Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown spoke with the media on Tuesday, suggesting the recent comments from Nuggets coach George Karl were more theatrical than practical:
"[George Karl is] a veteran coach who's been in the playoffs a long time," Brown said. "He's got to try to work the officials in a lot of different ways. He's just trying to work the officials, work the public a little bit, which I applaud him for doing."
The Denver Nuggets lost the first game of the seven-game series against the Lakers in a 103-88 drubbing. After the game, Karl publicly suggested the Lakers had played "nice illegal defense" and estimated there had been "about 30" illegal defense violations during the game.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on these teams, visit Nuggets blog Denver Stiffs and Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll. Head over to SB Nation NBA for more news and notes on the 2012 NBA Playoffs.