Before last night's contest between Denver and New York, Nuggets' coach George Karl looked ready to bust a gut when asked if it ever crossed his mind to apologize to Isiah Thomas for calling Thomas a jackass and a jerk after last December's Knicks-Nuggets' brawl.

Karl thought Thomas stoked the fight by telling Carmelo Anthony to stay out of the paint.

Last night, Karl paused several seconds rolling his eyes with his face turning red in anger before pointing out the Nuggets lost Anthony for 15 games.

"I think we had a harder time with the fight than they did," Karl said. "Most of my feelings and desire was to coach a team through a very unbasketball-like stretch of games. ... That was my focal point. Once we went through the season, I wanted to put it in the past."

Asked his feeling for Thomas, Karl said, "He's a coach I respect and have a professional desire to beat."