The Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche both saw their seasons end with two Game 7 losses.
The Avalanche collapsed against the Stars, gagging a two-goal third period lead.
The Nuggets were blown out by the Thunder, never really having a chance after the first quarter.
And while the two defeats were different in nature, there’s one thing both teams have in common. Each should still be playing right now, continuing a championship journey in the NBA and NHL’s Western Conference Finals.
The Avs had three third period leads in Games 2, 3 and 7 against Dallas. They somehow lost all three of those. You can make a case Colorado was better than the Stars in six of the seven contests. Yet, here we are, with old friend Mikko Rantanen eight victories away from another Stanley Cup while the Avalanche’s season ended 17 days ago.
The Nuggets technically lost the series on Sunday, but it was over before that. They had fourth quarter leads in Games 4 and 5 against the Thunder and couldn’t bury them. That’s when this felt inevitable. They had a young OKC team on the ropes — twice — and both times let them off the hook.
Championships are hard, but our basketball and hockey squads let us down. It makes you appreciate the Avs in 2022 and the Nuggets in 2023 even more.
They each went 16-4 in those respective postseasons. Neither even had to play a Game 7. And we got two parades out the deal.
But if you had a conversation with some of the key players, privately, they’d let you know both could still be on the hardwood or ice. Guys like Nikola Jokic and Nathan MacKinnon were brilliant as usual. However, other players like Cale Makar, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. came up short. When the lights were the brightest, those three couldn’t deliver.
It sounds impossibly greedy, but it’s a real shame neither team has found a way to win a second championship (yet) with the two best players on Earth at their respective sports.
We’ll never have an era like this again in our lives. Jokic is the top basketball player on the planet. MacKinnon is No. 1 in the rink. And right now their Hall of Fame careers are defined by a lack of support around them.
The Avalanche will likely run this thing back, and most fans seem to be okay with that. It’s a Stanley Cup capable roster, they just fell apart in the biggest moments.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets need to make major changes this offseason. Murray and Porter should be on the trade block, with at least one getting moved. This core has gotten stale and needs to be shaken up. And of course whoever the new GM is must add depth. That was one of the biggest reasons why Calvin Booth got fired.
It will be another summer in Colorado without a gathering downtown to celebrate a title. The only thing we have going for us until Broncos training camp is figuring out if the Rockies will lose 130 games. Blah.
Both teams were good enough to win it all. Instead, those five bad losses where they had leads late will haunt us all offseason. The sobering reality of going months and months without getting to watch the Nuggets and Avalanche is slowly sinking in.
It’s beyond disappointing that at least one of them isn’t currently playing. Heck, as mentioned above, they really should both still be competing in the playoffs.
That’s how life goes, though, it’s not going to be our year every year. But these opportunities are rare, and neither could seize what was right in front of them
Maybe 2026 will be different. Maybe it won’t be.
Regardless, it’s time for these teams to step up again and deliver more titles. They’re certainly capable of doing it, as they’ve shown with these cores once before.