Through four exhibition games the Nuggets are 3-1, and while that record is all but meaningless, the team is passing some eye tests.
In a victory Tuesday the Nuggets, for example, held Golden State to 17 points in the third quarter during a stretch when the Warriors’ starters were still in the game.
So what do the Nuggets think about all of this?
A lot, actually.
“Is it important in the grand scheme of things? No, because the wins don’t count until you start the regular season,” said first-year Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “But they do count because for me as a head coach I am preaching a message, I am preaching a philosophy. And the guys have bought in. What allows them to buy in that much more is when there are results.
“We came into camp preaching defend, rebound, run, share the basketball. And we’re defending at a very high level. We’re sharing the ball. The rebounding and turnovers are just OK right now. And we’re 3-1, we’ve beaten a couple of good teams, and that’s why it’s important — just from a buy-in standpoint.”
Malone said he was part of the coaching staff in New Orleans one season when the team lost seven of eight exhibition games, then began the regular season 9-1.
Still, said Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, establishing a winning culture is important after consecutive seasons of not making it to the NBA playoffs.
“It’s helping to know how to win, to know to get the job done,” Faried said. “It’s preparing us for the regular season mentally and physically. We’re doing the little things to get better as a team, to feel each other out and know our tendencies and know each other’s tendencies. I know guys on this team, but we have a new point guard in Emmanuel (Mudiay), so I’m learning him and he’s learning me as a player.”
The Nuggets had losing preseasons each of the previous two seasons (2-7 in 2013-14 and 2-6 in 2014-15) and got off to poor starts when the games counted.
The Nuggets’ next game is Friday night against Phoenix at the Pepsi Center.
“The guys are saying ‘Hey, you know what? This works,’ ” Malone said. “And so they’ve bought into the whole idea of defending, and no longer just trying to trade baskets and run off of other teams’ makes. But in the grand scheme of things, opening night in Houston, whether we’re 7-1 or 3-4, none of that matters. So you can’t read into the tea leaves in the preseason. But for us, we are trying to create an identity and a culture, and in four games we’ve been able to do that.”
Christopher Dempsey: cdempsey@denverpost.com or @dempseypost
