Denver Nuggets (1967-Present)

Historical Moments:
ABA Years:
1967/68: The city of Denver, which last had hosted professional basketball in 1950 when the Nuggets folded in the early days on the NBA, was selected to receiver a charter franchise in the upstart American Basketball Association after a deal with Kansas City fell through. Seeking solid ownership the ABA selected Bill Ringsby, the owner of the Denver-based "Ringsby Rocket" Trucking Systems to own the team. It was only natural that the team be named Rockets. On October 15th the Rockets took the floor for the first time beating the Anaheim Amigos 114-105. The Rockets would go on to finish in 3rd place with a record of 45-33. In the playoff the Rockets would go on to lose to the New Orleans Buccaneers in 5 games with the home team winning all 5 games.

1968/69: The Rockets continued to be a playoff contender with a record of 44-34 finishing in 3rd place for the second year in a row. In the playoffs the Rockets would give the Oakland Oaks all they can have alternating wins before falling in 7 games to the eventual ABA Champions.

1969/70: The Rockets felt the ire of the NCAA, NBA, as well as other ABA owners when they signed University of Detroit Sophomore star Spencer Heywood. Claiming hardship Heywood was the first underclassman to jump college early for the pros. Heywood was a dominant force, winning the Rookie of the Year, and MVP, while leading the league in scoring and rebounding as the Rockets overcame a 9-19 start to win the Western Division with a record of 51-33. In the playoffs the Rockets would be pushed to the limit by the Washington Caps, who had beaten them a season earlier in a 7-game series as the Oakland Oaks. In Game 7 in the Mile High city the Rockets would explode winning 143-119 to reach the Division Finals. However, in the divisional finals the Rockets would fall in 5 games to the Los Angeles Stars losing 4 straight after taking Game 1.

1970/71: After winning their first division Title the Rockets expected to be even stronger. However, after 2 preseason games Spencer Heywood left the Rockets over a contract dispute to sign with Seattle Supersonics. The Rockets and Heywood would embark on a legal battle, but in the end the Rockets would lose and Heywood would go on to a solid NBA career. While holding out hope Heywood return the Rockets struggled posting a 30-54 record. Despite their poor mark the Rockets finished tied for 4th and had a chance to play themselves into the playoffs. However the Rockets would fall to the Texas Chaparrals 11-109 in a 1-game playoff.

1971/72: The Rockets would make a return to the playoffs despite a poor record of 34-50, under Hall of Fame Coach Alex Hannum. In the playoffs the Rockets would give the Indiana Pacers all they could handle pushing the eventual champions to 7 games before they lost by 2 points in the series finale in Indiana.

1972/73: With Warren Jabali who the Rockets acquired in the Miami Floridians dispersal draft the Rockets became a tougher team posting a solid record of 47-37 while finishing in 3rd place. However, in the playoffs the Rockets would run out of fuel falling to the Indiana Pacers in 5 games.

1973/74: The Rockets would undergo an ownership change as Bill Ringsby sold the team to A.G. "Bud" Fischer and Frank M. Goldberg. On the court the Rockets had essentially the same team but struggled all season finishing with a disappointing 37-47 record. Needing to win a play in game to reach the playoff the Rockets would fall to the San Diego Conquistadors by 20 points.

1974/75: In the off season the ABA in franchise would undergo a complete renovation top to bottom as their name was changed to Nuggets paying homage to Denver's first pro team while placing in position to join the NBA by avoiding confusion with the NBA's Houston Rockets. On the court changes were radical too as the Nuggets hired Carl Scheer from the recently folded Carolina Cougars. Scheer would bring half the Cougars with him including Coach Larry Brown. The move would revitalize the franchise right away as the Nuggets finished in first place with an ABA best 65-19 record. In the playoffs the Nuggets would fly past the Utah Stars in 6 games to reach the Western Finals. However, in the semifinals the Nuggets would be stunned by the Indiana Pacers in 7 games.

