r/denvernuggets • u/gaddsaa • 3d ago
Asking Nuggets fans of all generations!
Hey Nuggets fans, so I’m making a video on each franchise’s biggest upset (when they were not expected to win) and each franchise’s biggest choke (sorry if that strikes a chord). I have my guesses for each but I wanted to ask actual Nuggets fans to see what you guys think and if you have better answers that I should look at.
I'm considering an upset strictly as when that team was not supposed to win or were big underdogs and won. A choke can either be when your team was expected to win and underperformed, or blew a big lead in an important game or in the playoffs (something around those lines). It can also be a blown playoff lead (example: 3-1 lead)
Let me know what you guys think, I will link the video here when it’s done. Good luck to you guys this season!!
22
u/General-Studio3715 3d ago
1994 win against the Sonics
2024 loss against the Wolves.
9
u/GodsForgivenes 3d ago
Honorable mention to the 2019 game 7 loss to Portland after leading by 20.
Also to the Melo vs Kobe WCF, I forget which year. No inbounds play cost us from being up 2-0 going back to Denver.
And I agree with your answer. Just adding some other close second places.
7
u/Affectionate-Flan-99 3d ago
09 for the WCF year. Fucking Kenyon Martin couldn't pass a goddamn ball in.
That was hugely impactful. Nugs probably win the title that year without that pass. Imagine how different NBA history would look. Karl and Melo have a ring and Melo probably doesn't leave. At least until later.
5
u/GodsForgivenes 3d ago
Completely agree. Lebron didn’t have a ring yet, landing one in Denver would’ve been massive in his legacy at the time. He probably would’ve signed that extension.
For Billups he gets a second ring in a different city, both small market franchises including Denver’s first.
No playoff success before Billups. Immediate championship after. Might put him in the top 75 of all time. He retires a nugget instead of a piston.
Karl exorcises his demons. He’d be thought of differently though for Billups and Karl their actions after their career hurt their legacies.
3
u/Hopsblues English 3d ago
Yep, the loss to the Lakers because we couldn't inbounds the ball was the worst loss for me.
2
u/General-Studio3715 3d ago
Portland was a forgotten one but any team in the West would get embarrassed by the Warriors in the CF while in 24, had we won against the Wolves, we had real chances of winning another ring, even some Celtics players declared that.
1
u/GodsForgivenes 3d ago
I think we take that series vs golden state or made it more interesting than Portland did. KD only played a few games before his Achilles. Not sure we get by Toronto without AG to clamp Leonard.
Agree though, that Minnesota series loss was worse. We matched up very well with Dallas.
There is one team in the west that built their roster specifically to stop Jokic and we keep finding ways to play them in the 1st 2 rounds.
5
18
u/TheLionYeti 3d ago edited 3d ago
The biggest upset is easily Supersonics vs Nuggets in 1994. The first time in NBA History that a 8 seed beats an 1 Seed. It was before my time but Mutumbo bursting into tears holding the ball at the end is an iconic Nuggets moment. Choke is probably game 7 vs the Timberwolves in 2024. We yakked away a 20 point lead halfway through the 4th quarter in our own gym. Just one of the most heartbreaking basketball games I've ever seen.
1
u/Rare-Confusion-220 3d ago
Don't 1 seeds beat 8 seeds all the time? Completely agree with the choke choice. Still makes me mad
1
u/TheLionYeti 3d ago
Its only happened 6 times ever. I wouldn't call that all the time.
Year No. 8 Seed No. 1 Seed Series Score 1994 Denver Nuggets Seattle SuperSonics 3–2 1999 New York Knicks Miami Heat 3–2 2007 Golden State Warriors Dallas Mavericks 4–2 2011 Memphis Grizzlies San Antonio Spurs 4–2 2012 Philadelphia 76ers Chicago Bulls 4–2 2023 Miami Heat Milwaukee Bucks 4–1 1
u/Hopsblues English 3d ago
You misspoke in your initial comment. You said 'the first time a #1 beat a #8' You said it backwards.
1
7
u/hexum311 3d ago
In more recent history, our 2020 run to the western conference finals included two game 7 series where we came back and won down 1-3 as underdogs. Our biggest recent choke is losing to the hospital wolves in last years playoffs.
1
u/Rare-Confusion-220 3d ago
Yeah but that didn't mean they were underdogs. Yeah they went down but it's not like when they were an 8 seed and beat a 1 seed. And please those 2 playoff series were SO FUN AND EXCITING!
3
u/GodsForgivenes 3d ago
Utah wasn’t an upset but the clippers absolutely were. Agree not to same level of a 1/8 matchup.
The hyper around a clippers lakers showdown dominated that seasons storylines. All pundits picked the clippers.
Bubble god Jamal Murray and Paul Milsap destroyed that teams chances at a title that series. They never recovered.
‘Go the fuck home’ Morris and later his brother after a cheap shot fell to Jokic. Utah Phoenix and Portland after losing to Jokic, fired their coaches and traded away core players.
3
u/UndisclosedLocation5 3d ago
The bubble clippers were favorites to win WCF, that was definitely an upset
1
10
u/MrCitizenKane83 3d ago
1994 mount Mutombo is easily the biggest upset over the SuperSonics. I actually think that was so big that there is a direct tie to the Sonics eventually leaving Seattle.
Any of the recent playoff blunders though 2024 stands out. But an even bigger upset that most won’t remember is the 1975/76 Nuggets who went 60-24, had the best record in basketball, had the best coach in the ABA (Larry Brown), the best player on earth (David Thompson) losing to the Julius Erving New York Nets. A team they had gone 8-4 against in the regular season.
5
u/dmlitzau English 3d ago
The only other choke job that comes to mind is the loss to the Lakers in the western conference finals because they couldn’t get the ball inbound. Such a basic part of the game and they failed twice.
5
u/AnaBanana84 3d ago
I'm a new-ish fan (last couple of years), so this probably isn't the best of all time, but my mind went to last January's win against the Bucks, when our bench (essentially) beat the Bucks' starting lineup, despite a monster showing by Giannis.
4
u/GodsForgivenes 3d ago
Great regular season answer.
A few regular season honorable mentions -
The magnificent 7 game
Last seasons game vs Philly. No starters vs a healthy squad
1
u/ColoradoRocket3 3d ago
No doubt the sonics was best. And losing to lakers when Karl insisted on playing Carter, his Woobie. For a regular season game, the Magnificent Seven game was a blast.
41
u/wallsofj 3d ago
I'll start with the obvious biggest upset to me: 1994 8th seed Nuggets beating 1 seed Sonics in the playoffs. Even though I lived in Colorado I felt like I was the only person repping Nuggets gear all year. Had a pullover Starter jacket and everything. Middle school me was so happy after that comeback.