The Denver Nuggets are finally NBA Champions as they finally end a 46-year drought of no championships which was the largest current drought in NBA history. Nikola Jokic has cemented himself as an all-time great adding a finals and finals MVP to his already illustrious career. It has been a long journey here and I couldn't be happier for this team that has gone through so much in the last couple of seasons. First off, I want to tip my cap to the Miami Heat and the incredible playoff run they had defying all odds being an 8-seed that was on the verge of being knocked out in their second play-in game to making the NBA Finals. I have tons of respect for that organization I don't doubt they will be back on the big stage shortly. Now let's talk about the champs:
It has been a wild 5 years for Nuggets fans. The Nuggets made their first appearance in the playoffs in 2019 for the first time in 6 years. The 2018-2019 Nuggets were 54-28 and the number 2 seed behind the Golden State Warriors in the west. After losing out in the battle for 8th place vs the Timberwolves the prior season, they made a big step in 2018 and were finally able to break through and be a top 8 seed. They faced San Antonio in the first round and the Nuggets displayed a lot of youth as they lost their first game at home essentially losing their homecourt right out the gates. But with some Heroics from Jamal and Joker, they were able to pull the rug right underneath the Spurs beating them by 7 in round 1. Unfortunately, they lost in 7 to a very good Trailblazers team the next round and at this point, no one was down on the Nuggets as they played much better in the postseason than many people anticipated and fans knew the future was bright. 2019-2020 was of course a weird season as covid through many things off course but the Nuggets once again had another strong regular season finishing as the 3rd seed behind the Lakers and Clippers. The playoffs rolled around in the bubble and things looked very dicey at various moments. They were down 3-1 to Utah in round 1 and the heroics of Bubble Murray helped the Nuggets overcome that deficit. Despite the comeback, no one gave the Nuggets a chance vs the Clippers in round 2 as many analysts picked the Clippers to win the finals that year. After going down 3-1 again, it seemed like the analysts were correct but once again Jokic and Murray put together great games in the waning games of the series and pulled off another 3-1 comeback. Coming back from 3-1 once is difficult enough. Coming back from a 3-1 deficit twice is unheard of. Once the Nuggets spoiled many people's brackets, that's when they transitioned from cute overachievers to real contenders. They would lose in 5 to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals but no one in Nugget's nation waivered and all still believed the future was very bright. Moving on to 2020-2021. Jokic took a big leap as a player as he went from averaging 19.9 pts per game to 26.4. He also increased his rebounding and assists as well. He would then eventually go on to win MVP that year. However, April 12, 2021, was a day Nuggets fans will never forget. Jamal Murray, in a game against the Warriors, tore his ACL in the final minutes of that game. At that point, no one knew what was next. Everyone knew the Nuggets had no real shot at being real title contenders without him. Was that his last game as a Nugget? Will Denver trade him? Those were the questions circling the team at that point. It was very tough to swallow because, before that horrific incident, Murray was playing the best ball of his career posting career highs across the board. They were rolling as they were stringing together wins against very good teams after acquiring Aaron Gordon from the Magic. This team looked like the best team they had since the Jokic and Murray era had begun and it all went crash landing in one moment. The Nuggets still finished 3rd in the west and played a scrappy Portland team in round 1. They beat them in 6 as both teams were pretty similar as it consisted of one great player and a bunch of other role players. However, once they ran into the Suns, they stood no chance. The Suns were a well-oiled machine and swept the Nuggets in round 2. This was when Denver missed Murray the most. Jokic put up great numbers but he had no help. Contrary to the ending of the previous 2 seasons this one left a void in many Nuggets fans. The 2021-2022 Nuggets were the definition of a one-man army as Jokic put the team on his back and carried this team to 6 seed. Murray was still sidelined for the entire year and Porter Jr. was dealing with injuries as well so he missed the entire season as well. Jokic won his second MVP but the team was not good enough to compete and would get beat in 5 vs the eventual champion Warriors in round 1. Questions started to mount about whether Jokic would ever be able to have real playoff success. People were starting to question the validity of his MVPs because they believed he needed to prove to them that he could perform at the highest level in the biggest stages. People would not give Jokic the injury excuse at all.
2022-2023:
Jamal Murray and MPJ are back. The Nuggets went out and got Bruce Brown, former champion KCP, and drafted Christian Braun. The team was finally whole again. However, the skepticism was never higher for this team. The media wondered how Murray and MPJ would come back from injury and as I previously stated that Jokic had many skeptics about his game being able to translate the postseason which I thought was ridiculous but it was out there. The Nuggets were the best team in the west all year as they finished number 1 in the west. Murray and MPJ were a little rusty at first but gained confidence throughout the year. It was very inspiring watching Murray just get better and better as the season progressed and he was finally able to trust his legs and athleticism and his shot was finally back. He returned to pre-injury form and the Nuggets were back in business. Then came the playoffs. Their redemption tour. They beat the Wolves by 5 in round 1 as they avenge their 2018 battle for the 8th seed loss. They beat the KD and Booker Suns in the round avenging their 2021 defeat. They sweep the new-look Lakers that many picked to win the finals as they avenged their loss from the WCF in the bubble. Then they beat a scrappy 8th-seeded Heat team in 5 to finally achieve what they sought after starting in 2018. Murray and Jokic both put on a show in these playoffs and the Finals but contributions from Gordon, Brown, Braun, KCP, and Green cannot be overlooked. Mike Malone also has been under scrutiny so I am very happy for him as well. The person I am most happy for is Murray. The man who was in tears after his injury and who believed he was "damaged goods" and thought was going to be traded, worked his ass off and came back spectacularly and was a catalyst for this championship run. The organization was not ready to give up on him as Malone said "your ours" to Murray and that kind of faith is what a player such as Jamal Murray needed at that moment. After such a roller coaster of 5 years, they finally did it! NBA CHAMPS!
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