1975/76: As the season began the Nuggets had a brand new arena and an uncertain future as the ABA was on its last legs with the league down to 7 teams after 2 teams folded earl y in the season. Mc Nichols Arena would host that year's All-Star Game since the league was down to 7 teams the Nuggets would take on All-Stars form the other 6 teams. To add spice to the games festivities the Nuggets decided to hold a dunk off between star rookie David Thompson and New York Nets star Julius Erving. Dr J would steal the show but the Nuggets won the game. The Nuggets would go on to finish in first place with a record of 60-24. In the playoffs the Nuggets would need 7 games to get past the Kentucky Colonels and into the ABA Finals. In the Finals Julius Erving would again steal the show as the Nuggets fell to the New York Nets in what would turn out to be the last ABA Championship Series. The ABA would cease operations shortly after the game, but the Nuggets would be among 4 teams joining the Nets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs to join the NBA.

NBA Years:
1976/77: While the other 3 former ABA teams initially struggled with life in the NBA, the Nuggets struck gold right away winning their first 8 games on the way to capturing the Midwest Division with a solid record of 50-32. Along the way the Nuggets would lead the NBA in attendance with 17,150 fans per game. However, in the playoffs the Nuggets would be stunned by the Portland Trailblazers in 6 games after having earned a first round bye.

1977/78: With David Thompson battling George Gervin to the final day for the league scoring title the Nuggets again capture the Midwestern Division title with a record of 48-34. On the final day of the season it appeared as if Thompson had won the scoring title by pouring out 73 points against the Detroit Pistons. However Gervin would score 63 against the New Orleans Jazz to take the title by .07 points, the closest race ever. In the playoffs the Nuggets would survive a 7-game war with Milwaukee Bucks to reach the Western Conference Finals. However, in the West Finals the Nuggets would fall to the Seattle Supersonics in 6 games.

1978/79: The Nuggets would stumble out of the gate losing 6 straight early in the season and playing below .500 through December. However, as January started the Nuggets started playing the type of basketball they were used to an appeared to be set to make a run for the Division Title. However, on February 1st Coach Larry Brown suddenly resigned to take the coaching job with UCLA, it would mark a trademark over Brown's career of sudden departures. Under his replacement Donnie Walsh the Nuggets would win 7 straight in March and would end up falling 1 game short of their 3rd straight Midwest Title with a record of 47-35.In the playoffs the Nuggets would make a quick exit falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in a 3-game series.

1979/80: The Nuggets would once again stumble out of the gate losing their first 7 games. However, with David Thompson being limited to 39 games with foot injuries the Nuggets would not be able to recover this time finishing in 3rd place with a disappointing record of 30-52. As the season wound down the Nuggets would make a major trade sending George McGinnis to the Indiana Pacers for Alex English.

1980/81: The Nuggets would become one of the top scouring teams in the NBA scoring 121.8 ppg, as Doug Moe to over for Donnie Walsh as Coach in the middle of the season. However on defense the Nuggets left a lot to be desired allowing a league worse 122.3 ppg while finishing in 4th place with a record of 37-45 and missing the playoff for the second straight season.

1981/82: The Nuggets sent 2 draft picks to the Dallas Mavericks for the draft rights to UCLA standout Kiki Vandeweghe to add firepower to a team already loaded with Alex English, Dan Issel, and David Thompson. Vandeweghe, English and Issel would all average more then 20 ppg as the Nuggets set a NBA record with 126.5 ppg, while reaching 100 points in all 82 games. The Nuggets would go on to finish in 2nd place with a record of 46-36 making the playoffs after a 2-year absence. However, in the playoffs the Nuggets would make a quick exit losing to the Phoenix Suns in a 3-game series.

1982/83: Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe finishing first and second in scoring the Nuggets continued to fly scoring 100 points in all but 4 games as the Nuggets finished in 2nd place with a record of 45-37. In the playoffs the Nuggets and Phoenix Suns would once again lock horns in a 3-game series. However, this time it would be the Nuggets who would advance with a 117-112 overtime victory. However, in the 2nd round the Nuggets would be burnt by the San Antonio Spurs who averaged 132.8 ppg while beating the Nuggets in 5 games.

