We are zig-zagging our way around the U.S.A. on this NBA Tuesday miniseries exploring the best sabermetric-rated teams in each franchise’s history. The Denver Nuggets were born in the ABA, and after 57 seasons of professional basketball in North America, the team finally won its first championship in 2023. Alas, that team rates out as only the 15th-best team in organizational history—quite the shocker, really.

In those 57 seasons, however, the Nuggets have posted a .510 winning percentage, overall, and that includes 38 playoff appearances and 13 division titles, too. This has been one of the more successful teams in the league, and considering the ABA origins, Denver has been a fortunate city to have such good basketball on its front porch for the last half century plus. Enjoy this trip down Memory Lane … we surely did.

No. 5: 2020-21 Denver Nuggets

A second-place finish in the Northwest Division with a 47-25 record doesn’t tell this team’s whole story. Finishing No. 8 on offense and No. 8 on defense, the Nuggets also placed sixth overall in the SRS rankings. They won the opening playoff series against Portland in six games, but then Denver was swept out of the next round by the Phoenix Suns, who ended up in the NBA Finals (despite somehow not winning it).

League MVP Nikola Jokić (15.6 Win Shares) was dominant at the center position, but small forward Michael Porter, Jr. (6.9) was the only other player above 5.0 WS. So, that’s why the Nuggets only managed to outscore the Trail Blazers by 1.3 ppg in a series that was tied two games apiece. The Suns were just too strong, obviously, running Denver off the court by 15.7 ppg in a series that was never in doubt.

No. 4: 1976-77 Denver Nuggets

The team’s first season in the NBA after the merger brought a Midwest Division title on the heels of a 50-32 record. The No. 2 overall ranking in the SRS was based on the No. 2 offense and the No. 14 defense, as the Nuggets liked to run and gun for fun. Alas, Denver drew eventual champion Portland in the first round, and despite giving it a valiant go, the Blazers emerged victorious in a six-game series that was a true struggle.

Power forward Bobby Jones (11.0 WS), C Dan Issel (10.9), and shooting guard David Thompson (10.7) formed a three-headed nightmare for opponents. Portland took Game 1 at Denver by a single point, and then the series got even more frustrating for the Nuggets after the Trail Blazers went up 3-1 by winning Games 3 and 4 at home. Denver forced a Game 6, but Portland was too strong, winning by 16 points.

No. 3: 2012-13 Denver Nuggets

This may be a forgotten team in NBA lore, but these Nuggets finished 57-25 for second place in the Northwest Division. Despite having the No. 1 offense in the league, Denver was No. 5 in the overall SRS rankings, thanks to the No. 23 defense. As a result, even with home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason, the Nuggets lost in six games to the very young Golden State Warriors. Disappointing!

This was a deep team, with eight players posting at least 3.9 WS—led by PF Kenneth Faried (7.8 WS), point guard Ty Lawson (7.4), and SF Danilo Gallinari (7.2). That’s probably why few people would remember this team … no real stars. But we digress: that lack of star power hurt Denver against the up-and-coming Warriors, who took a 3-1 series lead before closing it out at home in Game 6 with a four-point victory.

No. 2: 1975-76 Denver Nuggets

This was the first squad in team history to reach the championship round, and these Nuggets did it after a league-best 60-24 regular season. This was the final year of the ABA, by the way, and Denver finished No. 1 on offense, No. 7 on defense (in a 9-team league), and No. 1 in the overall SRS rankings. The Nuggets beat the Kentucky Colonels in seven games to advance to the Finals, where they lost in six to the New York Nets.

Issel (12.5 WS), Thompson (12.4), and Jones (10.2) were at their collective best, perhaps, as Thompson also won ROTY honors. The Colonels actually outscored the Nuggets in the semifinal series, though, with Denver losing Game 2 at home by 28 points. The series drained the team, as in the Finals, the Nuggets lost Game 1 at home and had to play catch up from there: Denver lost its four games by a combined 21 points.

No. 1: 1974-75 Denver Nuggets

With a 65-19 record, the best team in franchise history won the ABA Western Division, while also securing the No. 1 ranking in the overall SRS. That came via the No. 1 offense and the No. 7 defense in a 10-team league. In the Western semifinals, the Nuggets beat the Utah Stars in six games, despite being outscored overall. That defense caught up to Denver in the Western Finals, as the Indiana Pacers won in seven games.

Jones (10.2 WS) was the top dog on this roster, ably supported by four other players who finished above 7.0 WS themselves. Against Utah, the home team won the first five games before the Nuggets broke through in Game 6 on the road with a two-point victory. Against the Pacers, though, the home won just twice in the series: Indiana actually won three times in Denver, including a 104-96 triumph in Game 7 that ended it all.