Nuggets mining for veteran leadership

DENVER — Ever heard a player say: "Well, in the fourth quarter, we were losing big, so we lost our composure and started arguing calls and, sure enough, we were able to bounce back and pull out the victory."

Probably not.

In the high-stakes, high-stress playoffs, the Denver Nuggets have wilted twice, losing composure as fast as a second-half lead.

Yes, in Games 1 and 2 against the Lakers, Denver was on the road, in a hostile environment and, in the second loss, the planet's best player just happened to play his best game of the season.

But the trash talk with Kobe Bryant — even after he surpassed 40 points — and the heated talk with the referees — Denver received six technicals in two games — is revealing.

Composure equals confidence. A lack of composure can be combustible.

"Keeping your focus and not beating yourself is a big part of winning games in the NBA," Denver coach George Karl said Thursday after the team's practice. "A lot of times you win games if you don't beat yourself."

Consider what trash-talking guard J.R. Smith said about the Game 2 meltdown: "We still had a chance. We just gave up in the end. ... When they make their runs, we bend. And when they get certain calls, we tend to break."

Entering Saturday's Game 3 at Denver's Pepsi Center, the Nuggets must have a mental edge over Los Angeles, as much as a physical edge.

This could come down to leadership. So, who will calm the troops, who will lead by example?

On Thursday, Karl was asked to rate the postseason leadership of his tri-captains, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson.

"I'm not going to really go into that, but I think our veteran captain leadership is always a work-in-progress," Karl said. "Today, we talked about how the veterans need to come into tomorrow positive and ready to go. And an 0-2 deficit looks a lot worse than it is."

After Thursday's film session, Anthony didn't make himself available to the media. Iverson provided one quick quote: "Ready to go, man. They got a chance to play in front of their home crowd, and we want that same type of advantage."

Camby, acknowledging Denver's frustration, spun Saturday's game into a positive — a chance to "return the favor" of winning at home and a chance to "perform under pressure."