Is it that big of a spoiler to reveal that the 2022-23 Denver Nuggets are the top team on this list? Of course not. After all, any Nuggets fan would agree to that, as the 2023 Nuggets have achieved something that's never been done before in franchise history — win an NBA championship. And perhaps the iterations of the Nuggets in the coming years make it to these sorts of lists eventually, especially with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray right in the middle of their primes.

With that said, the Nuggets have had a few great teams in its 56 years of existence thus far, enough to fill the list of their top 10 greatest squads in history. The franchise has a rich history, dating back to its nine-year stint in the ABA before the merger in 1976. For the purposes of this list, those years are eligible for inclusion, even if the Nuggets franchise didn't become the “Nuggets” until the 1974-75 campaign.

Without further ado, here are the 10 best teams in Nuggets history.

10. 2012-13

The 2012-13 Nuggets team is one of the most underrated not only in franchise history, but in league history as well. Despite trading their longtime star Carmelo Anthony in early 2012, the Nuggets remained one of the best teams in the league by virtue of having depth at every position. They may not have had a legitimate number one option (Andre Iguodala and Ty Lawson came closest), but head coach George Karl had plenty of weapons at his disposal, including, but not limited to, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Kenneth Faried.

They ended up winning 57 games — the best in franchise history excluding their ABA years. That is quite the feat, as the Nuggets were a playoff team for much of the 1980s, and had a short run of deep playoff contention in the late 2000s.

Alas, these Nuggets can't rank any higher than 10th, as they ended up losing to the lower-seeded Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. The team wasn't able to overcome Gallinari's injury, and to make matters worse, the team wasn't exactly in unison behind the scenes — with some even insinuating that Andre Iguodala was a mole for the Warriors in the Nuggets' locker room.

9. 1969-70

The ABA was proving to be a viable alternative for those looking for basketball career options outside the NBA, and the Denver Rockets were one of the best teams in that league during that time. In 1970, the Rockets posted a 51-33 record, with Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood averaging an eye-popping 30.0 points, 19.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists to lead the way for the team.

Alas, even with Haywood doing his best to carry the Rockets on his back, they ended up flaming out in the Division Finals (the equivalent of the Conference Finals today), losing in five games to the Los Angeles Stars.

8. 1993-94

This Nuggets team won just 42 games, and were tied with the Miami Heat for the worst record among playoff teams. They just squeaked into the playoffs, and for their troubles, they had to face a Seattle SuperSonics team that won 63 games behind the superstar duo of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp.

At first it seemed like a cakewalk for the Sonics. They won the first two games at home by a combined 34 points, putting the Nuggets on the brink of elimination. But Dikembe Mutombo turned it up on defense, Reggie Williams and LaPhonso Ellis caught fire in Games 3 and 4, while Robert Pack came alive off the bench in Game 5 as the Nuggets pulled off the first 1-8 upset in NBA history.

In terms of historical significance, these Nuggets showed that the first round isn't a mere formality for the one seeds. And that achievement alone warrants a spot on this list.

7. 1974-75

It may seem preposterous that the Nuggets team that put up a 65-19 record ranks just seventh on this list. But hear me out. In 1975, there were only 10 teams in the ABA, and eight of those teams made the playoffs. So the Nuggets didn't exactly have to face some stiff competition on their way to the Western Division Finals. In fact, in Round 1 of the playoffs, they had to face a Utah Stars team that won just 38 of its 84 regular-season games.

Make no mistake about it, winning 65 games is an amazing feat. But number five is as high as it's going to get for this 1975 team given the favorable circumstances that brought out this kind of performance from them.

6. 1975-76

Making the ABA Finals has to count for something, doesn't it? While their win total of 60 pales in comparison to their output the year before, they managed to overcome the Division Finals hump, defeating the Kentucky Colonels en route to the franchise's first-ever trip to the Finals (In fact, that was the franchise's only trip to the Finals until the 2023 Nuggets matched that feat.)

But to make matters worse, two ABA teams folded in the middle of the year, reducing the league's already-small size of nine teams to seven. And five of those seven teams made the playoffs! Due to the lack of teams in the postseason, the Nuggets had to play just win one playoff round before making it to the Finals — making their path to the Finals one of the easiest in any franchise's playoff history.

Again, making the ABA Finals has to count for something, hence their placement on this list.

5. 1977-78

Winning the division in 1978 brought immense rewards, and the Nuggets were on the receiving end of such benefits. Despite posting just a 48-34 record, they earned a buy into the Western Conference Semifinals, giving them an easier path to the WCF — which they took after dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games.

Behind the best season of David Thompson's career, the Nuggets went toe-to-toe with the Sonics in the WCF, although they fell short in the end in six games.

4. 1984-85

The Nuggets teams of the 1980s, under the tutelage of head coach Doug Moe, played a fast-paced brand of offense at the expense of defensive rigidity. In 1985, the Nuggets put up the best offense in the league while ranking second to the last in defense, although that was still good enough to earn them the two-seed in the Western Conference.

Behind Alex English, Calvin Natt, and Fat Lever, the Nuggets proceeded to make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, beating the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz. However, just like in 2009 and 2020, the Nuggets ran into the eventual champion Lakers in the WCF, losing in five games.

3. 2008-09

Despite making the playoffs in the first five seasons of Carmelo Anthony's career, the Nuggets failed to make it out of the first round. The Nuggets under head coach George Karl, in the mid-to-late 2000s, were unable to carry over their regular season success into the postseason. But, despite not knowing it definitively at the time, their trade for Chauncey Billups in November 2008 proved to be the move that elevated the franchise to the next level.

Billups proved to be the floor general the Nuggets needed. Billups gave the team the veteran poise and unselfish playmaking it needed to mount a deep postseason run, and for the first time in Anthony's career, he made it out of the first round — even making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals for just the third time in its stint in the NBA.

But Kobe Bryant was on a revenge tour in 2009, stopping the Nuggets' playoff run in its tracks. The Lakers may have beaten the Nuggets in six games, but this WCF appearance proved that Carmelo Anthony was more than just a first-round exit merchant.

2. 2019-20

The 2020 Nuggets team is arguably the most resilient in NBA history. Despite going down 3-1 in two separate occasions in the postseason, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray remained composed. They beat the Utah Jazz in a thrilling series that ended on a Mike Conley prayer from deep that rolled in and out of the rim, and then embarrassing the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 2, coming back from three straight double-digit deficits to embarrass that season's title favorite.

The Nuggets' run may have ended at the hands of the Lakers once again, as LeBron James and Anthony Davis matched Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in a battle of wills. But like that turd you can't flush, the 2020 Nuggets simply won't die.

1. 2022-23

Is there anything that can be written that hasn't been yet about the 2023 Nuggets? Simply put, the stars aligned for the Nuggets in the 2023 postseason, and they seized the opportunity in front of them. In one of the most wide open title races in recent memory, the Nuggets became the runaway favorite to win the Larry O'Brien trophy, as there was simply no stopping Nikola Jokic's dominance throughout the team's 20-game postseason run.

But this season didn't come without its fair share of adversity. Jokic failed to win his third straight MVP due to some headache-inducing critical discourse, and the Nuggets entered the playoffs on shaky footing, losing games against rebuilding teams to close out the year. But it didn't matter, as head coach Michael Malone instilled a laser-focused mindset into his team and it paid off big time, earning the franchise's first ever championship in history.

The Nuggets should be in a good position to compete for the championship in 2024 as well — here's to hoping Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray avoid the injury bug in what should be a good season ahead.