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With the NBA playoffs beginning Saturday, here are some nuggets to get you ready for the playoffs in the West:

1 San Antonio Spurs vs 8 Memphis Grizzlies
(Split season series 2-2)

• This is the 14th straight season the Spurs are in the playoffs, the longest active streak in the NBA.

• Game tape shows us this could be a battle of strength vs strength. San Antonio is one of three teams that held opponents under 13 transition points per game this season. Memphis is 24-12 in its last 36 games largely due to their outstanding play in transition where they have outscored opponents by 150 points.

• The Grizzlies franchise not only has never won a playoff series, it has never won a playoff game. In three playoff trips, the Grizzlies were swept each time. According to Elias, the Grizzlies’ 12 losses before its first win are an NBA postseason record. The previous record was six held by the Nets.

2 Los Angeles Lakers vs 7 New Orleans Hornets
(Lakers won season series 4-0)

• One and done? Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher are 27-0 in the postseason when winning game one.

• Elias tells us since the NBA playoffs expanded to 16 teams during the 1983-84 season, four teams that were swept by their opponent during the regular season were able to pull off the victory in the postseason.

• Chris Paul is the only player in NBA history with career averages of 20 points per game and 10 assists per game in postseason play (21.9 PPG, 11.0 APG in 17 games)

3 Dallas Mavericks vs 6 Portland Trail Blazers
(Split season series 2-2)

• The Mavericks are in the postseason for the 11th straight season, joining the Spurs as the only active teams with double-digit streaks. In three of their last four trips to the postseason, Dallas has lost in the first round, including twice as the higher seed (2007, 2010).

• Game footage shows the combination of Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry has scored the second-most points (1,385) in the fourth quarter/overtime of games this season.

• The Trail Blazers have lost six consecutive postseason series, the longest active losing streak in the NBA. Their last series victory was the 2000 Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz.

4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 5 Denver Nuggets
(OKC won season series 3-1)

• Oklahoma City was tied for the third-youngest team in the NBA this season according to average age (25.4 years). However the Thunder has 208 combined games of playoff experience thanks to the addition of Kendrick Perkins (68 playoff games).

• Since the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets have picked up the pace on offense. In its last 24 games, Denver is averaging over 20 transition points per game, and outscoring opponents by 8.3 transition points per game.

• How important is Game 1 of this series? George Karl is 0-10 in any best-of-seven series in which his team loses Game 1.

No team has a better time with Western Conference opponents than the Chicago Bulls. No team has had a better time on the road recently than the New York Knicks. No team is winning with greater frequency than the San Antonio Spurs. And a notable coach reached a notable winning number on a busy NBA Friday.

The Bulls improved to 10-4 against the Western Conference, beating the Lakers, 88-84. Their 10 wins over Western Conference teams are twice as many as that of any other Eastern Conference team. In fact, they're one of only two Eastern teams (along with the Celtics) to have a winning record against the West.

The Bulls have now beaten the Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder this season, winning all four games by single digits. Close games have been a specialty of late for Chicago, which has won four straight overall, also all by single digits.

Derrick Rose led the way with 29 points, including three 3-pointers. That gave him 32 3-pointers, matching the total number of trifectas he made in his first two seasons combined.

The Bulls forced 19 turnovers Friday and outscored the Lakers 18-9 in fast-break points. That's a significant key to the home success for the Bulls, who entered the day ranked eighth in the NBA in fast-break points at home.

The win actually overshadowed some NBA history. Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, giving him 26,398 for his career. He surpassed John Havlicek's record for most points for players who spent their entire careers with one franchise.

Meanwhile, the Knicks continued to win, beating the Wizards 101-95 in Washington for their eighth straight road triumph (the second-longest streak in club history). Amare Stoudemire tied the club record for consecutive 30-point games with his seventh but did so in extremely unusual fashion. According to Elias, which has been tracking turnovers since the 1977-78 season, Stoudemire's 11 turnovers tied Micheal Ray Richardson's club record (set during the 1981-82 season) and marked the fourth 30/10/5 game (30 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) since 1990, the first since one by Bryant for the Lakers in 2007-08.

The Spurs didn't have any sloppiness issues, save for Manu Ginobili, in a 108-92 win over the Hawks. The usually reliable Ginobili tied for the team high in points with 18 but had no assists and six turnovers. The Hawks outscored the Spurs by four points with Ginobili on the floor. It was a sharp turn in performance for Ginobili, who had 34 assists and seven turnovers and was plus-101 when on the floor in his previous six games. (The Spurs were minus-24 with him off the court in that span.) It was not an issue for San Antonio, whose 19-3 mark is the best 22-game start in team history.

Last but far from least, George Karl earned his 1,000th win as an NBA coach as the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 123-116. Karl is the seventh coach to win 1,000 games, the third to do so without winning an NBA title, along with Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan. It's more impressive considering that in his first two coaching stops (Cleveland and Golden State), Karl was 119-176.

NEW ORLEANS -- I’ve spent the day with the Denver Nuggets, and now my head hurts.

Maybe it was from all the different concepts pumped into my brain by Nuggets coach George Karl, who, in the time it took to walk from the New Orleans Arena court to the team bus waiting outside after morning shootaround, managed to hit on Deepak Chopra, how capitalism has overtaken our political system, and the near-criminal negligence when it comes to safeguarding the food we eat.

Maybe it’s because Karl tried to sell me on the notion that all of the unsteadiness that’s surrounded this team -- from front office turnover to Carmelo Anthony’s wishes to leave town -- has actually made thing better for the Nuggets. Maybe it’s because Chauncey Billups supports that theory. Maybe it’s because, after watching them come back from an 18-point deficit against the Hornets to briefly hold a fourth-quarter lead on a night they could have easily quit, I kind of agree with Karl and Billups.

“It’s weird, right?” Billups says.

On the surface, there can’t be a greater disparity between a coach and his players than what exists with the Nuggets. Their coach came back from throat cancer, only to return to a superstar who’d rather try something new instead of taking $65 million the Nuggets have offered him and a power forward who said he’s in no rush to return from an injury because there’s no extension waiting for him.

You could excuse Karl if he wondered why he spent the springtime getting his throat zapped with radiation for 15 minutes on a daily basis if this is how he was rewarded. That could drive anyone to quit. Instead he sounds more eager to coach this team than ever … and he couldn’t be more excited about Carmelo Anthony.

“This is a stronger Melo than we’ve ever had,” Karl said. “Why he’s doing it, what he’s thinking … that world … that’s for someone else to interpret for me. If he’s giving me this, I’ve got to give him more, because he’s giving me what I want.”

Melo gave him a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds in Denver’s 101-95 loss to the Hornets. Throughout the preseason and first two games that count, Anthony has provided constant reminders of why he’s the most coveted free-agent-to-be in the post-LeBron class. If he isn’t happy that the Nuggets haven’t traded him yet, if he can’t wait to get to a new team, there’s no evidence on the basketball court.

