Misplaced Pages

#582417

86-499: USA All-Stars [REDACTED] Founded 2008 League IBL (2008-2014) Team history USA All-Stars (2008-2014) Based in United States Arena N/A Colors black, red, yellow       Owner League Owned Head coach Mikal Duilio Championships N/A The USA All-Stars

172-644: A 16-point, 15-rebound effort, and a 21-point, 14-rebound effort in Denver's playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers . These performances helped the Nuggets come back from a 2–0 and a 3–1 series deficit, but the Nuggets eventually lost in Game 7, 87–96. On August 10, 2012, Denver was involved in a four-team trade where they received All-Star Andre Iguodala and sent Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington to

258-569: A 16-team playoff format in 1983–84 . However, the Lakers swept them in four games, marking the second time in NBA history that a 50-win team was swept in a best-of-seven playoff series in the first round. It was Denver's fifth straight first-round loss. On July 16, 2008, at the end of the 2007–08 NBA season , the Nuggets traded former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby to

344-585: A Western Conference reserve for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game , becoming the Nuggets' first All-Star since Carmelo Anthony in 2011. The Nuggets finished the 2018–2019 season with 54 wins, first in their division and second in the Western Conference, and made the playoffs for the first time since 2012–2013 . In the first round, the Nuggets played against the San Antonio Spurs , winning the round in game seven. The Nuggets were eliminated in

430-479: A breakaway layup. According to Anthony, Knicks coach Isiah Thomas warned him to not go in the paint shortly before the hard foul. On December 19, 2006, the Nuggets traded Joe Smith , Andre Miller and two first-round draft picks of the 2007 NBA draft to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ivan McFarlin and superstar Allen Iverson (McFarlin was waived immediately following the trade's approval). The moves gave

516-464: A couple of players on their roster with actual NBA playoff experience. After dropping the first two games of the five-game set in Seattle , the series returned to Denver. Denver won both games and tied the series at 2. The Nuggets made NBA history in Game 5, upsetting Seattle in overtime 98–94. They became the first 8th-seeded team to defeat a 1st-seeded team in NBA playoff history. Denver almost repeated

602-482: A dark navy, metallic gold and wine color scheme starting in the 1993–94 season. Led by Mutombo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (who changed his name from Chris Jackson prior to the season), and Ellis, Denver finished with its first winning season since the Doug Moe era at 42–40. Denver clinched the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, playing the first place Seattle SuperSonics . Denver was a heavy underdog, having only

688-538: A local investment group in 1976. With the drafting and signing of future Hall of Fame player David Thompson out of North Carolina State and Marvin Webster , and the acquisitions of Dan Issel and Bobby Jones (all signed for the 1975–76 season), with Larry Brown coaching, they had their best seasons in team history in their first two as the Nuggets. Playing in the Denver Auditorium Arena for

774-752: A major shake-up in the front office with Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri accepting the general manager position with the Toronto Raptors and vice-president Pete D'Alessandro , who was expected to replace Ujiri, being named general manager of the Sacramento Kings . On June 21, 2013, Tim Connelly was announced as the new general manager. To replace Karl, the Nuggets hired the Indiana Pacers' associate head coach, former NBA player, Brian Shaw . Guard-forward Andre Iguodala

860-468: A permanent replacement. Karl led the team to a record of 32–8 in the second half of the regular season, which vaulted the team into the playoffs for the second consecutive year. In the playoffs , however, the Nuggets could not survive the San Antonio Spurs . After winning game one in San Antonio , the Nuggets proceeded to lose the next four games and lost the series 4–1. The Nuggets picked 20th in

946-493: A sub-20-win campaign the previous year since the NBA went to an 82-game schedule. They were eliminated in the first round four games to one by the Minnesota Timberwolves . On December 28, 2004, head coach Jeff Bzdelik was fired from the organization and replaced by interim coach, former Los Angeles Lakers player and Los Angeles Sparks head coach Michael Cooper . The Nuggets later hired George Karl as

