DENVER — When the Nuggets secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in December, we were intrigued.
When the Nuggets demolished the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, we took notice. When the Nuggets eclipsed the Suns on the road, we gained confidence. And when the Nuggets broomed the Lakers, we believed this was their year, right?
The Nuggets need one victory to secure history — one win to claim their first NBA title in 47 seasons. They face the Miami Heat in Game 5 at Ball Arena with a city, reaching its elasticity, ready to burst in joy.
Throughout the Nuggets postseason run, I have been asked where this ranks in the Colorado sports pantheon. The Broncos winning Super Bowl XXXII against the Packers as a heavy underdog will forever be the "You know where you were" when it happened event. The state's love affair with the Broncos and the previous failures makes this the No. 1 on any list. Period. End of sentence.
However, the Nuggets hoisting the trophy — and it will happen Monday — ranks second for me. I didn't grow up with the NHL, the Avs arriving after I had graduated from college and few remember when the original Colorado Rockies relocated to New Jersey after the 1982 season.
Having lived in Colorado for five decades, having attended Nuggets games as a kid at old Big Mac Arena in the 1980s, the significance of this achievement is impossible to overstate. From David Thompson to Byron Beck to Dan Issel to Alex English to Fat Lever to Dikembe Mutombo to Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets have boasted a battery of all-time greats. None has left a champion, the disappointment related to injuries, ineffectiveness, and, in multiple cases, the inability to navigate Lakers teams littered with multiple Hall of Famers.
The time with this team has finally arrived.
It took a hard-nosed former point guard, coach Michael Malone, to instill toughness and accountability, while showing vulnerability in his love for his players. It took Aaron Gordon, a former lottery pick, playing any role required. It took Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Christian Braun and Bruce Brown to wander into the spotlight when asked, while not losing their focus about points or minutes, which had nothing in common with rings. It took Jamal Murray to get healthy and prove that he's not "Bubble Jamal." He's "Playoff Jamal." When he doesn't feature a flurry of 3s, he is happy dishing out dimes, averaging double-digit assists in the Finals.
And it took the drafting of Nikola Jokic, a Serbian point center who has changed the game. The evolution has been televised. Jokic has shown the world what unselfishness and unicorn talent looks like. He leads the NBA postseason in points, assists, and rebounds. There's never been anyone like him, save for bursts of Wilt Chamberlain five decades ago.
Jokic makes everything work. He takes more satisfaction in setting up a teammate than his own buckets. He could score 35 points per game if he wanted. He is inevitable offensively. But he knows this is not the best version of the Nuggets.
Jokic and Murray are averaging 56.8 points per game, the second-highest ever for a playoff duo. Both are willing, to be like water, if you will, willing to be flexible in their mind, body, and nightly expectation.
And they know they haven't done anything yet, even as the Heat look exhausted (they have lost six of their last eight postseason games) and will try to get a desperate lift from Tyler Herro from the 3-point line.
The Nuggets will only be remembered fondly if they win the title, ending the longest drought in NBA history. Jokic makes it easy to buy into the urgency because he doesn't buy into any of his hype. So, as it remains impossible to walk around the city and surrounding areas without seeing someone in Nuggets gear, the players are following Malone's lead. Put on blinders. Keep it simple. Follow the fundamentals.
I recently spent a week in Lewiston, Idaho, watching my son Brady's Westmont College team win the NAIA World Series. It was the school's first-ever baseball crown and first title in a men's sport in 51 years. Before the final game, the players were introduced. None went out to the foul line. Instead, they waited until the last name was read and stepped out of the dugout as a team.
It was more than a symbolic gesture. It encapsulated why they were in this position.
I see something so similar with the Nuggets. They have the best player on the planet in Jokic. Yet, it's not about him. It's about them.
And after tonight, because of this attitude, it will always be about this team.
