![]() ![]() Controversial rookie Spencer Haywood joined the team for the 1969–70 season. Lonnie Wright of the American Football League's Denver Broncos signed with the Rockets during that first season and became the first player to play professional football and basketball in the same season. However, the team had a history of early playoff exits and only once played in the ABA championship series.Įarly, Denver had a solid lineup led by Byron Beck and Larry Jones, then later by Beck and Ralph Simpson. Playing at the Denver Auditorium Arena, the Rockets had early successes on the court, developing a strong fan base along the way. Ringsby then renamed the team the Rockets, after his company's long-haul trucks. Hours before the deadline, Trindle sold a ⅔ controlling interest to Denver trucking magnate Bill Ringsby for $350,000. The Trindle group was severely undercapitalized, leading Mikan to order the Larks to post a $100,000 performance bond or lose the franchise. After agreeing to name Denver resident and former NBA player Vince Boryla as general manager, Trindle moved his team to Denver as the Denver Larks, named after Colorado's state bird. League commissioner George Mikan suggested moving the team to Denver. ![]() However, Trindle was unable to find a suitable arena in the Kansas City area. Later, in 1967, one of the American Basketball Association (ABA)'s charter franchises was awarded to a group in Kansas City, Missouri, headed by Southern Californian businessman James Trindle. This franchise's records and statistics remain separate from the modern-day Denver Nuggets.īyron Beck, a University of Denver alumni, is shown wearing the " Denver Rockets" uniform The Denver Nuggets played the 1949–50 season as one of the charter NBA teams before folding. Following that season, the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA), with the newly unified circuit named the National Basketball Association to reflect the merger. Prior to the 1948–49 National Basketball League (NBL) season, original Denver Nuggets were founded. ![]() The Nuggets play their home games at Ball Arena, which they share with the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL).įranchise history 1967–1969: Franchise background and founding However, they have not made an appearance in the NBA Finals since their last year in the ABA as such, they are also the only one of the four surviving former ABA teams to have never reached the NBA Finals. The team joined the NBA in 1976 after the ABA–NBA merger and qualified for the NBA playoffs in nine consecutive seasons in the 1980s and ten consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2013. The team has had some periods of success, qualifying for the ABA Playoffs for all seasons from 1967 to the 1976 ABA playoffs where they lost in the finals. After the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets. The Rockets then changed their name again to the Nuggets in 1974. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA), but changed their name to Rockets before the first season. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. One of the first made shots from Bridges was assisted by Spencer Dinwiddie, who finished with a career-high 16 assists.The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. They’re also 5-1 over their past six games during which Bridges is shooting 19-39 (48.7%) from three. Here’s more on them in their most recent loss: Brooklyn squeaks out 122-120 win in DenverĪfter scoring 25 points on 7-16 shooting, Mikal Bridges has scored 25+ in seven out of 13 games since joining the Nets. Just a few more wins would clinch the top seed in the West for Denver, but they’re having trouble finding wins at the moment. Soon enough, an “x” or a “y” will show up, indicating playoff positioning, all while mathematical possibilities get a bit more mathematical. This means we’re starting to see some “e” markings in the standings, indicating some teams already eliminated from even play-in contention. A few East teams - namely the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Charlotte Hornets - have played as many as 70 games, leaving just a dozen remaining. The standings stakes are getting more intense with each day as the playoffs get a little closer. ![]()
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