“Business is business, basketball is basketball,” Anthony said.

“I just want to win. If it’s here, then this is the place to be. If it’s elsewhere, then somewhere else. At the end of the day, that’s my ultimate goal.”

You never quite know what Anthony’s going to say, other than he won’t make a long-term commitment to being a Nugget. Everything else is fair game, including his remarks to Yahoo! Sports that it’s “time for a change.”

“It’s to a point now where it’s like ... ’Oh, really?’ Billups said. “What next? When?”

“I just try to get these guys to [not] worry about what 15’s going to do. Melo’s in with us right now. He’s into the games, he’s into practice, he’s all in. He’s trying to get wins. So let’s not worry about what’s going on out there. Let’s worry about what we’ve got inside this locker room. Let’s try to play good basketball. Whatever happens when you go home or you watch the TV, you can’t control that.”

By this point the Nuggets should be experts at that.

“It’s always something,” Kenyon Martin said. “We do a pretty good job of blocking it out and focusing on the task at hand, which is winning basketball game.”

He was one of the somethings when he described his comeback from knee surgery thusly, "Ain't nobody in a hurry to give me [an extension] … so why would I be in a hurry to risk further injury? I'm not rushing into it."

The latest timetable involves an evaluation from the doctor at the end of November, and a possible return to the court in January. Until then, there’s no apology, but there is a verbal ceasefire.

“I told management I wasn’t going to speak on it anymore,” Martin said. “It was the way I felt. It is what it is. I’m in the last year of my deal, would love to have an extension. It hasn’t happened yet. So the only thing I can do is when I get back on the court is just play basketball.”

Perhaps because getting paid to play basketball sounds like a pretty good deal compared to, say, battling cancer.

“That’s an awesome way to put everything into perspective,” Billups says. “What [Karl] went through last year, it makes you say, ‘Man, we’re doing good. We’re all right.’”

If Karl’s mere presence can be an inspiration, so be it.

“I think most leadership is unspoken,” Karl says. “It’s your approach, it’s your attitude, it’s your energy. Leadership is highly overrated if it’s by word. I think the best coaching is passionate coaching. My passion has a little bit of life to it.”

So they’re responding to Karl, even if he’s sitting instead of standing, sighing instead of yelling after his players make a mistake. In a strange way, his cancer might have provided a necessary reset. The common belief in the NBA is that players tune out a coach after five years. Karl took over the Nuggets for the final 40 games of the 2004-05 season, and the toll the cancer treatments took on his body forced him to take a leave just over five years later. The Nuggets got their break and found out how much they missed him during a first-round loss to the Utah Jazz.

So he can be grateful for that, even grateful for what Karl describes as “the NBA” -- contract talks and unhappiness -- rearing its head.

“When all this hit, I never thought about trying to turn it into a positive,” Karl said. “But in a strange way it’s strengthened this. No one wants to write this. When we go on the court, it’s basketball. We talked about that’s what we’ve got to do this year. We can’t keep the outside of basketball infiltrating our social life, our home life. It’s going to be there. But we can control when we walk in the locker room. It’s basketball.”

And now, a J.R. Smith interlude.

In one first-half sequence Smith drove into the lane, launched a shot that missed, and grabbed the rebound. Despite a Nuggets assistant screaming “Move the ball!” Smith dribbled and dribbled, then put up another shot. At least he was fouled and got two free throws out of the deal.

The next two times Smith had the rock he did try to move the ball. Both passes resulted in turnovers.

In my favorite moment, the Hornets public address announcer handed out candy to the Hornets mascot and a couple of kids who were trick-or-treating during a timeout skit. Some of the candy dropped on the sideline. When the players returned to the court Smith noticed a packet of candy, picked it up, poured some into his hand and ate it.

Smith also wound up as the most productive reserve for the Nuggets, with 12 points and three rebounds.

Ladies and gentlemen, J.R. Smith.

Scouts say the Nuggets remain a formidable threat. One general manager said that when they get Martin and Chris Andersen back from their injuries they’ll be “scary.”

Couldn’t be more frightening than the prospects that threaten to tear the team apart ... the very things that Karl embraces.

“I have two long-distance relationships,” Karl said. “I have a relationship with my organization, and their philosophy kind of frustrates you. And then you have your team. I can’t deny Melo, what he’s doing, doesn’t frustrate me. But why worry about it?

“You’ve got to have a little Buddhism here. You’ve got to think about your space and your time for you, not the other stuff you can’t control.”

Does all this stuff make sense to you? Me neither. That’s why I’m headed to Bourbon Street, which after this extended Nuggets session will feel like a dose of sanity.

The date for the St. Jude/NBA Summer League Tip-Off Dinner was set months ago.

The charity banquet and auction to support the unique cancer research and treatment facility in Memphis was scheduled, as it always is, for the Thursday night before Summer League. Cocktails at 6 p.m., with dinner to follow at 7 p.m. Attendees for the event include several NBA coaches, execs, agents and a handful of players. And like everyone else in the world with a vested interest in the NBA, they had one thing on their mind when things got started at 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday night:

Finding the closest television.

On opposite sides of an anteroom outside the main hall, two large screens were set up to for some of the most plugged-in people in basketball to watch LeBron James announce his intentions on national television. The likes of Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry, Golden State head coach Don Nelson, Denver general manager Mark Warkentien, Denver assistant Adrian Dantley and former Suns assistant general manager David Griffin gathered around the tube. For an hour, the spectacle of James' proclamation, conversation about what this means for the league, whether James should run the offense as a point forward and the likelihood that the Heat can breeze to a championship dominated the room.

A little after 7 p.m., attendees filtered into the hall and sat down at their assigned 10-top tables. The room was still buzzing about James and the coup pulled off by the Heat. After some brief introductory welcome, the program shifted to a video chronicling the lives of children who had been spared thanks to treatment received at St. Jude.

Then, something profound happened:

Minutes after one of the more monumental moments in NBA history, a group of people whose lives are consumed by basketball and the machinations of the league shifted their focus.

After the video presentation, David Aldridge took the podium. Aldridge's mother died of cervical cancer almost 25 years ago, something that inspired the reporter to serve as emcee of the event, a task he's performed for the last three years. Though it's been nearly a quarter of a century, the impact of Aldridge's loss has stayed with him. He was deeply emotional, pausing repeatedly to gather himself, as he passionately spoke about the goals and achievement of St. Jude.

The breadth of St. Jude's work as one of the top pediatric cancer care hospital in the world is immense. But the easiest way to capture St. Jude's mission is this:

If your kid has cancer, he will receive the best treatment in the world at St. Jude, whether you can afford to pay for that care or not. No questions asked.

