When Spencer Haywood played for the Denver Rockets (which was later renamed the Nuggets) in the American Basketball Association during the 1969 season, he instantly became a legend, earning Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player titles. But he never dreamed that his team would be where they are now: At center stage in the NBA Finals.

“This is a monumental thing for the state of Colorado and all of the Denver fans throughout the country, and throughout the world because you have international players. You have (Jamal) Murray, who’s international and you have “Joker” (center Nikola Jokic) who is international, as well,” said the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer. “They were the best team all year and so now it’s their time to shine.”

The Nuggets are tied with the Miami Heat in the Finals and they are favored for their first championship in franchise history. The team swept the LA Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, while the Heat brawled with the Boston Celtics through seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But with the Nuggets not wanting to go down a game, they’ll be depending on Jokic and guard Jamal Murray to point them toward a championship. But they’ll have to watch out for Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who hit 21 points during Game 2.

Looking at game play so far, Haywood says he has been impressed by Jokic’s postseason where he has averaged 29.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 10.3 assists. "I like the hungriness that he plays with and more importantly, I like the calmness in which he plays. He's just one of those guys that are special, special players," said Haywood.

The excitement in Denver in their first-time trip to the Finals, isn’t new either. In 1994, LaPhonso Ellis, then a third-year forward with the Nuggets was there to witness it during that year’s playoff run. That year, the team would become the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 in a first-round series, when they rallied from a 0-2 deficit to defeat the Seattle SuperSonics.

“That place was raucous, loud and they were locked in with bated breath,” Ellis said of the atmosphere in McNichols Sports Arena. “And our fans set the perfect stage for us to be able to go out, perform well, win two games on our home floor to give us that much needed momentum to win in Game 5.”

The Nuggets magical run in 1994 would end at the hands of the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals and it’s why this season’s run to the NBA Finals is so valuable to a franchise that hasn’t seen much postseason success. Including this season, Denver has been to the playoffs 29 of their 47 seasons in the NBA but they have only made it past the first-round 12 times and to the conference finals five times.

Denver has been 12-3 in the postseason behind an 8.3 points differential, which is the best in the playoffs. Second is the Miami Heat with a 4.2-point differential.

Ellis, who played 11-years in the NBA, six with the Nuggets, believes this team primed to capture their first Larry O’Brien Trophy in its 56-year existence.

“Nuggets wins have all been team efforts. Obviously, with two studs in Jamal (Murray) and (Nikola) Jokic, but those two guys are buoyed by some really talented guys who are locked in defensively,” Ellis said. “It’s cool for me as a Nugget alum, if you will, to see this team get a chance to finish what we had a chance to start but couldn’t finish during my time in Denver. So, I’m absolutely thrilled for what this team could potentially accomplish.”