SECTION 10

#1732798539583

1032-492: A total of 46 games, and then later on in the second half of the season the absence of head coach George Karl , who underwent treatment for neck and throat cancer , the Nuggets were still able to win 53 games (third consecutive 50-win season, a Nuggets first) for the season which gave them a second consecutive Northwest division title and finished as the fourth seed in the West Conference. However, they were eliminated by

1118-525: A tough 2013–14 season which saw numerous injuries to key players missing a significant amount of the season, the Nuggets finished with 36 wins, their worst in 11 years, and missed the playoffs. During the 2014 off-season, the Nuggets brought back Arron Afflalo for whom they traded Evan Fournier . During the 2014 NBA draft , Denver traded their first lottery pick (11th overall pick) since 2003 to Chicago to acquire two later first-round draft picks, which were used to draft Jusuf Nurkić and Gary Harris ; with

1204-578: A week later to the Houston Rockets along with a second round draft pick for Joey Dorsey , Nick Johnson , Kostas Papanikolaou , Pablo Prigioni (all of whom were waived), and a first round pick that was used to draft Juan Hernangómez . Under Michael Malone's leadership, the Denver Nuggets slightly started to improve while primarily relying on the youth movement consisting of Emmanuel Mudiay, Nikola Jokić , Gary Harris and later also on

1290-1210: Is a developmental basketball team in the International Basketball League . The All-Stars are owned and operated by the league. The team will be made up of players which participated in camps, each being signed for six weeks. They will play an all road schedule which will be held in six game sets throughout the season. External links [ edit ] Team page on IBL Website v t e International Basketball League International Conference Bellingham Slam Olympia Reign Portland Chinooks Salem Sabres Seattle Flight Texas Lone Star Strikers Vancouver Volcanoes Continental Conference Hollywood Shooting Stars Los Angeles Team Macleem Malibu Beachdogs Santa Barbara Breakers Santa Monica Jump Venice Beach Warriors Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USA_All-Stars&oldid=1191696266 " Category : International Basketball League teams International Basketball League Founded by Portland area sports promoter Mikal Duilio,

1376-564: The 1976 ABA finals for the first time. Eventually, they lost to the New York Nets and Julius Erving in 6 games. They did not get a second chance to win an ABA league championship, as the ABA–NBA merger took place after the 1975–76 season. The Nuggets, Nets, Indiana Pacers , and San Antonio Spurs were merged into the NBA. The Spirits of St. Louis and Kentucky Colonels were disbanded. The Nuggets and Nets had actually applied to join

1462-532: The 1997–98 , by nearly setting the mark for fewest wins in an 82-game season (11). They tied the then-NBA's all-time worst single-season losing streak at 23 —only one game shy of the overall worst mark of 24 by the Cleveland Cavaliers of the early 1980s. The losing streak was later broken by the Cavaliers in 2011 and the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014 with 26 consecutive losses. Several years later,

1548-611: The 2005 NBA draft ; it was acquired from the Washington Wizards via the Orlando Magic . Denver selected Julius Hodge with the pick. The Nuggets also had the 22nd overall selection in the draft, in which they selected Jarrett Jack , but sent him to the Portland Trail Blazers for rights to Portland's 27th overall pick, Linas Kleiza . In 2005–06 , for the first time in 18 years, the club won

1634-523: The 2008–09 NBA season the Nuggets accomplished a great number of franchise milestones. Their 54–28 record matched the most wins the franchise had gotten since their induction in the NBA; their 27–14 start was also a record for wins in the first half of a season. This also marked the first time in the franchise's history the team had back-to-back 50-win seasons. They led the Northwest division for much of

1720-596: The Charlotte Bobcats to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to rookie Ty Lawson , who was drafted 18th overall. On July 13, 2009, the Nuggets traded a second-round draft pick to the Detroit Pistons for Arron Afflalo (part of the trade exception from the Iverson trade was used to allow the deal to go through) and Walter Sharpe . Afflalo replaced starting guard Dahntay Jones , who signed with

1806-604: The Denver Auditorium Arena , the Rockets had early successes on the court, developing a strong fan base along the way. However, the team had a history of early playoff exits and only once played in the ABA championship series. Early, Denver had a solid lineup led by Byron Beck and Larry Jones , then later by Beck and Ralph Simpson . Lonnie Wright of the American Football League 's Denver Broncos signed with

