The 2018-19 Nuggets maybe the best Nuggets team in the history of the Franchise.
The 2018-19 Nuggets have had an amazing run this season and 2018-19 season definitely represents a turning point for the Franchise.
Game 7 on Sunday could very well be the last game of the season or a win could land them a trip to the Western Conference finals.
And if KD is injured in the Western Conference, the Nuggets have a real shot of making it to the Finals and competing for a franchise.
The Nuggets have always been a solid franchise, however, the 2018-19 Nuggets maybe the best position the Nuggets have ever been in as a franchise.
There have only been three seasons in the history of the Nuggets franchise where they have won more than 54 games during the the regular. And for two of those season the Denver Nuggets were part of the ABA,
The 2012-13 Nuggets is the only Nuggets team that has won more than 54 NBA games during the regular season. They did managed to win 57 games, however, the Nuggets were only 3nd in the Western Conference. The 2012-13 Nuggets did not have a single player that averaged over 20 PPG and they closely resemble the 2018-19 Clippers. The Team was led by Andre Miller, Andre Iduodala, Danilo Gallinari, and JaVale McGee. The team was 1st in the NBA in PPG, however, they were near the bottom of the league defensively. And they were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round.
The Nuggets have made it to the Western Conference finals 6 times in the history of the franchise. Three of those teams were ABA teams. The three NBA teams went as far back as the 1984-85, 1977-78, and 2008-09 Denver Nuggets teams.
The 2008-09 Nuggets were led by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. The Team was very deep and had veterans like Keyon Martin. Like the current Nuggets team, they had the 2nd best record the Western Conference and top 10 in offensive and defensive rating. However, attendance lacked and they were 17th in the NBA in home arena attendance.
This season, the Nuggets were also top 10 in the NBA in home arena attendance. The the 2018-19 season has been the most exciting Nuggets fans have been about their team.
1984-1985 Nuggets were especially competitive and had legends such as Alex English, Fat Lever, and Dan Issel. However, Alex English was in his thirties and Dan Issel was 36. However, the 2018-19 Nuggets are deeper and much younger.
The 1978 Nuggets team was especially talented and included a young David Thompson who averaged over 27 PPG at age 23. It also had Dan Issel at center, body Jones, and Ralph Sampson.
The 2018-19 Nuggets have 7 players that average over 10 PPG and are even deeper than the 2008-09 Nuggets led by Carmelo Anthony. The 2018-19 Nuggets are also much younger. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are only 23 and 22 years old. Whereas Carmelo Anthony was 28 and Billups was 32 on the 2008-09 Nuggets.
The Nuggets this season are top 10 in offensive and defensive ratings. Paul Millsap is one of the best defensive players in the NBA. And given how competitive the NBA is this season that is a great accomplishment. This is the also the first time the Nuggets have not beaten the Spurs in a playoff series since 1985.
The Nuggets have never been so deep and had been so good defensively.
However, what truly separates this Nugget team from past teams is the potential for growth. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic are special players. . The Nuggets are young and have 11 players under 24 years old. Jokic and Jamal Murray could very well be MVPs in the future.
Regardless of the outcome of Game 7, the Nuggets stock is only going to rise in the future. It is important for Nugget fans to realize that the 2018-19 season represents an inflection point for the Nuggets franchise.
This is the best the Denver Nuggets have ever been! And the Nuggets are only going to get better.