http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_5468267 Defensive woes decisive factor By Marc J. Spears Denver Post Staff Writer Article Last Updated: 03/18/2007 11:18:17 PM MDT It took 4 1/2 months for the Nuggets to start playing strong defense. And the reward is a four-game winning streak during a key part of the season. "If we play defense the way we've been playing and play together like we've been playing, the results are (like) this," Nuggets guard Allen Iverson said. "It results in a win. It shouldn't be hard for everybody to buy into it because it shows what happened when you buy into it." The Nuggets have been one of the NBA's worst defensive teams this season. Denver entered its March 11 game at Sacramento allowing an average of 103.9 points. But over the past four games, the Nuggets have allowed an average of 98.3 points and held the Los Angeles Lakers to 86 on March 15. So what changed? "We're doing some game- planning a little differently," said Nuggets coach George Karl, who gave his 33-31 team Sunday and today off. "Instead of being totally conceptually intense, we're doing some individual stuff a little more. In Sacramento, we took an individual challenge on (Kevin) Martin. (Against the Suns), we had some specific challenges on their shooters and their bigs, and I thought they carried it out fairly well. "Personally, I think if we played harder at that end of the court, we could be a good defensive team. It's the cheap possessions and the lackadaisical focus that (hurts us)." Said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony: "We're going out there and saying, 'Look, everybody go get your man and when you get beat, we got your back.' I think the last four games we've been approaching the games like that." The Nuggets' most impressive defensive performance during the four-game win streak probably came against the NBA's most talented offensive team, the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets routed the Suns 131-107 on Saturday at the Pepsi Center. The Suns (50-16) entered with NBA-bests of 110.2 points per game, 49.4 percent shooting from the field and 40.2 percent shooting on 3-pointers. The Nuggets cruised by holding the Suns to 44.4 percent shooting from the field (40-of-90) and 33.3 percent shooting on 3-pointers (9-of-27). "We just took a personal challenge," Iverson said. "We understand that they are a great offensive team. If we didn't come out with a defensive mentality, we wouldn't have been able to win the basketball game. We responded to what type of team they are and played great defense." Iverson also noted that a good defense helps the offense. The Nuggets had 24 fast-break points against Phoenix, scoring 30 points off turnovers. "No one wants to play half- court offense," Iverson said. "Standing around. Cutting. You want to do the things the fans love. See the dunks. See the great passes and stuff like that. Playing exciting basketball. It's always fun to get out and run. And the only way you can do that is get stops." So why did it take the Nuggets so long to start playing tough defense? "I don't know, man," Anthony said. "We realize what's at stake here. We realize what we want to do and what we want to accomplish. I think it kicked in into our mental (approach)." Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-954-1098 or [email protected]. --

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