David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Early in the N.B.A.’s only first-round playoff series that stretched to seven games, it was suggested to Tim Connelly, the Denver Nuggets’ president of basketball operations, that a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs was actually a good thing for his young team.
Facing the Gregg Popovich-led Spurs, Connelly was told, would be like going to Playoff School for Denver, a group that brought the West’s No. 2 seed to the matchup — but virtually no postseason experience.
“They’re the gold standard of the N.B.A., with maybe the best coach of all time,” Connelly countered, shooting down the theory as quickly as he heard it.