BOSTON — Nuggets head coach George Karl is on the verge of incredible milestone heading into the matchup with the Celtics on Wedensday night. To reach it, however, he’ll have to defeat one of the best teams in the NBA.
Karl is on the verge of his 1000th win in the league, a milestone he’s been working toward since 1984, when he started coaching for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Reaching that goal against the Celtics will not be easy, and Karl knows it.
“On video they’re the best team I’ve seen,” Karl said of the Celtics. “They’re executing, they’re confident, and they’re playing active defense.”
The Nuggets have quite the test ahead of them, as the battered Celtics have recovered to bring back Shaquille O’Neal, Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis for Wednesday’s matchup. Denver, on the other hand, has not been so lucky. All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony was ruled out of the Denver lineup and listed as day-to-day with a knee injury just before the tipoff.
Karl is admittedly excited about the milestone — reached by just six other coaches in NBA history — but he is also hoping the win comes sooner rather than later.
“I don’t deny it, I think I’m kind of amazed that I’m sitting in this situation,” he said. “My hope is that it happens so I can get the spotlight off of me and back on basketball and the team.”
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is in awe of the achievement, calling Karl a “treasure” to the league. At the end of the day, however, Rivers is a competitor and will be wishing for Karl’s 1000th win to come on Saturday when the Nuggets face off against the Raptors.
“I’m all for that,” Rivers said.