SECTION 20

#1732798539583

1892-642: The Indiana Pacers . However, on August 10, the Nuggets lost forward Linas Kleiza , who signed with Olympiacos Piraeus of the Greek League . The 2009–10 season saw Anthony average 28.2 points per game and Billups average a career-high 19.6 points per game. In the opening two games of the season, Anthony totaled 71 points, scoring 30 points in the home opener and 41 the next night, in wins against division rivals Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers , respectively. Anthony became one of two players in

1978-817: The Los Angeles Clippers for a second-round draft pick (that was then traded to the New York Knicks for Renaldo Balkman ). On November 3, 2008, guard Allen Iverson was traded to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups , Antonio McDyess , and Cheikh Samb (part of the trade exception from the Marcus Camby trade was used to allow the deal to go through). McDyess was waived though on November 10, 2008, and he returned to Detroit shortly afterwards. With Carmelo Anthony averaging 22.8 points per game and Billups averaging 6.4 assists in

2064-509: The Memphis Grizzlies . The Nuggets won 120–107, where they led by as many as 27 points. In the closing minutes of the game, the arena resounded with chants of "Who needs Melo?" George Karl said after the game, "Our guys, when their backs are confronted with a difficult situation, they usually play at a high level. We always react to tough situations in a very positive way." However, the trade only seemed to make them better. Post-trade,

2150-735: The Miami Heat to capture the franchise's first NBA championship. The Nuggets were the last of the four surviving former ABA teams to reach the NBA Finals, and the second former ABA team to win an NBA title (after the San Antonio Spurs ). 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

2236-453: The NBA , and the new McNichols Arena , the franchise held a contest to choose a new team nickname, as "Rockets" was already in use by the Houston Rockets . The winning choice was "Nuggets", in honor of the original Denver Nuggets team from 1948 to 1950, the last year as a charter member of the NBA. Their new logo was a miner "discovering" an ABA ball. Goldberg and Fischer in turn sold the team to

2322-775: The National Lacrosse League (NLL). Prior to the 1948–49 National Basketball League (NBL) season, the original Denver Nuggets were founded. 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. The Denver Nuggets played the 1949–50 season as one of the charter NBA teams before folding. This franchise's records and statistics remain separate from

2408-561: The Orlando Magic . This same trade also sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers . After the trade, Iguodala tweeted "I'm excited to be joining the Denver Nuggets and I know my best basketball is ahead of me!" Despite losing their first three games, the 2012–2013 Nuggets finished with a franchise-best 57–25 record, and a 38–3 record in Pepsi Center (the Washington Wizards, Miami Heat , and Minnesota Timberwolves were

2494-457: The Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Mason Plumlee , a 2018 second-round pick and cash considerations. Thanks to the continuing improvements of Nikola Jokić, the Nuggets would make significant improvements to their team, although they would be just one game shy from reaching the 2017 NBA playoffs, finishing 9th in the Western Conference. On June 15, 2017, the Nuggets officially promoted both Artūras Karnišovas and Tim Connelly to become

2580-503: The Utah Jazz 4–2, their sixth first-round elimination in 7 seasons. Anthony averaged a career-high 30.7 points per game in the playoffs. On July 14, 2010, the Nuggets bolstered their frontcourt depth by signing Al Harrington . During the 2010 off-season, Masai Ujiri replaced Mark Warkentien as the general manager, while Josh Kroenke was named team president. On February 22, 2011, after months of speculation that he wanted to leave

2666-596: The 2018 playoffs, the fifth straight missed playoff run, after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a win-or-go-home situation in the regular season finale, also ending the Timberwolves' 14-year playoff drought. The Nuggets finished 9th, one game behind the eighth seeded Timberwolves. In the 2018 NBA draft , the Nuggets drafted Michael Porter Jr. and traded with the Magic to get Jarred Vanderbilt . On January 31, 2019, Jokić received his first All-Star selection as

