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On one hand, the Denver Nuggets’ numbers in Game 1 with Golden State weren’t very good. They were out-rebounded by 10 boards, shot just 64.3 percent from the free-throw line and made just 3 of 16 3-point attempts. That said, the Nuggets still got the victory, and starting point guard Ty Lawson says the fact that they won with those statistics bodes well moving forward. Ty Lawson joined 102.3 ESPN in Denver with Les Shapiro and Tom Nalen to discuss the health of his foot, the intensity of the NBA Playoffs, the Nuggets beating Golden State in Game 1 despite some ugly numbers, the play of Andre Miller, the loss of David Lee and who is the go-to player in the fourth quarter.
How healthy is your foot?
“It’s healthy. That’s the most minutes I’ve played since I came back, so it’s still hurting a little bit afterwards. But we did a lot of treatment and everything’s good now. … I really don’t feel it too much during the game.”
How do the NBA Playoffs compare to you at North Carolina going up against Duke?
“It’s probably, I think it’s more intense. The first time I played Carolina-Duke, that’s probably how it was. I just wanted to beat the team so bad in advance, that I will do anything I need to do to win. It’s very intense.”
Some of the statistics weren’t pretty in Game 1, but you guys won. Is that the bottom line?
“It’s just find a way to win. I feel like we didn’t shoot well from the field, the free-throw line and we didn’t rebound well, and we still got the win. It does give us a lot of confidence that, you know, next game I don’t think we’re going to miss 10 free throws or get out-rebounded like we did the last game, so I think it’s very encouraging going into the rest of the series.”
On Andre Miller leading the charge to victory:
“Old-man Miller, man, he can get it in. He carried us through the fourth quarter, third quarter. He was making mid-range shots, 3-pointers, he was also posting up. He was doing everything. … He’s been doing that all year. When we’re not pulling our weight or we’re just looking for somebody to score, he takes the load down in the fourth quarter.”
With David Lee gone, does that impact the strategy moving forward?
“I think so. I think we’re going to pay more attention, just try to get the ball out of Klay Thompson’s and Steph Curry’s hands even more. Then Carl Landry and Andrew Bogut would be making the decisions, so that’s probably what we’re going to try to do.”
How much of a concern is Steph Curry?
“He’s a big concern. He’s the engine, so, you know, we’re going to try to get the ball out of his hands.”
Who on this team is the go-to guy in the fourth quarter and clutch situations?
“Whoever’s having the hot game.”
How do you guys get back to what you do best — running the court and penetrating inside?
“It’s just probably get more steals on the defensive end. Being more active, so they won’t be able to get back on defense and pack the zone as much.”
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