EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Before we heard Gregg Popovich would rest Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, George Gervin and Mark Olberding in Tuesday’s Spurs-Nuggets game, it was fascinating to hear the Nuggets talk about the possibilities that came with playing this particular opponent.
See, some Nuggets said a win against the Spurs would prove that Denver, indeed, was at the same level as San Antonio. Others felt the Nuggets were already there, wedged toward the top of the Western Conference near the Spurs, and that one game wasn’t going to prove much.
It was fascinating either way because, well, you could actually believe them.
Last season, the Nuggets — though they did win 50 games — would enter a game against a top team and talk about how they belonged in the same echelon . . . and then would play Detroit Lions defense and walk no walk.
This team, with three new faces in the rotation (four, counting Nene), is different.
“There’s a toughness to it that we didn’t have, both mentally and defensively, and those are things that win games,” Nuggets coach George Karl said of his division-leading team. “We still have some immaturity to us, some lack of discipline that comes out. But don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen it in every team in the NBA.”
In a league in which so many teams have similar talent, mental toughness can truly lead to that last-minute stop or that last-second shot (as discussed on these pages earlier this week, Denver is now 9-3 in games determined by six points or fewer). There is a big difference between talking big and playing big, and coach Popovich, who has four ring fingers on his left hand, can clearly see the difference.
“I’ve never believed much in swagger, I’ve always thought in some degree it could lend itself to a false sense,” he said before Tuesday’s game. “But confidence, I do believe in true confidence as both an individual and a group thing. A team that’s confident has more of an inner swagger. Swagger always seems like an extrinsic thing to me, where real confidence is intrinsic, and that’s what I think you’re trying to get.”
Are the Nuggets better than the Lakers and the Spurs? Right now, many would say no. Even if Denver is not better — on Feb. 8, it doesn’t really matter. It’s about building your arsenal so that on May 8, yes, you are better. And you build on confidence; it’s a foundation.
“I don’t think there’s any question that defensively we believe we can make stops when it counts, much more than ever before,” said Karl, whose opponents entered the weekend with a 44.3 shooting percentage — only opponents of Orlando, Cleveland and Boston shoot worse. “And offensively, we have a lot of versatility and weapons, and we’re not going to be one-dimensional at the end of a game. . . .
“There’s a confidence, a belief. I know from my standpoint, I know there’s always an anxiety before the game, but there’s also a feel that we can get this. You’re nervous about this, this and this, but there’s also this confidence or ego — they don’t have anybody that can do this and this. I think (the Nuggets players) are professional and coachable and they understand the value of certain things much better than we did last year.”
Fraternity pledges.
It was a random Wednesday in Oklahoma City, and the Ford Center was rocking like it was a Toby Keith concert. The Thunder hosted the Nuggets, and it was obvious that, for now, Oklahoma City has proven to be a good choice for an NBA franchise.
When I lived there in the two seasons the Hornets relocated, the fans were passionate, proud of everyone from Chris Paul to Speedy Claxton, and continuously cheering at games like it was a college game because, as some suggested, they didn’t know better. Sure, it irked me that the Oklahoma fans had this mentality that they were going to — it seemed — “steal” the Hornets franchise from hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. And when the Hornets moved back home, OKC sat out a season before, some in Seattle might suggest, it stole the SuperSonics. But the fact is, these fans are truly fans.
One Thunder higher-up pointed to the first Nuggets-Thunder game as a turning point. He sensed when the Thunder almost beat the Nuggets (before Carmelo Anthony’s last-second 3), it was the moment that fans truly realized: We’re no longer old Hornets fans, we’re now new Thunder fans, and our guys can compete. And while the Thunder is a likely lottery team, the Thunder fans escalated their fandom.
It’s undetermined whether small-market Oklahoma City will become like Salt Lake City (passionate fans, competitive team) or Memphis (nope and nope). The Hornets were competitive those seasons in Oklahoma City, but how would the fans have responded if they were 18-64? And yes, it’s a fact that the NBA has a huge gap in markets, without teams in cities such as San Diego, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Tampa and, of course, Seattle. But right now, Oklahoma City is an NBA town, and you gotta tip your Stetson to their fans.
Footnotes.
The Celtics have lost only three games at home, and all have been to teams playing the second game of a back-to-back. Maybe they were taking the teams lightly, or maybe it’s just because the teams were the Nuggets, Rockets and Lakers, teams that aren’t too shabby. . . . Ray Allen ain’t bad, but Mo Williams should have made the all-star team when injured Jameer Nelson pulled out.
SPOTLIGHT ON…
The MVP race: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James
After the Lakers’ Bryant scored a Madison Square Garden-record 61 points Monday, Denver coach George Karl said, “What I thought about is: He’s like Michael (Jordan), trying to find that challenge to motivate his game, and I think getting the most points in the Garden was his desire. . . . How you stop this guy with one man is maybe an impossible task.”
While No. 24 might be mentally competing with No. 23, there’s another 23 he’s got on his mind — Cleveland’s James, who is Bryant’s key competition for MVP and Best Player on Planet Earth (the ol’ B-POPE). Two nights after Bryant lit up the Garden, James was in New York, tallying a statement performance of what appeared to be 52 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. However, the NBA determined on Friday that one of James’ rebounds belonged to teammate Ben Wallace, denying him the triple-double.
Wouldn’t you know, two nights after that, Bryant was in a different Garden — TD Banknorth Garden in Boston — hitting three clutch 3s in the fourth quarter. This propelled his team to overtime, where the Lakers won on the court they lost the decisive game of last summer’s NBA Finals.
If this tit-for-tat week is any indication of what’s in store, this should be a scintillating stretch run in the MVP race. Who knows, maybe the two will meet in the Finals this season. And sure enough, they meet today in Cleveland. Grocery shopping can wait.
