Malone: If Lakers still worried about Nuggets, 'That's on them' - ESPN

SAN DIEGO — The Los Angeles Lakers might have the Nuggets on their minds this week, but Denver coach Michael Malone said the defending NBA champions have nothing but respect for the Lakers and have turned the page from the Western Conference finals sweep of L.A.

Malone was asked Wednesday about how some of the Lakers talked about his team this week and how they have been motivated by trash talk from Malone and the Nuggets all summer.

«That was what, four months ago?» Malone said after practice at the Nuggets' training camp at UC San Diego. «I can't speak for anybody in L.A. But if they're still worried about us, that's on them.

»This is a new season, a new challenge, and it was a hell of a series against them. I know it was a 4-0 sweep, but all those games seemed like they went down to the wire. We have tremendous respect for that team. I have tremendous respect for Darvin Ham as a coach and the job that he did. But yeah, I don't listen to any of that stuff. I don't know what they're saying, and if we're on their minds, then I guess that's on them."

There certainly will be added spice to the season opener between the Nuggets and Lakers in Denver on Oct. 24. Lakers star Anthony Davis told Spectrum SportsNet during Monday's media day that he found the trash talk from the Nuggets after their sweep of the Lakers to be «motivational.»

«There was just so much of that going on,» Davis said. «It was like, 'All right, we get it, y'all won.' But me and [LeBron James] had some conversations like, 'We can't wait [to play them again].'»

During the Western Conference finals, Malone said the narrative was much more about the Lakers than the Nuggets. After the sweep, Malone was asked whether he believed the Nuggets would be overshadowed