Chris Humphreys – USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Nuggets posted an NBA-best 38-3 home record at Pepsi Center in the 2012-13 season. To better illustrate the Nuggets’ dominance at home last season, we must look at the back-to-back NBA champion Miami Heat‘s home record.
Miami did have an unbelievable 37-4 home record at American Airlines Arena in the 2012-13 season. Let’s not forget the inconceivable 27-game winning streak the Heat put together. The NBA’s best winning streak came during the 1971–72 season, when the Los Angeles Lakers won 33 games in a row, with the remember-back-when talent of players such as Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Pat Riley and “The Logo” Jerry West. Even Hall of Famer West thought the Heat would tie or surpass the 33-game winning streak they strung together in 1971-72. However, LeBron James and his mates were more interested in preparing to win back-to-back NBA Championships.
To be a legitimate threat in the Western Conference in the 2013-14 NBA season, the Nuggets must maintain their home cookin’ and again be dominant in the thin air of the Mile High City. It would be an understatement to say that there was a ton of turnover in Denver’s front office and on its roster during this summer, not to mention a new head coach in Brian Shaw. However, with Tim Connelly as GM, the front office is strong and the new-look roster is lethally dangerous, quick, deep, and has the potential to be much improved from beyond the arc and on defense under Shaw this season.
And if you don’t believe that Denver has star power, look for Ty Lawson to handle the point guard position with leadership and pace and Wilson Chandler to step into the forefront as a superstar scorer. Altogether, expect the Nuggets to have around 35 wins at home this season. And if they can accomplish this, they will only need around 15 wins on the road to hang within my 50-win plateau alluded to in a preceding article. In addition, this will put the Nuggets in the hunt for satisfactory playoff positioning within the Western Conference.
The Nuggets will remain dominant at home this season and prime playoff positioning will be within their grasp.
Randy Drautz is a Denver Nuggets writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @RDrautz, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
