Mike Finger: Iverson keeps Nuggets confident
Web Posted: 04/26/2007 12:26 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
“Lillian!”
Just when people began to wonder about the mental toughness of a young Denver team, and whether or not it was going to tense up and wither away the same way the Nuggets did after a Game 2 playoff loss two years ago, a voice bellowed from the showers.
“Lillian!”
As Carmelo Anthony stood in front of his locker Wednesday night and tried to explain why the Nuggets still feel good about their chances, even after the Spurs evened their first-round series with a 97-88 victory at the AT&T Center, the cry rang out again.
“Lillian!”
Presumably, it was an Eddie Murphy impression. The memorable one-word line didn’t sound exactly like it did in “Delirious,” but the impersonator didn’t care. And when he finally showed himself, grinning like a middle-school prankster, Allen Iverson stood there as a living, breathing embodiment of Denver’s best chance to change its history.
How can anyone panic with this guy in the room?
With a Denver upset in Game 1 and a resounding Spurs reply a few days later, this series might look like the one in 2005, when the Spurs reeled off four consecutive victories to dismiss the Nuggets in five games. But back then, George Karl’s team left San Antonio humbled, downtrodden and cognizant of the fact that they had been lucky to have even won once here. They knew, even if they didn’t admit it, that things weren’t going to get any better when they returned to Denver.
But these Nuggets? If you hadn’t seen what had just happened on the court, you might have thought the scene in their locker room was one of a team that had just completed a four-game sweep.
Even in the aftermath of defeat, confidence oozed from every corner of the room, from J.R. Smith proclaiming that Denver had “sent a message” to Marcus Camby — the same guy whose failed dunk attempt had stunted the Nuggets’ comeback — saying, “We definitely feel like we can play with these guys.”
Then there was Iverson, the player who had prefaced his Murphy routine by blowing a half-dozen layups and shooting only 9 for 25 from the field without a single trip to the free-throw line (a glaring box-score hole Karl not-so-subtly blamed on the officiating). Not only did Iverson not appear shaken by his rough night, he almost seemed emboldened.
And when he tried to explain the reasons for his high spirits, with Anthony eavesdropping a few feet away? The playground-like exchange was priceless.
“Me missing shots I know I can make with my eyes closed, I kind of feel good about that, because I know I’m not going to miss those easy shots (next game),” Iverson said.
“How the hell do you know?” Anthony yelled from behind the cameras, a mischievous smile on his face. “How the hell do you know you’ll make those shots?”
“It’s a given,” Iverson said. “I’ve got an 11-year history of this.”
With that, the room erupted in laughter, and somehow the notion that Iverson could pull this off seemed possible. The Nuggets obviously can match the Spurs in athleticism, and they’ve proven they have a few individual matchups in their favor. What they’ve been missing is the experience of someone who’s won before, and the presence of a guy who can keep his cool when times get tough.
Iverson is that player, and there is a chance he won’t be enough. But when the Nuggets need a leader, they at least know where to look now.
Even when he’s screaming a woman’s name from the shower.