St. Jude has around 5,700 active patients and raised $682 million last year -- and 81 percent of that money goes directly to research and treatment. There are a lot of worthy causes and institutions in the world, but few of them manage themselves more efficiently than St. Jude.

Aldridge's poignant testimonials about how his mother's cancer has stayed with him set the tone for the program. Former Portland Trail Blazer assistant general manager Tom Penn was an executive with the Grizzlies for years just a few miles away from St. Jude. He's been out front in the effort to make St. Jude a centerpiece of the NBA community's charitable work. When he took the podium, the juxtaposition between the 6 o'clock and 7 o'clock hours wasn't lost on him.

"There's been no mention of free agency, the salary cap, or the guy who signed in Miami," Penn said.

After dinner was served, a couple of families whose children were saved by the treatment they received at St. Jude were introduced on stage. Over at Table 10, Dallas Mavericks assistants Dwane Casey and Terry Stotts were finishing up their plates. Casey hasn't had the best of weeks. On Tuesday, he lost out on the Los Angeles Clippers' head coaching gig after being the odds-on favorite throughout most of the process. But as the families' affliction and recovery were described by Penn, Casey leaned over.

"Our problems?" Casey said. "They're nothing."

St. Jude always attracts strong support from the NBA, but George Karl's battle against neck and throat cancer this past year lent Thursday night's event a particularly strong sentiment. In addition, Karl's son Coby was has been treated for thyroid cancer. Karl was presented with the inaugural George Karl Award for Courage in Sports, then addressed the crowd.

"We as successful people -- players, coaches, general managers -- it's our responsibility to give. We say, 'back to the game,' but it's really 'back to life' because we get treated very, very special," Karl said. "We have a lot of people in this room who like to compete. I'm one of them ... I've found that with cancer, in these last three and a half month, there are hundred of thousands of competitors that fight this disease with an attitude, passion and commitment as great as we do in our profession."

Those present last night to hear Karl's story and the appeals of Aldridge and Penn will inevitably return to the business of basketball as Summer League kicks off on Friday. But for a few hours on Thursday night, while the rest of the world was hung up on James' big choice, those without the luxury to choose had a few big voices broadcasting their plight.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A few themes that emerged Saturday as the Jazz and Nuggets practiced for Game 4:

System vs. Soloists
The Jazz play a very programmatic brand of basketball. "We run a great system that Coach Sloan and Coach Johnson put in…uhhh…30 years ago?" Carlos Boozer said. That date is debatable (there were cave drawings of "auto" sets dating back to the 7th century found in caves near Zion National Park), but it's indisputable that the Jazz have taken a 2-1 series lead by applying their system against a team of superior, but less efficient, athletes. "[The Nuggets] run plays, but most of their stuff is one-on-one isolations," Deron Williams said. "They only had 12 assists, so there’s not much ball movement going on." For the Jazz, necessity is the mother of invention. Denver would like to turn this series into a YMCA-style romp that would maximize their strengths. "They have a great team," Williams said. "Talent-wise, there aren’t many teams better. But what I think we have is a bunch of guys who have bought into a system, who understand what we have to do to win. We’re not a one-on-one team. We go one-on-one every now and then, but for the most part, we’re a team that relies on our passing and our system and playing defense.”

Nuggets acting head coach Adrian Dantley readily acknowledged that the Nuggets' DNA renders them a one-on-one team not suited to playing in a more structured offense. "Coach Karl always said we can't play that type of system," Dantley said. "We're more random basketball." For Chauncey Billups, the fact that the Nuggets play a lot of one-on-one ball isn't an issue, per se. After all, the Nuggets finished the season ranked fifth in offensive efficiency. "The problem with the isolation is not the actual isolation," Billups said. "It's the lack of movement." According to Billups, the Nuggets need to do a better job off the ball to help maximize the one-on-one advantages they have against Utah. "A lack of [movement] just lets one guy play against three or four."

Effort Deficiency
Carmelo Anthony vocally called out the Nuggets' effort following Game 3, and conversation continued today. "That was the main thing we talked about this morning in the locker room," Anthony said. "We've got to get out of our own heads. Last night I didn't see it in us. The body language wasn't there. People didn't seem focused throughout the game. As far as X's and O's, we know what they're going to do and they know what we're going to do. We just have to want it more than them." This line of reasoning was less persuasive to Dantley, who shrugged when asked about the Nuggets' effort Friday night. "Whenever you lose, you're always going to say 'lack of effort,'" Dantley said. "You just have to come with better effort and match their energy." Dantley joked that to amp his guys up, he was going to find an old clip of a Woody Paige story that characterized Dantley as a dog when Dantley's Jazz team trailed the Nuggets in a postseason series. "We came back and won the series," Dantley said. "Maybe I'll bring that to them."

Be Physical ... But Don't Foul Carmelo
Playing aggressive defense without putting your opponent on the foul stripe is a difficult balance to achieve. Against Anthony, it's the finest of lines. In Game 1 of the series, Anthony went off for 42 points against a Jazz defense that made things far too easy. Anthony was able to roam freely and control the game from the foul-line extended. The Jazz responded with a more physical presence on Anthony. They were able to get 42 points down to 32, but Anthony notched 14 points at the line in 15 free throw attempts. "Most of the fouls come in isolation situations, one-on-ones, and transition," Matthews said. In Game 3, Utah's wing defenders might have found their equilibrium -- relatively speaking. Anthony still had 25 points on 21 shots from the field in Game 3, but only got to the line for four attempts. Anthony acknowledges that racking up points at the line is vital for being successful. "That's a big part of my game," Anthony said. "For me to go out there and shoot three free throws in 40 minutes is tough, especially when I'm not trying to settle for a jump shot. My game is to get to the hole and get to the line. Three free throws is not going to do it."

Matthews believes that a defender has to take stock of the game when formulating a defensive strategy against Anthony. "You have to be smart," Matthews said. "You have to know when to be physical and you also have to know how the refs are calling the game. If they’re calling a tight game, then you can’t be as physical at times. But if they’re kind of letting the game go, then you can be a little bit more physical." Miles, who has carried the bulk of the assignment against Anthony, feels that a defender has to show Anthony a variety of looks. "I try to play him different ways the whole game," Miles said. "One time he comes down, I’ll just crowd him. Maybe the next time, he tries to post and I crowd him, but when he turns around to face me, I’ll back up – maybe give him a step, jump back and fake at him ... If he’s making a lot of jump shots, then I can’t play off him as much as I’d like to. If he’s getting to the basket or getting fouled, then maybe I give him a step."

