Denver Nuggets · Franchise era 3 of 6
The Mutombo upset and the rebuild: the Denver Nuggets story
Franchise era
1990–91—2002–03
The Mutombo upset and the rebuild
Denver Nuggets
The story in one sentence
Denver authored the first 8-over-1 upset in 1994, but injuries and turnover prevented the young roster from sustaining it.
01
A historic eighth seed, then a long search
02
Dikembe Mutombo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Antonio McDyess gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for melo restores relevance.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1990–91
What came before
English led a free-flowing offense that made nine straight playoffs and reached the 1985 conference finals.
1994
Western Conference First Round: Denver Nuggets vs Seattle SuperSonics
1994
Western Conference Semifinals: Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz
1995
Western Conference First Round: Denver Nuggets vs San Antonio Spurs
After 2002–03
What came next
Anthony ended an eight-year playoff drought immediately, and Billups later helped turn the group into a 2009 conference finalist.
The core