Denver, CO
Keeler: Nuggets haters, get real! Denver sent LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant packing. There was nothing “easy” about Nikola Jokic’s road to NBA Finals.
The Nuggets chased LeBron James and Anthony Davis to their fishing yachts in just four games. They sent Kevin Durant and Devin Booker packing in six. They rushed Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards to the golf course in five.
But, no, no, no. Please. Go on. Don’t mind us. Enlighten we basketball neophytes as to how Denver is three wins away from its first-ever NBA championship because it munched on a diet of cupcakes in the playoffs. How this franchise somehow lucked upon the “easiest path to the Finals ever.”
What’s that, you say? Math?
Oh, yeah. We know. The Nuggets this postseason drew an 8 seed (Minnesota), followed by a 4 seed (Phoenix), then a 7 seed (Los Angeles), then another 8 (Miami). Add up the digits and it comes out to 27, making it the highest four-team opponent seed combination for an NBA Finals team in modern league history.
Also: LeBron. AD. Durant. Booker. KAT. Edwards. Fishing.
OK, Twitter trolls, that’s it. Get off my lawn. Out. Now.
Are we seriously going to dismiss the Nuggets’ 13-3 postseason record, and dismiss an emphatic win over the Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, because the Bucks, Celtics, Sixers, Grizzlies and Kings all choked?
Again: LeBron. AD. Durant. Booker. KAT. Edwards. Golfing.
It’s somehow Nikola Jokic’s fault that Memphis scamp Ja Morant loves him some Glendale?
It’s somehow Jamal Murray’s fault that the zebras ruined Game 5 of Kings-Warriors?
It’s somehow Bruce Brown’s fault that Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer pocketed his timeouts for a rainy day that never came?
It’s somehow Aaron Gordon’s fault that Boston’s Jayson Tatum rolled his ankle in the first 30 seconds of Heat-Celtics Game 7?
If you’re still convinced the sins of Milwaukee, Boston, Philly and Memphis invalidate one of the NBA’s best playoff teams of the last two decades, Jokic has an asterisk he’d love for you to kiss.
“You have to find ways to improve from series to series and round to round to try to advance,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone offered during the lead-up to the series opener vs. Miami. “But every round and every opponent is a completely different problem and challenge. Every team is built differently.”
Whatever’s been asked, the Nuggets went out and answered with authority. Minnesota’s Twin Towers of KAT and Rudy Gobert? Tucker ‘em out. KD and Devin Booker’s relentless assault? Get up in their faces, then crawl inside their heads. LeBron? Make King James a jump-shooter.
“So I think our guys, if anything, over (the first) 15 playoff games, now being 12-3, (it’s) their confidence,” Malone continued.
“But I (saw) just kind of a real consistency from my group from Game 1 against Minnesota through Game 4 against the Lakers. And that’s what you want this time of year.”
LeBron. AD. Durant. Booker. KAT. Edwards. Comb the beaches and ask them how “easy” the Nuggets were.
“Me and AD were just talking in the locker room and we came to the consensus this is one of the best teams, if not the best team, we’ve played together for all four years,” James told reporters after the Nuggets swept his Lakers out of the postseason.
“Just well-orchestrated, well put together. They have scoring. They have shooting. They have playmaking. They have smarts. They have length. They have depth. And one thing about their team, when you have a guy like Jokic, who as big as he is but also as cerebral as he is, you can’t really make many mistakes versus a guy like that.”
How’s this for math? Since 2000, only one other roster in NBA Playoffs history has posted a better postseason winning percentage than the Nuggets’ current .813 clip — the 2016-17 Warriors, who cruised to a 16-1 playoff record (.941) six springs ago.
Yes, the NBA’s regular season is an overlong, strange, non-sensical and often thankless slog. But there’s a reason you chase a No. 1 seed. A reason you chase home-court advantage. The Nuggets are doing what a top seed does, within a system designed to reward them for stacking wins, and now they’re going to be shamed for it?
“It’s tough to win in this league. I don’t care who you are as a player, as a coach,” former NBA guard and coach Mark Jackson said recently. “And sometimes, excuse me, you just lose to the better team. I can remember losing with Larry Brown or Larry Bird or Pat Riley or Jeff Van Gundy (as my coaches). I never felt like they didn’t do the job. Sometimes, you’ve gotta give credit to (the guys) on the other side of the floor.”
And sometimes, you’ve gotta tip your cap to a cowtown.
