The Denver Nuggets won their first ever NBA Finals last season, breaking a 47 year drought as an NBA franchise. It didn’t seem like much of a challenge for them either, as Denver steamrolled the competition to the tune of a 16-4 playoff record. The 16-4 mark is tied for the second best of any champion in the 21 years since the first round changed to a best-of-seven format. The only champs with a better mark were the 2017 Warriors at 16-1. Not only was it the culmination of 47 years of waiting for the franchise, but multiple years of waiting for the franchise. After trading for Aaron Gordon at the 2021 NBA trade deadline, the team went 21-7 down the stretch, and it looked like they were on the verge of making a championship push. But those hopes would be crushed toward the end of the regular season. On April 12th in a game against the Warriors, emerging star guard Jamal Murray fell to the ground following a layup attempt, and immediately grabbed his left knee. The diagnosis came in just a day later, Murray had torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the season, and potentially all of the next season as well. The Nuggets did finish the season strong, and won their first round matchup, but fell to the Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals. He ended up missing all of the next season as well, and another of the core four on the team, Michael Porter Jr., only played 9 games. But Murray and Porter returned to start last season, and with the core they built finally healthy they ran through the regular season and the playoffs and claimed what they deserved, their first NBA title. Now they’re looking at the incredibly difficult task of repeating as champions. But with the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic, an all-time playoff riser in Jamal Murray, and the entire starting five returning it feels as if they should be favorites to do it again.
Think about subbing, I’m on the road to 11k!!!
#denvernuggets #nikolajokic #jamalmurray
