Denver Nuggets Not In 1st Finals Rodeo - They Played Dr. J And Nets For ABA Crown in 1976

David "Skywalker" Thompson scored 42 points, and teammate Dan Issel added 30 with 20 rebounds for the Denver Nuggets and coach Larry Brown.

But Julius "Dr. J." Erving and the New York Nets were too much in the last ABA game ever played.

The Nets beat the Nuggets, 112-106, on May 13, 1976, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., for the American Basketball Association title. The Nuggets, the Nets, the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers merged with the NBA a month later, and the rest of the ABA died.

NBA Finals Open In Denver

The Denver Nuggets have never reached another championship series ... until now. No. 1 seed Denver faces No. 8 seed Miami in Game 1 Thursday (8:30 p.m., ABC) at Ball Arena in Denver. Miami is the first No. 8 seed to get this far since the New York Knicks lost to San Antonio in 1999. The best-of-seven series continues in Denver for Game 2 and - if necessary - for Game 5 and 7.

The Nuggets overcame an 0-for-7 hex against the Los Angeles Lakers in the postseason to sweep them 4-0 in the Western Conference finals nearly two weeks ago to reach their first NBA Finals.

Miami survived three straight losses to Boston after taking a 3-0 lead to finally win the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday. The Heat are in the Finals for the eighth time and third time in four years after winning titles in 2006, '12 and '13.

Neither team has trailed in any of their playoff series in games this season. Each has won the opener of every series.

Can Jimmy Butler Be Miami's Dr. J. Vs. Nuggets?

Dr. J. scored 31 points with 19 rebounds, five assists, five steals and four blocked shots that night in Uniondale when he was but 26 years old.

Miami's Jimmy Butler is a 6-foot-7 small forward like Erving, but he is no Dr. J. He can perform surgery on opponents, though. Butler has averaged 28.5 points a game for the Heat in the playoffs along with 7.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals. And he tends to take over games like Dr. J, minus the afro.

Butler's 15 games as the top scorer in the playoffs entering the NBA Finals is the second most in history behind such names as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Denver's 6-8 Aaron Gordon will likely be on Butler most of the time.

Miami's Jimmy Butler (No. 22) and Bam Adebayo will need to play well for the Heat to beat the favored Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals beginning Thursday night in Denver. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

"Jimmy does everything," Gordon said this week. "He does all the intangible things. He gets out in transition. He gets cuts, offensive rebounds, back doors. He gets spin-outs. He does a lot of the game within the game, as well as being really skilled. He's a difficult cover."

Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic Has Been Unstoppable

Meanwhile, Miami's 6-9, 255-pound Bam Adebayo has the unfortunate assignment of Denver's "Joker" - 6-11, 284-pound monster Nikola Jokic on the inside. Jokic has not been stopped in these playoffs. He averaged a triple-double in sweeping the Lakers. His eight triple-doubles (points, rebounds, assists) in the playoffs broke the record of seven set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1967 when he led Philadelphia to the NBA title.

Jokic is averaging 30.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists in the playoffs. Chamberlain averaged 21.7 points, 29.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the 1967 playoffs.

"Making him take tough shots," Adebayo said of Jokic. "The biggest thing for us is try to limit his assists. It sounds easier said than done."

NBA Finals A 1st For Denver

Which is what it has been like for the City of Denver and the NBA Finals. The Nuggets were 0 for 4 in conference finals until beating the Lakers on May 22. They lost to Seattle, 4-2, in 1978, the Lakers, 4-1, in 1985, 4-2 in 2009 and 4-1 in 2020.

"It’s almost like shock a little bit," Gordon said, even though Denver clinched the Finals on May 22. "You're just like unsure, like, are you sure we don’t have more time on the clock? Are you sure we don’t have another quarter to play or another game to play?"

No, this is it. You've got seven games to win it, but it probably will not take that long.

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