1983/84: The Nuggets continued to light up the scoreboard as they beat the Detroit Pistons on December 13th in triple overtime 186-184 in the highest scoring game in NBA history. The Nuggets would also put up their second highest point total scoring 163 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs on January 11th. However, the Nuggets opponents would light up the scoreboard too as the team struggled to finish in 3rd place with a record of 38-44. Fortunately for the Nuggets the playoffs were expanded from 6 to 8 teams and the Nuggets got in to the postseason. However, it would be a quick exit as they were beaten by the Utah Jazz in a 5-game series.

1984/85: Prior to the season to improve the team's defense the Nuggets traded Kiki Vandeweghe to the Portland Trailblazers for Wayne Cooper, Lafayette "Fat" Lever, Calvin Natt, and 2 draft picks. The deal paid immediate dividends for the Nuggets, as they got off to a solid 12-3 start, on the way to capturing the Midwest Division with a solid 52-30 record. In the playoffs the Nuggets would survive a 5-game shoot out with the San Antonio Spurs, before easily beating the Utah Jazz 4 games to 1 to reach the Western Conference Finals. However, in the Western Finals the Nuggets proved to be not ready for primetime as they were easily beaten by the Los Angels Lakers in 5 games. Following the season Dan Issel would announce his retirement after 10 years in Denver.

1985/86: Despite the retirement of Dan Issel the Nuggets played solid basketball all season posting a winning record in every month except April to finish in 2nd place with a solid 47-35 record. In the playoffs the Nuggets would easily knock off the Portland Trailblazer in 4 games. However in the 2nd round they would not be able to match up with Houston Rockets twin towers of Akeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson as they fell in 6 games.

1986/87: After a solid first month the Nuggets struggled all season playing below .500. The Nuggets would need to scramble just to capture the 8th and final playoff seed with a disappointing record of 37-45. In the playoffs the Nuggets would provide no challenge to the Los Angeles Lakers who swept them in 3 straight games.

1987/88: After a disappointing season the Nuggets rebounded to capture the Midwest Division Title with a solid record of 54-28, finishing 1 game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks thanks to a season ending 10-game winning streak. In the playoffs the Nuggets momentum would slow, as they needed 5 games to get past the Seattle Supersonics. Their momentum would disappear completely as they are beaten by the high-powered Mavericks in 6 games.

1988/89: The Nuggets would reign supreme at home posting a 35-6 record at Mc Nichols Arena for the second straight season. However, on the road it would be a different story as the Nuggets won just 9 for 41 games to post a 44-38 record on the season. The Nuggets would go into the playoffs on the wrong note losing their final 5 games. In the playoffs the slide would continue as the Nuggets were swept in 3 straight by the Phoenix Suns.

1989/90: The Nuggets began to show their age as they barely made the playoffs with a mediocre record of 43-39. In the playoffs the Nuggets would fall right away losing to the San Antonio Spurs in 3 straight games. Following the season an era would come to an end in Denver as Coach Doug Moe is fired after a decade long tenure in which he won a franchise record 432 games, while Alex English is not resigned and departs via free agency.

1990/91: New General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff decided it was time to rebuild the Nuggets who had the oldest team in the league, so the Nuggets would make radical changes trading off stars for draft picks. As always teams who rebuild often take their lumps and the Nuggets with new Coach Paul Westhead were not any different enduring a wretched season in which they finished with a league worse 20-62 record, along the way the Nuggets allowed 130.8 ppg setting a new record for NBA defensive generosity.

1991/92: To improve the Nuggets horrible defense the Nuggets selected Georgetown Center Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo, with the first overall pick. A native of Zaire, who spoke 9 languages (English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and five African dialects), Mutombo had an immediate impact as the Nuggets showed improvement holding a 17-26 record through the first half of the season. However, Mutombo would hit the rookie wall as the Nuggets struggled in the second half winning just 7 of their 39 games to post a record of 24-58.

1992/93: The Nuggets would bring back Dan Issel who had stared for them for 10 seasons to lead the young team as their coach. Under Issel the Nuggets would show some promise despite 14-game losing streak from December 5th to January 5th. Around the losing streak the Nuggets show significant improvement missing the playoffs by just 3 games with a record of 36-46. Among the reason for optimism for the future was the continued growth of Dikembe Mutombo into one of the league's best defensive players, and the continued improvement of Guard Chris Jackson, who was named the league's Most Improved Player, shortly after changing his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.

