Who said the Nuggets didn't have any fight in them Saturday afternoon as the Lakers smoked them? Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson each ripped coach George Karl after the game, and Karl fired back himself. Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News offers an A.I. quote, who reacted to being benched for the final 11 minutes of the game."To not go back in, I don't understand that,'' Iverson said. "And (Karl) didn't even say nothing to me even afterward . . . I played every game with a broken finger and all. I always came to play, every game we had. So why not tell me nothing?'''Melo didn't wait for the post-game, according to Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.
How can the Lakers judge their playoff acumen if they are beating a Nuggets team whose most energetic moment Saturday occurred in the fourth quarter when their coach George Karl was being heckled? "Just don't sit there!"'Melo also told the Mountain News the entire team quit, from the coaches to the players. Coach Karl disagreed ... well, at least in defense of himself.
The heckler's name? Carmelo Anthony.
"Well, I don't think I quit. I quit on not passing the ball,'' said Karl, when asked about Anthony's post-game comments. "In the fourth quarter. I tried to find some answers. I tried to find, 'Is Chucky (Atkins) going to help us?' . . . I think Melo's emotional right now. He's frustrated right now, as we all are. And keeping our composure and a maturity to it is probably the best way to go.''Fun times, Denver!
NBA's Memorable Fights and Feuds
See the most memorable brawls and feuds in NBA history
Bad Blood in NBA History
As the Nuggets were pushed to the brink of elimination, star Carmelo Anthony, right, reportedly heckled head coach George Karl by yelling "Just don't sit there!" during Saturday night's game. The scuffle between Karl and Anthony is just the latest in a long line of memorable NBA feuds.
Jeff Gross, Getty Images
Mavericks player Jerry Stackhouse poured fuel on a fiery rivalry between Dallas and New Orleans when he tore into Hornets coach Byron Scott, right, and called him a "sucker" in a radio interview last week.
Getty Images (2)
One of the most infamous incidents in NBA history took place in 2004, when Ron Artest, right, was suspended 73 games for starting the "Malice in the Palace" brawl during the Pacers' game in Detroit.
Allen Einstein, NBAE via Getty Images
NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo, right, had a rocky stint with the Warriors in the late 1990s, highlighted by a notorious attack by Latrell Sprewell, left, during a 1997 practice. Sprewell choked Carlesimo for nearly 15 seconds until being pulled off by several teammates.
Getty Images (2)
Ten players were ejected in a December 2006 fight between Denver and New York when the Knicks took exception to what they felt was the Nuggets running up the score.
Frank Franklin II, AP
The Knicks and Heat had a couple of unforgettable battles during their matchups of the late '90s. One of the most indelible playoff moments came when Alonzo Mourning, right, brawled Charles Oakley in 1998 with New York coach Jeff Van Gundy wrapped around his leg.
Mark Lennihan, AP
Back in 2002, Shaquille O'Neal, then with the Lakers, tried to go after Brad Miller, right, but couldn't connect with a punch. The players received
three-game suspensions for their scrap.
Fred Jewell, AP
The Suns and Spurs have been the NBA's most bitter rivals over the last couple of years. Suns star Amare Stoudemire, right, took the rivalry to a new level when he called the Spurs dirty and said he might want Bruce Bowen's home address.
Getty Images
Former players Tyrone Hill, left, and Charles Oakley banged under the boards plenty of times. But their matchup took a personal twist when Oakley ran up to Hill during pre-game warmups in 2001 and whacked him from behind over a reported gambling debt.
Tom Mihalek, AFP/Getty Images
NBA greats Charles Barkley, right, and Bill Laimbeer were each fined $20,000 for their roles in a fight during a 1990 playoff game, which was a record for the NBA at the time.
Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
4-27-2008 @ 11:40AM
Pablo said...
AI is one of the best players in the game. I see Melo as an immature player, a spoiled brat that folds under pressure and blames other people...on the court by fouling too hard...off the court by whining about the coach. Nonetheless, not playing AI in the 4th seemed to be a coach's decision to try to jump start a team that had gone to sleep.
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 11:44AM
frank said...
George Karl is a good coach;
Denver is being outplayed not outcoach;
If Denver is going to win one against LA ( which it can be done ) stop lashing at your coach.
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 12:10PM
LB said...
They all are to blame. When you watch them play, they don't have an offense. They take turns playing one on one. They don't play defense. They aren't a smart team. They all are to blame. At least AI looks like he is trying to win.
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 12:34PM
Ryne Nelson said...
This team is ending an excellent season in an utter trainwreck. It's sad to see so many talented players act like school children.
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 1:00PM
José said...