USA All-Stars - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-509: The 41st overall pick and their first pick of the second round of the draft, the Nuggets selected 19-year old Nikola Jokić from Mega Basket in Serbia . On March 3, 2015, general manager Tim Connelly announced the Nuggets fired head coach Brian Shaw and named Melvin Hunt interim head coach. On June 15, 2015, at the end of the 2014–15 season, Michael Malone was named as the new head coach of

2838-431: The ABA playoffs in every season of the ABA's existence (except 1971 and 1974), losing in the 1976 ABA Finals to the New York Nets . 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. In 2023, the Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray , reached their first NBA Finals and defeated

2924-460: The Avalanche and Nuggets in Denver for at least 25 years. Sturm had bought the teams in his own name, and the city wanted to protect taxpayers in the event Sturm either died or sold the teams. While Sturm was willing to make a long-term commitment to the city, he was not willing to be held responsible if he died or sold the teams. After negotiations fell apart, Liberty bought all of Ascent, but kept

3010-465: The Avalanche and Nuggets to Walmart heirs Bill and Nancy Laurie for $ 400 million. However, a group of Ascent shareholders sued, claiming that the sale price was several million dollars too low. Ascent then agreed to sell the Avalanche and Nuggets to Denver banking tycoon Donald Sturm for $ 461 million. However, a new wrinkle appeared when the city of Denver refused to transfer the parcel of land on which Pepsi Center stood unless Sturm promised to keep

3096-521: The Denver Larks, named after Colorado's state bird. The Trindle group was severely undercapitalized, leading Mikan to order the Larks to post a $ 100,000 performance bond or lose the franchise. Hours before the deadline, Trindle sold a ⅔ controlling interest to Denver trucking magnate Bill Ringsby for $ 350,000. Ringsby then renamed the team the Rockets, after his company's long-haul trucks. Playing at

3182-508: The Denver Nuggets. Entering the 2015 NBA draft with their lowest draft pick (seventh overall) since 2003, the Nuggets drafted Emmanuel Mudiay who was widely regarded as the top point guard of the draft, leading to speculation that current starting point guard, Ty Lawson , would be traded. On July 14, 2015, Lawson was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of driving under the influence, his second in six months. The Nuggets traded Lawson

3268-424: The NBA in 1975, but were forced to stay in the ABA by a court order. The Nuggets continued their strong play early on in the NBA, as they won division titles in their first two seasons in the league, and missed a third by a single game. However, neither of these teams were ultimately successful in the postseason. Similarly to the other new NBA teams, the Nuggets were saddled with stiff financial obligations upon joining

3354-602: The NBA over the past decade has actively been internationalizing the game by recruiting potential international players and expanding overseas markets. Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver . The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference . The team

3440-451: The NBA rookie of the year that season. Denver finished 24–58 that year. Denver fired Westhead prior to the 1992–93 season and hired former star player Dan Issel as his successor. The Nuggets had two lottery picks that year and drafted University of Notre Dame forward LaPhonso Ellis and University of Virginia guard Bryant Stith . Denver improved to 36–46, just missing the playoffs that year. Denver ditched their rainbow colors for

3526-466: The NBA, including a $ 2 million entry fee. Red McCombs bought the team in 1978. In 1979, Brown left the team, helping usher in a brief decline in their performance. It ended in 1981, when they hired Doug Moe as a head coach. Moe brought with him a "motion offense" philosophy, a style of play focusing on attempting to move the ball until someone got open. Moe was also known for not paying as much attention to defense as other NBA coaches. The offense helped

USA All-Stars - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-479: The Northwest division title. This placed the team in the third seed of the Western Conference playoffs . Denver played the Los Angeles Clippers who, despite their sixth seeding, had a better regular season record. As a result, the Clippers received home-court advantage. They defeated the Nuggets in 5 games. Shortly after, the Nuggets announced that general manager Kiki Vandeweghe's contract would not be renewed. He

3698-436: The Nuggets and Avalanche on the market. In the meantime, Issel had returned as head coach in 1999, but the protracted ownership negotiations made it difficult for him to rebuild the team. Just before the start of the 1999–2000 season, he told reporters there were several personnel moves he simply could not make due to the unstable ownership situation. Under the terms of Strum's purchase agreement, all basketball decisions required

