Brian Shaw doesn’t want to hear about three games in four nights and wants his team to come out angry tonight against the Warriors – not because they face the team that defeated them in last year’s playoffs, but because the Nuggets are currently riding a three-game losing streak and is just 4-6 in their last 10 games.
Shaw on evaluating Warriors:
"They have been kind of up-and-down," said Brian Shaw. "But they're always a dangerous team with all the shooters that they have at every position. They have a big rim protector and rebounder in [Andrew] Bogut inside and the rest of the guys they play, on the perimeter, are pretty interchangeable and pretty versatile and can really really shoot the ball. Our defense has to be on point, offensively if we're playing with the right mind set, we should be able to get what we want. Their plays, and things like that, are not what's going to hurt us, it's open shots. We have to be able to get to their shooters, contest their shots, not let them get second shots … second and third shots."
Shaw's thoughts on facing a team that signed a key piece to the 57-win Nuggets and the whole "The Mole" thing:
"Well, I wasn't here," said Shaw. "I wasn't a part of all of that. I did make a pitch to him once I got the job and free agency opened up. He opted to go with Golden State. As a player, that's a right that you earn and you deserve when you become a free agent – to choose where you want to go. He chose where he wants to go. We haven't looked back, we're looking ahead, and he's where he wants to be, obviously, so I don't give it any more attention than that."
Any extra motivation for players to face Iguodala?
"For the guys that were here, I think it should," said Shaw. "There's probably half of the guys in that [locker] room that weren't here, that weren't a part of that so it's hard to bring that with you."
What does Iguodala bring?
"With him, the thing that is most dangerous about Iguodala is the intangible things that he does," said Shaw. "He's not scoring a ton of points, but he can affect the game and impact the game in so many other ways: defensively, facilitating for their offense, finding their shooters, and things like that. Those are the things that I'm more concerned about."
