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