Energy is a Solution for the Jazz
Asked about his first home playoff game, rookie Wes Matthews eyes lit up. "It was amazing," Matthews said with a big smile. "I can’t wait for tomorrow.” Naturally, Sloan dismisses any notion that playing at home should give a team a lift. Prior to Game 3, he performed his best Gene Hackman imitation when asked if his team would benefit from returning to their home court at Energy Solutions Arena. “I don’t know,” Sloan responded. “It’s the same length as the one over in Denver. It’s 94 feet. If you have to rely on that to get you going, you’re really in bad shape.” Court dimensions aside, playing in Salt Lake City made a difference for Matthews. "We were feeding off the crowd," Matthews said. "We were doing some of the same stuff in Denver, but you don’t get that same effect because, of course, they’re boos rather than cheers."

SALT LAKE CITY -- Chauncey Billups spoke to the media at shootaround on Friday at Energy Solutions Arena about George Karl's visit to Nuggets' practice on Thursday in Denver:

It was good to see him. It would good to see him out of the house and around and moving around a little bit. He looked great. Looked like he had some energy. It was just good to see ... When you see somebody going through something like that, you can't help but to not think about any of the things you have going on in your own life. I think, "It could be a lot worse."

On whether Karl's being at practice signals whether he'd be back for the conference semifinals:

Honestly, I don't even think about when and if George can come back. I'm more concerned with his getting healthy. Life goes on. We'll live with next season if that's when he can come back. I don't really think about him making it back this year. I'm just worried about his getting healthy to be honest.

Billups was then asked what message Karl had for the team:

It wasn't even like that. He just came, hung around a little bit, then left.

On what kind of adjustment the team has to make without Karl on the sidelines:

It's a huge adjustment when you don't have your leader, when you don't have your voice that you always hear, who is always going to lead you through any situation you've been in. It's difficult, but at the same time, we knew that was coming ... I think [acting head coach Adrian Dantley] is doing a great job of kind of conveying the same kind of messages that [Karl] would have.

Rick Reilly writes:

Reaction to "George vs. The Dragon" -- my 24-hour look at Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl's punishing daily cancer treatments -- has been plentiful.

The latest to weigh in is Lance Armstrong, who has won seven Tour de France races after surviving 14 tumors and a 40-percent-chance-to-live prognosis.

Armstrong asked me to pass this message along to Coach Karl:

"Tell him he has to put EVERYTHING on hold. Stop. Nothing. Fight. And rest. No B-ball, no stress. He's too distracted staying up late, etc. Focus on this now so he can coach for years to come."

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

Spend some time around the Denver Nuggets this spring and you'll hear how Carmelo Anthony's commitment on the defensive end of the floor has a lot to do with the team's success. When you ask people who know Anthony where that dedication came from, you get an almost uniform response: As a member of Team USA last summer in Beijing, Carmelo rubbed shoulders with the most professional players in the game, and through the Olympic Rehabilitation Program for Uninterested Defenders, he saw the light. He realized that while his offense will always keep him in the conversation for Best Scorer on the Planet, if he was sincere about being a Top 5 player, he'd have to get serious about his defense.

Carmelo Anthony: Two-Way Player? (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

"Is that what they say?" Anthony says with a wry smile. "I always knew how to play defense."

Anthony then explains that the Olympics were important -- particularly his friendship with Kobe Bryant. The conversations he has with Michael Jordan are also helpful, as is his team's decision to make defense a priority this season. More important than anything, though, is the cumulative growth that comes with day-to-day life in the game.

"In the game of basketball you learn a lot each day," Anthony says. For him, that's more important than any single experience.

"The more time you spend in the league the more you learn player tendencies," says Idan Ravin, who has trained Anthony along with several other top NBA players. "He has a great eye for details and can recognize player patterns quickly."

There's a nice illustration of this toward the end of Game 5 of the Nuggets' series with Dallas: 

• [4th Quarter, 2:29] Denver is up 10 points, as Dallas brings the ball up, needing to score to stay in the series. The Mavs run a two-man game on the right side with Josh Howard and Dirk Nowitzki. Howard holds the ball with Carmelo playing off him a little bit. Then Nowitzki runs interference by slipping between Howard and Carmelo -- so now Dallas has the mismatch they want: Nowitzki/Carmelo. Howard feeds the ball to Nowitzki just off the mid-right post, his back to Carmelo, who bodies up on him tightly.
  
  Trying to back Carmelo into the paint with his right shoulder, Nowitzki takes three dribbles with his left. On each dribble, Carmelo absorbs a blow to the chest by Dirk's shoulder. Dirk picks up his dribble, then pivots on his right foot, trying with his patented ball-fake to deke Carmelo -- only Carmelo doesn't bite. Feet set and ready, chest out, arms extended upward, Carmelo stays grounded. Dirk goes to his contingency plan -- a full 360 twirl on his pivot foot, hoping to get Carmelo to yield him some space for an up and under. Again, Carmelo holds his ground. Only when Dirk falls back for a fadeaway does Carmelo lunge, getting a full hand in Dirk's face. The shot is no good. 

Although Nowitzki has made a career of hitting that fadeaway, even after defenders have done a solid job on both the initial backdown and the up-and-under attempt, the best stoppers understand that the percentages play best for the defense when Nowitzki takes his shot of last resort.

According to both Ravin and Nuggets' assistant coach Chad Iske, Anthony has become a cinephile in recent months. "On the defensive end, he's been paying more attention to film studies and what guys do," Iske says. "He pays more attention to detail, whether he's on the ball or on the help side." 

Denver forced three shot clock violations in the third quarter of Game 2 against the Lakers Thursday night, and Anthony was instrumental in each sequence. Here's one example: 

• [3rd Quarter, 7:07] Carmelo's capacity to help off Trevor Ariza is crucial to Denver's defensive success in the series. Here the ball starts in Ariza's hands out on the wing. Ariza passes the ball off to Derek Fisher in the left corner, then clears along the baseline. Carmelo follows Ariza only as far as the middle of the key, though Ariza lands in the right corner.
  
  Carmelo is now officially a help defender on the play, as Fisher kicks the ball to Kobe Bryant on the left wing, guarded by Chauncey Billups. Carmelo has a lot to worry about. Pau Gasol is set up at the elbow just in front of Kobe. If Kobe penetrates and blows by Billups, Martin is going to have to leave Gasol open at the elbow to provide help on Kobe. (Want to know how Gasol gets so many open looks at the elbow? That's why!). If that happens, it'll be Anthony's job to move over to Gasol to make sure Pau doesn't get that open look.
  
  But wait ... Ariza has just drifted to the top of the arc, and is now only a skip pass away from a wide open look. He's still primarily Carmelo's responsibility, even as Gasol and Kobe need monitoring. As Kobe readies himself to drive left, Martin moves off Gasol. Bryant sees this, but Carmelo sees Bryant seeing this. Just as Kobe darts the ball to Gasol, Anthony zips into the passing lane, knocking the ball away. By the time the Spalding finds its way back into Kobe's hands, the shot clock is about to expire. Kobe heaves a desperation 3-pointer that Anthony gets a piece of.
  
