Now, it’s important to note the Nuggets weren’t going to up and leave town because that was part of the deal when Stan Kroenke took over. Carmelo Anthony saved basketball in Denver as we know it. That’s really where the legacy discussion in regards to the Nuggets should start. So, in Denver people hurried home from work to watch the NBA draft (unheard of in this town) and local sports stations blasted out “Mellow Yellow” by Donovan as the entire state prepared for what they knew was coming: the return of Nuggets basketball. He probably goes #1 overall in about 95% of drafts, but just so happened to be in the same draft as LeBron James and the Pistons just so happened to lose their minds. Melo was so good, so iconic in his one year of basketball at ‘Cuse that they named the practice facility after him just six years later. One of the worst kept secrets in the week leading up to the draft was that the Detroit Pistons were, inexplicably, going to take Darko Milicic number two overall despite Melo being fresh off dominating the NCAA as a freshman on the way to leading Syracuse to its only NCAA Tournament Championship. This was different, this buzz was about a 19 year old kid who had never played a game in professional sports. ![]() The Broncos had practically owned a three year period in the NFL, the Rockies were in the midst of a 21-1 run that brought them to the World Series. Those buzzes were built on results though. It’s like in October of 2007 where suddenly every person in Colorado was wearing a Colorado Rockies hat. That sort of excitement where you could feel something BIG was about to happen and the fever pitch takes hold of the entire city, hell the entire state. There was a buzz that often would be felt regarding the Denver Broncos when they were in they heyday of John Elway and Terrell Davis’ back to back Super Bowl run. Famously drafted during a Taco Bell commercial, Jokic leads the Nuggets to their highest highs in franchise history and solidifies himself as their all-time best player.I’ll never forget the feeling around town on the afternoon of June 26th, 2003. Anthony’s trade to the New York Knicks and the new-look George Karl-led Denver Nuggets exceed expectations.Denver tweaked their formula with Allen Iverson and later Chauncey Billups to get the most out of the Anthony era.A gift from the heavens comes from scoring machine Carmelo Anthony immediately giving the Denver Nuggets an offensive star.Futility on and off the court with struggles to win basketball games and find suitable ownership for the team.The Nuggets’ unfortunate decision to switch from their excellent jerseys to their very bad brown and red jerseys in the 90s.What people don’t remember though: they almost beat the Utah Jazz in the next round! Dikembe Mutombo and the Denver Nuggets shocked the world and defeated the #1-seeded Seattle Supersonics in the 1994 NBA Playoffs.Doug Moe enters the equation, and the Denver Nuggets lay waste to NBA record books with prolific offensive numbers and one of the NBA’s most well-balanced teams of all time.The Denver Nuggets’ early success in the NBA doesn’t quite translate to a championship or an NBA Finals appearance.The Rockets became the Denver Nuggets and joined fellow ABA teams in the newly-merged NBA.The beginning of the current-day Denver Nuggets as the ABA’s Denver Rockets.A brief history of pro basketball in Denver, starting with the AAU Denver Nuggets and off-shoot teams in the early days of organized, professional basketball. ![]() Everything you ever wanted to know about the Denver Nuggets: It’s a fascinating one with bouts of futility, innovations, and experiments of the game, lost superstars, and now, finally, NBA Finals glory. ![]() Thanks to the heroics of two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, Aaron Gordon, and coach Michael (“Don’t Call Him Mike”) Malone, the Nuggets are finally in the finals! In this episode, we will look back on the franchises’ history. Join the Over and Back Classic NBA Podcast as we dive into the complete history of the Denver Nuggets!Īfter 56 years of existence, the Denver Nuggets are finally in the NBA Finals.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |