A new NBA finalist franchise doesn’t happen every day. It is therefore an event and in the case of Denver, it is obviously historic because the Nuggets have been chasing this qualification for a long time.
Very long even since the franchise arrived in the NBA in 1976/1977, the day after the merger with the ABA. Nikola Jokic and his band have therefore put an end to 46 seasons of waiting! Never had a team waited so long before joining the Finals, says ESPN. A record that may one day be broken by the Clippers…
Nor ever won so many playoff matches without flirting with the Grail. Before Monday night’s victory in Los Angeles, Denver had indeed 93 playoff successes.
The Colorado franchise is finally leaving the club of teams that have never played in the NBA Finals. There are five left: the Clippers (53 years of waiting), the Wolves (34), the Hornets (33), the Grizzlies (28) and the Pelicans (21).
If the first three have already been close, with qualification for the conference final (in 2021 for Los Angeles, 2013 for Memphis and 2004 for Minnesota), for Charlotte and New Orleans, there is room. The Pelicans have never done better than a conference semifinal (2008), as have the Hornets (1993, 1998, 2001 and 2002).
