| A charter franchise in the American Basketball | | | | to light up the scoreboards within seconds of |
| Association, the team was originally slated to play in | | | | possession. This lead to even more scoring records, |
| Kansas City, Missouri before moving to Denver. They | | | | but that did not translate into wins as Denver was the |
| were named the Denver Larks before they changed | | | | worst team in terms of number of wins for two |
| their name and became known as the Rockets for | | | | consecutive seasons. That record enabled them to |
| their first seven years of existence, winning division | | | | land at the lottery and draft 7-2 Georgetown |
| titles in 1970 and 1975. The name "Rockets" was | | | | University center Dikembe Mutombo in 1992, and |
| derived from the Rocket Trucking Company, owned | | | | University of Michigan guard Jalen Rose the next year. |
| by the team's owner and having the same colors | | | | These two would lead the team into a brief |
| (orange and black). | | | | resurgence in 1993-94 (a year they ditched their |
| However, they tended to struggle in the postseason | | | | rainbow colors for a dark blue and gold scheme) |
| and failed to make a championship game during this | | | | finishing 42-40 and stunning the top-seeded |
| span. They had a solid lineup led by Byron Beck and | | | | Supersonics in the first round of the Western |
| Larry Jones, then later by Beck and Ralph Simpson. | | | | Conference playoffs, falling to the Utah Jazz in game |
| During the 1969-70 season, the team also had | | | | seven of the second round, but it was a rare highlight |
| controversial rookie Spencer Haywood. Haywood | | | | following Moe's departure. The Nuggets were swept in |
| was one of the first players try to turn pro before | | | | the following year by the San Antonio Spurs in the first |
| graduating from college, and the NBA initially refused to | | | | round of the playoffs. Denver was an also-ran for |
| let him play in the league. Haywood averaged 30 | | | | nearly a decade, and flirted with having the worst |
| points in his only ABA season, then was allowed to | | | | record NBA history in 1997-98, winning only 11 games in |
| sign with the Seattle SuperSonics to start a productive | | | | an 82 game season. They tied for the worst record in |
| NBA career. | | | | the NBA in 2002-03 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. |
| In 1974, in hopes of moving into the NBA, a contest | | | | The team has shown signs of another renaissance for |
| was held to find a new nickname for the Rockets, as | | | | the 2003-04 season, with the drafting of Carmelo |
| the nickname was already used by the Houston | | | | Anthony and yet another uniform change (powder |
| Rockets. The name Nuggets won, having been the | | | | blue and yellow). In just two months of the season, |
| nickname first used by the Denver 1949-50 NBA | | | | they recorded more wins than they had in 5½ |
| franchise. Their new logo was a miner holding an ABA | | | | months of play in 2002-03. Much of the reason for this |
| ball. | | | | incredible turnaround were the front-office moves of |
| With the drafting and signing of David Thompson and | | | | General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe a former Nuggets |
| Marvin Webster and the acquisitions of Dan Issel and | | | | player who assumed General Manager duties August |
| Bobby Jones and with Larry Brown coaching, they had | | | | 9, 2001, adding crucial personnel including: point guard |
| their best seasons in team history in their first two | | | | Andre Miller, power forward Nenê, point guard Earl |
| seasons as the Nuggets, with the team making the | | | | Boykins, center Marcus Camby and shooting guard |
| ABA finals in 1975-76. They would get no second | | | | Jon Barry. In April, the turnaround was complete as |
| chance to win a league championship, as the ABA | | | | they became the first franchise in NBA history to |
| folded after the 1975-76 season. The Nuggets were | | | | qualify for the postseason following a sub-20-win |
| one of four ABA teams taken into the NBA, along with | | | | campaign the previous year. They were eliminated in |
| the New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs and Indiana | | | | the first round four games to one by the Minnesota |
| Pacers. The Nuggets and Nets had actually applied to | | | | Timberwolves. |
| join the NBA in 1975, but were forced to stay in the | | | | On December 28, 2004, head coach Jeff Bzdelik was |
| ABA by court order. | | | | fired from the organization and replaced by interim |
