{"id":46620,"date":"2025-05-21T02:24:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T02:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/46620\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T02:24:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T02:24:14","slug":"has-denver-nuggets-championship-core-played-last-game-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/46620\/","title":{"rendered":"Has Denver Nuggets’ championship core played last game together?"},"content":{"rendered":"

OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Michael Porter Jr.<\/a> was beside himself. The Nuggets\u2019 locker room<\/a> was emptying, but he felt rooted to his seat, as if he hadn\u2019t earned the right to go home. It was late March, and he was agonizing over a gnarly 3-point shooting slump that had cratered that night at Ball Arena with a 1-for-10 showing. The visiting Chicago Bulls won by 10.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost us that game,\u201d Porter said to nobody in particular, lamenting the glitch in his shooting form. Picturesque when it\u2019s properly calibrated, it felt broken in the moment. Only a handful of teammates were around to hear him. Those who were pushed back, led by Aaron Gordon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely not, bro,\u201d he said, reminding Porter that he\u2019s \u201cone of the best shooters of all time.\u201d The names Steph Curry and Reggie Miller were mentioned. Maybe those comparisons are hyperbolic, but Gordon was decisive with the label. He was convinced of it. He left no room for Porter to contest it.<\/p>\n

For several years of build-up to a championship and hardship in its fallout, the Nuggets have \u00a0identified by their continuity \u2014 specifically, the basketball bond forged between their core quartet. It started with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, stealthy prize picks in the 2014 and 2016 drafts. It evolved to include Porter, drafted in 2018, and Gordon, acquired via trade in 2021.<\/p>\n

The four of them have composed an offense of harmony, based around the ball\u2019s kinetic energy. They\u2019ve played off of one another as if they\u2019d been teammates since middle school. They\u2019ve started 166 games together in the last three seasons \u2014 46 in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

And they\u2019ve leaned on one another whenever the team has faltered, whenever an individual has experienced a lapse in confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe game is great. Obviously, playing is amazing. But really, what makes it special is just being around a high-character group of people,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cAnd the interactions, and the memories that you make and share with a great group of guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

As they shook hands and shared hugs on a bittersweet Sunday in Oklahoma City, they had no way of knowing what the future holds. Game 7 against the Thunder might have been the end of the core that brought the Nuggets their first championship. The collective bargaining agreement is knocking at their door. The second apron is a cloak of death for high-dollar rosters like theirs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, we didn\u2019t, so obviously we can\u2019t,\u201d Jokic said when asked if he believes Denver can win a ring as constructed. \u201cIf we could, we will win it. So I don\u2019t believe in the \u2018if, if\u2019 stuff. We had opportunity. We didn\u2019t win it. So I think we can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NikolaNikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets speaks to members of the media after the Oklahoma City Thunder\u2019s 125-93 win at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, May 18, 2025. The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Denver Nuggets 4-3 in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

The mood inside Denver\u2019s eliminated locker room was starkly different from the despair of 2024, when its season ended in the exact same game. The exact same round. That was a team that couldn\u2019t envision a result other than a repeat NBA title, a team that won more regular-season games (57) than any other in Jokic\u2019s career. That was a team that knew a golden opportunity had slipped through its fingers.<\/p>\n

This was a more diluted version of the Nuggets that paraded through downtown Denver. A little older. A little wearier in the legs. A little shallower on the bench. Their coach and general manager lost their jobs in the last week of the regular season. Left for dead by the vortex of NBA discourse, they climbed back into fourth place, outlasted the hottest team in the league and pushed the 68-win Thunder to Game 7.<\/p>\n

This was a disappointed locker room, but with a perspective shaped by the unusual circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe stayed with it,\u201d Murray said. \u201cWe had to figure it out. Call some audibles. We had a long journey just to get to this point. I\u2019m proud of the belief that we had. The positivity that we had. The guys staying together.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a nice story, what this Nuggets team revealed about itself in the face of adversity. Team president and governor Josh Kroenke told The Denver Post that it was the proudest he\u2019s been of any Jokic-era team aside from the one that raised a banner. He greeted each of the players as they walked off the court in OKC, inviting them to hold their heads high. They rallied around one another, from his viewpoint.<\/p>\n

Interim coach David Adelman said he\u2019ll remember these six weeks fondly. The players more or less felt the same way.<\/p>\n

