Denver Post · Oct 15, 2023
Nuggets Journal: Few recent defending champs have been this reliant on same starting five during repeat attempt
Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets claps as he is trailed by Jamal Murray (27) and Michael Porter Jr. (1) after teammate Aaron Gordon (50) engaged in an altercation with LeBron James (6) of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter of the Western Conference finals game 4 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday, May 22, 2023. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)It’s surprisingly not too often that a team is able to win an NBA championship by deploying the same starting five for the majority of the regular season and the majority of the playoffs, and even less so that said team returns and uses the identical starting five the next season.