Saturday will feature Steve Nash taking the clutch off fifth gear for the first time in years as he indoctrinates himself to new head coach Terry Porter's more controlled offense that is sure to involve more touches for the two-headed monster of Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal, entering his 17th season as a pro, recently caught up with NBA.com's John Hareas and talked about the upcoming game against the Nuggets.

"I've been playing outdoors all summer," O'Neal said. "The only difference is we're going to be playing on a real floor. I've been playing outside with the kids. I would go down to the park. Matter of fact, I was in Weequahic Park in Newark this summer. I just rolled by, had my shoes and shorts on, so I just went out there."

Shaq said that the only challenge of playing outside could be the weather.

"It's not like playing in a vented air conditioned building," O'Neal said.

The forecast is 80 degrees and windy on Saturday, so Shaq can blame the elements if he happens to airball a free throw.

The game will also give fans an opportunity to see rookie Robin Lopez in action, the talented twin out of Stanford, who will be playing in just his second game.

On the other side of the ball is the Nuggets, who were second in the league in scoring with a 110.65 team average last season, slightly edging out the Suns who came in third with a 110.07 per game average.

It will be interesting to see how Denver's rotation looks like without Marcus Camby in the middle. Camby was traded to the Clippers in the offseason for a second-round draft pick so the Nuggets could avoid paying a luxury tax. Nene is likely to start, but don't be surprised if the Nuggets play a lot of small ball with starters Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin along with Linas Kleiza and recently re-signed J.R. Smith off the bench.

Martin has already expressed the importance of his team all starting off on the right foot, or feet actually.

"Top to bottom, everyone's got to be in line, a straight line  like a Riverdance," Martin told the Denver Post. "You've seen Riverdance  somebody's out of line, it messes everything up."

They'll get the chance to try their dance moves outside in the twilight with the Suns on Saturday.