The Denver Nuggets are a National Basketball Association team based in Denver , Colorado . The franchise is one of seven teams in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Nuggets play in Pepsi Center in Denver , Colorado and wear jerseys of gold, red and blue. The Current Nuggets franchise traces its roots to Denver Rockets, a team that entered the American Basketball Association in 1967. In 1974 the team renamed itself the Nuggets. Under head coach Larry Brown, they became one of the top ABA teams that season, winning 65 games. The ABA folded after the 1975-76 season, and the Nuggets were one of four ABA teams absorbed by the NBA. The Denver finished the year with a 50-32 win-loss record to capture the Midwest Division. They were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers in the conference semifinals. The Nuggets' fortunes declined in the late 1980s and early 1990s and they failed to make the postseason for three consecutive years, starting in 1990-91. In the 2004-2005 season coming off their first playoff appearance in 9 years the Nuggets got off to a shaky start as Carmello Anthony struggled early. The Nuggets fired Coach Jeff Bzdelik on December 27 sitting at 13-15 record. Under interim Coach Michael Cooper they would not fair much better as they just won just 4 of their next 14.
The Nuggets hired George Karl a Coach with a proven track record that included a Western Conference Championship with the Seattle Supersonics in 1996. The hiring of Karl had an immediate effect as the Nuggets picked up their play right away winning 5 of their next 6. The franchise would continue their strong play down the stretch winning 25 of their last 29 games to make the playoffs with a 49-33 record. However, the Nuggets could not survive the powerhouse defense of Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. After winning game one in San Antonio , the Nuggets went on to lose the next four games and lost the series 4-1. Some of the notable players to play for the team include Hall of Famers, Alex English. Dan Issel and David Thompson and also not to be forgotten Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf formerly know as Chriss Jackson, Michael Adams, Lafayette ‘'Fat'' Lever, Dikembe Mutombo and Earl Watson. Current notable player on the Nuggets roster includes Carmelo Anthony, Andre Miller, Ruben Patterson, Greg Buckner, Marcus Camby, and Kenyon Martin.
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