KUSA — Forget about scoreboard watching. It's simple. Wednesday night is 'win and you're in' for the Nuggets--an essential 'play in game' finale between Denver and Minnesota for the final Western Conference playoff spot.
While this might seem like a common storyline in Denver now--after the Avalanche won in an identical situation this past Saturday--this kind of thing doesn't happen often. In fact, for the Nuggets, you'd have to go back 23 years.
The date was April 23, 1995. It was the final game of the regular season between the Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings. The winner would go to to the postseason. The loser would be eliminated. Sound familiar?
That was the last time Denver entered a season finale with a 'win and you're in' scenario. And, it just so happened that the team they were playing was in the same situation too--a play in game to decide who would go to the playoffs and who would go home.
As this year's group prepares for the biggest regular season game for the franchise in 23 years, most of the players won't even be able to use that game in '95 as a reference.
Jamal Murray wasn't even born yet. Nikola Jokic was 2 months old. Gary Harris? He was just 7 months old.
That's the Nuggets' three leading scorers--the future of the team. None of them had even celebrated their first birthday the last time the organization was in this type of season finale.
The good news is--or perhaps bad news if you believe in 'law of averages'--the Nuggets have a strong history in these kinds of games. In fact, they've never lost.
In that '95 finale, a Reggie Williams and Dikembe Mutombo led Denver squad beat Sacramento at home, 102-89, to advance to advance to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
12 years earlier, the Nuggets won another play in game finale--beating the Kansas City Kings 125-116 on April 17, 1983 to go to the postseason and eliminate KC in the process.
That's it. Since the Denver Nuggets joined the NBA for the first time in 1976, they've only been in a 'play in game'--where the playoffs are at stake for both teams--type of regular season finale twice.
Wednesday night will mark the third time ever--as this year's group will try to make it a perfect 3/3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The young Nuggets will be going up against a four-time All-Star in Jimmy Butler. They'll be playing on the road--where they've struggled all year. But, at least, history will be on their side.
