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Step right up to see the Denver Nuggets. They play basketball like an old 78 rpm record. Their water bottles must be filled with Jolt Cola.
The ringleader of this outfit is George Karl. Even he doesn't know what to expect some nights.
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| When the Nuggets are on the road, the scoreboard lights up -- for both teams. (Getty Images) |
When the Nuggets are good, they are very good. Witness their 168-116 destruction of Seattle on March 16, when Denver scored more points in regulation than in any game in team history.
When the Nuggets are not good, it can get ugly. Their defense can vanish faster than David Copperfield can make an elephant disappear.
Just two days after their monumental win over Seattle, the Nuggets were blasted 136-120 at Detroit. And you thought the Pistons, who scored their most points in regulation in 18 years, were a slowdown team.
"That's their style of play," Detroit guard Chauncey Billups said of the Nuggets. "They just want to outscore you."
Led by All-Stars Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets often can do that. But if they become the best team ever to stay home from the playoffs, their sometimes shaky defense will be the major reason.
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The Nuggets (43-28) are on pace to win 50 games but are just ninth in the West. The 1971-72 Phoenix Suns, who went 49-33, had the best no-playoffs record in history.
If the Nuggets miss out, it will be because of their defense (or lack of) on the road. They recently had a nine-game road stretch in which they gave up an average of 116.4 points while losing eight times. In addition to the Detroit game, they fell 135-121 Feb. 22 at Chicago and 132-105 March 8 at Utah.
But just when it looked as if the Nuggets were ready to join the armadillo in the roadkill hall of fame, they have risen up to win three straight road games, with defense being pivotal in the last two. The Nuggets won 109-100 at Toronto and 120-106 at Memphis after reverting to their old ways and spotting the Grizzlies a 57-51 halftime lead.
"Sometimes I just don't think we're into it," Karl said of his team's defensive lapses. "I compare our team a little bit to a heavyweight champion. We've got to kind of play around the first couple of rounds and take a few hits and get knocked around a little bit before we decide, 'OK, it's time for the fight.'"
The Nuggets certainly have players capable of D'ing up. Center Marcus Camby, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, leads the NBA with a 3.75 blocked-shot average and is second in rebounds at 13.5. Forward Kenyon Martin long has been known for his defensive prowess.
