FILE PHOTO: Apr 21, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) controls the ball in the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors during game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Two NBA writers list Nuggets among dream NBA playoff matchups.

The Denver Nuggets had a dream title run last season, not only winning the franchise’s first ring but never facing elimination along the road, as well as winning their first playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

But what about this year? What would your ideal be? Aside from the title, which approach would be the most dramatic, cathartic, or simply the best basketball? On Thursday, NBA.com asked their writers about their dream matchups for the whole NBA postseason, and two of them included the Nuggets.

Right present, the Nuggets are vying for the one-seed in the Western Conference, at 48-21. Denver is a half-game behind Oklahoma City and one game ahead of Minnesota. Only three wins separate the fourth-place team from the eighth-place squad, and the ninth and tenth seeds for the play-in appear locked in. With exactly a month until the NBA playoffs begin, it’s too early to speculate on Denver’s possible path. Despite the fact that the Nuggets are the defending champions and regular season winners of the West, many people believe they will win the 82nd season and then go to the playoffs.

Brian Martin’s dream NBA playoff game, in which the Nuggets face the Phoenix Suns, requires finishing with a high seed. The two teams met in the 2023 playoffs, and Arizona was the only club to defeat Denver more than once. Those triumphs were the result of dominant performances by Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, who combined for 86 and 72 points in Games 3 and 4, respectively. With a year of cohesion, a remade bench, and former NBA scoring champion Bradley Beal, the Suns would bring star power to the ring holders’ doorstep.

The only issue is that the Suns have spent a lot of time on the bench, so we haven’t seen Phoenix’s new big three against the defending champs, which is why the Suns are 40-29, eighth in the standings, and need to win the play-in tournament. If the season ended today, Denver would need to finish first or second in order to face Phoenix.