For the first time in franchise history, the Denver Nuggets are headed to the NBA Finals.
For Nugget superfans, the Finals series -- set to begin Thursday against the Miami Heat -- has been years in the making. Some long time fans Denverite spoke to said building the team that's now going to the Finals has taken nearly a decade. But for new fans, bandwagoners, and Denver residents who haven't been paying attention, that history may be lost on them.
Luckily for them, Denverite has spoken to diehard fans and experts to put together a comprehensive guide to all things Nuggets.
First, are bandwagoners welcome?
In the world of sports, many see the act of being a bandwagon fan -- a fan who only shows support for a team when they're successful -- as a cardinal sin.
For Stephanie Bullen, who grew up in a self-proclaimed "Nuggets household," she welcomes the bandwagoners. In her eyes, the more, the merrier.
"I think that it's great when the people in a city show up for their city," Bullen said. "I don't think that you have to know everything there is to know to go ahead and support the home team.
Adam Mares, a lifelong fan and the head of content at DNVR, a digital media company for Colorado sports, welcomes new fans and invites them to the Nugget fanbase if it helps them connect with Denver.
"I always say latching onto a local sports team during a title run is one of the best ways to experience the city. It ties you to everyone else in the city pulling in the same direction," Mares said.
Who are the current stars?
Nikola Jokić, in the simplest terms, is a character.
Drafted in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft by the Nuggets, Jokić is known off the court for his dislike of bland American chicken and his love of horses.
But, on the court, he's all business. The two-time MVP Serbian center has broken dozens of NBA records, including the one for most triple-doubles in a single postseason this year. In Game 4 of Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Jokić calmly drove into the paint and scored a simple lay-up to win the game and complete the sweep.
However, for some fans, what's so special about Jokić isn't his ability -- it's his story. The 28-year-old superstar was a second-round draft pick in 2014. His drafting was deemed so unimportant that ESPN announced it during a Taco Bell commercial.
"I didn't really know who he was. He was the 41st pick of the draft, and for him to not only overlooked in the first round, but also some of those same teams passed on him again, speaks volumes to whoever that coach was scouting him and said let's bring this guy in," said Kelly Golden, a Nuggets fan since 1988.
On top of his underdog story, Jokić's personality is beloved by fans. Known commonly as "Joker," Jokić is known for his dry humor and humility.
"There's really nobody like him, comparing him to players of the past is difficult because of how unique he is," Mares said. "I think his personality kind of shines through his nickname, 'the Joker'. He plays that way. He plays like he has a bag of tricks."
Another key player to know is Jamal Murray, the starting point guard. His story also represents the underdog spirit that's come to embody the Nuggets. Drafted in the first round in 2016, Murray missed the entirety of last season while recovering from an ACL tear, which put his future as a star player in doubt.
Ashley Landis/AP Photo
"[The Nuggets] have been in purgatory, so to speak, for two years waiting for his return," Mares said. "And now that he's back, he's looking better than ever."
Mares said the team's been built around Jokić and Murray, but the rest of the players aren't any slouches. Rounding out the team is Michael Porter Jr., a 24-year-old small forward who underwent two major back surgeries that dealt a major blow to his career prospects.
"Denver rounded out the rotation with a handful of really high-level defensive players and Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Bruce Brown, some veteran players that were added to this roster a little bit later, but they fill in the gaps nicely around their stars," he said. "It's a very unselfish team and a team of a bunch of players who all embrace and enjoy their roles on the team."
Who is the coach, Michael Malone?
Many see 2015 as the beginning of this year's championship run. Not only did Jokić officially join the team that year (Jokić was drafted in summer of 2014 but played for a Serbian team until the summer of 2015), but head coach Michael Malone took over the team.
At the time of his joining, Malone was an extremely green coach. He joined after two seasons coaching the Sacramento Kings. His second season for the Kings ended prematurely as he was fired less than a third of the way through the regular season.
"We didn't know much about him," Mares said. "Was he going to be good? Was he going to be bad? I think at that point he was very unproven, but he clearly had a personality and an identity."
And while it took a while to gain momentum, Malone eventually won over the fanbase.
"After a year or two, it became really apparent, the culture that he was building and the way that the pieces were coming into place for this team effort, for the family mentality and the unified front that this Nuggets team is all about," Bullen said.
Malone had big shoes to fill -- shoes that the previous two coaches failed to break in. Malone and his predecessors had to live up to the name of George Karl, Denver's coach from 2005 to 2013. That era was defined by franchise stars like Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. In each of Karl's seasons with the Nuggets, he made the playoffs, but never was able to reach the finals.
The year after Karl left the Nuggets is viewed as a dark period in Nuggets history. There were no clear stars on the team and a rookie head coach was hired, whose tenure was cut short the next season.
"I remember in 2014 thinking, 'Oh no, here comes another five, six years of nothingness,'" Mares said.
In Malone's first three seasons, which were viewed as rebuilding years, the Nuggets never made the playoff berth. In the 2018-2019 season, they made it to the conference semifinals, but were knocked out by the Portland Trail Blazers.
It wasn't until the following season, one marked by the shutdowns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, that Malone's team stood out.
The bubble season
On March 11, 2020, the NBA season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly three months later, the Nuggets were invited to join the NBA Bubble, a biosecure facility in Florida that allowed teams to safely isolate themselves from the outside world and finish playing out the 2019-2020 season.
In the first round of the Bubble playoffs, the Nuggets overcame a 3-1 series deficit twice, beating the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers. The team was uplifted by show-stopping performances by Murray.
"He had one of the most remarkable playoff runs in NBA history," Mares said. "He had two 50-point games in one series, which is something that's only been done by a few players, [including] Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain."
The Nuggets eventually lost in the conference final to the Lakers -- the team they exacted revenge on this year. And while it came as a disappointment to fans, for many, it was a sign of hope after years of failure.
"That run in the bubble was definitely kind of the indication that maybe this is a team that could actually have a good run and make it out of the first round of the playoffs," Bullen said.
Why couldn't I watch the games this season and can I watch the finals?
Since 2019, broadcasting giant Comcast -- that is, Xfinity -- and regional sports broadcaster Altitude Sports have been in a contract dispute that led several seasons of Colorado sports, including the Colorado Avalanche and the Colorado Rapids, unavailable to Comcast customers.
The Nuggets, owned by Stan Kroenke, who also owns Altitude TV, have been one of the teams affected by the blackout. Regular season games that aren't aired on national TV have been unavailable for fans who are Comcast customers.
That won't be the case for the Finals, however. All games will be aired on major channels such as ABC or ESPN -- which are not affected by the local blackout.
