During the past few seasons, the Denver Nuggets have been one of those teams that generally play respectable basketball, finish the season with a winning record, make the playoffs and exits in the first round. Basketball fans had become accustomed to seeing this take place on a yearly basis, so people were surprised (to say the least) to witness the run that the Denver Nuggets embarked on during the 2009 NBA playoffs.
The most shocking reason for this all stems from the fact that the Nuggets had traded Allen Iverson, the team's second highest scorer, to the Detroit Pistons. This panned out to be a great deal!
The Nuggets look to improve on this upcoming season and make it to the finals. They didn't have any real changes during the off-season, but their core is all healthy and will continue to improve with time.
The addition of point guard Chauncey Billups essentially changed their season for the better once he arrived in town. Billups brought a defensive mentality from the Detroit Pistons who were one of the best defensive teams of the decade.
Billups is also a great on court leader who knows how to play in big games. In 77 games with Denver Billups averaged 17 points per game, 6 assists and 91% at the free throw line. At 32 years old at the time, Billups seemed to hit the prime of his career.
Birdman, also known as Chris Andersen stepped up off the bench and had a huge year. He's become one of the best shot blockers in the league.
As a result, the Nuggets ended up beating the Hornets in five games, before easily defeating the Mavericks in round 2 of the NBA playoffs. Then it was on to the Western Finals against the Lakers.
After a hard fought series versus the Lakers, their season was cut short. Still, it was a beautiful run in Denver, one they hope to repeat.
The most shocking reason for this all stems from the fact that the Nuggets had traded Allen Iverson, the team's second highest scorer, to the Detroit Pistons. This panned out to be a great deal!
The Nuggets look to improve on this upcoming season and make it to the finals. They didn't have any real changes during the off-season, but their core is all healthy and will continue to improve with time.
The addition of point guard Chauncey Billups essentially changed their season for the better once he arrived in town. Billups brought a defensive mentality from the Detroit Pistons who were one of the best defensive teams of the decade.
Billups is also a great on court leader who knows how to play in big games. In 77 games with Denver Billups averaged 17 points per game, 6 assists and 91% at the free throw line. At 32 years old at the time, Billups seemed to hit the prime of his career.
Birdman, also known as Chris Andersen stepped up off the bench and had a huge year. He's become one of the best shot blockers in the league.
As a result, the Nuggets ended up beating the Hornets in five games, before easily defeating the Mavericks in round 2 of the NBA playoffs. Then it was on to the Western Finals against the Lakers.
After a hard fought series versus the Lakers, their season was cut short. Still, it was a beautiful run in Denver, one they hope to repeat.
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