Nuggets: How the 1985 WCF could have been different if English was healthy

The 1985 Western Conference Finals could have played out differently if Alex English was healthy for the Denver Nuggets.

The Los Angeles Lakers have always been a thorn in the side of the Nuggets in terms of getting to the NBA Finals.

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The Lakers defeated them in the Western Conference Finals in 2009 in six games and many forget the Lakers also defeated Denver in 1985 on the road to the Finals as well. What many forget though is that Denver’s player, Alex English, was injured for much of the series.

Now, I am not going to say the Nuggets would have won the series if English was healthy. The Lakers had a dominant squad that season led by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. However, a full strength Nuggets squad led by a star duo in English and Fat Lever would have given them a run for their money at the very least. If you do not believe me, then take a look at the stats according to basketball-reference.com.

When he did play in the series, English averaged 30.3 points per game to go along with 6.5 rebounds per game and 4.3 assists per game. Now couple that with Fat Lever’s stats of exactly 5 assists per game while averaging 2 assists per game. Keep in mind he was having to guard possibly the greatest point guard of all time in Magic Johnson. You may see Dan Issel was also on the team, but he was out of his prime so he was not what he used to be for the Nuggets.

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The Lakers ended up going on to win the series in five games, but I bet if English had not gotten injured, Denver could have at least forced a game seven.

With their fast pace basketball coaches by Doug Moe, things could have been very interesting with a healthy Alex English.