The question came 36 hours before the Lakers and Rockets played Game 7 of their Western Conference playoff series.
So, George Karl was asked, which team do you better match up against?
Pause.
Longer pause.
“We don’t get into that gig as much as I used to,” said Karl. “I get into the gig of what we have to do, giving our guys a three- or four-game simple plan. And then, if something explodes on us or gives us a changeup in the middle of the game, we make our adjustments.”
Karl’s comments filled up the reporters’ tapes and notepads, but it didn’t answer the question. So I’ll go ahead and do it right here.
Which team, the Rockets or Lakers, do the Nuggets better match up with?
That would be the Rockets. The Lakers? They’re not just a better team than the Nuggets. They’re a much tougher matchup, given the Nuggets’ size and strengths.
There’s a reason Carmelo Anthony struggled to score against the Lakers. And there’s a reason the Lakers, for the most part, dominated the Nuggets during the season.
The Lakers are much bigger than the Nuggets. Karl, by his own admission, doesn’t have a big team. And if Chris Andersen or Nene is in foul trouble, the Nuggets shrink even more.
Anthony is 6-foot-8, maybe. Kenyon Martin is 6-9, and Nene is closer to 6-10 than his listed 6-11. They’ll be competing against a frontcourt that includes two 7-footers in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, and a 6-11 backup in Lamar Odom.
That makes the Western Conference finals a tall order for the Nuggets, literally and figuratively. They’re playing great basketball, having own 18 of their last 27 games by double digits, but their toughest challenge of all starts Tuesday in Los Angeles.
