The planets in George Karl's galaxy are aligning nicely in 2009.

He embraced the spirit of change when Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th U.S. president on Jan. 20.

He celebrated when his favorite NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, won the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

His alma mater, North Carolina, validated its status as a national title contender by bludgeoning rival Duke on Wednesday.

And at the NBA All-Star break, the Nuggets boast the third-best record in the Western Conference.

Meeting with the media Thursday for an informal state-of-the-Nuggets address, Karl stammered for a few seconds as he tried to find the right words to explain the best 53-game start (36-17) in franchise history.

"It's pretty impressive," he finally said.

The Nuggets certainly have left some critics speechless through the first three-plus months of 2008-09, but Karl is not quite ready to label his team as a title contender.

"I don't think I'm going to make that statement until we win a playoff series," he said.

Cautious optimism probably is a good approach for a team that has been bounced from the first round of the postseason five times in a row. The Nuggets are 4-20 during that stretch, including 3-16 under Karl.

"For me, the regular season is kind of the foundation," Karl said. "The foundation is a good one right now - a very good one.

"We're excited about being really good, but it's a long and it's a hard road. There's going to be a lot of people who want to beat you up along the way."

As always, the Western Conference playoff race will be a heavyweight fight, but Karl is not counting on any roster changes along the way.

Though rumors will fly over All-Star Weekend as Thursday's trade deadline approaches, Karl said he did not plan to take his phone with him for a mountain getaway in Breckenridge.

"That's how much I think there's probably not going to be a phone call," he said.

The lines of communications will reopen Wednesday when the Nuggets resume an extended eight-game trip in Philadelphia. Things don't get much easier upon returning home as they close out the month with the defending champion Boston Celtics, the Atlanta Hawks and the West-leading Los Angeles Lakers.

"There are going to be some great games, and I think we're excited about them," Karl said. "Before, we were probably more fearful of them. Now I think we're kind of looking forward to them."