But does that qualify 2024-25 as a successful year in totality? Probably not, if the goal remains to win multiple championships with Jokic. Denver technically avoided a second consecutive postseason regression. But the results still stagnated while the competition improved. The Thunder won Game 7 the same way it won 68 games. The Nuggets fell victim to the same flaws that caused them to lose their status as a title favorite.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think through the next season, whether I\u2019m here or somebody else is, it\u2019s just about getting to the finish line healthier, and not having to grind like we did through the Clippers series,\u201d Adelman said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s gonna be a challenge. As these guys get older year by year, we have to maintenance them. And if you\u2019re gonna play a young team like (Oklahoma City) that has unbelievable depth, a very good coaching staff \u2026 you have to have the freshest version of yourself. That is part of the reason why I\u2019m so proud of these guys to get this to seven. I mean, we grinded through this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adelman and his players understood that to do so was admirable, but not sustainable. Porter and Gordon, in particular, sacrificed their bodies just to give Denver a chance to pull off the upset. To a certain extent, they succeeded, despite Porter\u2019s poor individual numbers.<\/p>\n

\"ChristianChristian Braun (0), Aaron Gordon (32) and Michael Porter Jr. (1) of the Denver Nuggets react after DeAndre Jordan (6) hit a 3-pointer in warmups before the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

The Nuggets fielded a starting lineup that was effective enough to beat the best team in the NBA. In 142 minutes shared by Jokic, Murray, Porter, Gordon and Christian Braun during the second-round series, their net rating was a resounding 10.3. The Thunder\u2019s starting lineup was minus-1.3.<\/p>\n

But almost every attempted substitution crashed and burned for Adelman. The Thunder\u2019s top three individual net ratings in the series belonged to Aaron Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso \u2014 all bench players. When that trio was on the floor together, OKC had a 32.5 net rating in 58 minutes.<\/p>\n

Denver\u2019s depth was nowhere near good enough, and the only way to get meaningfully deeper this offseason outside of player development is to break up that deadly starting lineup. It\u2019s a cruel catch-22. But the Nuggets backed themselves into this corner. The core four accounts for 82% of the payroll, with long-term extensions going into effect for Murray and Gordon.<\/p>\n

Both are eligible to be traded \u2014 former general manager Calvin Booth explored deals involving Murray last offseason<\/a> before giving him the extension, league sources told The Post \u2014 but ultimately, those recent votes of faith would suggest that Porter is the odd man out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019ve got the pieces, but you know, that\u2019s all up to the top and how they feel about it,\u201d Porter said.<\/p>\n

When asked about his confidence that this core will be back together, he shared his appreciation for the Kroenkes, two bygone general managers (Tim Connelly and Booth), ex-coach Michael Malone and Adelman, then finally his teammates: \u201cEveryone in this locker room means a lot to me. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019ll be the same exact group next year. But whatever\u2019s next for me, whatever\u2019s next for this team, I know that the guys will be ready for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a note of melancholy in that response, a subtle recognition that he might not be one of \u201cthe guys\u201d navigating that next phase. Their fates are hard to predict, as the team enters its offseason without a full-time GM in place to run basketball operations.<\/p>\n

Gordon and Murray backed up Porter, stressing confidence in the top of the roster and pride in the team\u2019s resolve.<\/p>\n

The looming decision for Nuggets power brokers might require a more cold-hearted evaluation of whether these four can win again.<\/p>\n

If the answer is no, someone will be sacrificed, and Game 7 will have been the last ride for a core that once brought unprecedented glory to Denver.<\/p>\n

Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally Published: May 19, 2025 at 4:09 PM MDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Michael Porter Jr. was beside himself. The Nuggets\u2019 locker room was emptying, but he felt…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[877,2276,7,4187,561,765,250,761,301,187,766,762,3787,763,165,4231,764,252,6,11,2828,253,302,1146,254,66,3994],"class_list":{"0":"post-46620","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba","8":"tag-aaron-gordon","9":"tag-ball-arena","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-calvin-booth","12":"tag-christian-braun","13":"tag-colorado","14":"tag-david-adelman","15":"tag-deandre-jordan","16":"tag-denver","17":"tag-denver-nuggets","18":"tag-front-range","19":"tag-jamal-murray","20":"tag-josh-kroenke","21":"tag-julian-strawther","22":"tag-latest-headlines","23":"tag-michael-malone","24":"tag-michael-porter","25":"tag-more-nuggets-news","26":"tag-nba","27":"tag-nba-playoffs","28":"tag-nba-trade-deadline","29":"tag-nikola-jokic","30":"tag-nuggets","31":"tag-peyton-watson","32":"tag-russell-westbrook","33":"tag-sports","34":"tag-tim-connelly"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/114543451629262790","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}