What was going on when the Nuggets last made the conference finals

For the fourth time since joining the NBA, the Denver Nuggets are headed to the Western Conference Finals (and for a third time against the Los Angeles Lakers).

Take a stroll back through time with us as we remember what was going on during the past three Nuggets trips to conference finals.

•••

May 17, 2009 – Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers

Weekend box office

1. “Angels & Demons” – $46.2 million
2. “Star Trek” – $43 million
3. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” – $14.7 million

Billboard Hot 100 – Top 5

1. “Boom Boom Pow” – The Black Eyed Peas
2. “Poker Face” – Lady Gaga
3. “Blame It” – Jamie Foxx Featuring T-Pain
4. “Day ‘N’ Nite” – Kid Cudi
5. “Halo” – Beyonce

New York Times best sellers

Hardcover fiction:

1. “The 8th Confession” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
2. “Lover Avenged” by J.R. Ward
3. “First Family” by David Baldacci
4. “Summer on Blossom Street” by Debbie Macomber
5. “Tea Time for the Traditionally Built” by Alexander McCall Smith

Hardcover non-fiction:

1. “Liberty and Tyranny” by Mark R. Levin
2. “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell
3. “The Girls from Ames” by Jeffrey Zaslow
4. “Always Looking Up” by Michael J. Fox
5. “Columbine” by Dave Cullen

Random facts:

» May 17 – Video game “Minecraft” is first released to the public while in development

» May 24 – Helio Castroneves wins the Indianapolis 500

» May 24 – Manchester United wins the English Premiere League title for a third straight time

» May 26 – Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

» May 27 – Detroit Red Wings defeat the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

» May 27 – Barcelona beats Manchester United to win the UEFA Champions League

•••

May 11, 1985 – Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers

Weekend box office

1. “Code of Silence” – $3.58 million
2. “Rustlers’ Rhapsody” – $2.37 million
3. “Gotcha!” – $1.98 million

Billboard Hot 100 – Top 5

1. “Crazy for You” – Madonna
2. “We Are The World” – Various artists
3. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” – Simple Minds
4. “Rhythm of the Night” – DeBarge
5. “One Night in Bangkok” – Murray Head

New York Times best sellers

Hardcover fiction:

1. “Thinner” by Richard Bachman
2. “Chapterhouse: Dune” by Frank Herbert
3. “Inside, Outside” by Herman Wouk
4. “If Tomorrow Comes” by Sidney Sheldon
5. “The Hunt for Red October” by Tom Clancy

Hardcover non-fiction:

1. “Iacocca: An Autobiography” by Lee Iacocca with William Novak
2. “Smart Women, Foolish Choices” by Connell Cowan and Melvyn Kinder
3. “Breaking with Moscow” by Arkady N. Shevchenko
4. “Loving Each Other” by Leo Buscaglia
5. “Once Upon a Time” by Gloria Vanderbilt

Random facts:

» May 16 – Michael Jordan named NBA Rookie of the Year

» May 16 – Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Quebec Nordiques to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

» May 16 – Edmonton Oilers defeat the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

» May 20 – Larry Holmes defeats Carl Williams for heavyweight boxing title

» May 22 – “A View to a Kill,” featuring Roger Moore as James Bond, premieres

•••

May 5, 1978 – Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Denver Nuggets vs. Seattle SuperSonics

Film

BoxOfficeMojo.com has no listings for the weekends of May 1978, but here are the top three grossing movies of Q1 in 1978:

1. “Saturday Night Fever” – $75.97 million (Release date: Dec. 16, 1977)
2. “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” – $71.76 million (Release date: Nov. 16, 1977)
3. “Star Wards: Episode IV – A New Hope” – $17.49 million (Release date: May 25, 1978)

Billboard Hot 100 – Top 5

1. “Night Fever” – Bee Gees
2. “If I Can’t Have You” – Yvonne Elliman
3. “Can’t Smile Without You” – Barry Manilow
4. “The Close I Get to You” – Roberta Flack
5. “With a Little Luck” – Wings

New York Times best sellers

Hardcover fiction:

1. “Bloodline” by Sidney Sheldon
2. “The Holcroft Covenant” by Robert Lud‐lum
3. “Scruples” by Judith Krantz
4. “The Thorn Birds” by Colleen McCullough
5. “The Human Factor” by Graham Greene

Hardcover non-fiction:

1. “The Complete Book of Running” by James F. Fixx
2. “If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, What am I Doing in the Pits?” by Erma Bombeck
3. “My Mother, My Self” by Nancy Friday
4. “The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need” by Andrew Tobias
5. “Gnomes,” text by Wil Huygen and illustrated by Rien Poortvliet

Random facts:

» May 5 – Pete Rose becomes the 14th player in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits

» May 6 – Affirmed wins the 104th Kentucky Derby

» May 11 – Margaret A. Brewer becomes first female general in the U.S. Marine Corps

» Joie Chitwood drives a Chevette 5.6 miles on only two wheels