Nuggets Top Rivalries

Post #1 » by **NuggetsWY** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 12:27 pm

Saw an article about the Nuggets top rivalries. Made me wonder what the serious Nuggets' fans think. Remember rivalries need to be a two-way deal. For example, just because Golden State is everyone's target, doesn't mean they have a rivalry with everyone else. In my mind, rivalries are multiple years, even decades old. Then again, some rivalries are newly started.

Where do they rank?
Lakers
Trailblazers
Timberwolves
Jazz

Are those the top-4?

skywalker33 · Post #2 » by **skywalker33** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:44 pm

The Lakers and Blazers look more like "hated" teams, at least that's how I assess those two. Doesn't really feel like DEN has any true rivalries, perhaps MIN due to the age of both teams rebuilds

britblazerdude · Post #3 » by **britblazerdude** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:44 pm

I absolutely hated the Carmelo Nuggets and Blazers have always struggled away at Denver, but the two teams hardly ever have overlapping periods of greatness.

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MidMountain · Post #4 » by **MidMountain** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 5:53 pm

The Rockies are the least hated team in baseball:
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/14/rockies-rivalry-least-hated-team-mlb/
I would bet the Nuggets are near the top of least hated NBA teams. Things got a bit chippy with Minnesota in the 2004 playoffs, but never blossomed into a rivalry. The trailblazers have potential as a rival with Nurkic as the centerpiece.

TunaFish · Post #5 » by **TunaFish** » Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:58 pm

The way Denver has played them the last two years, I would say.......Golden State. Add in the Iggy dislike, just for good measure.

Post #6 » by **The Rebel** » Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:55 am

Historically it has been Portland and Utah, during the Melo years there was developing with the Thunder and Twolves, but the last few years they all seem to have went away.

SoCalNuggsFan · Post #7 » by **SoCalNuggsFan** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 5:23 pm

I'd say Utah. But it's hard to have rivalries when you only have like 3 playoff series wins in the last 25 years. We played the lakers in the playoffs a lot in the melo era but they always beat us. Not much of a rivalry.

Post #8 » by **THE J0KER** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 11:30 am

I don't know about the past, I'm (Serbian) Nuggets fan since they drafted Jokic couple years ago, but for the upcoming 2017-18 season there is amazing coincidence that all NBA teams with great BIG MEN DUOS (rivalry to Millsap-Jokic) are at the same time direct rivalries of Denver Nuggets for playoff spot in Western Conference! New Orleans with Davis and Cousins, LA Clippers with Griffin and DeAndre, and Utah with Favors and Gobert, will fight until last day of the regular season with Denver led by Millsap and Jokic, and that Western Conference playoff "Battle of Twin Towers" race will be one of biggest NBA stories next season!

I will also add to that Nuggets 2017-18 rivalry with Portland because what is happening in the playoff race previous season, and also because of intriguing Nurkic-Plumlee case.

PDX MM · Post #9 » by **PDX MM** » Sun Aug 6, 2017 11:04 pm

Personally I feel a good rivalry needs to have playoff history and not counting the fight for the 8th seed last year our teams have only faced each other twice with the last time being in 1985-86 season. I wouldn't say there is a rivalry between us and when I stop to think about it there are really only a few in the NBA now days. Instead of hating on you guys I would rather sit down and share a brew or two and maybe have a debate on who hates the Lakers more.

skywalker33 · Post #10 » by **skywalker33** » Mon Aug 7, 2017 4:43 am

Yeah, no direct rivalries between teams, there will always be dissension between players like Nurkic though

dorkestra · Post #11 » by **dorkestra** » Mon Aug 7, 2017 4:47 am

Millsap and Gary Harris aren't the type to go out there picking fights, but if a rivalry can be developed, I think it's coming from Jokic vs. someone. Maybe Towns?

