Is This the Beginning of a Nuggets Dynasty?

The ultimate goal for most basketball players is to win an NBA Championship. But throughout the history of the league, those titles have been hoarded by a small number of teams, with the Lakers and Celtics being at the top of that list.

That’s what makes a team like the Nuggets who have never been on top of the league turning around and picking up a title so special.

The Denver Nuggets being the NBA Champions is no accident. A lot of work has gone into this victory, building a team for this goal over the past several years. And as long as the franchise can hold onto the key components of this win, fans may be looking at a new dynasty.

The NBA Championship

Originally known as the Basketball Association of America, the NBA Championship has been around since 1947. While many of the team names and home cities have changed, what has remained the same has been those who have dominated the league.

The Lakers, first of Minneapolis and then of Los Angeles, have held the title on 17 occasions. That includes winning five out of six titles between 1949 and 1954. The next several decades were good for the franchise with multiple back-to-backs and three-peats.

The same can be said of the Boston Celtics. They have also held the title 17 times, at one point reigning as undefeated champions from 1957 to 1966. No other team in the NBA has had as dominant a run as that, and it’s incredibly unlikely any other team ever will.

Not impossible, just extra super, duper unlikely.

On top of that, the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls were the definitive team of the 1990s with two three-peats under their belts. The Golden State Warriors have been equally dominant in the 2010s and into the 2020s with six finals appearances between 2015 and 2022, and four wins.

Teams like the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers have had multiple titles. Several other teams, including the Toronto Raptors, Seattle SuperSonics, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, and Cleveland Cavaliers, have managed to pick up at least one title.

But the big story is how many NBA franchises have never held a championship.

Always a Bridesmaid…

With the Nuggets’ victory, there are now ten teams left who have never won. It’s not for lack of trying, though. Many of them have had good players and good coaches. The stars just didn’t line up for them, leaving their trophy cases a little empty.

The Phoenix Suns are a big one given how much talent they’ve had over the years. One would think having Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker on the roster might get them there. Nope. This is a team that had Charles Barkley, one of the most legendary players of all time, and they still didn’t win a title.

Another surprising one is the Utah Jazz. In the 1990s, the Jazz had the one-two punch of Karl Malone and John Stockton. They are still arguably one of the best, if not the best, duos in the history of the NBA. Yet, there are no NBA Championships in Salt Lake City.

In the cases of both the Suns and the Jazz, part of the problem was Michael Jordan. Both teams were arguably at their best during the era of the Chicago Bulls’ dominance in the 1990s. A lot of great teams and players missed their windows during that time.

That leaves the Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, LA Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets, and Memphis Grizzlies without titles. Admittedly, some of those franchises are still relatively new, so it’s less surprising they haven’t won the big one, yet.

Keeping that in mind, the Denver Nuggets' big win must give some of these teams a little bit of hope. It was a long run before they got to the promised land, as it were. They were originally founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 in the ABA, changing their name to the Nuggets just before they joined the NBA in 1976.

While they have won several Division Titles over the years, the Nuggets never won a Conference Title or an NBA Championship until 2023. That means that they have a 100% success rate when it comes to winning the big title. They are one-for-one at this point. And the future looks bright, as well.

A Possible Nuggets Dynasty

While it wasn’t apparent when he was drafted, Nikola Jokić was the lynchpin of this whole thing. Head Coach Michael Malone built an NBA Championship-winning team around this Serbian beast who has been putting up legendary numbers all season.

Jokić’s stat lines throughout the playoffs were insane and that continued to the Finals. He quite deservedly won the Finals MVP title and likely should have been the 2023 Regular Season MVP for a third time. Joel Embiid is a worthy recipient but there was a strange anti-Jokić fervor among certain voters this year.

Even Kendrick Perkins and Mark Jackson are finally coming around on Jokić being the best player in the NBA. And they were not interested in him being the 2023 Regular Season MVP.

Always humble, Jokić would be the first to admit he didn’t do this by himself. Jamal Murray has been absolutely legendary. If Jokić wasn’t the Finals MVP, you know it would have been him. Beyond hit Hall of Fame duo, Bruce Brown, Jr., Jeff Green, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter, Jr., Christian Braun, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all delivered in big ways.

This is a team bigger than two top stars. It has a strong core that can deliver wins even when Jokić and Murray aren’t on the court. And if the Nuggets maintain that core during the off-season, there is real potential here for more titles in Denver.

The Nuggets didn’t win the most regular season games and they weren’t the flashiest team in the league. But they were consistent through the regular season, into the playoffs, and right through the finals. Anyone paying attention to their game saw this victory coming.

This consistency wins titles. Jokić, Murray, and company deliver game after game, a testament to the high caliber of the players and the quality of the coaching. If nothing major changes during the off-season, there’s no reason why there shouldn’t be more titles in Denver’s future.

Let’s be honest. Is there an answer out there for Jokić, yet? No. No, there isn’t. Good luck to the last ten teams looking for that chip. You’re gonna need it.