They Do Run, Run, Run, They Do Run, Run
The Denver Nuggets franchise traces its origins to
1967-68 in the American Basketball Association. A stable ABA
franchise for nine years, Denver carried its winning ways into the
NBA when the two leagues merged in 1976.
During their early NBA years the Nuggets boasted a deep and
talented roster anchored by such superstars as David Thompson and
Dan Issel. Although the franchise had its down periods, the team
always retained its character as a freewheeling, high-scoring unit.
After Alex English assumed the team's scoring mantle in the 1980s,
the Nuggets played in the highest-scoring game in NBA history and
established the all-time single-season record for scoring average.
After another downturn the franchise again reloaded with young
talent in the early 1990s, and in 1994 made history by becoming the
first No. 8 seed ever to beat a No. 1 seed when they shocked the
Seattle SuperSonics.
When the NBA was formed in 1949, the original Denver Nuggets
(who bore no relationship to the later franchise, aside from the
name) played in the Western Divison. Their rivals included such
franchises as Sheboygan and Waterloo. Denver, led in scoring by
Kenneth Sailors with 17.3 points per game, struggled to an 11-51
record and met its own waterloo during the offseason when the club
folded after just one year.
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1967-69: Denver Once Rooted For The Rockets
The pro game resurfaced 18 years later in the Mile High
City for the 1967-68 season, this time in the form of the ABA's
Denver Rockets. The team played its first game on October 15, 1967,
and defeated the Anaheim Amigos, 110-105. Under Coach Bob Bass,
Denver went 45-33 in its inaugural campaign before being eliminated
by the New Orleans Buccaneers in the first round of the 1968 ABA
Playoffs. Larry Jones, a 6-3 guard with a deft shooting touch,
registered a league season-best 52 points against the Oakland Oaks;
Denver won the contest, 126-108.
In the Rockets' second campaign the team went 44-34 and finished
in third place in the Western Division. Denver met Oakland in the
division semifinals and stretched the series to seven games before
losing. Walt Piatkowski, a 6-8 forward who averaged 12.2 points,
was named to the ABA All-Rookie Team.
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1969-72: Spencer Is Hired
In 1969-70 the Rockets signed 6-9 Spencer Haywood fresh
from his sophomore year at the University of Detroit. As a rookie,
Haywood turned in one of the greatest single-season performances in
ABA history. He didn't waste much time making his mark in the
Denver record books-on November 13 he pulled down 31 rebounds
against the Kentucky Colonels, a franchise record that still stands
more than two decades later.
Haywood scored 59 points in a 152-116 April blowout of the Los
Angeles Stars, the highest single-game total in Denver's ABA tenure
and second in team history to David Thompson's 73 against Detroit
in 1978. For the season, Haywood averaged 30.0 points and 19.5
rebounds, was the ABA All-Star Game MVP, and won the league's
Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards.
Haywood's inspirational presence helped Denver capture the best
record in the ABA's Western Division at 51-33. The Rockets defeated
the Washington Capitols in the opening round of the playoffs but
fell to the Los Angeles Stars in the division finals. The 1969-70
coaching duties were split between John McClendon, under whom the
team stumbled to 9-19, and Joe Belmont, who took over and guided
the club to a 42-14 mark the rest of the way. Under Belmont, Denver
put together a franchise-best 15-game winning streak between
December 20 and January 15.
The great forward then jumped to the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics
for the 1970-71 season, creating a legal stir that led the NBA to
relax its guidelines prohibiting the admittance of college
underclassmen. Haywood went on to play a dozen NBA seasons with
Seattle, New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Washington,
earning four All-Star selections and two berths on the All-NBA
First Team.
Though Haywood was a one-year wonder in Denver, a fixture on the
ABA-era Denver teams was 6-9 Byron Beck, who played his entire
career with the franchise. Beck averaged 11.5 points and 7.0
rebounds before being waived by the team and retiring in 1977. A
hometown favorite, he had played college ball in Denver, and his
hardworking attitude was much admired by ABA fans. Beck's No. 40 is
one of four uniforms retired by the franchise, the others belonging
to the better known David Thompson, Dan Issel, and Alex
English.
Although Beck was a popular player, the real star of those teams
was Larry Jones, who made the All-ABA Team three times. Jones
averaged better than 20 points for three straight seasons starting
in 1967-68.
Without Haywood the Rockets came back down to earth. Under Coach
Stan Albeck, Denver's 1970-71 record nose-dived to 30-54. Their
collapse included an eight-game losing streak.
