Of course the Nuggets may draw the Lakers, Warriors or Clippers in Round 1

As the Denver Nuggets pursue their first NBA Title, the path to a championship is starting to come into focus.

Unfortunately, it might be a doozy from the jump.

There’s a chance the Nuggets could draw the Lakers, Warriors or Clippers in Round 1, three teams that present unique challenges and would all be marquee opponents. Each team has 38 losses in the insanely crowded bottom half of the Western Conference.

Clippers: 38 losses
Warriors: 38 losses
Lakers: 38 losses
Pelicans: 38 losses

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— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 3, 2023

Of course whoever emerges out of those four teams will take the No. 5 seed, with someone else claiming No. 6. But that’s where things get interesting thanks to the NBA’s play-in tournament.

The No. 7 seed will play the No. 8 seed, with the winner locked in at seven. The loser of that game plays the winner of the No. 9 versus No. 10 game for the last spot in the dance. The winner of that contest will be the eight and almost assuredly play Denver.

The Nuggets’ “magic number” is down to one, meaning one more win or Memphis Grizzlies loss and Denver will be the top overall seed in the conference. Of course, that comes with homecourt advantage, but depending on how the play-in shakes out, the opponent could be a difficult one.

The Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Warriors have won four titles in the last decade and have Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. And the Clippers were one of the preseason favorites with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. George’s health remains a bit uncertain.

Still, none of those would be preferable to other Round 1 possibilities like the Pelicans, Timberwolves or Thunder. All three of those teams don’t have near the star-power or experience of the two L.A. squads or Golden State. You’ve got to beat the best to win it all, but easing into the postseason would be ideal for Denver.

And if the Nuggets do get out of the first-round, up next would likely be a date with Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns. The path to a title will be tough, and it could get tough really fast.

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