They’re Nuggets to crack, as LaMarcus “Low Blow” Aldridge and those basketball bullies down in San Antonio have found.

In this NBA playoff series, have the Spurs come undone?

We all know the Nuggets have nowhere close to the championship pedigree of a proud San Antonio franchise and harbor ’t even won a match in the Alamo City since way back in 2012. But there were indications during Denver’s 114-105 victory in Game 2 the Spurs know they must try to intimidate the Nuggets because winning a game of skill is out of the question.

The final angry-man action of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich turned into parody, when he chased referee Kane Fitzgerald down the sideline and round the center-court line, in an astonishingly juvenile tantrum for a 70-year-old man, especially when it resulted in a costly technical foul that raised Denver’s lead to three points at a vital juncture of the fourth quarter.

But even worse, and perhaps more telling: After the Nuggets increased their lead to a nearly insurmountable seven points with a couple of ticks under two minutes remaining in the match, Aldridge fought through a screen by minding Denver guard Gary Harris under the belt and between the thighs, knocking Harris into the court with the kind of pain no man ever wants to survive.

Thank you, Mr. Aldridge.

I believe it’s been so long that Denver had forgotten what the passion of the NBA playoffs was all about. And I have felt the crowd in the Pepsi Center requires the team to fire up Nuggets fans rather than the other way around.

Well Aldridge has given this long-suffering and far-too-polite basketball town required to get crazy and loud: a villain to boo unmercifully.

“I do not think he’s a player. I don’t see that in his match,” Malone said Wednesday following the Nuggets arrived in San Antonio on the eve of Game 3. “I think it was an accident, I think it was unfortunate. I don’t think there was any malicious intent there. That’s not who LaMarcus Aldridge is. ”

While Aldridge seems like a fellow in casual conversation, the history of the big man’s 13 seasons in the NBA indicates he has trouble. Along with well-documented and long-simmering bad blood with Serge Ibaka, video evidence isn’t hard to find of Aldridge blowing a fuse and trying to intimidate a foe.

There’s no reason, however, for these Nuggets to be spooked or intimidated by a losing streak in San Antonio. Why? They used to be the big Spurs. However, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have left the building. The most scary thing about San Antonio is Popovich’s grumpy-bear glare.

Let’s put it in words folks should understand from the Lone Star state.

Don’t mess with Denver.

The blow on Harris by Aldridge merits a fine. While I initially thought a suspension was in order, I’t reconsidered. The Spurs without Aldridge wouldn’t be a fair fight. Beating San Antonio, already short of basketball talent, would be easy for Denver.

While the Nuggets organization sent video of the blow Malone didn’t push for a suspension, since he doesn’t believe Aldridge displayed premeditated intent to hurt Harris.

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“Who cares what I think? ” Malone said. “It all comes down to what the NBA thinks. ”

At this point, it would be surprising if our friend Kiki Vandeweghe and his pals in the NBA’s office give Aldridge more than a slap on the wrist.

The next time Aldridge reveals his face in the Pepsi Center, however, I will be deeply disappointed if he’s not greeted with a song chosen especially for him:

“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. ” From The Nutcracker.

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