The Denver Nuggets have swept past the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Now as a result, they are going to the first NBA Finals in the history of the Nuggets franchise.
Up to this point, I had neither covered the NBA playoffs, nor the NHL playoffs. I lost almost all of my interest with the Stanley Cup playoffs with the results of the second round, while my interest in the NBA playoffs remained extremely limited so long as the Lakers remained. I had been hoping that they would miss the playoffs again, making it an extremely rare two consecutive seasons period where they would miss the postseason each time. Every other franchise in every other sport has had much longer periods of mediocrity than the Lakers, and frankly, I am so sick and tired of the Lakers by now, having seen them win 11 championships (and numerous other NBA Finals series appearance) that I just have no interest even in watching them if they are still in it. But they rallied not only to qualify for the postseason, but to advance past the first round, and then to have a chance against the defending NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors. Admittedly, once they knocked out the Warriors, I suspected that they would, once again, run the table and get another "miracle" championship.
Don't get me wrong: I enjoy following the NBA playoffs. But the Lakers run admittedly dispirited me. I've seen them acquire much championship level talent, too often for seemingly next to nothing, time and time again. So often, that it made me suspicious, especially after hearing that former NBA Commissioner David Stern suggest (while he was still the active commissioner) that his "ideal" NBA Finals match-up would be the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Los Angeles Lakers. When the head of the league suggests something like that, it felt a bit like the fix was in. If I were an owner, or even a player, for any other franchise, hearing Stern say that, it would really anger me, especially when they seem to get far more breaks than any other franchise in North American sports, and not just the NBA. They had a loaded roster in the eighties, when they won five NBA titles and qualified for several NBA Finals that they did not win. They went again in 1991, and then came the quietest period of years that I can remember from the Lakers. But in 1996, they acquired both Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. A few years later, they were a dynasty again, winning three straight NBA titles, and almost winning a fourth a couple of seasons later in 2004, when they again had a loaded lineup that included Karl Malone and Gary Payton, and everyone assumed that they were going to cruise to an NBA title. Another relatively quiet period followed after their 2004 NBA Finals shock loss to the Pistons, again lasting maybe four or so years this time, and then more huge talent acquisitions for virtually nothing when they got Pao Gasol. They made it back to NBA Finals in 2008, suffering a shocking loss to the Celtics. Then, they won two more NBA Championships, securing "Team of the Decade" honors again, much as they had in the eighties. Then, they got Dwight Howard for virtually nothing, and again, championship expectations. This time, it fell flat, but again, it made me wonder why they, and rarely other franchises, kept getting such high level, high profile talent for virtually nothing. Then, of course, LeBron James came on board to a talented lineup, and the Lakers ran the table once again, winning yet another title in 2020.
So you'll excuse my both skepticism and, frankly, disinterest in "another miraculous" Lakers playoff run, which I suspected would take them back to the Finals, and probably culminate in another championship. It didn't, this time. But in the near future? Who knows?
Fortunately, the Nuggets were able to take care of business, and shockingly, at that. They have been dominant all season, and especially in these playoffs, where the franchise always seemed to run out of gas short of an NBA Finals appearance prior to this. Not this year.
It seems likely that they will face the Miami Heat. As I write this, Game 4 is underway. It is early, and the game is tied, although there is a long way to go in that game. Still, Miami has looked incredible in these playoffs as well, becoming only the third eighth-seed in NBA history to make it quite this far, owning a 3-0 series lead against the seemingly overmatched Boston Celtics.
Let's see what happens. As for the Denver Nuggets, they are finally Western Conference Champions, for the first time in that franchise's history, which stretches back to 1967.
Congratulations, Denver Nuggets!
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