SALT LAKE CITY — Chauncey Billups — No. 1 in your program and the No. 1 Broncos fan — admitted to being “surprised” at the orange-and- blue’s pick of quarterback Tim Tebow, but he’s on board with the selection, particularly from a character standpoint.
Billups, one of the best leaders and players of character in any sport, took a moment to talk about why selecting a solid person is just as important as the player’s playing ability.
“I think that definitely should get some consideration, when you talk about the character of a person,” Billups said. “The one thing we all know is he’s a winner. He’s a winner, and he has the guts to go compete. And that right there deserves a lot of consideration as well. So everything else is just working and developing the right skill set that can make you great. But he has all of the other things in place. It’s just we’re going to have to see if he’s ready to get on that field.
“I was a little surprised, but that’s why I’m not in football. They know more than I know.”
Carmelo Anthony, who has adopted the Broncos in addition to his hometown Ravens, also liked the Tebow pick.
“Somebody gave him a chance,” Anthony said. “People were sleeping on Tebow, one of the hardest workers out there. It’s good to see him in my town.”
Advantage: homecourt.
Utah’s EnergySolutionsArena (made famous as the Delta Center) is arguably the loudest arena in pro basketball. The seats seem right on top of the court. It’s the NBA’s Cameron Indoor.
Utah fans are notoriously rabid, and the Jazz has thrived in Utah. The Jazz entered Friday an incredible 81-33 in home playoff games (28-80 on the road).
“Just great fans here. I love the fans here,” said Denver interim coach Adrian Dantley, who won two scoring titles while playing for Utah. “They supported me while I was here. They can get a little hostile. Our guys have to keep their composure.”
Flop or no flop.
The Nuggets believe the Jazz has been flopping on occasion this series, but Jazz sharpshooter Kyle Korver came to his team’s defense about the defense.
“Us guys who kind of hang out on the ground more, we try to get position and take a charge.”
Asked if he was surprised by the number of offensive fouls drawn/ called in Game 2, Korver said: “They were offensive fouls. They were being aggressive. We don’t have the size to really body them back and so we have to get position and take that charge. They’re probably going to complain about it and say we’re flopping and stuff, but you look at the film and they’re leading in with shoulders and elbows and things like that and we’re just taking them.”
Asked how much selling there is to get the calls, Korver said: “We didn’t have to sell it too hard, though. I mean, they were running into us pretty hard, you know?”