  Anthony navigates the Ariza-Gasol help axis to perfection and it's his help, as much as anything, that allows Denver to force the turnover.   
  

This sort of recognition by Anthony crops up in conversation about his defensive improvement. Nuggets' guard Dahntay Jones is Anthony's counterpart on the wing much of the time. He says that Anthony's defensive effort has definitely intensified, but the overall improvement has a lot to do with Carmelo's awareness of his teammates -- and the fact that those teammates are much better individual defenders than in years past. 

"His awareness of where his help is on the floor is much better," Jones says. "When you have better defensive pieces around you, it makes things easier. You gain a lot of confidence by being with guys who can help you out defensively."

When you have a situation like the possession above, with Billups shading Bryant right, then Martin anticipating the driving lane, it simplifies life for Anthony as a help defender -- as it would any help defender.

"He's always been a pretty good individual defender," Nuggets head coach George Karl says. "It's his off the ball situations, his transition situations, his conceptual situations where he got lost a little bit in the past. But he's cut those mistakes in half."

Individual defense is difficult to quantify, but I consult Aaron Barzilai to get a feel for what his  +/- numbers can tell us about Carmelo's D.

"Anthony seems to have been a liability in 2007-2008 but not in 2008-09," Barzilai says. "Maybe that's the story, he quietly became at least a neutral player on defense in the regular season."

By liability, Barzilai means that the Nuggets were a little more than five points per 100 possessions worse defensively with Anthony on the floor in 2007-08. This season, though, it was a wash. (The numbers don't s
how any appreciable improvement from the regular season to the playoffs). The numbers indicate that it might be a little early to start talking NBA All-Defense selection for Anthony, but a five-point bump in defensive adjusted +/- suggests real improvement, provided the trend holds for another season or two.  

At the other end of the evaluative spectrum, I ask a scout for an NBA team to tell me if he's seen the improvement in Carmelo's defensive game we hear so much about during the broadcasts.

"It's there. Carmelo's buying into a role," the scout says. "You see it when it comes to containing dribble-penetration and as a weak side defender off the ball. That's one of the reasons his steals are up. Is he becoming a lockdown defender? No. But he's grasping the team concepts in terms of defensive rotations, and that's the big thing." 

This postseason has been a revelation for those who've been eager for Anthony to arrive as the complete package. Offensively, he's always been a deadly scorer, but over the past month, there seems to be a new polish to his game. He's not just explosive; he's heady. And those prolific numbers we're seeing every night are as much a product of guile and artfulness as they are brute instinct. To the naked eye, it appears as if this evolution might be surfacing in Anthony's defensive game. The transformation could take another couple of seasons to fully materialize, but if it does, Anthony -- who will turn 25 next Friday when the Lakers and Nuggets are scheduled to meet in Game 6 -- might finally claim his place among the NBA pantheon. 

Denver's success is a triumph for knuckleheadism. Orlando's success can be traced to a willingness to adjust on the fly. And Dallas' success was pretty satisfying when you consider the alternatives.

Jeremy Wagner of Roundball Mining Company: "It cannot be overstated how well the Nuggets are playing in the playoffs. They never played this well for this long during the regular season. With there being so much pressure, both internally and externally, to get out of the first round I believe this team was really chomping at the bit for the playoffs to start from the time they acquired Chauncey [Billups]. George Karl said on multiple occasions that he thought Denver would explode once they made it past the first round. Well, he was absolutely right. The early success against the New Orleans Hornets has fired this team to an entirely different level of confidence. I lost track of how many times I heard analysts talk about how the Nuggets were a team comprised of knuckleheads. If you let knuckleheads taste success they become very dangerous just like in Bad News Bears."

Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm: "If you want to be effective in the playoffs, you have to be willing to make adjustments and not just stick with what brung you. All the guys are on your team for a reason. Even the scrubs. If something's working, stick with it. If it's not working, adjust and go to something else until you find what works. It would be easy for [Stan Van Gundy] to stick with Rafer Alston and not go to Anthony Johnson. But he's noticed Johnson provides them a change of pace guy. It would be easy to stick with [J.J.] Redick in the starting spot, since he played Ray Allen well. But he doesn't have the advantages that [Courtney] Lee has. If Lee starts to struggle, he can re-insert Redick. If [Hedo] Turkoglu is hot, let the Turkish Wonder roll. If he's struggling, turn to Mickael Pietrus. The key? Don't be afraid to make adjustments that don't jive with what your plan has been so far ... Conversely, you've got Mike Brown and Phil Jackson. The sum of their teams' parts is greater than that of their opponents. But when their opponents have forced them into matchup on matchup, it's been difficult for them. They still have the better team. But they're limited by their previous success into being unwilling to adjust. And they have to get beyond that if they want to make the Finals. Because they're not THAT much better than their opponents."

Rob Mahoney of Two Man Game: "The easiest way of finding joy in the Mavs' playoff defeat is to focus on their blatant defiance in the name of low expectations. Many projected the Mavs to fall out of the playoff race entirely at the hands of the Shaq-infused Suns. Neither Dallas nor Phoenix was burdened with particularly lofty hopes for the season, but within the twosome you can see a divergence: the Mavs certainly battled issues with consistency, but adversity was met with important plays and important wins. The Suns, by contrast, stumbled to the finish line when in need of a dead sprint. It's not quite the championship, but it's certainly a minor victory. The impacts of a veteran team missing the playoffs can be catastrophic, and are in an entirely different spectrum than a failure to advance beyond round X. The Mavs' brass is blessed in a way to have the choice of continuing to tweak or blow up the team, because missing out on the postseason could certainly have forced a few hands."

THE FINAL WORD
The Painted Area: Should the Cavs consider Hack-a-Howard?
Celtics Hub: Zach Lowe apologizes to Glen Davis for saying Big Baby can't finish at the basket.
Nets Are Scorching: Brandon Bass -- quality free agent. 

(Photos by Noah Graham, Jesse D. Garrabrant, Doug Pensinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

LOS ANGELES -- Half an hour after the Denver Nuggets landed at LAX around noon, they were on the Lakers' home floor at Staples Center in their street clothes. While Nene, wearing slides, took some shots, Carmelo Anthony reminded reporters that the Nuggets had things in proper perspective. 

"We're confident, but not cocky," Anthony said. Then, doing his best Aaron Brooks imitation, Anthony added, "We're just excited about being here." 

Across the court, George Karl sat on the scorer's table, dangling his legs, echoing a similar sentiment. "There's a humility to who we are," Nuggets head coach George Karl said. "There's a quiet happiness, not an obnoxious happiness or an arrogant happiness with our success." 

Self-deprecation seems to be the rhetorical weapon of choice for Lakers opponents.