3784-444: The Nuggets averaged 24.1 assists, showing their newfound teamwork. The defense of the Nuggets also improved, from allowing 105.2 points per game before the trade to 97.1 points per game for the remainder of the season. Despite the franchise-changing trade which saw eighteen different starting lineups through the whole season, Denver finished with 50 wins (fourth consecutive 50 win seasons for the first time in Nuggets history), clinching

3870-453: The Nuggets decided to make their team younger by trading Nenê , who had played the previous nine seasons for Denver, to the Washington Wizards for JaVale McGee . In his first game as a Nugget, McGee made a putback dunk off an Arron Afflalo miss which proved to be the game-winning basket in Denver's 116–115 victory over the Detroit Pistons. In two of the Nuggets' final games of their season, McGee finally earned national attention when he had

3956-479: The Nuggets scored 168 points in a 168–116 home win over Seattle SuperSonics . It was the third-most points scored for a regulation game in NBA history (The Nuggets and the Pistons hold the spot for most combined points scored in a game which was over 360 points total.) They finished the 2007–08 NBA season with exactly 50 wins as well as finishing the first half of that season 25–16 (50–32 overall record, tied for

4042-574: The Nuggets the top two scorers in the league at the time in Anthony and Iverson, who were both scoring over 30 points per game at the time of the trade. On January 11, 2007, Earl Boykins , Julius Hodge and cash considerations were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks , in exchange for point guard Steve Blake . With Iverson, many considered the Nuggets as one of the elite in the West. However, chemistry

4128-458: The Nuggets tied for the worst record in the NBA in 2002–03 , also with the Cavaliers. The team's struggles in the late 1990s were due in part to ownership instability. COMSAT bought the NHL 's Quebec Nordiques in 1995 and moved them to Denver as the Colorado Avalanche . However, its diversification into sports ownership was proving a drain on the company. In particular, cost overruns associated with

4214-474: The Nuggets' history to open with more than 70 points through two games (Alex English also accomplished the feat). It was also only the second time since 1987 that the Nuggets started the season 2–0. They later went 3–0, 4–0, and 5–0 for the first time since 1985 after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies , Indiana Pacers , and New Jersey Nets respectively. Despite injuries that caused all three captains – Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and Kenyon Martin – to miss

4300-439: The Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony was traded along with Chauncey Billups , Anthony Carter , Shelden Williams and Renaldo Balkman to the New York Knicks in a multi-player deal also involving the Minnesota Timberwolves in which the Nuggets received Wilson Chandler , Raymond Felton , Danilo Gallinari , Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos . On the day when the trade was done, the Nuggets were left with nine players to play against

4386-511: The Rockets during that first season and became the first player to play professional football and basketball in the same season. Wright played four seasons with Denver. Controversial rookie Spencer Haywood joined the team for the 1969–70 season. Haywood was one of the first players to turn pro before graduating from college, and the NBA initially refused to let him play in the league. Haywood averaged nearly 30 points and 19.5 rebounds per game in his only ABA season, being named ABA MVP, ABA rookie of

SECTION 50

#1732798539583

4472-583: The Warriors eliminated the Nuggets in Game 6, winning 92–88 in Oakland. It was Denver's ninth first-round loss in the previous 10 seasons, and the eighth of Karl's tenure. Although Karl won that year's NBA Coach of the Year Award and had led Denver to the playoffs in every year of his nine-year tenure, it was not enough to keep him from being fired after the season. Along with Karl being fired, Denver saw

4558-556: The approval of both Ascent/Liberty and Sturm. Finally, in July 2000, the Avalanche, Nuggets and Pepsi Center were bought by real estate entrepreneur Stan Kroenke in a $ 450 million deal. Kroenke is the brother-in-law of the Lauries; his wife Ann is Nancy Laurie's sister. Liberty retained a 6.5% interest. As part of the deal, Kroenke placed the teams into a trust that would ensure the teams will stay in Denver until at least 2025. After

