They came close in 2023, pushing the Nuggets more than anyone expected, as an 8-seed, then defeated them in a 7-game classic the following season. Now, they\u2019ll meet for a third time in four years, with plenty of familiar faces involved, and hungry to write a new chapter in the history of this matchup.<\/p>\n
During Zach Lowe\u2019s live show in Denver with Adam Mares of DNVR, the two discussed the revenge factor, and they mentioned how the Nuggets were extra motivated to beat the Lakers <\/a>in 2023 to get revenge for the bubble. Denver swept that Western Finals series en route to their title.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nuggets can avenge their last two playoff losses en route to Finals<\/p>\n Now, in the past two years, they\u2019ve been undone in two tight seven-game series\u2019 by the Wolves and Thunder, and they have a chance to amend both of those outcomes.<\/p>\n They know they missed a major opportunity in 2024, falling apart down the stretch at home in game 7, and now it seems like they\u2019re embracing a rematch. They could have easily ducked the Wolves <\/a>on the final day of the regular season, and while their actions indicated that may be the goal, the players on the court wouldn\u2019t let it happen.<\/p>\n So, the rivalry will be renewed in round one, in what\u2019s easily the most exciting first-round playoff matchup, the only one featuring two actual contenders. If the Nuggets are able to advance, they\u2019ll most likely face a second-round series with the Spurs, another team they had a chance to avoid, in a series that will offer Nikola Jokic a chance to re-establish himself as the premier big man in the league over Victor Wembanyama.<\/p>\n And if they can move through that, it will almost certainly be the defending champs, the Thunder<\/a>, waiting in the WCF. OKC knocked the Nuggets out last year, so this will be yet another chance for vengeance en route to the Finals. Nothing is set in stone, obviously, but on the surface, it looks like the Nuggets will have a real opportunity to pave an all-time path to the championship <\/a>that allows them to exorcise all their past demons along the way.<\/p>\n
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