1993/94: The Nuggets continued to improve posting a 42-40 record and making the playoffs for the first time in 4 years. However, no much was expected for the Nuggets as they entered the playoffs as the 8th seed, matching them up with Seattle Supersonics who had posted a league best 63-19 record. The Nuggets would find themselves in a quick 0-2 hole after dropping the first 2 games in Seattle. However, upon arriving in Denver the Nuggets used the shot blocking presence of Dikembe Mutombo, along with career performances by Reggie Williams, Brian Williams, and Robert Pack, to even the series with wins in Games 3 and 4. Going back to Seattle for the 5th a decisive game the Nuggets were expected to see their season end. However, managed to hang in the game and rallied to tie the game and force overtime, where they would emerge with a 1-point victory becoming the first 8th seeded team to beat a 1 seed. To punctuate the game Mutombo was on his back holding the ball and smiling after the buzzer. Moving n to the 2nd Round the Nuggets appeared to run out of gas as they dropped their first 3 games to the Utah Jazz. However facing elimination, the Nuggets would rally again winning the next 3 games to force a 7th game. However, this time the Nuggets were unable to overcome their deficit as they lost 91-81.

1994/95: Coming of their improbable playoff run the Nuggets were bitten early by the injury bug, losing LaPhonso Ellis for all but 10 games due to a preseason knee injury. After playing mediocre basketball through the first 34 games Dan Issel suddenly resigned and was replaced by assistant Gene Littles. Under Littles the Nuggets struggled winning just 3 of 16 games before he was replaced by GM Bernie Bickerstaff. Under Bickerstaff the Nuggets would recover making a late push and sneaking into the playoff with a record of 41-41, as Dikembe Mutombo captured his first Defensive Player of the Year award. However, there would be no magical playoff run this time around as the Nuggets are beaten by the San Antonio Spurs in 4 games.

1995/96: Building on a nucleus of center Dikembe Mutombo and guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, the Nuggets acquired Antonio McDyess, who had been drafted with the 2nd pick overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. McDyess would make a solid contribution as he was named to the All-Rookie team. However, the Nuggets who were still missing LaPhonso Ellis who missed all but 37 games got off to a horrible start losing 8 of their first 9 games and never recovered missing the playoffs with a disappointing record of 35-47. Along the way the Nuggets found themselves in the middle of an ugly controversy as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the National Anthem protesting what he felt was the country's poor treatment of Muslims in the world. After a 1 game suspension Abdul-Rauf agreed to stand and pray during the anthem. However, the damage done his reputation could not be repaired, as he was the consistent target of boos, as fans rejected his extreme Religious views, before missing the rest of the season due to injury. Following the season the Nuggets would trade Abdul-Rauf to the Sacramento Kings. In addition the Nuggets would lose Dikembe Mutombo who signed a free agent deal with Atlanta Hawks; suddenly the Nuggets were forced to start the rebuilding process all over again.

1996/97: The Nuggets would get off to a slow start losing 9 of their first 13 games as Bernie Bickerstaff was forced out as Coach. Bickersstaff who briefly remained the club's GM named Dick Motta as his replacement. Bickerstaff would be replaced as General Manager in the middle of the season by Allen Bristow as the Nuggets made sweeping changes throughout the season with 23 different players wearing Nuggets uniform. Despite all the instability the Nuggets found themselves in just about every game but falling short at then end losing 18 games by 10 points of less including 10 games lost by 1 or 2 points. However, in the end they would still post a record of 21-61, which landed them in 4th place.

1997/98: In a continued remaking of the Nuggets the team traded Antonio McDyess to the Phoenix Suns for three first-round draft picks in the next two years, while clearing salary cap room for the Nuggets to lure free agents. Without McDyess and under New Coach Bill Hanzlik the Nuggets hit rock bottom posting a wretched record of 11-71, which just narrowly avoided being the worst record of all time by a mere 2 games. Along the way the Nuggets would fire GM Allan Bristow and replace him with Dan Issel who fired Coach Bill Hanzlik following the season to complete the house cleaning. With the extra salary cap room the Nuggets had, Issel would bring back Antonio McDyess singing him to a free agent deal.

