MINNEAPOLIS — The Nuggets’ rebounding hasn’t been something to Twitter about.
Coach George Karl called rebounding Denver’s “most frustrating fundamental.”
And while the Nuggets have won eight of their past nine games, they’ve been outrebounded in seven of those games, including the 46-33 board whipping by Phoenix. Even Washington outrebounded Denver, 46-39, and someone named JaVale McGee grabbed 11. Yes, the Nuggets played two games without center Nene, and power forward Kenyon Martin has missed the past two games.
“I think we can be a very good rebounding team on certain nights, but we don’t throw consistency out there as often as I’d like to see,” Karl said. “Two things I’ve been harping on are transition defense and rebounding, and we have times where we fall asleep in both of them.”
The Nuggets average 41.6 boards per game, which ranks 13th in the NBA, and their rebounding differential (plus-.47) ranks 16th. And while Denver defensively has found other ways to thrive (it’s second in blocks and third in steals), the Nuggets cannot afford to lolly- gag in the low post come playoff time.
As guard Chauncey Billups put it: “The more possessions you get, the more opportunities you’ll have and rebounding. (And) especially not letting teams get offensive rebounds, because those are such momentum builders. That’s something we definitely, definitely have to keep our fingers on.”
Literally.
50-something.
The Nuggets are 52-26 with four games remaining, and the franchise’s NBA record for wins is 54. Karl recently compared last season to this season and said: “I laugh because we might win 53-54 games this year, and last year we won 50 in more difficult (circumstances), and it’s a ‘bad’ year. Does that make any sense? As a coach, I would actually think last year was a harder year to be successful than this year.”
Do you believe?
Carmelo Anthony was asked about Denver doubters — skeptics who don’t believe the Nuggets can make a playoff run.
“They’re not going to believe in us until we get out of the first round,” said the small forward, who has made the playoffs in all of his six seasons but not yet to the second round. “And that’s just the way it is. But we like it. We love the challenge.”
Biggest fan.
Martin has been on the sideline the past couple of nights, which has actually turned out to be quite a seat for the J.R. Smith show. The Nuggets guard has made 18 3-pointers in the past three games.
“He’s awesome,” Martin said, as if he were a 6-foot-9 kid. “When he gets it going, he’s tough because not only can he shoot it the way he can, but he’s crazy-athletic. So when you press up on him, he has the ability to go around you. That makes for a tough cover, for anybody in this league. When he gets it going, man, it’s fun to watch. It’s, like, jaw-dropping.”
Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post