| The Nuggets continued their strong play early on in the | | | | coach, former Los Angeles Laker player and Los |
| NBA, as they won division titles in their first two | | | | Angeles Sparks head coach Michael Cooper, before |
| seasons in the league, and missed a third by a single | | | | finally hiring veteran coach George Karl as a |
| game. However, neither of these teams was ultimately | | | | permanent replacement. Karl lived up to his reputation |
| successful in the postseason. | | | | by leading the team to an astounding record of 32-8 in |
| Brown left the team in 1979, helping usher in a brief | | | | the second half of the regular season which vaulted |
| decline in their team's performance. It ended in 1981, | | | | the team into the playoffs for the second consecutive |
| when they hired Doug Moe as a head coach. Moe | | | | year. |
| brought with him a "run and gun" philosophy, a style of | | | | In the playoffs, however, the Nuggets could not survive |
| play focusing on attempting to score rapidly with little | | | | the powerhouse defense of Manu Ginobili and the San |
| interest in defense, and it helped the team become | | | | Antonio Spurs. After winning game one in San Antonio, |
| highly competitive. During the 1980s, the Nuggets would | | | | the Nuggets proceeded to lose the next four games |
| often score in excess of 115 points a game, and during | | | | and lost the series 4-1. The Nuggets picked 20th in the |
| the 1981-82 season, they scored at least 100 points in | | | | 2005 NBA Draft; it was acquired from Washington via |
| every game. | | | | Orlando. |
| Anchored by scoring machines Alex English and Kiki | | | | In 2005-06, for the first time in 18 years, the club won |
| Vandeweghe at the two forward spots, Denver led | | | | the Northwest division title. This placed the team in the |
| the league in scoring, with English and Vandeweghe | | | | third seed of the Western Conference playoffs. Due |
| both averaging above 25 points per game. It was a | | | | to their relatively weak record the Nuggets were |
| novel strategy, allowing the Nuggets to top the | | | | forced to play the Los Angeles Clippers who, despite |
| Midwest Division and qualify for the playoffs during | | | | their 6th seeding, had a better record following a great |
| that span. (On December 13, 1983, the Nuggets and the | | | | season behind their NBA Most Valuable Player Award |
| visiting Detroit Pistons combined for an NBA record | | | | candidate Elton Brand. Based on their regular season |
| 370 points, with Detroit winning in triple overtime, | | | | records the LA Clippers received home court |
| 186-184.) In 1984-85, they made it to the Western | | | | advantage. The first two games in the best-of-7 series |
| Conference finals after being perennial playoff | | | | were won by the Clippers 89-87 in game one and |
| contenders, and they lost in five games to the Los | | | | 109-101 for game two in LA. Game 3 was won by the |
| Angeles Lakers. Vandeweghe was traded before the | | | | Denver Nuggets in Denver 98-87. The Clippers went |
| 1984-85 season to the Portland Trailblazers for 6-3 | | | | on to win the final two games and advance to the |
| rebounding guard Fat Lever, undersized power | | | | second round of the Western Conference playoffs |
| forward Calvin Natt and center Wayne Cooper. | | | | for the first time in franchise history since the Clippers |
| Spearheaded by English and supported by the three | | | | moved to L.A. for the 1984-85 season. |
| new acquisitions and defensive specialists Bill Hanzlik | | | | On, December 18, 2006, team co-captain, Carmelo |
| and TR Dunn, the team replicated its success in the | | | | Anthony, shooting guard J.R. Smith, and power forward |
| Western Conference despite the loss of | | | | Nene were suspended by the NBA (15, 10, and 1 |
| Vandeweghe. However, they could not get pass the | | | | games respectively) for a fight that occurred in the last |
| dominant team of the era, the Los Angeles Lakers. | | | | two minutes of a game against the New York Knicks |
| Moe left the team in 1990, and his departure ended | | | | two days earlier. The fight was sparked by Knicks |
| their run as a competitive franchise. However, the "run | | | | rookie Mardy Collins, when he tackled J.R. Smith on a |
| and gun" philosophy continued with coach Paul | | | | breakaway layup. According to Anthony, Knicks coach |
| Westhead at the helm. He gave the green light for | | | | Isiah Thomas warned him to not go in the paint shortly |
| players like Michael Adams and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf | | | | before the hard foul. |