DENVER - Nuggets coach George Karl has been tossing the word "angry" around the last two days, and he expects Denver to show what he means tonight in Game 5.
The Nuggets are angry at the way Mavericks fans treated the players' families at American Airlines Center on Monday night. They're angry that they lost for the first time in eight games with the Mavericks this season. And they're angry over the possibility of returning to Dallas if they don't close out the series tonight. "I think all of us are kind of angry about whatever you want to call the treatment we got in Dallas," Karl said. "In a simple phrase, we want to show them we owe them a game."
Among the issues in this series has been an exchange of words between Kenyon Martin's mother, Lydia Moore, and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban after a controversial ending to Game 3. On Monday, Mavericks fans apparently were unruly toward a group of Nuggets fans that included Martin's mother and Carmelo Anthony's girlfriend, LaLa Vazquez.
Cuban issued an apology to Martin's mother on his blog early Tuesday morning, but the Nuggets are still upset.
"That's unacceptable, man," point guard Chauncey Billups said of Cuban's behavior. "That's just not right. You're the owner of a team. You're held at a different standard as far as professionalism."
Martin declined comment Monday and Tuesday, but was clearly angry after Game 4.
"We're trying to stay away from what's going on in the stands and being distracted," Anthony said. "Do we think Mark Cuban is wrong? Yeah. But that's not something that we're going to have our focus on."
In a statement released through a publicist, Vazquez, of MTV fame, said fans used racial slurs Monday.
"Obviously, the playoffs bring out the best and the worst in fans, but what happened on Monday night with the racial slurs/threats, verbal attacks on my son and physical attacks to myself by irate fans was unacceptable," Vazquez said. "The fans were totally out of control."
A Mavericks fan who sat nearby disputed that any racial slurs were uttered.
Cuban has said he would not attend tonight's game; he is expected to be in Las Vegas receiving an advertising award, but his apology to Martin on his blog stated:
"I would like to apologize to you and your mom KMart for my comment. I should have not said anything, and I was wrong. Hopefully, you will accept the apology, and we can move on."
The NBA said it believes the incident has been handled.
"Mark has apologized on his blog, and he will be reaching out to Kenyon personally," NBA spokesman Tim Frank said. "We are confident that this will be brought to an intelligent close with an adult conversation."
Cuban suggested that when the series returns to Dallas for Game 6, the families of Nuggets players can sit in his suite with his family.
"We don't plan on going back to Dallas," Billups said.
Free-lance writer Chris Tomasson contributed to this story.
