FanHouse AnthonyCarter

In both of the Lakers' Western Conference finals victories over the Nuggets, Trevor Ariza stole an inbounds pass late in the game that effectively sealed things for L.A. Since there were different players involved on the Denver side of things each time -- Anthony Carter was throwing to Chauncey Billups in Game 1; in Game 2 it was Kenyon Martin trying to get it to Carmelo Anthony -- maybe you just look at the one constant, which was Ariza, to figure out the reason why.

Or maybe, you look at something else -- like history. Because the fact is, before the arrival of Billups, George Karl and the Nuggets didn't believe in running plays to get the ball inbounds.

Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA Playoff action.

After a grueling, physical seven-game series with the Rockets, there was some worry the Lakers might come out flat against the Nuggets (even if history suggested otherwise). And for the first 10 minutes, that's what happened as the Nuggets jumped out to a surprising 27-14 lead. All told, Carmelo Anthony finished with an impressive 16 points in the opening quarter.

Not to be shown up on their home floor, the Lakers spent the second quarter chipping away at Denver's lead, eventually going into halftime with a slim two-point lead of their own. Things continued to go back and forth in the second half until finally Kobe Bryant took over, scoring 18 of his 40 points in the fourth en route to a 105-103 victory.

The only lesson here, though, is that it's better to be a closer late than a front-runner early -- which we already knew. Nothing else should be taken from this game.

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The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Tom Ziller.

Every time Allen Iverson moves, his new and old teams change irrevocably. A.I. is the type of singular player that demands incredible adjustment, from a team's playing style to the needs of its point guards to the defensive system used to the mix of jumpers and interior moves used to ... everything. A.I. is not a player you can "fit" into your scheme. In gaining or losing Iverson, you have to draw the scheme from scratch.

Since swapping Iverson for Chauncey Billups, Denver has certainly seen a metamorphosis. But Mr. Big Shot isn't The Answer, nor the answer. The truth behind the Nuggets' rise traces also to Chauncey's new friends, Nene and Carmelo Anthony.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. The Painted Area. Tim Hardaway told SLAM an unnamed NBA player came out to his teammates last year, and things were cool. This is good news ... but why hasn't it made the news?

2. New York Times. Memo to the friends and enemies of Nate Robinson: it seems Chris Duhon is having trouble grasping the D'Antoni offense.

3. Ball Don't Lie. If you aren't reading BDL's team previews, you're really missing out.

4. Rocky Mountain News. Anthony Carter's outdoor hoops experience goes back to playing five-on-five for drug money in Atlanta so that his family could eat. I'm guessing Saturday at Indian Wells will be slightly different.

5. Blazers Edge. Martell Webster, a young promising starter, goes down with the most serious injury in Portland since Oden's microfracture ... and no one misses a beat. Why?

6. Jones on the NBA. A video and text history of the 1990-91 NBA season.

Allen Iverson had until today to opt out of the final year of his contract with the Denver Nuggets, and his agent Leon Rose just confirmed to the Rocky Mountain News that his client will play out his current deal, which will pay him more than $20 million in 2008-09. This was certainly expected -- Iverson has said he wanted to remain all season, and Marcus Camby predicted his teammate would return earlier this week -- but you can never take anything for granted.

Just because Iverson decided against opting out doesn't mean he'll necessarily be playing in Denver next year: his hefty expiring deal is an interesting bargaining chip for teams looking to make a move, and guys like Carmelo Anthony and Camby have also been mentioned in their share of rumors. Plus J.R. Smith, whom AI is essentially blocking from the starting lineup, is a restricted free agent -- while Denver's up-and-down style of play fits his game, he may be able to find a starting gig elsewhere.

Even if the Nuggets can't find a blockbuster to their liking, expect at least a small deal: ESPN's Chad Ford reported a rumor yesterday involving the Grizzlies sending Kyle Lowry and the 28th overall pick to Denver for Linas Kleiza. That deal coud. make sense for both teams, considering Grizzlies' glut of point guards and the fact that Anthony Carter, the Nuggets' starter last year, is now a free agent. Whatever happens, expect the Nuggets to be one of this summer's most active teams.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Nuggets-Lakers Game 2 tonight.

1. Time To Think Inside The Linas: And lo, George Karl did see the folly of Anthony Carter, and put in Linas Kleiza. And it was good. Or at least, worth a shot. In Game 1, Karl went with the decision to put Kenyon Martin on Kobe Bryant, and though Bryant Scored 32, he did on 9-26 shooting and had just 1 assist. That's the exact situation you want to put Bryant in. He's going to get his. Limit his ability to help his team hurt you. Unfortunately, for some reason, Karl forgot that that move essentially left Marcus Camby to try and cover two big men with touch passing ability in Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. And that was only, you know, 53 points, 30 rebounds, and 14 assists. Back where I come from? We call that "sick." Karl has mentioned that he liked what he saw out of Martin on Bryant. The problem is that the best way to attack Gasol is to use a big body and muscle him. If Karl's smart, he'll shift Kleiza to Bryant, let Bryant get his points while denying the pass using Kleiza's excellent size and length. There's no way Kleiza shuts down Bryant. But I've got news for George Karl. Nobody shuts down Kobe Bryant.

"Old School" is the College Football FanHouse's irregular look back at the rich history of college football, usually through the medium of embeddable flash video. Check out the Old School archive for more famous plays and infamous hair.

Michigan's #1 is perhaps the most famous number tradition in college football. Braylon Edwards, David Terrell, and Derrick Alexander all wore it en route to All-American status. But before them came the original #1, the guy who convinced Bo Schembechler that throwing the ball was not necessarily pure evil: Anthony Carter. In the 1981 Rose Bowl, Michigan played Washington:



Love that tearaway jersey. Very boy band, that. Michigan (shockingly) would win this particular Rose Bowl 23-6, one of only two victories for Bo in Pasedena. Carter would go on to star in the USFL and NFL; the #1 would become a traditional number for terrifying wide receivers to wear at Michigan and, eventually, around the country.