In the 2022-2023 season, the Nuggets went all the way and finally won the first championship in team history, and Jokic was also awarded FMVP.
It is worth mentioning that last season, due to the black 6 and black 7 miracles in the West and the black 8 miracles in the East, the entire championship winning process in the Nuggets did not encounter any team with 50 wins.
In the first round, it was against the Timberwolves, who ranked 8th in the West, with 42 wins; The second round is against the Suns, who are fourth in the West, with 45 wins; The Western Conference Final is against the Lakers, who are 7th in the West, with 43 wins; The Finals are against the Heat, who are 8th in the East, with 44 wins.
And the whole championship process did not meet a team with 50 wins, which should be the first time in the history of the NBA (except for the shortened season).
Of course, there's another statistic that's even more interesting: as of the first round of the 2023-2024 season, Jokic's entire career has a 0-4 record when he meets an opponent with more than 50 wins in the playoffs. Jokic played in the playoffs five times, winning one championship and four exits, all of which were lost to 50-winning teams.
In the playoffs, the team has a 9-0 record against opponents under 50 wins, and has never lost, including two 1-3 comebacks.
Throughout the 21st century, in addition to the shrinking season, the closest to the Nuggets is probably the Warriors in the 17-18 season and the Heat in the 12-13 season.
In the 17-18 season, the Warriors defeated the Spurs with 47 wins, the Pelicans with 48 wins, the Trail Blazers with 49 wins, and the Cavaliers with 50 wins.
In the 12-13 season, the Heat defeated the Bucks with 38 wins, the Bulls with 45 wins, the Pacers with 49 wins, and the Spurs with 58 wins.
In addition, they have beaten at least 2 teams with 50 wins, 3 and even 4.
The Lakers in the 09-10 season are the only team in the 21st century to defeat four 50-win teams to win the championship, defeating the Thunder with 50 wins in the first round, the Jazz with 53 wins in the second round, the Suns with 54 wins in the Western Conference Finals, and the Celtics with 50 wins in the Finals. The 50-win team beaten in one season is exactly as many as the 50-win team the Heat's Big Three have beaten in four seasons.
The Lakers in the 08-09 season also defeated 3 50+ teams, and during the 2 consecutive championships, the Lakers' worst opponent was also the Jazz with 48 wins.
At that time, the gap between the East and the West was still very large, for example, in the 2013-2014 season, the first opponent of the Western Conference champion Spurs was the Mavericks, with a record of 49 wins and 33 losses, while the first opponent of the Eastern Conference champion Pacers was the 38-44 Hawks.
The Heat rushed out of the East and defeated the Hornets with 43 wins, the Nets with 44 wins, and the Pacers with 56 wins, while the Spurs rushed out of the West, beating the Mavericks with 49 wins, the Trail Blazers with 54 wins and the Thunder with 59 wins.
Back to the Nuggets, according to this record, the Nuggets are more than lucky in the second round, because the Timberwolves have won more than 50 games, Jokic has never won a team with 50 wins so far, and if he can beat the Timberwolves, it will be the first 50-win team Jokic has beaten.
In the first two home games, the Nuggets lost both and looked very appropriate. But in the last two away games, the Nuggets won back, and the two sides returned to the same running line, but judging from the laws of history, the Timberwolves still have more hope of qualifying.