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Two more victories. The evolution of Carmelo Anthony, the revelation of Ty Lawson, the redemption of J.R. Smith … none of it means a thing if the Denver Nuggets can't find a way to win two more playoff games against the Los Angeles Lakers than they did last season.

Maybe this Nuggets team found exactly what it needed. A singular target. How were they supposed to focus when they had nothing to focus on? The goal wasn't tangible enough.

They used to let their own issues overwhelm them, and not even the arrival of the playoffs could prompt them to put the mission ahead of their internal problems.

In 2006 they lost in the playoffs to the Los Angeles Clippers. And as if being the Clippers' only playoff victim in a generation weren't enough, the Clippers actually targeted them, "conveniently" lost enough games to drop down into a matchup with them, then went ahead and beat them. Kenyon Martin didn't even make it to the end of the series, getting booted from the team by George Karl as if he were kicked out of practice.

The next year Karl chose to defend "the dignity of the game" at Smith's expense and didn't play the mercurial guard for the fifth and final game of their series against the Spurs.

In 2008, Allen Iverson got kicked out of the first game by the refs, then Anthony accused the Nuggets of "quitting" in the third game as the Lakers swept them for yet another first-round exit.

But 2009 was different. This time they made it to the Western Conference finals. They were playing at what Ralph Wiley used to call the "highest level of hoop." Not just playing but responding to the challenge, winning two of the first four games and outscoring the Lakers by 14 points through the first 19 quarters of the series. And then, starting in the fourth quarter of Game 5, the Lakers threw it into another gear, accelerating into the NBA Finals and leaving the Nuggets behind, staring. Staring and fixating.

"We played them last year, we're going to play them from here on out," Anthony says. "That's how I look at it. They're the team to beat. We have to go through them."

As Karl said: "They are at the top of the mountain, and we have to figure out how to get ready for the opportunity in May or June to try and knock them off the top of the mountain."

Every practice, every plane ride, every game is a step in that journey. At least now when they stray, they have something to grab their attention and immediately get them back on the path. Look closely enough, and you'll see the signs. In its own way, Wednesday night's loss in Milwaukee was as telling as Friday night's blowout victory over the Lakers. The Nuggets were down by 10 with 2:41 left in the game, at the end of a six-game road trip, the day after that dramatic replay-affirmed victory in Chicago, and they still found a way to make one last push, trimming the Bucks' lead all the way down to two in the final minute.

Some people in the organization worry that the Nuggets can play down to their level of opposition. Even if they do, they still can snap out of it and play back to their standards within the same game. The main reason for that is Carmelo Anthony.

He's relentless this season, averaging just under 30 points in his first 10 games, getting to the free throw line more often, shooting them at a better percentage. We can't even call him "Melo" anymore, because there's nothing mellow about him. It's like he holds himself personally accountable for everything that transpires when he's in the arena. And the look on his face says "I got this."

Anthony kept attacking the basket against Milwaukee. The shots didn't fall and he didn't get calls, but there's no doubt his attitude fueled the comeback. The great ones treat November games in Milwaukee the same way they treat the NBA Finals. They approach everything like a business meeting, which might explain the brown suit, vest and tie getup Anthony wore to the Pepsi Center on Friday, looking as if he were about to audit the Nuggets' finances.

"It took me a couple of years to figure that out, everything from top to bottom, how to approach the games to attitude to practice, locker room, shootaround," Anthony says.

He's wiser, but not that much older.

"I'm 25 years old," Anthony says. "People look at me like I'm on my way out the game. I'm just getting started.

"You learn the game more and more that you step on the court. Every offseason, you learn the game, you mature. I'm excited about this and my future."

You have to share his optimism, based on his ability to build momentum from his achievements, turning his Olympic gold medal into a breakout playoff performance, which he is converting into a career year. The days of the bad news, such as the "Stop Snitching" video, seem so long ago.

Of course it isn't easy to put your past behind you, to simply shed skin like a reptile and move on. (Speaking of changing skin, it would take the Nuggets 20,000 hours of laser treatments to get rid of all their tattoos). As Anthony was discussing his newfound businesslike approach, J.R. Smith drew everybody's attention by holding up a toy dog that, when switched on, frantically humped a post.

"Why do people keep sending me this stuff?" Smith wondered.

Who else would they send it to? Renaldo Balkman?

Smith's past hasn't been so easy to escape. He can't even shed monikers; his announcement that he preferred to go by his given name, Earl, didn't even last a day. He just served a seven-game suspension, handed down after he finally received the legal resolution to a fatal traffic accident he caused two years ago. On the court his shot selection can still cause Karl to lose his remaining hair, and Smith has learned enough not to look over at the bench after he shoots.

Asked whether he believes he has earned his coach's trust yet, Smith gives an honest pause.

"Umm, to an extent," Smith says. "I know I can't get too crazy. But at the same time I know he trusts me enough to put me out there and let me take those shots."

He took 10 3-pointers in 23 minutes against the Lakers, but did make four of them. Tack those on to his performance in Game 6 of the conference finals and he's 8-for-19 from 3-point range in his past two games against the Lakers. They are leaving him in the sixth man role because it gives them so much firepower off the bench and allows him to focus on scoring instead of worrying about fitting in with the first-unit players.

The Nuggets have Smith answering the challenge. They have Anthony at the next level. It's all feeding Karl's belief that this team can and will be better than last season's version, even without dramatic changes.

"I think in general we can be a more fundamental team," Karl says. "I thought, at the end of last year, everybody wanted to say we were wild and crazy. I thought we were playing more like San Antonio than people gave us credit for. Ty gives us a guy that we've never had before. We have a guy that can go. 'Here, go.' That's pretty good coaching.

"Roy Williams [Lawson's coach at North Carolina] whispered to me that he's the best point guard that he's ever coached."

Lawson just happens to fit the description of the Lakers' biggest weakness: defending quick point guards. In his first game against them he shredded the Lakers defense for 13 points, six assists and one highlight dunk over D.J. Mbenga. He's averaging 10 points and three assists in 21 minutes, and is making the transition to the pro game look easy.

"It's tougher than it looks," Lawson insists. "There's a lot of hard work behind it."

His job's simplified because he can just come in and go fast. Chauncey Billups is still responsible for running the team, providing the leadership and perspective.

"I feel we had a real legitimate chance of winning, of beating [the Lakers]," Billups said. "You don't get those opportunities all the time. Even though I've had 'em a few times, it just doesn't come back around automatically just because you were good last year. This year we want to get back to that spot."

Billups has been in "that spot" -- the conference finals -- seven consecutive times, been to the NBA Finals twice, won it all in 2004. If anything, it's made him even more desperate at age 33.

"My window is closing, man," he said. "I know that. And the crazy thing is, even though some of these guys, they might be 23, 24, 25, their window might be closing too. Teams get broke up, other teams might not have the opportunity."

This team will get the opportunity again. Everything about them says conference finals. And maybe even two more victories this time.

J.A. Adande joined ESPN.com as an NBA columnist in August 2007 after 10 years with the Los Angeles Times. Click here to e-mail J.A.