1998/99: Despite the return of Antonio McDyess the Nuggets continued to struggle under new Coach Mike D'Antonio, finishing with a 14-36 record while finishing in 6th place in a season cut in half by a lockout. Following the season D'Antonio would be let go as Dan Issel added Coach to his responsibilities.

1999/00: With Dan Issel back on the bench the Nuggets began play at the brand new state of the art Pepsi Center, which was replacing Mc Nichols Arena which some considered the worst arena in the league. With the acquisition of Ron Mercer the Nuggets had a solid nucleus of Raef LaFrentz, Antonio McDyess and Nick Van Exel, wining 12 of their first 15 games on the road. However, the Nuggets would struggle on the road and hovered around .500 for most of the first half. Fearing they would lose Mercer to free agency the Nuggets would trade him, to the Orlando Magic with Chauncey Billups and Johnny Taylor in exchange for Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Chris Gatling and a future No. 1 pick. The Nuggets would win their first game after the trade to improve to 21-22. However, with a back loaded road scheduled the Nuggets would struggle in the 2nd half finishing in 5th place with a record pf 35-47.

2000/01: Antonio McDyess finally realized his potential averaging 20.8 ppg and 12.1 rebounds while making it to his first All-Star Game. Through January the Nuggets were a playoff contender posting a record of 26-18. However the Nuggets faded in February and March winning just 9 of 28 games as they missed the playoff for the 6th straight year with a record of 40-42.

2001/02: After finishing just 2 games below .500 the Nuggets would suffer another disastrous setback as Antonio McDyess suffered a pre season knee injury, which limited him to just 10 games. Things would only get worse as Tariq Abdul-Wahad suffered an injury and Nick Van Exel demanded a trade. Things would only get worse as Coach Dan Issel got into hot water after yelling a racial slur at a Mexican fan. Issel one of the top players in Nuggets history would be forced to resign in embarrassment to bring an end to the escalating controversy. Under his replacement Mike Evans the Nuggets stumbled along until a blockbuster trade sent Nick Van Exel, Raef LaFrentz, Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson to the Dallas Mavericks for Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey and a first round draft pick. Howard would lead the Nuggets in scoring down the stretch as the Nuggets finished in 6th place with a record of 27-55.

2002/03: Prior to the start of the season the Nuggets would have another front office shake up naming Kiki Vandeweghe. Kiki would begin by rebuilding the Nuggets all over again trading Antonio McDyess to the New York Knicks for Marcus Camby and Nen� Hilario. After a long and somewhat embarrassing search the Nuggets would enter the season with a new coach in Jeff Bzdelik. However, with Juwan Howard, and Brazilian rookie Nen� as the lone Nuggets to average more then 10 ppg the Nuggets suffered through another terrible season posting a 17-65 record, which was tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers with the worst record in the NBA. Following the season the Nuggets would continue to retool by letting Juwan Howard leave via free agency, while signing free agent guard Andre Miller from the Los Angels Clippers. However, it was through the draft that the Nuggets got who they believe will be the player of the future as they selected Forward Carmello Anthony who as a freshman has just led Syracuse to National Championship.

2003/04: Coming off a wretched 17-65 season the only place for the Nuggets to go was up, one player who was key to their success was Rookie Carmello Anthony who showed veteran poise right away as the Nuggets got off to a solid start posting a 10-6 record through November which included a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers as Anthony battled fellow super rookie LeBron James. The Nuggets continued to play well in December as they surpassed their previous season's win total and found themselves in the thick of the playoff picture. The Nuggets would continue to be in the playoff race all season despite posting losing records in February and March as Anthony hit the rookie wall. However by finishing the season with 5 wins in their last 7 games the Nuggets were able to grab the lost playoff spot in the West with a 43-39 record. Despite 21 points and 6 rebounds per game Carmello Anthony would finish second to LeBron James in Rookie of the Year voting. However Anthony got the Nuggets into the postseason, where they faced the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite strong games from Carmello the Nuggets dropped the first 2 games on the road. Hosting their first playoff game in 9 years the Nuggets bounced back to win Game 3 101-86. With a chance to even the series in Game 4.the Nuggets had a potential game tying by Voshon Lenard miss at the buzzer in a heartbreaking 84-82 loss, as they went on to fall to the Wolves in 5 games.

