Phoenix Suns fans, local media react to Denver Nuggets' first NBA championship win
The Denver Nuggets won the first NBA championship in the franchise's 47-year history on Monday, and a title still eludes the Phoenix Suns in the team's own 55. Witnessing Denver's season-ending victory made Suns fans and local media congratulate them and commiserate with each on Twitter.
The Western conference's top seed Denver's finals-closing 94-89 win over the Miami Heat nearly marked one month to the day that fourth-seed Phoenix was routed and eliminated at home by Denver in Game 6 of the Western semifinals.
Phoenix fans understand that there are no moral victories in sports, unless they were at the exceptional 1993 parade to celebrate the team's loss in the 1993 finals. But with the Devin Booker and Kevin Durant-led Phoenix losing to this year's eventual champion, which has two-time NBA MVP and this year's runner-up for that award Nikola Jokic, and Phoenix handing Denver two of its four postseason losses, the team's most in a series throughout its run to the title, was a form of consolation.
Here are what some of Phoenix's fans said as Denver hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The Suns have now lost to the eventual NBA champions in the playoffs 15 times. Only team that took Denver past 5 games. That Devin Booker guy is pretty good! Dominant run from the Nuggets
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) June 13, 2023
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant after playing 13 games together took a bunch if bums to 6 games against the Nuggets. Get a squad around them and I like the Suns chances.
— Cody Hunt (@co_dhunt) June 13, 2023
(The Suns won more games against this Denver juggernaut this postseason than any other team in the NBA)
— Brendon Kleen (@BrendonKleen14) June 13, 2023
Denver closed out the Suns and went 10-1 over their final 11 playoffs games. https://t.co/0i2CDEh6zj
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) June 13, 2023
The champion Nuggets lost four games in the playoffs and two were to the Suns. But that was so embarrassing, losing to the No. 1 seed in the conference, that the coach gets fired from a team with a flawed roster and the upheaval resulting from the Durant trade.
— Howard Balzer (@HBalzer721) June 13, 2023
The Nuggets just won an NBA Title beating 3 (Play In Teams) along the way! I'm not saying this as disrespect, they deserved to win this Championship but you gotta get lucky along the way!
Minnesota 8th (Play in Team)
Phoenix
Lakers 7th (Play in Team)
Heat 8th (Play in Team) pic.twitter.com/aMzXytbZ4A— FLEX From Jersey (@FlexFromJersey) June 13, 2023
It’s really exciting that another team ended their ring drought before the Suns did. Really fantastic. Truly the best. Solidly AWESOME. 😀
— Alma (@almalacubana) June 13, 2023
Mannn... I miss #SunsIn4 days
— Cameron Cox (@CamCox12) June 13, 2023
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns fans, media react to Denver Nuggets' first NBA title win