4644-510: The construction of Pepsi Center had shareholders up in arms. Finally, in 1997, COMSAT agreed in principle to sell Ascent Entertainment Group, the umbrella corporation for its sporting assets, to Liberty Media . However, Liberty was not interested in sports ownership at the time (though it has since bought the Atlanta Braves ), and made the deal contingent upon Ascent selling the Avalanche and Nuggets. After almost two years, Ascent sold

4730-403: The deal, Kroenke organized his sports assets under Kroenke Sports Enterprises . In 2003 , the Nuggets drafted future All-Star Carmelo Anthony with the third overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft . That same year, the team also updated their logos and uniforms, with a new color scheme of powder blue, gold and royal blue; the latter color was changed to navy blue in 2008. In just two months of

4816-469: The eighth seed again in the playoffs, finishing 41–41. The Nuggets were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs that season. Following that season, Denver acquired Antonio McDyess in a draft-day trade with the Los Angeles Clippers . McDyess was the face of the franchise for the next few years, as Mutombo left after the 1995–96 season for the Atlanta Hawks , Ellis missed

4902-598: The end of the season, English won the NBA scoring title, becoming the only Nugget to win the award despite the heavily favored offensive play of Doug Moe. In 1984–85 , they made it to the Western Conference finals after being perennial playoff contenders, and they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers . Vandeweghe was traded before the 1984–85 season to the Portland Trail Blazers for 6–3 rebounding guard Fat Lever , undersized power forward Calvin Natt and center Wayne Cooper . Spearheaded by Alex English and supported by

4988-440: The feat before falling to the Utah Jazz in Game 7 of the second round. Denver acquired Sonics sharp-shooter Dale Ellis in the off-season and drafted University of Michigan guard Jalen Rose . Denver struggled, causing Issel to resign as coach partway into the season. Assistant Coach Gene Littles assumed control for a brief period before relinquishing control to general manager Bernie Bickerstaff . Denver rebounded and earned

5074-567: The fifth seed of the Western Conference. They met the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and lost four games to one. The first full season of the post-Melo Nuggets saw the steady rise of Danilo Gallinari, who averaged 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists through the first 25 games of the season, which resulted to the Nuggets' best start through the first 20 games. However, Gallinari sustained injuries to his ankle, thumb, and wrist that year. On March 15, 2012,

5160-510: The first game of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers but won the second game to tie the series. Anthony became the first Denver player to score at least 30 points in five consecutive playoff games since the Nuggets joined the NBA in 1976. They lost the series 4–2, ending Denver's longest playoff run in team history. In the 2009 NBA draft , the Nuggets traded a first-round draft pick acquired from

5246-407: The highest win total for an eighth seed in NBA history. It also meant that for the first time in NBA history, all eight playoff seeds in a Conference had at least 50 wins. The Nuggets faced the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (57–25) in the first round. The seven games separating the Nuggets and the Lakers overall records is the closest margin between an eighth seed and a top seed since the NBA went to

SECTION 60

#1732798539583

5332-459: The last season the 1974–75 team went 65–19, including a 40–2 record at home. However, they lost in the Western Conference Finals in 7 games, to the Indiana Pacers. In 1975–76, playing at their new arena, the Nuggets, with the acquisitions of Thompson, Jones and Dan Issel who had come via a trade after he won an ABA title with the 1974–75 Kentucky Colonels, the team went 60–24, edged the reigning champion Kentucky Colonels four games to three to make

5418-520: The league expanded to 17 by the start of the season in April 2005. Each team played approximately 20 regular season games, most of them centered on their home region, with the teams with the two best records playing in a championship game at the end of the season. The Battle Creek Knights won the inaugural title by going undefeated in the regular season and beating the Dayton Jets in the finals. In

5504-660: The league featured rules designed to create a fast-paced, high-scoring brand of basketball . Duilio first began planning for the league with a series of test games in Portland and Seattle in November 2003. These games featured a mixture of traditional college and NBA rules, plus two rules created specifically for the league: The test games proved popular and resulted in the founding of the IBL in August 2004. Founded with eight teams,