2004/05: Coming off their first playoff appearance in 9 years the Nuggets got off to a shaky start as Carmello Anthony struggled early. Sitting at 13-15 on December 27th the Nuggets would fire Coach Jeff Bzdelik. Under interim Coach Michael Cooper they would not fair much better as they won just 4 of their next 14, before the Nuggets decided to hire George Karl a Coach with a proven track record that included a Western Conference Championship with the Seattle Supersonics in 1996. The hiring of Karl had an immediate effect as the Nuggets picked up their play right away winning 5 of their next 6. The Nuggets would continue their strong play down the stretch winning 25 of their last 29 games to make the playoffs with a 49-33 record. In the playoffs the Nuggets became a team nobody wanted to face and they showed why right away beating the San Antonio Spurs on the road 93-87 in Game 1. However the Spurs would rebound to take the next 4 to win the series on the way to a NBA Championship the Nuggets gave them all they could handle as Game 4 went to overtime before the Spurs pulled away for a 126-115 win.

2005/06: After their strong finish there was an air of optimism for the Nuggets entering the season, as Coach George Karl entered his first full season. However, early in the Nuggets first game disaster struck as Nene the teams budding young star rebounder suffered a season ending knee injury playing just two minutes. Without Nene the Nuggets were vulnerable to bigger physical teams. However, against teams that like to run up and down the court with a small line up played right into the Nuggets hands. Playing in the Northwest Division was also helpful for the Nuggets as they were below .500 but in first place as the New Year began. Led by Carmelo Anthony who had a team high 26.5 ppg the Nuggets would eventual go over .500, as they captured their first division title in nearly two decades with a 44-38, as they were the only team in their division to make the playoffs. In the playoffs the Nuggets were a team that became targets of scorn as they had the 3rd seed despite having the same record as the 8th seeded Sacramento Kings, this would lead to changes in the playoff seeding as the division champs was no longer guaranteed the top three spots. Playing the Los Angeles Clippers and not having home court as home court was decided on team record and not playoff seeding the Nuggets were exposed as they were beaten convincingly in five games.

2006/07: The Nuggets looking to improve acquired J.R. Smith and Joe Smith in the off-season, as they continued to play decent but not dominating basketball. Meanwhile Carmelo Anthony continued to bud into a star as he led the NBA in scoring through 22 games, when he found himself in the middle of controversy as the Nuggets had an ugly brawl with the New York Knicks in the waning seconds of a blow out win on the road. The fight which started after the Knicks Mardy Collins committed a hard foul on J.R. Smith, evolved into the talk of the league when Melo landed a sucker punch on Collins and ran away, causing the brawl which was nearly extinguished to flare up again. The fight would lead to heavy criticism for Carmelo Anthony and a 15-game suspension. Just a few days after the fight fearing the loss of Anthony would hurt their playoff chances the Nuggets pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal landing Allen Iverson from the Philadelphia 76ers for Joe Smith, Andre Miller, and two first-round draft picks. Despite the arrival of Iverson, the Nuggets struggled at the end of December as they adjusted to the new line up. Even with the return of Anthony from his suspension the Nuggets continued to play mediocre basketball as they were below .500 at the end of March, at 35-36. Needing a strong finish to just make the playoffs the Nuggets played their best basketball in April, winning eight in a row as they closed the season with wins in 10 of their last 11 games as they ended the season with a record of 45-37 which was good enough to make the playoffs. Facing the San Antonio Spurs in the first round the Nuggets stayed hot taking Game 1 on the road 95-89 as Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony combined for 61 points. After losing Game 2 the series shifted to Denver, where the Nuggets hoped the home court edge could give them back the lead in the series. However, the championship mettle of the Spurs would get in the way as the 3-point shooting of Robert Horry and Michael Finley lifted the Spurs to a 96-91 win. In Game 4 it was Horry again as the Spurs won 96-89, to send the Nuggets to the brink. Unfortunately for the Nuggets there would be no return form the brink and no return to Denver as the season ended with a 93-78 Game 5 loss in San Antonio.