There’s a tale rooted deep in Nuggets lore that serves as a fitting conclusion to Denver’s dream season, which came to an end Sunday.
In 2013, soon after Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly took over Denver’s front office, he and his staff went out to lunch at a downtown establishment. During the meal, he offered his waiter tickets to an upcoming Nuggets game but was promptly turned down. “If they were Broncos tickets, I’d take them,” the server responded.
Pepsi Center, which at times was a ghost town early on in Connelly’s tenure, was packed to the brim and at times deafening during Game 7, which is where the Nuggets’ 2018-19 season came to a conclusion. Behind 37 points from C.J. McCollum, Portland snuck by Denver 100-96 and onto the Conference Finals.
The steps that the Nuggets took this year to reestablish their foothold in the Denver sports landscape is among what Torrey Craig will remember most from a season that saw an upstart team take the rest of the league by storm with 54 regular season wins, capture the second seed in the West and advance all the way to the Western Conference Semifinals.
“Just the chemistry we had,” said Craig, Denver’s defensive ace who held Damian Lillard to 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting in Game 7. “The fun we had going on winning streaks, trying to bring Denver basketball back to Denver. Just enjoying the whole process, the fans and the community.”
The Nuggets shot from 20th in attendance in 2018 to 12th this season, igniting a fan base that had grown dormant over in Denver’s post-George Karl era which ended in 2013. The winning helped, but the Nuggets’ rise within Denver’s city limits was mostly aided by a fan base getting behind a team and superstar in Nikola Jokic whose unselfish nature and playing style made it easy to root for.
“What I will remember is truly how selfless they were,” Michael Malone said about his group. “A lot of people talk about being selfless, and it’s a fancy word up on the wall that looks cool. But for us, it was something we actually tried to live, and I think there were countless examples of individuals being selfless throughout the season. I look at Isaiah Thomas and Juancho (Hernangomez), up (cheering) the whole game. Those guys are dying to play. They’re not playing but they’re supporting their teammates. That’s what will stand out.”
“… This group really did play for each other, not just with each other. They cared about each other on the court and off the court, and the best teams I’ve ever been a part of have had that kind of chemistry and love for one another. That’s a special group.”
Malone wasn’t exaggerating when he said Hernangomez, the reserve forward who made 25 starts for Denver this season but found himself out of the rotation with the Nuggets at full health, was standing up on the sideline and cheering on his teammates for the entirety of Game 7. It’s the exact pose that the towel waving and ever energetic Spaniard found himself in for much of the year, no matter if he was playing or not.
In four seasons covering this team, Hernangomez is the greatest teammate I’ve ever covered.
“We are truly a family, Hernangomez told BSN Denver about the Nuggets’ current locker room. “The way we love each other and we look at each other is unbelievable. I don’t know how to say it, you just have to feel it. Everybody’s happy for each other. Everybody understands their role. For sure everybody wants a bigger role but that’s the great thing about this team. Everybody knows their role, and that’s the reason we got to where we did.”
Sacrifice was a key tenet to the Nuggets’ success this season for Hernangomez, and Thomas, who sat on the sideline in a sport coat for most of the year, but also for consistent members of Denver’s rotation.
Monte Morris may have sacrificed more than anyone. The second-year point guard, who didn’t have any expectations coming into this year and was suddenly thrust into the spotlight as the lead ball handler on the Nuggets’ second unit when Thomas took longer than expected to return from his hip injury, excelled. Morris’ play became one of the storylines from Denver’s storybook season, and the 22-year-old averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 assists off the Nuggets’ bench. He established himself as Denver’s backup point guard for years to come but saw his minutes decrease when Thomas was inserted into the lineup around February’s All-Star break and had to move off the ball.
“It was a group who all got along,” Morris told BSN Denver about what he’ll remember most from this team. “We never had any confrontations, and everybody wanted to see everybody win. That’s what I’m going to miss about this team. One through 17, we all gave up our opportunities at times for other guys to play.”
Along the Nuggets’ long road to Sunday’s Game 7, Nikola Jokic established himself as an All-Star cornerstone for years to come. Jokic played at an MVP level for Denver this season, but it was his selfless personality that reflected on both walls of the Nuggets’ locker room that became this team’s identity.
Jokic’s unselfish nature wasn’t just a cheeky storyline around the fun-loving Serbian point center who warmed the hearts of Nuggets and NBA fans all season. It was the code that Denver lived by.
“Just how close this group is,” Millsap said of what he’ll remember from this season. “The closeness of us. The way everybody wanted everybody to win. I think that’s what makes an amazing locker room. Guys wanting other guys, guys that are first unit or second unit, wanting them to succeed. There’s a lot of selfless guys in this locker room. That’s how you build teams. These are guys you want on your team.”
Denver came up short of its ultimate goal of bringing home championship rings this season, which if you ask certain players was a goal many thought was achievable. But the Nuggets still crossed off countless items on its preseason checklist that was formulated during training camp on the campus of San Diego State University back in September, like a postseason appearance and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“This was a fun group. We enjoyed coming to work every day,” Gary Harris told BSN Denver. “We had a great time going out there grinding, putting in the work, winning a lot of games. This one hurts, but we’ll bounce back. This is the most connected team I’ve been on since I’ve played in Denver. During the year, that bond only got stronger.”
The Nuggets also finished tied for their second-most wins in NBA franchise history and had their first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony in 2011. Malone will likely garner consideration for the NBA’s Coach of the Year.
“When we started the season in San Diego in training camp, we said, ‘Let’s make the playoffs.’ Then we were playing really good. We were No. 1 spot in the West for a couple weeks,” said Jokic, who finished with 29 points and 13 rebounds in Game 7 and averaged 25.1 points, 13 rebounds and 8.4 assists in what will go down as one of the great playoff debuts in NBA history. “Then we said, ‘Let’s do something bigger.’ We had home-court advantage. We beat San Antonio in seven games. It was a really tough series against Portland. We lost today. It’s an improvement for us. It’s our first time being here. Probably next year we’re going to be better.”
And that’s what Denver has to look forward to. This year’s chapter is written, but the book on this group is far from finished. The Nuggets entered the season as the second-youngest team in the league, and Denver’s core of Jokic, Murray and Gary Harris are all entering their primes. Many more wins, sold-out crowds and someday maybe even championship banners await.
If that time comes, the selfless culture that was established this season will be the main reason why.
“It’s tough when you don’t play, but when you only play eight, or nine players, there are seven or eight guys who don’t play. It’s crazy, but everybody is happy for each other,” Hernangomez said. “It’s the chemistry of the team. We know where we’re going to be one day, but the great things take time. Patience is one of the keys for the smart teams and for the great teams. I think we’re going to be that and our time will come.”
