The Denver Nuggets have officially captured their maiden title after outlasting the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals. After 47 years of wait, Mile High City now becomes the home of the basketball world champions.
As such, the sweet, shining golden reflection of an NBA title pushed Michael Malone to proclaim that they aren’t done yet conquering the basketball world.
For Malone, they are just getting started as they look to further cement their legacy as one of the great teams of all time — taking inspiration from the words of the legendary Pat Riley.
“Pat Riley said something many years ago,” Malone said in his presser. “I used to have it up on my board when I was a head coach in Sacramento, and it talked about the evolution in this game and how you go from a nobody to an upstart, and you go from an upstart to a winner and a winner to a contender and a contender to a champion.
“The last step after a champion is to be a dynasty. We’re not satisfied yet.”
With reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic now enjoying his ultimate prime, both Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are finally healthy and set to leap toward stardom, while the likes of Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are also ready for important call-ups, the Nuggets are slated to maintain their competitive state for years to come.
Given the historic run they’ve made and the number of moments they painted in the league record books this year, Malone is confident about their chances to further extend their reigns.
“We accomplished something this franchise has never done before, but we have a lot of young talented players in that locker room,” he added. “I think we just showed through 16 playoff wins what we’re capable of on the biggest stage in the world.”