5590-512: The league's first year, the up-tempo rules resulted in the average team scoring 126.9 points per game, nearly 30 points more than the NBA team average in 2004–05, and slightly higher than the NBA record for points per game by a team in a single season, set by the Denver Nuggets in 1981–82. In 2010, the league launched a winter season which saw nine different teams compete. Four teams played an entire schedule and thus made them eligible for

5676-493: The majority of the next few seasons due to recurring knee and leg injuries, Rose was traded to the Indiana Pacers for Mark Jackson , and Abdul-Rauf was traded to the Sacramento Kings prior to the 1996–97 season. After finishing the 1996–97 season with the fourth-worst record in the league (21–61), the Nuggets sent Antonio McDyess to the Phoenix Suns , and Dale Ellis returned to Seattle. Denver flirted with history in

5762-752: The modern-day Denver Nuggets. The current franchise traces its roots to 1967, when one of the American Basketball Association (ABA)'s charter franchises was awarded to a group in Kansas City, Missouri , headed by Southern California businessman James Trindle. However, Trindle was unable to find a suitable arena in the Kansas City area. League commissioner George Mikan suggested moving the team to Denver. After agreeing to name Denver resident and former NBA player Vince Boryla as general manager, Trindle moved his team to Denver as

5848-460: The newly acquired Novak were waived. Over the course of the 2016 NBA draft , the Denver Nuggets added the Kentucky guard Jamal Murray as well as Juan Hernangómez , Malik Beasley , and Petr Cornelie . Meanwhile, their 56th pick was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder . On February 13, 2017, Nurkić was traded, along with the rights to the Memphis Grizzlies ' 2017 first-round draft pick, to

5934-516: The only 3 visitors to defeat Denver on their home during the regular season). Denver also clinched the third seed in the Western Conference, with a first-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors . The Nuggets won Game 1 97–95 on their home court on a last-second Andre Miller game-winner, but the Warriors won the next three games, putting the Nuggets on the brink of elimination. Denver won Game 5 at home to keep their season alive, but

6020-415: The playoffs. In July 2011, Duilio sold the league to Vancouver , Washington , businessman Bryan Hunter. Sharleen Graf was appointed as the league's new commissioner. In March 2014 the IBL ceased operation as an independent entity and combined with the West Coast Basketball League (WCBL). Teams were split into an 'International Conference' and 'Continental Conference' based on geography. The owner of

6106-424: The recovered Jusuf Nurkić. On January 27, 2016, it was announced that both Mudiay and Jokić would participate in BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star 2016. On February 18, the Denver Nuggets announced that they decided to trade veteran shooting guard Randy Foye to Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for D. J. Augustin , Steve Novak and two second-round draft picks. One day later, JJ Hickson and

6192-548: The season, eventually winning the division and placing #2 in the Western Conference, matching the highest the team has ever been seeded for the playoffs. General manager Mark Warkentien won the NBA Executive of the Year Award for the Nuggets' improvement. They won Game 1 of the playoffs against the New Orleans Hornets , the first time they had home-court advantage since 1988 and also, the 29-point victory

6278-412: The season, the Nuggets recorded more wins than they had in 5½ months of play in 2002–03. Much of the reason for this incredible turnaround were the front-office moves of general manager Kiki Vandeweghe , a former Nuggets player who assumed general manager duties on August 9, 2001. In April, the turnaround was complete as they became the first franchise in NBA history to qualify for the postseason following

6364-664: The sixth seed Dallas Mavericks four games to one in the Conference Semifinals to make their first trip to the Western Conference Finals since 1985 . That was also the first time the Nuggets had ever led 3–0 in a best-of-seven series. Up to that point, they held an NBA Playoffs-high in three-pointers made and a 16-point average margin of victory, the largest average margin of victory in the first 10 playoff games in NBA Playoff history. They lost

6450-446: The team become highly competitive. During the 1980s, the Nuggets often scored in excess of 115 points a game, and during the 1981–82 season, they scored at least 100 points in every game. The NBA-record streak was halted at 136 consecutive games. During the 1981–82 season, the Nuggets set the league scoring record for the highest points per game average at 126.5 points. Anchored by scoring machines Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe at

