The Miami Heat are no strangers to June basketball. But their opponent in this year’s NBA Finals, the homegrown little-engine-that-could Denver Nuggets, will make their first NBA Finals appearance tomorrow night. With memories of 1994 and many forgettable seasons still haunting the franchise, the 2022-23 season almost feels too good to be true for Nuggets fans.
Enter today’s guest, Ariel’s dear colleague and friend Chuck Mindenhall, a native Coloradan who has stood by the Nuggets since day one despite the franchise’s tormented past. In this episode, Mindenhall pours his heart out about the team he loves in a can’t-miss conversation about the following:

What it feels like, after decades of suffering, to see his favorite team finally reach the NBA Finals (12:25)

Carmelo Anthony’s complicated legacy in Denver and why the Allen Iverson experiment didn’t work (21:18)

When he realized the Nuggets had something special in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray (27:43)

Whether Jokic should have won the MVP Award this season (36:36)

And much more, including Chuck’s thoughts on the extra rest for the Nuggets (46:15) and his prediction for how the NBA Finals will go down (57:08).
Chuck Mindenhall is one of the greatest writers in the history of combat sports. But … he’s also a lifelong Denver Nuggets fan. Born and raised in Denver, Chuck has witnessed firsthand all of the ups and downs the Nuggets have experienced since their entry into the NBA in 1976. If you’re looking for more Chuck and Ariel in your life, feel free to check out “The Ringer MMA Show” exclusively on Spotify. You can also check out Chuck’s web site here.