If you’ve followed Sports Illustrated’s NBA coverage the last two seasons, then you know two things—I love starting all of my stories with a corny joke in the first paragraph, and I’m incredibly high on the Nuggets. Denver rewarded my faith last year by snagging the second seed in the West before bowing out in the second round of the playoffs. Even in a more loaded conference this season, the Nuggets are on an even better pace through 13 games, jumping out to a 10–3 start, thanks in large part to a surprisingly stingy defense.
When Denver was nothing more than a League Pass curiosity, its defense was typically the biggest obstacle on the road to success.