The season certainly didn’t end the way that the Nuggets had hoped and the same was true for their crosstown hockey team, the Colorado Avalanche. The Nuggets, of course, were bounced in the second round of the NBA playoffs in seven games by the Timberwolves, blowing a 20-point second-half lead at home in the decisive game.
The Avs were also eliminated in round two, losing to the Dallas Stars in six games to get knocked out of the NHL playoffs. Both teams have won championships recently and felt they had good chances to do so again this season, but it obviously wasn’t meant to be.
But luckily, both teams will get to remember this season fondly as they each saw their premier player rewarded with the league’s highest individual honor. Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets was awarded the Michael Jordan Trophy for the NBA’s MVP Award several weeks ago, and on Thursday night, Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche received the Hart Trophy for the MVP of the NHL.
LEGENDARY pic.twitter.com/uhd17MsX8E
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) June 28, 2024
This may not exactly take away the sting of playoff losses for fans, but it is a pretty amazing achievement, as the last time the NBA and NHL’s MVPs played in the same city was 35 years ago, back in 1989 when Magic Johnson of the Lakers and Wayne Gretzky of the Kings each took home the awards.
It just goes to show what an exciting time this is for Denver sports and how lucky the fans (of both teams) are right now to be able to watch and root for such outstanding players on a nightly basis.
The 29-year-old Jokic has won the MVP Award three times now and is locked in with the Nuggets for at least three more seasons. For MacKinnon, this is his first Hart Trophy, but the 28-year-old should have plenty of time to add to his trophy case as he’s signed to the Avs for seven more seasons.
Individual awards are great, but Denver sports fans want to see more championships and I’m sure these players do too. The good news is that they won’t be going away any time soon and hopefully, we’ll see both teams get back to the pinnacle of their respective leagues.
