Strike 1: The Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche may both be teetering in their first round playoff series, but they are in far different places.
All first round playoff exists are not created equal.
No one has been eliminated yet. But both the Nuggets and Avs are in tough spots, and at this point it will be an upset if either team wins their first round playoff series.
With Nikola Jokic shouldering a massive load and trying to carry his team further than their limited roster deserves to go, the Nuggets have forged a split of the first four games against the Los Angeles Clippers heading into tonight’s pivotal Game 5. They just as easily could have been swept, winning Game 1 in overtime and Game 4 on a last second rebound dunk, after blowing a 22-point second half lead.
So here we are. Denver’s lack of depth and a second strong scoring option having already glared it’s ugly head against a deeper Clippers team. If you’re feeling like the Nuggets are just hanging on, you’re right. At least at this point.
It’s nothing that a nice long and restful offseason, a new GM, a new head coach and a revamped roster built around Nikola Jokic can’t fix.
But that will have to wait for said off season, which will very likely start sometime soon, either after this series ends or after the juggernaut Oklahoma City Thunder dispose of the Nuggets or Clippers in short order.
Get ready for those GM and head coach searches to ramp up.
Meanwhile, the Avs find themselves down 3-2 in their series after seemingly having all the momentum on their side of the ice. They blitzed the Dallas Stars 4-0 in Game 4 at Ball Arena. That night, Colorado looked unbeatable. But just like they have for much of the season, it’s been one skate forward and one skate back for this team during this series. And that does not bode well for a potential Game 7 (assuming the Avs can win Game Six in Denver.)
If the Avs fall in the opening round for the second time in three seasons, there’s no way to spin it other than to acknowledge it will be the much bigger failing of the two. Avs fans will deserve answers.
That’s because what the Nuggets desperately need to do – revamp and improve the roster around their star players – the Avs already did on the fly, mid-season to boot.
In December, Colorado made bold trades for a pair of new goaltenders, and well before the trade deadline, traded one of their best players, Mikko Rantanen, to clear salary cap space. They filled that space with a handful of playoff savvy veteran players, and it appeared that very suddenly, this was one of the most talented Avalanche rosters maybe ever.
And things got better still when captain Gabe Landeskog completed his miracle recovery from a devastating knee injury and joined the playoff roster after having missed the last three regular seasons. When Landeskog scored a goal in Game 4, it appeared that the Avs were becoming this year’s darlings, blessed by the hockey gods and destined for another deep playoff run.
Blessed. Completely healthy, deep, talented and clicking on all cylinders.
Then suddenly, after a 6-2 stinker in Game 5 in Dallas, they’re down 3-2 in their first round series, against the team Rantanen ended up signing a long term deal with.
There’s no doubt Colorado could come back and win Game 6 before heading back to Dallas. And even though they’ve been on this every-other-game roller coaster for much of 2025, anything can happen in a Game 7.
But would you bet on that?
It’s more likely that Ball Arena will become quiet very soon. Plenty of time for the execs of both teams to figure out how to bring early summer parades back to the Mile High.
Strike 1: The Nuggets and Avalanche’s struggles are not the same thing Mile High Sports.
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