continue to put the pedal to the metal, to continue to put pressure on, to definitely kick a team while it is down.
The Nuggets are down. The Lakers, who lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 going into Saturday’s Game 3, want to keep them there.
“I think it’ll be a test of our execution,” Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said. “I think everybody to a man on this team has a killer instinct. It’s going to be a test of how well we’re able to execute under that type of duress.”
At 33-8 in the regular season, the Nuggets owned the sixth-best home record in the NBA. The Lakers say they are aware of that and expect a more motivated Nuggets team.
“I expect them to still be confident and still feel good about where they stand,” guard Derek Fisher said. “It’s going to be up to us to go in there and actually beat them. I don’t think they are going to lie down for us at all.”
Lakers coach Phil Jackson said it was clear the Nuggets were improved from Game 1, and he expects that to continue Saturday.
“I think they’ll be more aggressive,” Jackson said. “I thought they were more aggressive (Wednesday) night. I thought they had a feel for the game. They lost their grip on it a little bit. They played a better game, much more aggressive and showed us more about how they are.”
Kobe, on trash talk.
Bryant has been dishing and trading trash talk with the Nuggets in the first two games of the series. He responded to the jawing Wednesday with 49 points and 10 assists in a Lakers victory. Thursday, he explained that none of the talking bothers him.
“It’s fun,” Bryant said. “It’s more exciting. For me, I take it as a challenge. I’m already wired pretty tight. When something like that goes on, it tightens it up a little bit more.”
Coby, on playing.
When Coby Karl entered Game 2 late in the fourth quarter, he and Nuggets coach George Karl became the first father-son combination to compete against each other in an NBA playoff game.
“I was just happy to get on the floor,” Coby Karl said. “I think we were both proud of it. It’s unique.”
Footnotes.
Forward Ronny Turiaf said it hurt to talk, but he toughed it out Thursday for a few minutes to explain his illness. “It’s not a joke,” said Turiaf, who revealed his ailment to be tonsillitis. “I can’t get food and beverage in my system, so it’s hard to get energy.” Turiaf said he feels better and “should be ready to go” Saturday. . . . None of the Lakers said altitude would be a problem beyond the first couple of minutes in the game.
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post
