Thuggets.

Denver Brutes, Bruisers & Bullies.

Call 'em what you want, Lakers, Mavericks and Hornets, but The Tough Guys won't back down and did step up - again - Monday night. Got raw, if you like.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson accused the Nuggets of "unsportsmanlike conduct" afterward. Whew, them's fighting words.

Two-two, and no tutus in the Western Conference finals.

A late inbounds pass wasn't necessary, or intercepted, in Game 4. The Nuggets were behind 1-0 at the start of Game 4 but never trailed again in winning before a record, delirious crowd of 20,037 Thugnuts.

Sick and tired. Melo was sick, and Kobe looks tired.

But the Nuggets are hanging even with the Lakers by virtue of being the aggressors and the attackers, the scamps and the scoundrels, the rogues and the ruffians.

Flagrant foul? Sure thing. Technical foul. Why not? Trip Kobe, push Kobe, body slam Kobe? By all means.

Dahntay Jones got a flagrant 1 even before the game. The NBA ruled that his two-handed shove of Bryant under the basket in Game 3 was worse than referees believed.

In Game 4, Jones intentionally tripped Bryant. The refs called nothing. Jackson said it was "unacceptable defense" and claimed Jones had tripped Bryant in two earlier games.

The Nuggets drew three more technical fouls, and Jones probably will hear from the league today. So will Jackson.

Lakers reserve Luke Walton was awarded a "T" in the fourth quarter. "The situation that got the game kind of out of hand (was when) Luke came across the lane and got hit in the throat by Nene. And the referee gave (Walton) the technical, then subsequently gave him three consecutive fouls," said Jackson, who is trying to massage the referees for Game 5 on Wednesday. "That kind of disparity we don't like in ballgames. That's not equal refereeing."

By the way, two of the three refs, Bennett Salvatore and Ken Mauer, worked the infamous "no intentional foul" game in Dallas, won by the Nuggets . Mark Wunderlich, who was called out by the NBA, was replaced this time by Bill Spooner.

But the Lakers, as the Hornets, then the Mavs, before them, are disturbed with the Nuggets about their attacking, assailant style on defense that pushes the envelope and the star players on the other side.

Nuggets coach George Karl continues to emphasize to the players to be "aggressive and physical." It's almost laughable the Nuggets are being called dirty and foul. The previous soft-boiled Nuggets have become the bad eggs of the postseason. In seasons past - dating to the final ABA Finals - the Nuggets always were a finesse team, a defensively challenged team, a team averse to giving the fierce foul and ducking-and-running when other teams became cruel and harsh.

That's been the history of the Nuggets . Until this season, and especially in this postseason.

Last week in Los Angeles a talk-show caller said: "Who would you want in an alley fight from the Lakers and the Nuggets ?" The hosts were stumped about the Lakers, but rattled off names of the Nuggets : "Kenyon Martin, Dahn-

tay Jones, Nene, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Andersen, J.R. Smith and Chauncey Billups."

The Nuggets -Lakers series has become an alley fight.

The Nuggets aren't always playing better than the Lakers, but as Denver's own ex-NFL referee Ben Drieth would announce, the Nuggets are "giving them the business."

Over the years, we've seen the Oakland Raiders, the Detroit Red Wings, the San Antonio Spurs play more mean-spirited than the local teams.

But the Nuggets have become the modern-day version of The Bad Boys, and that's not bad, boys.

Monday night the Lakers committed more fouls (31), but the Nuggets committed more hard fouls - a dozen, maybe more.

Am I praising, even promoting, the Nuggets' bunkhouse roughhousing? Sure, why not, by all means. Over the years we've chastised, even completely castigated them for

being the nice Nuggets , the charming, Charmin team.

Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups acknowledged that the "world does want Cleveland and the Lakers" in the NBA Finals. "Man, I don't want to see it. And I'm trying my best not to make that happen. It's tough, but we're trying our best."

The Nuggets' best is to be tough enough.

Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com ------------- Cleaning the glass

The Nuggets dominated the boards Monday night in Game 4. How the Nuggets and Lakers compare through the playoff

series, listed with offensive rebounds and total rebounds:

....Game 1....Game 2....Game 3....Game 4....Totals....

Nuggets ....7-37....14-42....11-43....20-58....52-180....

Lakers....17-46....13-43....8-43....9-40....47-172....

Top individual performances this series:

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles....17 rebounds (Game 2)....

Kenyon Martin, Denver....15 rebounds (Game 4)....

Chris Andersen, Denver....14 rebounds (Game 4)....

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles....14 rebounds (Game 1)....

Nene, Denver....13 rebounds (Game 4)....