Nuggets' Karl worried 50 wins may not be enough for playoffs
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Denver Nuggets coach George Karl said on Friday that the NBA season was out of this world even though his team and its high-powered stars Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony could miss out on the playoffs.
"I've never seen anything like it. I call it the Halley's Comet year of the NBA," Karl, whose team is closing in on a pre-season goal of 50 wins, told reporters.
"Once every 99 years something like this happens. Why I have to be a part of it, I want to know why."
With the balance of power leaning heavily towards the Western Conference, the Nuggets could reach 50 wins and still find themselves with a lottery pick in the NBA draft.
Denver is 40-28 with 14 games left on its schedule, 2.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors (42-25) for the eighth and last Western Conference playoff berth despite getting 26.5 points a game from Iverson, and 25.5 from Anthony.
"We're on the outside looking in right now," Karl said after practice ahead of Friday's game against New Jersey Nets.
"But if we win 10 or 11 of our last 14, which I think we're capable of doing, we've got to make the other people worry."
The top end of the conference race is also a dogfight, with three teams -- New Orleans, Houston and Phoenix -- within one game of the Los Angeles Lakers (47-21) for conference best.
Karl, under pressure to achieve post-season success after Denver's acquisition of Iverson last term, said he cannot get carried away with trying to win every game at all costs.
"Our goal is to put 50 wins on the board," Karl said, noting that would be an achievement considering the injuries his club has endured.
No team has reached the 50-win mark and missed the playoffs with the Phoenix Suns at 49-33 in 1972 coming closest to that mark while missing out on post-season play.
"History says that (50) will get us into the playoffs. I'm not sure it will get us to the playoffs," said Karl. "There are days I'm nervous it won't get us in, but to throw more than that out there, you're pushing the power of our positive thinking.
"We've got to do what we're capable of doing. I think 50 would be at the top end of that," added Karl, who in 20 seasons of NBA coaching has taken three different teams to division titles, including the Nuggets in 2005-06 with 44 wins.
"It would be a high level of success but it might not be a high level of success from a playoff standpoint. That's the sadness of what we're dealing with.
Karl said playing better on the road would be a key given that Denver is a dismal 12-21 away from home.
Even with just 14 games left, Karl said he had to avoid putting extra pressure on the players.
"We just stay away from every game being kind of an NCAA game, that we've got to win it," he said, referring to the U.S. national collegiate knockout tournament.
"There's an extra emphasis to win," Karl conceded while adding he was worried about tiring the team and losing games during the closing stretch due to fatigue.
"The last week of the season, where we have four games, we might be able to change our attitude."
(Editing by Ken Ferris)
