The Nuggets don’t want to talk about it. Why would they? Denver is still one win away from winning its first NBA championship, and these playoffs have proved that last win is always the most difficult to get. On Sunday, Michael Malone reminded reporters of the Nuggets’ experience in 2020, when Denver rallied from a 3–1 deficit to eliminate Utah in the opening round.
“The close-out game,” the coach said, “is always the hardest game ever.”
Fans are thinking it: Why wouldn’t they? Denver is one win away from a title and perhaps a year away from winning another. The franchise player, Nikola Jokić, is 28. His costar, Jamal Murray, is 26. Michael Porter Jr. is 24. All three are under contract through at least 2025, when it’s likely the Nuggets will lock Murray into a deal that keeps him in Denver into the next decade.
So let’s get into it: Are the Nuggets the NBA’s next dynasty?
Dynasties, some versions of them, have defined the NBA. The 1950s Celtics. The ’80s Lakers. The ’90s Bulls. More recently the Spurs’ four titles in nine years gave way to the Heat’s two in four, which led to the Warriors’ title window that has yielded four championships … and counting.
Is Denver next?
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Any argument for it begins with Jokić, a two-time, coulda-been-three time MVP who has vaporized any criticism of his game with a historic playoffs. He has smashed Wilt Chamberlain’s record for triple doubles in one postseason and could become the fourth player to average a triple double in the playoffs and the first to do it while winning a championship.
Scarier still: Teammates believe his game can rise to another level.
“I think there's more to come from [Jokić],” said Murray. “I think we haven't seen a side of [Jokić] that we are going to see where he can be just pure dominance all the way, the whole game, even more than he has been.”
Added Malone, “Nikola is just a different player. From Day 1, what stood out to me was the skill level, the ballhandling, the ball-passing, the soft touch. He is a guy that works on his craft. He is not just a guy that shows up and does that. The amount of time that he puts into his game I don’t think is documented enough.”
Murray, certainly, has another level. Two years removed from a torn ACL, he is performing at an All-NBA level. And his game is built for the playoffs. Consider: In 19 postseason games in 2020, Murray averaged 26.5 points and 6.6 assists, and shot 45.3% from three. In 19 games this postseason Murray’s numbers (26.7 points, 7.1 assists, 40.1% from three) are nearly identical.
Aaron Gordon called Murray a “point god” after a 12-assist effort (against zero turnovers) in Game 4, and Malone pointed out that Murray has never been a one-dimensional player.
“I've long said that Jamal is not just a scorer,” said Malone. “That's been my challenge to him. That should be an affront to him, that people just look at him as a scorer, because ever since he became a starting point guard, he is charged with the responsibility of running this team, making every one of his teammates better, on top of being an aggressive scorer looking for his shot, on top of being a rebounder at his size and physicality, as well as being an engaged defender.”
Porter has struggled in the Finals, but when healthy—the forward played a career-high 62 games this season—he’s an elite third option. Gordon has embraced his role as a versatile defender and a punishing off-ball scorer. He has been invaluable on both ends in the Finals, hounding Jimmy Butler on one end and slashing his way to efficient shooting nights on the other. In Game 4, Gordon chipped in a playoff career-high 27 points, needing just 15 shots to do it.
“That’s why we got him,” Murray said. “He’s a dog. He’s strong. He’s physical. He’s tough. He’s chill. He brings everybody together off the court. And he’s a selfless player.”
Sustainable success, championship-level success, is challenging, more so in today’s NBA, where the league has attempted to collectively bargain superteams out of existence. The NBA wasn’t specifically targeting the Nuggets when it negotiated stiffer penalties for free spenders, but Denver—with three players on max-level contracts—will feel them. Bruce Brown can be a free agent and will get offers far greater than the $7.7 million the Nuggets can make him, meaning Christian Braun (who has made an impact in the Finals) and Peyton Watson (who has not) will likely play bigger roles.
In 2024 the challenge could be greater. If Denver’s payroll puts it above the NBA’s second tax apron, the restrictions will tighten. No taxpayer mid-level exception. No aggregating contracts in a trade. It’s why the Nuggets, anticipating the difficulties of roster management, swung a deal with Oklahoma City last week that gives Denver’s Calvin Booth–led front office an extra second-round pick in this year’s draft and a first-rounder next year (the Nuggets will send a protected ’29 pick to OKC).
It won’t be easy. But Denver’s collection of 20-somethings (Gordon, 27, is also under contract through 2025) has championship-level chemistry, and the front office, both under former GM Tim Connelly and now Booth, has found pieces that complement them. On the eve of the Finals, commissioner Adam Silver claimed competition was great for the NBA “and if as a result dynasties are made, I think that’s great, too.”
Denver is determined to make one of its own.
