LOS ANGELES — The Nuggets were coming to Loyola Marymount to practice today, so the folks at the Burns Center had to clear out the gym. The last guy out, before the Nuggets walked in, was a fellow named Bryce, wearing a Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony jersey.

It was just another reminder that the Nuggets’ star is gone — but as coach George Karl said today, a day before the playoffs open against the Lakers, “We got to show the world that some of out players are more talented than they are perceived. I think that’s going to happen over time. Ty (Lawson), Danilo (Gallinari), Arron (Afflalo), some of our young bigs, there are some people around the league saying, ‘Hey, they’re pretty good.’ But the consensus is — well, they’re not talented enough to beat the Lakers. Well, I’m not sure if that’s true.

“Team plus talent, which team has the most right now? Everybody is betting on the Lakers, but our team-ness is pretty good. We can win with many different people being our leader.

“It’s pretty clear that Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, one of those three or two of those three are the ones that (could) beat us. But I couldn’t tell you who it’ll be for us. I don’t know what combination is going to show up to be powerful. But — I’m very confident to go out there and play. I think we’ve been dealt some good things — Ron Artest is out and Matt Barnes has a sore ankle. The last game, the guy who beat is was Barnes, he was the wild card.”

Lawson is Denver’s top scorer for the season, with 16.4 points per game.

“This is what we’ve been playing for the whole season, working hard our whole lives for this opportunity,” said Lawson, who became the fulltime starter in February of 2011, after Denver dealt Anthony and Chauncey Billups to New York. “I think everybody is ready.”

While Lawson’s game is based around his transition pushing and half-court penetration, he has excelled at the 3-ball, especially of late, making 14 of his last 20 3s.

“I’ve been working hard at it,” he said, “making sure I lift my shot and hold my follow through up — and it’s been working for me. Timing and repetition, that’s going to be big for me in this series, especially because they’re letting me come off screens and go under screens. So I’m prepared if I come off them, I’ll knock down the shots.”