Alex Hannum took over as head coach for the 1971-72 season, and
the team went 34-50. Despite the subpar record the Rockets featured
some good players and some strong performances. Ralph Simpson, a
6-5 guard, scored 27.4 points per game and made the first of his
five consecutive ABA All-Star Game appearances. Larry Brown, who
later became one of the most successful coaches of the 1980s and
1990s, set the franchise record for assists in a game, with 23
against the Pittsburgh Condors on February 20. The Rockets' losing
record didn't keep them out of the playoffs, but the team made a
quick exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers.
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1972-74: Julius Is A Big "Keye" To Rockets Success
The 1972-73 team improved to 47-37, playing steady ball
for most of the season. Julius Keye, who made the ABA All-Defensive
Team, blocked 12 Virginia Squires shots on December 14, a franchise
record that went untouched for two decades until Dikembe Mutombo
matched it in 1993. Simpson and Warren Jabali represented Denver in
the 1973 ABA All-Star Game, and Jabali was named the game's Most
Valuable Player. Denver made the playoffs but lost a first-round
series to Indiana for the second consecutive year.
In 1973-74 Denver slipped to 37-47 and missed the postseason.
Although center-forward Mike Green was named to the ABA All-Rookie
Team and 6-10 shotblocking specialist Julius Keye repeated on the
All-Defensive Team, the Rockets were going nowhere.
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1974-75: From Worst To First
Carl Scheer was brought in as president and general
manager before the 1974-75 season. Scheer, who had been with the
Carolina Cougars organization, brought a whole Carolina contingent
with him: Coach Larry Brown, Assistant Coach Doug Moe, All-ABA
guard Mack Calvin, and Bobby Jones, a rookie from the University of
North Carolina who developed into one of the greatest defensive
forwards in the history of the game.
Within two years the Denver franchise was revitalized. The team
was renamed the Nuggets for the 1974-75 season, with new uniforms
and a new roster. Suddenly the Nuggets went from being one of the
worst teams in basketball to the best team in the ABA, finishing at
65-19. They defeated Utah in the first round of the playoffs but
fell in seven games to Indiana in the Western Division Finals.
Larry Brown was named ABA Coach of the Year, and Bobby Jones made
both the All-Rookie Team and the All-Defensive Team. Mack Calvin
also had a sensational season, averaging 19.5 points.
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1975-76: Thompson Turns Down NBA, Signs With Nuggets
The team's biggest coup was its signing of David
Thompson, a three-time All-American and two-time College Player of
the Year at North Carolina State. Thompson had been selected by the
Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 pick in the 1975 NBA Draft, and he had
been picked No. 1 in the ABA Draft by the Virginia Squires.
Virginia traded his rights, along with George Irvine, to Denver for
Mack Calvin, Mike Green, and Jan van Breda Kolff. When Thompson
opted to sign with the Nuggets instead of the Hawks, it marked the
first time in nine years that a No.1 pick had chosen the ABA over
the NBA. The ABA was still striving for legitimacy, and Thompson's
affiliation brought major credibility.
Thompson averaged 24.1 points in his seven seasons with the
Nuggets and earned two All-NBA First Team selections after the
leagues merged. Although he had highly publicized personal
problems, he was trouble-free on the court, accumulating fantastic
numbers in spectacular fashion. The 6-4 Thompson's acrobatic
maneuvers earned him the nickname "Skywalker." He played in an era
when the game was evolving into an above-the-rim affair, and he and
Julius Erving were major proponents of the new high-flying style.
Thompson's uniform No. 33 was retired by the Nuggets after he left
the game in 1984.
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1975-76: Denver Rides Its "Horse" To ABA Finals
Anchoring the Nuggets' front line in 1975-76 was 6-9
Dan Issel, who had played five years with the Kentucky Colonels
before coming to Denver prior to the season. Issel had first
established himself in basketball circles at the University of
Kentucky, where he set 23 school records including total points
(2,138). As a senior Issel averaged 33.9 points. After turning pro
Issel helped the Kentucky Colonels win the ABA Championship in
1975, his fifth season. Following that season Kentucky dealt Issel
to the Baltimore Claws-a team that never played a game-and the
Claws sent Issel to Denver in exchange for cash and Dave Robisch on
October 8, 1975. Known as "the Horse," Issel was remarkably
durable-in his 15-year pro career he missed only 24 games. Like
Thompson, Issel had the honor of seeing his uniform (No. 44)
retired by the Nuggets. He was also elected to the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
With a talent-packed lineup of Thompson, Issel, Bobby Jones,
Ralph Simpson, and Mack Calvin (all five starters averaged double
figures in scoring), the Nuggets were a terror at home in the ABA's
final season. They started winning at McNichols Sports Arena just
after Christmas and didn't stop until three months later. The
28-game home winning streak was the longest in franchise history.
