Ever hear a player say: “Well, in the fourth quarter, we were losing big, so we lost our composure and started arguing calls and, sure enough, we were able to bounce back and pull out the victory . . . “?
No, probably not.
In the high-stakes, high-stress playoffs, the Nuggets have wilted twice, losing composure as fast as a second-half lead.
Yes, in Games 1 and 2 against the Lakers, Denver was on the road and in a hostile environment. And, in the second loss, the planet’s best player just happened to play his best game of the season.
But the trash talk with Kobe Bryant (even after he surpassed 40 points) and the heated talk with the referees — Denver received six technicals in two games — is revealing.
Composure equals confidence. A lack of composure can be combustible.
“Keeping your focus and not beating yourself is a big part of winning games in the NBA,” Denver coach George Karl said Thursday at the Pepsi Center. “A lot of times you win games if you don’t beat yourself.”
Consider what trash-talking guard J.R. Smith said about the Game 2 meltdown: “We still had a chance. We just gave up in the end. . . . When they make their runs, we bend. And when they get certain calls, we tend to break.”
Entering Saturday’s Game 3 at the Pepsi Center, Denver must have a mental edge over Los Angeles as much as a physical edge.
This could come down to leadership. It’s quite possible that, during the course of this pivotal game, the Lakers could take some leads. So, who will calm the troops? Who will lead by example?
On Thursday, Karl was asked to rate the postseason leadership of his tri-captains, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson.
“I’m not going to really go into that, but I think our veteran captain leadership is always a work-in-progress,” Karl said. “Today we talked about how the veterans need to come into tomorrow positive and ready to go. And an 0-2 deficit looks a lot worse than it is.”
After Thursday’s film session, Anthony didn’t make himself available to the media, and Iverson was also out the door, until reporters stopped him and were able to get one quote, about his excitement of playing at home: “Ready to go, man,” Iverson said. “They got a chance to play in front of their home crowd, and we want that same type of advantage.”
Camby spoke for a few minutes, acknowledging Denver’s frustration, but spinning Saturday’s game into a positive — a chance to “return the favor” of winning at home and a chance to “perform under pressure.”
Indeed, the Nuggets have played great at Pepsi Center (33-8) and they won two pressure-packed games in April — at Golden State and against Houston, which solidified a playoff spot.
“My sense all year long has been — when this team has truly had its back to the wall, it’s responded great,” Karl said. “And the home court has been a big part of that.”
One historical stat in Denver’s favor: Entering this postseason, teams that were down 2-0 in a best-of-seven series went 121-83 in Game 3.
Also, though only 19 times has a team won a series after going down 2-0, it happened twice last season (Utah over Houston and Cleveland over Detroit).
Beating the No. 1-seeded Lakers, to quote one Democratic candidate’s book title, will take a village.
It will take smart team defense, avoiding stupid fouls, feeding off the crowd, speeding up the offense, slowing down Bryant and, basically, everyone on the Nuggets playing high-level basketball.
But, to quote the other candidate’s book, Denver has the audacity of hope.
“As long as we believe in each other, we can do anything,” Smith said.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