6536-400: The team to COMSAT in 1989. Moe left the team in 1990, and was replaced by Paul Westhead . Westhead also believed in a " run and gun " style of play allowing players to speed down the court to shoot rather than creating set plays. Denver took a positive step in rebuilding by drafting Georgetown University center Dikembe Mutombo in 1991. Mutombo finished runner-up to Larry Johnson for

6622-437: The team's newest general manager and president of basketball operations respectively. In the 2017 NBA draft , the Denver Nuggets selected Tyler Lydon , Vlatko Čančar , and Monté Morris , with the 24th, 49th, and 51st picks respectively. On December 2, 2017, the Nuggets would retire Fat Lever 's number during their 115–100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers . Despite compiling their first winning season since 2013 , they missed

6708-413: The third-best all-time Nuggets record since the team officially joined the NBA in 1976), following a 120–111 home victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the last game of the season. It was the first time since the 1987–88 NBA season that the Nuggets finished with at least 50 wins in a season. Denver ended up as the eighth seed in the Western Conference of the 2008 NBA playoffs , and their 50 wins marked

6794-499: The three new acquisitions and defensive specialists Bill Hanzlik and TR Dunn , the team replicated its success in the Western Conference despite the loss of Vandeweghe. They even managed to win 54 games in the 1987–88 season , the most they had ever won as an NBA team. However, the Mavericks eliminated the Nuggets in the second round of the 1988 NBA Playoffs. McCombs sold the team to Sidney Shlenker in 1985. Shlenker, in turn, sold

6880-503: The two forward spots, and Dan Issel at center, Denver led the league in scoring, with English and Vandeweghe both averaging above 25 points per game. It was a novel strategy, allowing the Nuggets to top the Midwest Division and qualify for the playoffs during that span. (On December 13, 1983, the Nuggets and the visiting Detroit Pistons combined for an NBA record 370 points, with Detroit winning in triple overtime , 186–184.) At

6966-583: The year, as well as the All-Star Game MVP. The team finished 51–33, winning their division, before exiting the playoffs in the 2nd round. Just before the start of the 1970–71 season, Haywood signed with the Seattle SuperSonics , jumping to the NBA. The team tumbled to a 30–54 record and attendance suffered. Ringsby sold the team to San Diego businessmen Frank Goldberg and Bud Fischer in 1972. In 1974, in anticipation of moving into

7052-488: Was an issue, as the Nuggets finished the season with the sixth seed, giving them a first-round matchup against the San Antonio Spurs . In the playoffs , the Nuggets took Game 1 and home-court advantage away from the Spurs. However, as had occurred in the 2005 playoffs, the Spurs bounced back to sweep the next four, as the Nuggets were eliminated in the first round in five games for the fourth straight year. On March 16, 2008 ,

7138-538: Was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA) but changed their name to the Rockets before the first season. The Rockets then changed their name again to the Nuggets in 1974. After the name change, the Nuggets played for the final ABA Championship title in 1976, losing to the New York Nets . The team has had some periods of success, qualifying for

7224-473: Was replaced by Mark Warkentien . On December 18, 2006, team co-captain Carmelo Anthony , shooting guard J. R. Smith and power forward Nenê were suspended by the NBA (15, 10 and one games respectively) for a fight that occurred in the last two minutes of a game against the New York Knicks two days earlier. The fight was sparked by Knicks rookie Mardy Collins , when he tackled J. R. Smith on

7310-753: Was sent to the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade in which they acquired guard Randy Foye from the Utah Jazz. They also signed center-forward JJ Hickson , who was previously with the Portland Trail Blazers and 5' 9" guard Nate Robinson , who played for the Bulls during the 2012–2013 season. They also acquired Darrell Arthur from the Memphis Grizzlies and 55th pick Joffrey Lauvergne in return for Kosta Koufos. In

7396-516: Was the largest victory for any team for Game 1 of the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs . Chauncey Billups set a Nuggets franchise record with the most three-pointers in a playoff game with 8, and his 19 three-pointers in total is also a Nuggets record for threes made in a playoff series. They went on to beat the Hornets in 5, including a 58-point victory in Game 4 which matched the most lopsided win in NBA playoff history . They then went on to beat

#582417