After putting together a 60-24 regular-season record, the Nuggets
eliminated Kentucky in the playoffs before running into Julius
Erving and the New York Nets in the ABA Finals. The Nets took the
series in six games.
In each of the previous two seasons the Nuggets had won more
games than any other team in either the ABA or the NBA, but they
still didn't have a title to show for it. The consolation prizes
were a repeat for Larry Brown as ABA Coach of the Year and David
Thompson's selection as ABA Rookie of the Year.
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1976-77: Nuggets Are Golden In NBA Debut
While Denver was flourishing, most ABA franchises were
floundering. In June 1976 the league went out of business, and the
Nuggets, Nets, San Antonio Spurs, and Indiana Pacers became part of
the NBA after paying $3.2-million entry fees.
Although most of the new teams adjusted slowly to the NBA,
Denver thrived right from the start. The Nuggets won their first
eight games of the 1976-77 campaign, the all-time franchise record
for a season-starting winning streak. They lost little momentum,
posting a 23-10 mark by the new year and keeping the pressure on
for most of the campaign. Denver finished with a 50-32 record, won
the Midwest Division, and tied the Philadelphia 76ers for the
second-best record in the league behind the Los Angeles Lakers'
53-29 mark. But the Nuggets faltered in the playoffs and were
eliminated by the Bill Walton-led Portland Trail Blazers, the
eventual NBA champions.
Denver had stormed onto the NBA scene in more ways than one. The
Nuggets led the league in attendance, averaging 17,150 fans per
game. David Thompson ranked fourth in the NBA with a team-high 25.9
points per game, and Dan Issel added 22.3 points per contest.
Slender 6-9 forward Bobby Jones was named to the NBA All-Defensive
Team after having received the same honor the previous two years in
the ABA. He finished the season with 186 steals and 162 blocked
shots, both team records at the time. A valuable role player in
every city he went, Jones was already demonstrating the
hardworking, dependable character that would make him an integral
part of the great Philadelphia teams of the early 1980s.
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1977-79: "Skywalker" Vs. "The Iceman"
Denver finished the 1977-78 season at 48-34, good
enough for a second straight Midwest Division title. With Coach
Larry Brown at the helm, the Nuggets penetrated deep into the
postseason. After winning a hard-fought seven-game series against
Milwaukee in the Western Conference Semifinals, Denver drew Seattle
in the conference finals. The Nuggets won the opening game of the
series, then dropped the next three, eventually losing in six
games.
That season's biggest drama was played out on the final day of
the regular season, in one of the greatest displays of individual
scoring pyrotechnics in NBA history. Heading into the final game,
David Thompson and the San Antonio Spurs' George "the Iceman"
Gervin were in a virtual tie for the NBA scoring title. In the
Nuggets' last game of the regular season, on April 9 at Detroit,
Thompson exploded for a team-record 73 points. It was the
third-highest output ever in an NBA game; only Wilt Chamberlain,
who scored 100 in one game and 78 in another, had racked up higher
point totals.
Unfortunately for Thompson, Gervin lit up the New Orleans Jazz
for 63 points later that same day. It was just enough to give
Gervin the scoring crown, 27.22 points per game to Thompson's
27.15, the tightest one-two finish ever.
The 1978-79 Nuggets team went 47-35, but it was not a calm
season. The team got off to a stumbling start, lost six straight in
November, and was struggling with a losing record through December.
Things began to turn around in January, but on February 1 Larry
Brown abruptly resigned to take the head coaching job at UCLA.
Donnie Walsh took over as coach, and the team responded with a
seven-game winning streak in March.
As usual, Thompson, the 1979 NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable
Player, led the Nuggets in scoring, with 24.0 points per game.
George McGinnis, who had come from Philadelphia in an offseason
trade for Bobby Jones and Ralph Simpson, contributed 22.6 points
and 11.4 rebounds per contest. Issel added 17.0 points and 9.1
rebounds per game.
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