Anthony bears weight of Nuggets' early playoff exits

Forward, only Nugget to be part of past five first-round defeats, aims for series win

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 27, 2008 at 8:58 p.m.

Text size

Jack Dempsey/Associated Press/Jack Dempsey/Associated Press

In 2005 when the Nuggets were beaten by the Spurs 4-1 in the first round the Nuggets viewed themselves as an up-and-coming team.

Years of waiting

Nuggets fans well remember center Dikembe Mutombo holding the ball over his head and screaming in ecstasy after Denver's upset of Seattle in the first round of the 1994 playoffs. There hasn't been much to cheer about in the postseason since then. The Nuggets haven't won another playoff series. The longest active droughts of a team not winning a playoff series:

Team	Seasons	Last win
Nuggets	14	1994
Memphis/Vancouver*	13	-
Houston	11	1997
Atlanta	9	1999
New York	8	2000
Portland	8	2000

*Memphis/Vancouver started in 1995-96 has never won a playoff series.

All-time droughts

After their dramatic 1994 first-round playoff upset of Seattle, the Nuggets gave Utah an epic battle. After falling behind 3-0 in a Western Conference semifinals, Denver won three straight games before falling in Game 7.

But history coldly shows that Game 7 as the first of seven straight Nuggets playoff series losses. The Nuggets fell in the first round in 1995 and have lost the past five years in the opening round.

The Nuggets and Houston - joined on the all-time futility list by seven other teams that dropped seven straight - can break the record for consecutive playoff series lost. Orlando had lost seven in a row before winning in the first round last season. The all-time records for consecutive playoff series lost:

Team	Losses	Years
Nuggets	7	1994 to current
Houston	7	1997 to current
Orlando	7	1996 to 2007
Minnesota	7*	1997 to2003
Portland	7*	1992 to 1998
New Jersey	7	1984 to 1998
Washington	7	1982 to 1997
Cleveland	7	1976 to 1990
Cincinnati	7	1964 to 1980 Kansas City

* Came in consecutive seasons

Seeking a breakthrough

When it comes to being unable to win a playoff series, no teams have felt more recent pain than the Nuggets and Rockets, who have dropped seven in a row. The longest active streaks of playoff series lost:

Team	Losses	Last win
Nuggets	7	1994
Houston	7	1997
Portland	4	2000
Milwaukee	4	2001
Toronto	4	2001
Washington	4	2005

More Denver Nuggets

More stories »

Nene missed the 2006 playoffs because of a knee injury. At least that prevents him from sharing in one dubious distinction.

Carmelo Anthony was reminded recently that because of Nene's injury that season, he's the only current member of the Nuggets to have played in all five of their consecutive first-round playoff exits.

Anthony actually didn't need reminding.

"I know that," he said. "That's a monkey I want to get off my back."

The Nuggets' battle cry this season is win a playoff series or bust. With Denver having not broken through since 1994, no team in the NBA has gone longer without winning a playoff series.

"It's now or never," forward Kenyon Martin said. "There's nothing else to be said. It's time for action."

Of course, the first mission for the Nuggets is to earn a berth in the playoffs.

With the team having dispatched center Marcus Camby for next to nothing, some prognosticators don't believe that opportunity will arrive.

If the Nuggets do earn a sixth straight trip to the postseason, the pressure to finally win a series figures to be quite intense.

It could determine whether the Nuggets look to bring back Allen Iverson, who is entering the last year of his contract.

It could decide whether coach George Karl, under contract through next season, returns for that season.

"Everybody in the organization has the same challenge," Karl said. "That's to win in the playoffs."

Karl has been on hand for the past four playoff exits and has a meager 3-16 postseason mark with the Nuggets, never having won more than one game in a series.

The run of five straight first-round exits started with Jeff Bzdelik, whose Nuggets lost 4-1 to Minnesota in 2004.

Speaking of the Timberwolves, the Nuggets, at least this season, can't challenge Minnesota's NBA mark of first-round exits in seven straight seasons.

The Timberwolves lost in the first round from 1997 to 2003.

But the Nuggets could set one NBA futility mark this season. Going back to the Western Conference semifinals in 1994, they've lost seven straight playoff series, tied with eight teams for the longest drought in history.

Houston also has an active streak of seven straight series losses. So the Nuggets or Rockets in the spring could move into sole possession of that dubious mark.

"I understand that is something this team wants to do, but just to get past the first round, it would be a failure to me," Iverson said. "Anything less than a championship is a failure to me. Even more to me now because I'm in my 13th season. I thought I would have been to the Finals even more (than his one appearance with Philadelphia in 2001)."

But first things first. If the Nuggets don't get past the first round this season, Iverson might not be around after that to help Anthony get the monkey off his back.

Glass half-full

While the Nuggets speak desperately of wanting to win a playoff series, they are quick to point out they are one of only four NBA teams to have made the postseason five straight seasons. It's true the Nuggets haven't had anywhere near the postseason success of the other three, but it does say something to at least have gotten there. Teams that have made the playoffs five years or more in a row:

Team	Years	Playoff record in span	Pct.	NBA titles	Finals
San Antonio	11	101-59	.631	4	4
Dallas	8	42-48	.467	0	1
Detroit	7	73-53	.579	1	2
Nuggets	5	4-20	.167	0	0