Friday Faceoff: Do the Avalanche or Nuggets have a tougher road to Stanley Cup, NBA Finals championship?

Paul Klee, sports editor

Answer: Nuggets

When the Avalanche and Nuggets both are championship-or-bust, that’s a great question to ask. These sure are salad days for Denver Sports Fan.

But in the time it took to type this, Spurs unicorn Victor Wembanyama grew another inch and the Oklahoma City Thunder shot another free throw. Should I mention Luka Doncic is averaging 40 points per game for the Lakers?

Yes, Nikola Jokic somehow has unlocked another superpower in an 11-year career that’s flying by too quickly. The Nuggets superstar now knows he has more help, so Jokic is cool as beans to spread the wealth like never before.

Through seven games Joker’s put up only 106 shots. Through seven games last year? It was 138. And that’s without Cam Johnson finding a groove yet.

Jokic is still the best player I’ve ever seen — thanks in large part to his supercomputer brain.

Joker doesn’t solve a Rubik’s cube. A Rubik’s cube has to solve Joker.

But the NBA’s Western Conference got better, too. Only four teams in the NBA show a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense. Guess what? All four reside in the West: the Nuggets, Thunder, Rockets and Spurs. Go figure. The best ball of all is being played in Colorado, Texas and Oklahoma. Football schmootball.

This looks like another season in which the West finals serves as the NBA Finals. Survive a gantlet of Jokic, Wemby, Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Durant? You deserve more than a ring. You deserve a nap.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, center, drives to the basket as Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, left, and guard Russell Westbrook defend in the second half of Game 3 in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs Friday, May 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Evan Rawal, Avalanche team reporter 

Answer: Avalanche

Are the Avalanche off to about as good of a start as they could have hoped for? I’d say so. Yes, their work in 3-on-3 overtime is pitiful, but I just can’t be too bothered about something like that when the team is rolling where it really matters: 5-on-5. 

That being said, the path to the Stanley Cup final, once again, looks treacherous. The Avalanche have picked up points in 13 of 14 games, and you’d think that would give them a big cushion atop the standings. Think again. Winnipeg and Utah already have more regulation wins than Colorado and sit within three points of the Avalanche in the Central Division. Vegas looks fantastic and teams like Dallas and Edmonton haven’t even hit their stride yet.

It’s a new year, but it’s the same Western Conference. There will be no easy path for the Avalanche to make it to the final. Unless they get lucky and some other team takes out Dallas first, they’ll likely have to deal with the Stars in the playoffs. That means another opportunity to show everyone this year’s team is different. Early on, it sure looks like they are, but they’ll have to prove that’s the case come April when seven other teams look to take them down. 

Because right now, they’re painting a big target on their backs. That’s what the Avalanche would prefer, though. They’ve just got to back it up when the games really matter. 

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson, left, and Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) collide while competing for the puck during the first period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series Monday, April 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)