Powder Blue · Post #12 » by **Powder Blue** » Mon Aug 7, 2017 3:36 pm

In the Melo-K-Mart era we had a few lite ones (Lakers-Spurs-Knicks) but actively none now. GSW isn't one because it's too one-sided, After that Nurk trade there's a Blazers one brewing...but our whole roster is soft. A rivalry requires fiery personalities

skywalker33 · Post #13 » by **skywalker33** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:43 am

No real dividional rivalries in the West, a few in the East though

Post #14 » by **NuggetsWY** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 3:48 am

skywalker33 wrote:No real dividional rivalries in the West, a few in the East though

Well, with Kroenke's yacht, he's winning that rivalry with most owners. We know that because King James has visited it and evidently a couple of times.

skywalker33 · Post #15 » by **skywalker33** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 3:30 am

I find it ironic/annoying that the MINN fans keep trying to create a rivalry with the Nuggets when the reality they have been nothing more than the dreggs of the NBA, just look how many high draft pick they've had and they're still trying to accomplish something. Until they do something, I just look at them the same way i used to look at the old Clippers

Post #16 » by **NuggetsWY** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 12:36 pm

skywalker33 wrote:I find it ironic/annoying that the MINN fans keep trying to create a rivalry with the Nuggets when the reality they have been nothing more than the dreggs of the NBA, just look how many high draft pick they've had and they're still trying to accomplish something. Until they do something, I just look at them the same way i used to look at the old Clippers

They've had almost as many high draft picks as Philadelphia (including adding one very high one in the Love trade). Is it just me or does Philadelphia's youth movement look better than Minnesota's? :lol:

Minnesota's hope this year is in their newly acquired veterans - not in Philadelphia, they are still trusting in their youth and they just make the playoffs this year.

Post #17 » by **The Rebel** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:36 pm

NuggetsWY wrote:
skywalker33 wrote:I find it ironic/annoying that the MINN fans keep trying to create a rivalry with the Nuggets when the reality they have been nothing more than the dreggs of the NBA, just look how many high draft pick they've had and they're still trying to accomplish something. Until they do something, I just look at them the same way i used to look at the old Clippers

They've had almost as many high draft picks as Philadelphia (including adding one very high one in the Love trade). Is it just me or does Philadelphia's youth movement look better than Minnesota's? Minnesota's hope this year is in their newly acquired veterans - not in Philadelphia, they are still trusting in their youth and they just make the playoffs this year.

It is funny I was reading the annual Twolves V Nuggets thread on the general board a couple of days ago and it made me laugh especially when a guy was posting that Butler only averaged 1.6 more shots per game than Lavine. If I had more time these days I would have simply pointed out that they had a worse record before Lavine got hurt than after, specifically because they had too many ball dominant players, and Butler and Teague are more ball dominant than the guys they replaced. Hell Teague and George had problems in Indiana because Teague was not passing to George and Turner enough, yet he is going to keep 3 even more ball dominant players happy as a PG? I just do not see them taking a 15 game jump in wins, 10 maybe but much more than that is a stretch, and I think they are going to have some problems keeping their guys happy.

Minnesota was stuck in a position this year that the Nuggets could have easily ended up in this year if they had traded for Butler or George. They have to extend Wiggins at a likely max deal next year, so once they added Butler to their payroll they had to go all the way, but I think they screwed it up. I heard someone say that Thibs was building a team that would have been perfect 10 years ago, but they are wrong even on that, too many ball dominant players who's strengths do not cover for each other's weaknesses or feed off others strengths is just asking for trouble. Not a single one that they signed is a great 3 point shooter and none of them are happy or good as a guy who can just be a spot up shooter they all want the ball in their hands.

I really do not view the Twolves as a rival, I view their fans as an annoyance much like Knicks fans, they get hyped up every year and talk about how great they are and try to compare them to better teams then disappear when the season gets going,

MidMountain · Post #18 » by **MidMountain** » Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:52 pm

skywalker33 wrote:I find it ironic/annoying that the MINN fans keep trying to create a rivalry with the Nuggets when the reality they have been nothing more than the dreggs of the NBA, just look how many high draft pick they've had and they're still trying to accomplish something. Until they do something, I just look at them the same way i used to look at the old Clippers

Except for when Garnett and company were kicking our butts. The problem is that we were bad when they were good in the late 90s early 00's. When we finally got good after that, they got bad. We've only made the playoffs the same year once ('03-'04), and they won. We've both been non-playoff teams the last few seasons and are both set to move up next year.

Post #19 » by **THE J0KER** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 10:13 pm

On this RealGM forum is not hard to predict that "who is the best center of new generation Jokic, KAT or Embiid" discussion will turn into great Denver-Minnesota-Philadelphia virtual rivalry. And they all-three are already at 22 franchise players so this "rivalry" can last over next 5+ seasons!

Nuggets_Talk · Post #20 » by **Nuggets_Talk** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 1:17 am

right now i would just say the northwest division. portland, utah, minnesota and why not - throw okc in there.