Karl held court for quite a while, and one of the themes he returned to repeatedly is that while most teams have to win before they can arrive, this Nuggets team had to arrive before they could win.

According to Karl, the transformation was twofold. The first change was a shift back to defense as the focus of Karl's coaching, as it had been in Seattle. "I spent two and a half years on a sabbatical trying to learn a different way and I was wrong," Karl said. "I lost my direction, and players now know that I enjoy the defensive end of the court more than I do the offensive end of the court." 

In truth, the Nuggets' defense was respectable last season (10th in the NBA in defensive efficiency per 100 possessions), but they bumped that ranking up to 8th in 2008-09, and have allowed a stingy 101.3 points/100 possessions in their 10 postseason games. 

Karl cited the team's behavior away from the arena as the other big conversion. "We were pushing the limits of off-court professionalism," Karl said. "We have moved to a very good place in our culture." 

Karl enumerated the factors for that culture shift -- the maturation of certain players and the arrival of others, such as Chauncey Billups.

"Chauncey came in and said, 'This is the way it has to be. This is the only way you can be successful,'" Karl said. " A lot of the things Chauncey says in the locker room are things I've been saying for two or three years that they've gotten tired of listening to. All the sudden they're saying, 'This guys been to the conference finals seven years in a row. Hmmm.'"

After the Nuggets last loss in Los Angeles -- a 116-102 drubbing on April 9 -- Nuggets forward Nene said, "It's frustrating. They played their game and we didn't play our game." 

The Nuggets might lose again at Staples Center Tuesday night, but it probably won't be because they didn't play their game.

"If someone beats us, that's what they'll write," Karl said, "They beat us."  

The Denver Post's Chris Dempsey describes a period after last season when George Karl and his assistant Tim Grgurich decided to drop their running and gunning ways while getting back to the defense-first approach that had once been a hallmark of Karl teams.

They also decided to be much more involved with players during the off-season, as they had once done. Dempsey says the coaches divided up the roster, and kept in closer touch with everyone. George Karl got Nene (he says they cleared the air in a dinner where "not all nice things" were said) and Kenyon Martin.

Karl, who had past run-ins with Martin, thought he'd be the toughest to get on board with the changing philosophy he wanted to implement -- more discipline, improved professionalism, better leadership, and a focus on defense on the court.

He was wrong.

"The guy that jumped in really quick, was Kenyon," Karl said. "We thought Nene and Kenyon were the hardest guys. Kenyon basically said this is the only way we can survive. And as soon as he got back (for training camp) we met and he said 'You're not going to have any problem with me. I'm going to be your leader.' He jumped in and basically called himself out.

"We had our first (team) meeting of the season and he said 'I've been a problem for coach, but it's not going to happen anymore, and I'm going to be the policeman.' Our off the court activity was part of it, too."

Martin admitted he had a bad attitude much of his time with Karl, and that a lot of it was due to frustration with having to deal with two microfracture knee surgeries that limited his ability to play at the level he was accustomed. His knees hurt. His pride hurt. He took it out on Karl and others in the organization on a near daily basis.

Martin knew he had to change.

"I had to get out of my own way," he said.

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

It's unknown when the trope "matchup nightmare" first entered the basketball lexicon, but I imagine it happened at some point between Magic Johnson's rookie season and the emergence of Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki.

Nowitzki's versatility makes him a nearly impossible cover. Normally, the primary defensive function of a power forward is to push his guy off the block. Nowitzki, though, neutralizes a good post defender because he actually prefers to hang out at the elbow, where he's one of the best 18-foot jump shooters in the game. When the defender steps out, the taller Nowitzki can shoot his high-arching turnaround shot over most power forwards, or, if he's so inclined, he can put the ball on the deck and drive to the hole. Nowitzki might not be the quickest 4 to the basket, but his defenders have to crowd him because he's such a deadly shooter. If Nowitzki can get that first step, it's a foot race between him and the weak side help. Dirk will win most of those battles because he's a strong and deceptively quick finisher.

Chris "Birdman" Andersen: Slowing down Dirk (Doug Pensinger/NBAE via Getty Images)

Early on Sunday afternoon, it looks as if Denver has absolutely no answer for Nowitzki. On Dallas' first 13 possessions, Nowitzki converts all six of his field goal attempts from the floor, and chips in an assist to Josh Howard. Dirk isn't merely beating Kenyon Martin. He's having his way against virtually every Denver defender -- Nene, Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets' guards off the switch, et al.

The best player on the floor is in a Mavericks uniform and Dallas leads by eight at the end of the first quarter. 

As Hubie Brown explains, George Karl has clearly made the decision to play Nowitzki straight-up. With the exception of the occasional trap along the sideline, Denver defenders will have to fly solo against Nowitzki in the middle of the floor. Karl is adamant: If Dirk is going to beat his Nuggets, he won't do it as a playmaker.  

At the 10:03 mark of the second quarter, Nowitzki checks back in for Dallas, and is immediately picked up by Chris "Birdman" Andersen. Nowitzki's first touch of this sequence comes at the 8:33 mark when he draws J.R. Smith -- and a J.R. Smith foul -- on the switch. After that, the game at the Dallas end of the floor changes: 

• [2nd Quarter, 8:23] Dampier sets a hard down screen on Andersen to give Nowitzki a little space at the foul line. J.J. Barea feeds Nowitzki there, but Andersen doggedly fights through the Dampier screen and closes that space in a hurry. That's the first thing about Andersen: Dampier takes most defenders out of this play with what's essentially a lineman's block -- but not Andersen. He's back in Dirk's face before Dirk can face up. Dirk chooses to back Andersen in -- first with the right shoulder, then he reverses course and pounds with his left. Andersen absorbs every blow, and you sense he loves every minute of the contact. Birdman's feet are bouncy and he's got his right hand on Dirk's back. Nowitzki hasn't made much progress. He pivots to his right and, trying to draw the foul on Andersen, flings the ball at the basket -- but Andersen doesn't budge. He never bites on the shot and, in turn, denies Nowitzki the contact. The ball draws nothing.
  
• [2nd Quarter, 7:55] Isolation for Nowitzki against Andersen way out on the left side of the arc. Andersen assumes a defensive crouch and takes a mean swipe at the ball as Nowitzki faces up. Dirk snatches the ball back, then takes a hard dribble with his left and goes baseline. On the drive, Birdman has Dirk on a tightrope, well underneath the hoop. Andersen funnels Nowitzki to the weak side where Nene stuffs Dirk's reverse layup attempt. Nowitzki finishes the afternoon 2-7 against the Birdman-Nene combination, 10-15 against the Nuggets' other defenders.
  
