The Denver Nuggets celebrated their NBA championship with their fans by holding a parade in their hometown on Thursday.
It was a landmark moment in Colorado sports history, as it was the first time the Nuggets had ever won it all, and their supporters soaked it up.
Their head coach, Michael Malone, has a reputation among some fans and observers for being stern, but he let loose in a big way during the parade and sprayed some fans in attendance with champagne.
Michael Malone is ruthless 😆🍾 pic.twitter.com/K1QjLwuoJy
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 15, 2023
The Nuggets got to this point by practicing patience with building their team and not getting suckered into chasing big names for a quick fix, unlike some other teams.
They established their core of NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray when they drafted both several years ago, and ever since, they have simply added a strong supporting cast around those two mainstays.
First came Michael Porter Jr., a player who is thought to have some star potential himself, then came forward Aaron Gordon via trade two years ago.
The Nuggets then acquired guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown last summer, and they were ready to get to the top.
The best thing they have going for them is the relative youth of their roster, which means they should continue to be contenders for years to come.
But the one thing that could get in the way of that is the salary cap, which is about to become even more restrictive and could force them to let go of at least one key contributor in the near future.
