Milestone No. 22: The Nuggets reach the Western Conference Finals in 2009
Mar 13, 2025, 7:11 AM
The Fan is turning 30! For three decades, the station has been covering Denver sports, serving as a media outlet of record for the biggest events over the past 30 years.
There have been a lot of them. From championships to MVPs, from historic seasons to improbable victories, The Fan has been there for all of them.
What were the best of the best? During a six week span, Denver Sports will chronicle the moments that stood out the most. It’s a countdown from No. 30 to No. 1, in a series called “Mile High Milestones.”
Enjoy the trip down memory lane!
***
By the time the 2008-09 NBA season rolled around, the Nuggets were a perennial playoff team. Headlined by Carmelo Anthony and coached by George Karl, they were a talented squad trending in the right direction. But they could never quite get over the hump.
For five straight years, they made the postseason. And every time, they got bounced in the first round. In fact, they never even made a series close, getting swept once and losing in five during the other four playoff appearances.
That 4-20 record across five postseasons was dismal. And it provided a sign that things needed to be shaken up.
Mark Warkentien didn’t waste any time making a move. During the first week of the season, the Nuggets general manager pulled off a blockbuster trade, sending Allen Iverson to the Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb. It was a stroke of genius.
Iverson was a dynamic scorer and a great player, but he didn’t provide the leadership that Denver desperately needed. Billups brought that to the table, as well as championship mettle; he was the NBA Finals MVP when Detroit won a title in 2004.
The move paid immediate dividends. After starting the season 1-3, the Nuggets won 12 of their next 15 games, catapulting them to their best year in more than two decades. Denver finished 54-28, won the Northwest Division and earned the No. 2 seed in the West.
In the playoffs, they were finally able to end the streak of first-round exits. They bounced the Hornets in five games, a series that included a 58-point victory in Game 4 at New Orleans. Then, they knocked off the Mavericks in five games, as well, in a series highlighted by a game-winner at the buzzer by Anthony in Game 3, Kenyon Martin shoving Dirk Nowitzki out of bounds in Game 1, and an ensuing war of words between K-Mart and Mavs owner Mark Cuban.
That setup a showdown in the Western Conference Finals against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. The series didn’t disappoint.
The Nuggets nearly stole Game 1 in Los Angeles, but an errant inbounds pass by Anthony Carter helped the Lakers escape with a 105-103 victory. Denver bounced back, however, winning Game 2 on the road by a 106-103 count, evening the series at one game apiece.
Inexplicably, another bad inbounds pass cost the Nuggets late in Game 3. Martin was picked by Trevor Ariza in the final minute, helping the Lakers reclaim homecourt advantage with a 103-97 victory. Denver rebounded to win Game 4, beating L.A. 120-101, but the damage was done.
The Lakers captured the pivotal Game 5, winning 103-94 at Staples Center. They closed out the series in Game 6, blowing out the Nuggets by a 119-92 count at Pepsi Center.
Los Angeles would go on to win the NBA championship, beating Orlando in five games. Most observers believe the Nuggets would’ve had similar success against the Magic.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Denver was right there, taking the eventual champs to the wire in two of their four losses in the series, but they couldn’t close things out.
It was the only playoff success during that time for the Nuggets. The next four seasons saw them return to their postseason woes, losing in the first round each time.
Eventually, Anthony was traded to the Knicks and Karl was fired, ending an era that was fun to watch, but ultimately didn’t live up to expectations. Denver would miss the playoffs in each of their next five seasons.
But for one postseason, during a stretch that saw the Nuggets advance further than they ever had, it all came together. And it was the best performance by Denver in the NBA Playoffs until the won the title in 2023.
***
THE COUNTDOWN
30: Ubaldo Jimenez has a magical season
29: Todd Helton get enshrined in Cooperstown
28: Valeri Nichushkin goes missing in the postseason – twice!
27: The Avalanche win their second Stanley Cup
26: The Nuggets come back from two 3-1 deficits in the bubble
25: The seemingly never-ending Broncos ownership saga
24: Hurricane Josh hits the Mile High City
23: The Rockies trade Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals
***
Wanna hear more about this Mile High Milestone? Tune into “The Rundown” at noon or check out the show on YouTube to hear Richie Carni and a special guest take a walk down memory lane.