• [2nd Quarter, 6:50] Andersen crowds Nowitzki at the top of the arc, really harassing him. Nowitzki moves forward with his patented sequence, left shoulder, then right shoulder. Andersen stays with him, as Nowitzki leads them to a spot inside the left elbow. Dirk elevates and, with Andersen's hand in his face, launches a fall-away jumper that's no good. 

When Kenyon Martin checks back into the game for Nene at the 4:11 mark, he assumes Dirk Duty, and Andersen slides over onto Dampier and general help duty. On the next Dallas possession, Dirk draws Smith on the switch up top, backs in the Nuggets' guard, and works himself an easy 5-footer. 

Andersen earns another stint on Nowitzki for the better part of the fourth quarter, during which Birdman outscores Dirk, 4-2. Nowitzki's only bucket comes on an offensive rebound that rolls his way, which he puts back up for a 10-foot jumper against Anthony Carter. The only time Andersen gets beat is on a defensive switch when he draws Jason Terry, who unleashes a quick jumper over him from about 20 feet [4th Quarter, 10:04]. But Andersen exacts revenge on the very next possession:

• [4th Quarter, 9:28] Terry draws the Birdman at the same spot out on the left wing. This time, Terry tries to take Andersen off the dribble. The Jet's layup is promptly swatted into next week by Andersen, and Denver ignites the break. How nice a luxury it must be for George Karl to know that he can switch his center onto a speedy little guard and feel comfortable that his big man can not only stay in front of the drive, but challenge the shot at the basket. 
  
• [4th Quarter, 9:10] Andersen effortlessly runs through a (moving) screen by Antoine Wright off the ball at the elbow, and meets Nowitzki out on the right wing in isolation. Dirk faces up, but then rushes his half-hearted rocker step and subsequent jumper. The shot is off.
  
• [4th Quarter, 7:16] Andersen fouls Nowitzki as Dirk brings the ball upcourt. After the Mavs inbound it on the side, Nowitzki gets the ball at the top of the key opposite Andersen. For the first time in isolation against the Birdman, Nowitzki acts decisively. That's probably a good instinct, only Andersen anticipates Nowitzki's left-handed drive beautifully and establishes himself at the spot for the easy charge call. Hubie: "A great defensive play." 
• [4th Quarter, 6:51] The Mavs are in transition. Jason Kidd gets the ball to Nowitzki in the right lane. Dirk, at the time he receives the pass, is actually ahead of Andersen, but Birdman catches him from behind and gets a piece of Dirk's layup attempt. Billups applauds proudly from the bench. Last week, we characterized many of Dwyane Wade's defensive blocks as "horror flick" plays -- just when you think Wade is out of the play, he comes in for the kill. Andersen is a horror show, too -- only he's not a furtive killer that we never see on screen. He's Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men, walking in broad daylight with a pneumatic air gun.  
  

Nowitzki gets only one more meaningful touch against Andersen. Ironically, he beats Andersen off the dribble, only to lose the ball as he makes his approach for the basket -- the last of Dallas' 20 turnovers.

It's doubtful Dirk Nowitzki will be bottled up for the entire series (and to be fair, Dirk went 12-22 from the floor, a solid performance, even if he tailed off). Dallas will make some smart adjustments. For one, they should figure out a way to generate more mismatches for Nowitzki, something they were able to accomplish in the first qua
rter. Andersen is a scrappy recoverer as the big man in a ball screen, but Dallas has the capacity to get Nowitzki more space, regardless of who's defending the two-man game. 

Meanwhile the Nuggets have to be pleased. The top assignment for any team facing Dallas is neutralizing Dirk Nowitzki. It took Denver a quarter to find the lock, but they did. Andersen's shot-blocking and help defense are well-known and highly regarded, but today he proved that he can match up in isolation with one of the most gifted offensive power forwards in the NBA.

When Andrew Bynum was injured, many worried that the Lakers' title hopes may have been dashed.

And yet ... since Bynum's torn medial collateral ligament, the Lakers have been nearly perfect, having won 12 of 13.

Nuggets' coach George Karl wonders if maybe the story has been twisted. Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times quotes him asking the big question:

"Don't you have to make the statement that maybe they're better without Bynum?" he asked reporters in Denver on Thursday. "Why do we always say Bynum? How many games has he played for this team? I like Bynum. I think he's a great player. But sometimes you can have too much talent out there and it can kind of be confusing." 

Of course, this could be an old-fashioned case of gamesmanship -- with a Western Conference rival hoping to stir up dissension among the Lakers. But it is also a question to be pondered, and one many worried about before the season: Do Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol stifle each other? (Or, as some suggest, is the real issue that Lamar Odom is much better when pressed to play a bigger role?)

Indications are we'll get to find out soon enough. Bresnahan reports that Bynum is already riding a bike and an elliptical machine. His recovery appears to be on schedule. That means he's expected back some time between March 30 and April 27, given the team's announced eight-to-12 week forecast for recovery from the knee injury.

The Thunder supporting cast should assist on more shots.  Phil Jackson has earned a lifetime achievement award.  And Jahidi White is on Wizznutzz's short list for Best NBA Player in a Lead Role:

Kurt Helin of Forum Blue & Gold: "The question of the day is not should Phil retire - he can and should do that on his own terms - but rather what follows for the Lakers? To me, that has to start with a basic team philosophy question: Do the Lakers stay a triangle team? Or do they go to another style? That really determines where you go for a coach. If you want to stay triangle, you hire one of the current assistants - Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw or former NBA head coach Jim Cleamons. If you want to go another direction, you talk to Bryon Scott or another top-flight coach. It also determines roster moves. What Mitch and the Lakers have done well in recent years is build a team of players who have skills that fit well in the triangle (despite how painful that process been at times). Certainly some of the players on the Lakers roster now (and when the retirement happens) can succeed in multiple styles, but some may not. And there may be new players needed to fill specific roles in a new system. My two cents are that if Phil hangs it up after the end of the 09-10 season, with the team in the middle of a championship window, you don't rock the boat with a new system. You hire Rambis or Shaw, try to keep things largely the same, and go for more titles with the team as built. But, if it is a few years later, when the window is closing, maybe it's time for some changes. Buss has questioned the triangle in the past, but if you are going to get away from that, you have to do so when the timing is right. But before you hire any coach, you need to look at these big picture questions."