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The No. 1-seeded Boston College Eagles (27-7-2) men’s hockey team takes on the No. 3-seeded Denver Pioneers (30-11-1) in the Manchester Regional Final on Sunday night.
Both teams earned spots in the game after winning their first round contests.
Boston College defeated No. 4-seeded Bentley 3-1 on Friday afternoon after a late third period goal from forward James Hagens and an empty netter from forward Ryan Leonard.
Denver dominated No. 2-seeded Providence 5-1 on Friday night. Four different Pioneers scored goals in the contest.
This is the first time the two teams are meeting since the 2024 national championship. In the title game, Denver topped Boston College 2-0 after scoring a pair of goals in the second period.
The winner of this game will win the Regional and will return to the Frozen Four for the second straight year.
Below is all the information for the upcoming matchup.
How to Watch: Boston College Men’s Hockey vs. Denver:
Who: No. 1 Boston College Eagles and No. 3 Denver Pioneers
When: Sunday, March 30 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: SNHU Arena, Manchester, N.H.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: WEEI 850 AM
Last Outing, Denver: The Pioneers defeated the Providence Friars 5-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
Last Outing, Boston College: The Eagles beat the Bentley Falcons 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams met was in last year’s national championship on April 13, 2024. Denver defeated Boston College 2-0.
Former Oregon Ducks tight end Terrance Ferguson is taking a visit to the Denver Broncos ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, per The Denver Gazette. Ferguson is a Littleton, Colorado native and has a rising 2025 NFL Draft stock after an impressive NFL combine and Pro Day in Eugene.
Ferguson and Denver quarterback Bo Nix also have exciting chemistry already, as the duo shined at Oregon. Ferguson was a favorite target of Nix’s during the 2022 and 2023 season – finishing with 74 receptions for 805 yards and 11 touchdowns in those two seasons.
Ferguson turned heads at the combine with the fastest 40-yard dash from a tight end (4.63-seconds) and highest vertical leap (39-inch) from a tight end.
Ferguson and Nix are very close friends, who maintained their relationship through Nix’s rookie season in Denver.
“Yeah, I’ve been able to talk to Bo,” Ferguson told Oregon Ducks on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus during the 2024 season. “He had some things to ask me where to go to eat… It’s really cool to see his career take off. I’m super proud of him. I played with Bo for a couple of years and we were close off the field as well. He’s a great friend, great person off the field. So it was just really cool to see his dreams come true. All my family’s cheering for him as Denver Bronco fans.”
Does Ferguson dream Payton calling him during the 2025 NFL Draft to join the Broncos?
“Honestly, anywhere would be the best team for me. But yeah it’d be cool to play back in front of my family again and reunite with some teammates,” Ferguson told Amaranthus.
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Ferguson is fresh off his best season yet, breaking multiple Oregon records to become the Ducks’ most decorated tight end of all time. The fan-favorite broke the Oregon all-time records for career receptions (134) and receiving touchdowns (16) by a tight end, and finished second all-time in career receiving yards (1,537) by a tight end.
The 6-5, 255-pound Ferguson is grabbing the attention of many NFL Draft scouts, including New York Jets tight ends coach Jeff Blasko, who attended Oregon Ducks Pro Day in Eugene.
Ferguson is a great fit for Denver and coach Sean Payton’s offense. Ferguson is tough, experienced and a mismatch nightmare that has drawn comparisons to NFL legend Travis Kelce .
“It is really a blessing and really cool to be put in the same sentence as that guy,” Ferguson told Amaranthus. “He’s done a lot for the game and a lot for the position as tight ends go. But I’ve definitely watched a lot of his tape. He’s a special, special player and he’s really revolutionized tight end play.”
Denver did sign veteran tight end Evan Engram to a two-year deal in NFL free agency. The 30-year-old Engram is coming off a shoulder surgery, so possibly the Broncos are looking to add depth and options to their tight end room.
Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan Wolverines’ Colston Loveland are expected to be the first tight ends taken off the board in the upcoming NFL Draft while Ferguson has solidified himself as a great third option. Ferguson is projected to be a Day 2 pick (second or third round).
Ferguson has a chance to further etch his name in Oregon history books. When drafted, Ferguson will become the first Oregon tight end taken in the NFL Draft since David Paulson was selected by the Pittsburg Steelers with the 240th pick in the seventh round of the 2012 draft.
The NFL Draft will take place from April 24 to April 26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
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