I have said it all along: no team with a player named Allen Iverson has ever won an NBA championship. His selfishness with the ball and his lack of defensive effort speak volumes. The Nuggets will be fishing and golfing next week!
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 1:43PM
Bubba said...
Iverson and Anthony were doing nothing to make Denver competitive in the game, and have done nothing but ignore Karl's attempts to encourage team play. Each of these players thinks his individual stats are the most important part of the game, and neither seems to have much interest in playing defense. It's no easy matter to coach millionaire prima donnas, and one can understand why Karl would want to find another organization once the Nuggets' season ends (as would seem likely to occur on Monday).
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 3:42PM
So Cal Fan said...
Hey Carmelo, wasn't it you that got arrested for Drunk Driving two weeks ago? Seems to me like you quit on your team before the series even began, grow up kid it's time to start behaving like an adult now and take responsability for yourself and your actions and stop looking to place blame on your coach and team mates and don't look to A.I. to be a role model for you as he's another whiney cry baby who likes to blame others for his problems, you're losing to a much better team so deal with it and use it to help yourself learn and grow and hopefully mature a bit!!
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 4:39PM
Dell said...
Carmelo actually passed something finally.Too bad it was the blame.To be a great player Carmelo you have to make others better around you.You have not been looking for the open man.You are being double teamed almost every time you touch the ball.That means someone is open.My beloved Nuggets you play to much for the foul.Quit flopping around like some freaking fish out of the water.Everytime someone touches you you flop around trying to get a foul.Play to win not the foul.Pass the freaking ball.Make a freaking layup and quit trying to upstage the Lakers.You will never do it.Play Nuggets basketball and quit blaming the Coach.We all know Coach Karl is a wuss.You should never call anyone out in front of others.Be a team and quit being babies.Oh by the way Kenyon.How about a little arch to your shot.You guys are 10 ft from the basket and cannot even make a shot.I would have benched the whole team and played the third string.Or even the guy that sits behind Karl.The one that looks white with the cornrows.He may be confused of his race but I am sure he could pass the ball!
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 4:47PM
Glenn said...
To think that people actually thought that Carmelo was in the same category as L.James. You stink Carmelo, you stink! A.I. you didn't do nothing all game except force passes and shoot like crap. Lakers made them look like High School team. Karl just resign with these bunch of quitters, why?
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 4:52PM
Glenn said...
How many layups did Anthony miss? Trade his butt!
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 5:14PM
jerome said...
AI has earned the right to speak his mind with his hard play, but Carmelo is a piece od Shit..........
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 5:18PM
Bopp said...
A.I. is a very passionate player, I can see why he's upset about the fourth quarter. I don't think George Karl ment anything by sitting A.I. down in the fourth. He was just trying to see where else can he get some production from. A.I. is his best player and he's not going to sacrifice his commitment to winning. I say get rid of the (BUMS), especially Camby and Martin.
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 6:04PM
matrix said...
where is Van Gundy when you need him?
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 6:14PM
loubon said...
kobe bryant dominates the nba. give the opposing team 25 points away and 20 points home..or limit bryant to playing 30 minutes.
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 6:26PM
gary said...
hey
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 6:29PM
gary said...
Maybe Coach Karl call Don Nelson at half time and ask him how do you bench star players in the fourth quarter.(baron davis)
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 7:14PM
Getitright said...
The Muggetts lost 4 to 1 first round in 2004, 2005,2006,2007, so why is Karl still there. Melo, and JR think playing dirty is the same as playing hard, DUH, playground ball is where these guys belong. Game 2 sportsmanship was the worst I have ever seen in post season play, then they managed to top that with the post game BOO HOOing. I get embarrased when the reporters stick a mic in front of one of the Muggetts, because you just know its not going to be pretty or make any sense. Yo, Meloman, mix in a pass or two. Just ask Kobe how he felt when he discovered what a difference passing meant to the game and to winning.
Reply
4-27-2008 @ 7:18PM
Getitright said...
EVERBODY SEES THE SAME THING FROM YOU MELO, NUTTIN. SO, MAN UP AND USE YOUR GIFT, ITS YOUR HEAD THAT'S NOT RIGHT.
Reply
4-28-2008 @ 6:21AM
Tim said...
Britney Spears NAKED again:
http://celebritiesvidz.com/videos.php?v=Britney_Spears
Reply
4-28-2008 @ 7:08AM
Taru cook said...
AI hasn't earned anything with his "hard play". No player has the "right" to rip his coach for a decision he made on who should be in the game at any time. If he has a problem with it, he should have gone to Karl privately and not made any comment at all to the press. He has been around long enough to know this. He hasn't learned anything from his "practice" comments years in Philly. Grow up AI and lose the cornrows--you're too old for them, anyway.
Reply