That’s well within the margin of error, so it’s anyone’s series to claim. They’re favored in their three home games, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, and only a two-point underdog in each game at Ball Arena. These teams will fight to the end, but the Nuggets are ready and they’ll come out on top, vanquishing Phoenix at the Footprint Center on May 11. The only Nuggets starter who played in that 100-93 game was Aaron Gordon, and his Christmas night dunk over the Suns’ Landry Shamet is indisputably the best dunk of the year. But let’s remember that on March 31 all of those guys could barely squeak out a win against a Nuggets team without four of its five starters, including reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Michael Porter Jr. Sure, the Suns have Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul. But this season the Nuggets have yet to melt under the bright light of the Suns. The Suns are title favorites and the Nuggets are the top seed in the Western Conference. There’s no denying both of these teams have what it takes to make a championship run. Elias WeissĬhristian Petersen / Getty Images Will the Nuggets or Suns Win the Series? Since then, Go the Gorilla has become famous for his slapstick humor and athletic antics on and off the court. As a result of his continued presence at the games, Rojas was offered the role of the Suns' official mascot after 11 years sans mascot and one failed attempt to dress a guy up as a giant anthropomorphic sunflower. Rojas donned a gorilla costume to deliver the message, catching the attention of security guards who encouraged Rojas to stick around and entertain the fans during breaks, a request he fulfilled repeatedly. James Oberhaus, an avid Suns fan, sent a singing telegram named Henry Rojas to the Suns' arena in 1980. Not that we have gorillas roaming the Sonoran Desert. Catie CheshireĪ survey this season from NJ Bet, a sports gambling clearinghouse in New Jersey, found that Go the Gorilla is the third-most intimidating mascot in the NBA. Kenn Solomon, who was the man inside the suit from Rocky’s inception in 1990 has passed the torch to his son Drake in recent years. On April 25, when the Nuggets sent the Minnesota Timberwolves packing to reach this matchup with the Suns, he sunk the shot on his first try. The mountain lion hilariously interacts with fans and his backward half-court shot is legendary. There may not be a mascot more beloved than Rocky, who came out on top in a survey of 1,500 basketball fans. Then we made a bet - more on that below.ĭoug Pensinger / Getty Images Mascot Mania The two cities are also home to sister alt-weeklies - Denver Westword and Phoenix New Times - that were founded in the 1970s, even if the Phoenix outlet started first. Beyond the trash-talking between our two newsrooms, we asked Westword's Catie Cheshire and New Times' Elias Weiss to break down the series for us. Phoenix owns the all-time series 3-1, most recently sweeping Denver in the conference semis in 2021 while marching to the Finals - and then losing in six.īut the rivalry between these two proud Western cities exists beyond their NBA teams. The Suns and Nuggets have plenty of history in the postseason, having met four times dating back to the 1981 season. The Suns did just that after they crashed and burned in 1993. On the flip side, at least the Nuggets haven’t hosted a parade as a consolation prize just for making it to the Finals. Even the Rockies went to the World Series once. Meanwhile, Gerald Ford was president when the Nuggets played their first game in the NBA, and yet they’ve never even appeared in the Finals. Sure, the Suns haven’t clinched a chip just yet, but they’ve won the Western Conference on three occasions. A precious nugget tumbling along a crisp Colorado creek - and hotter than the sizzling Arizona sun. The second round series, which opens on Saturday in Denver, promises to be pure gold. The stage is set for a clash of the titans en route to a spot in the Western Conference Finals for two teams in desperate need of a ring.
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