Joe Newell of Daily Thunder: "To be sure, Kevin Durant will be an all star, and he is the unquestioned scoring leader on this team. It's not too much of a stretch to think that KD could one day lead the league in scoring if that were his goal and the coach gave him that much latitude. But what I am interested in focusing on here is whether or not letting your star dominate the ball so much is a good thing for the TEAM'S success. Will the Thunder as a team be better off if KD begins to so thoroughly dominate the offense on a regular basis?...One thing that jumps out at me about the Thunder and its 'star player' Kevin Durant as opposed to the  star players on other teams is his assist %.  Assist % is the percentage of teammate field goals a given player assists on while he was on the floor.  Naturally the point guards dominate this stat because it is their job to distribute the rock to the shooters and scorers. But if you take our ball handlers out of the equation (Watson, Westbrook and Weaver) Kevin Durant leads the rest of the team with 12% assist rate. He assists on 12% of his teammates' shots while he is on the floor. That sounds great, right? Actually, it's not, and that might be part of the problem with games like last night against the Clippers and the 'star dominates' model we see so much in the  NBA. Kevin Durant is the only player on the Thunder (outside of the point guards) who is in double digits on assist % at 12%. Every one else on the team is in single digits. What does that say about how the team shares the rock? To me, it says that the team needs to go back to the classroom. If one guy is going to so thoroughly dominate the ball, it becomes much easier to defend that team. You know who is going to take the abundance of shots, you know that he and his teammates don't really share the rock that much, defending that team becomes less complicated."

Wizznutzz: "Nominees for Best NBA Player in Lead Role -- Actor.  Jahidi White, Odds: 2-1, "Kronnan" -- Showdown at Area 51 (Alien v Alien) (2007)  The consensus front-runner. Recognized widely for his best-selling advice book "Things I Learned From Jahidi", the versatile talent proves he can act as well. White stars in this straight-to-DVD release as a hulking, silent monster who terrorizes young recruits. A student of the Stanislavski school of method acting, White prepared for this role by drawing on his experiences with the Washington Wizards: 'In scenes that required I terrify the soldier boys with my plasma-shooting weapon, I tried to visualized the scene in my head. I imagined we were in the lockeroom, and they were all Steve Blake. That really helped me find my character.'"

THE FINAL WORD  Roundball Mining Company: George Karl cares not for the zone defense...and that's okay!  Raptors Republic: The Raps are still drawing at home, but it ain't the cooking.   Queen City Hoops:  Just try scoring on the 'Cats.

Posted by Kevin Arnovitz

Ryan McNeill got to spend time with Denver coach George Karl following the Nuggets' 114-107 win over Toronto on New Years Eve.  It was Karl's 900th career victory, ranking him as the 10th winningest coach in NBA history.  Karl held court after the game. He spoke about starting his career 2-19, how he went from Madrid to Seattle, and being atop World B. Free: 

Reporter: I thought you'd come out drenched in champagne or something

George Karl: I'm not a champagne guy, I'm a beer guy and some red wine.

Reporter: But it's New Year's Eve
George Karl: Drinking beer after a win tastes like champagne.

Reporter: You just got your 900th career win. Please put that in verbal perspective.
George Karl: For me, it's kind of like wow. Unbelievable. Humbling a little bit. I'm just fortunate to have had good players, be placed in good situations and to have good (assistant) coaches. Tim Beveridge has been with me for about 600 of those (wins). I thank him for putting me back together on a lot of those nights and supporting me in the game and then after the game asking me what the hell I was doing. When I was mad and angry at my players he would tell me, 'just remember, tomorrow morning they're artists.' I remember those two lines.

I never thought I'd get this far. I thought I'd coach a few years of pro ball and then wear out my welcome. (Then) I'd go coach in college and go wear our my welcome. Then I'd coach in high school and wear out my welcome. End up in junior college or junior high somewhere.

Reporter: Did they have anything special for you in the locker room after the game? Something to keep?
George Karl: I got the ball and I'll frame that up. That will be another square in my book case.

Reporter: What was it like to start your coaching career 2-19?
George Karl: I had legendary columnists in Cleveland, Ohio saying they were idiots not to fire me. It was tough. Bill Livingston, one of the best writers in the world, had me fired one night. I'm very good friends with Bill now...at Richfield Coliseum we were 2-19 and we played in front of 3,000 people in a 21,000 seat building. It was cold and quiet.

My favourite story is I've never seen this in pro ball but after we clinched the playoffs, Lonnie Shelton and World B. Free, picked me up, put me on their shoulders and carried me off the court. I've never seen a pro (basketball) coach put on their shoulders so it was a pretty cool moment and incredible ride.

We lost to Boston who would win the championship but in every game we had the lead with two minutes to go in a best of five series where we lost. But we did have a lead, and we beat 'em once. And then to have Richfield Coliseum sold out for two playoffs games, it was a pretty incredible turnaround.

Reporter: You were barely older than some of those guys at that point...
George Karl: Yeah, I was only 33.

Reporter: What turned things around for your after that 2-19 start?
George Karl: We had some injuries, the schedule got going our way a little bit so we won some games and we went on a west coast swing I think early February and I won six out of seven. We started in Chicago and then had six on the west coast. It kind of got everybody thinking we could win and the scenario was we never worried, we made the playoffs with 36 or 37 wins, so we could see (at the time) there was a hope of making the playoffs. So we kind of got hot, everybody got happy and committed. I'm not even sure it was a good team. (We had) John Bagley, Johnny Davis, Ron Anderson, World B. Free, Lonnie Shelton, Melvin Turpin, Mark West... I think Edgar Jones was on that team. Crazy Edgar. I'm probably missing someone.

Reporter: Those first two places, Cleveland and Golden State, you didn't make it through two seasons and then you had to wait to get to Seattle. What was that wait like?
George Karl: New Year's Eve in the year I got the job in Seattle, I told my family I was going to college. I was done with the program. My family wasn't happy in Spain, I was coaching in Real Madrid and I said I'd finish out the year and then I'd call Coach Majerus, Coach Williams and Coach Smith and get an assistant coaching job and learn the college game. I swear to God. Majerus and I at the time were thinking about going to UNLV and I was going to go with him as an associate head coach. About 10 days later a guy named Jerry Kraus who coached the Bulls, and was the director of player personnel, came over and I spent two days with him on Toni Kukoc, Arvydas Sabonis and all the other players from Europe who I thought could come over and be very good NBA players. Then K.C. Jones was floundering in Seattle and their general manager, Bob Whitsitt, called, who I was not a friend of, I just knew Bob as a professional, and he asked me if I wanted to be an assistant coach. I was making more money, twice as much, maybe three times as much, in Madrid as they were offering me to be an assistant coach. I talked with my family and said, 'hey, let's go for it if K.C. would call me and invite me to be an assistant coach.' K.C. refused. He didn't know me and he didn't want to change his staff. Another two weeks pass, they lose six out of seven or seven out of eight and they fire him. I don't know if Whitsitt was impressed that I would come back for $100,000, a lot less money than I was making in Madrid, but he decided he would interview me for the head job. I've been told through the grapevine that it was Jerry Kraus' recommendation to Whitsitt was the reason I got the job, that Jerry knew Whitsitt very well, and Whitsitt called him and asked who he would hire. Kraus I think told the story about how prepared I was and how I coached in Europe. Then I had to get out of my contract. That was crazy...