Nuggets 'Not Celebrating and Popping Champagne' After Beating Suns, HC Malone Says

The Denver Nuggets are heading to the Western Conference finals for the second time in three years, but don't expect to see a massive celebration from the team now they have arrived at this moment.

Head coach Michael Malone told reporters after Thursday's 125-100 victory over the Phoenix Suns they aren't "celebrating and popping champagne and throwing water over each other because our goal wasn't to get to the Western Conference finals."

The Nuggets have a strong claim to be one of the most disrespected No. 1 seeds in NBA playoff history.

There has been skepticism about their ability to come out of the Western Conference all season, particularly late in the year when they lost five of six games including a 21-point loss to the Houston Rockets on April 4.

The Suns were a betting favorite to advance to the Western Conference finals after eliminating the Los Angeles Clippers in five games in the first round.

This was an unusual season for Western Conference contenders. The reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors looked like a juggernaut at home (33-8 record during the regular season) and a lottery team on the road (11-30).

The Los Angeles Lakers were impossible to figure out because their roster was almost entirely remade at the trade deadline. Anthony Davis and LeBron James dealt with injuries that kept them out for long stretches of the season.

Meanwhile, the Nuggets were calmly plugging away to earn the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They quietly took care of business in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The last time Denver was in the Western Conference finals was during the 2019-20 season. It lost to the Lakers in five games.

The Nuggets will await the winner of the Lakers-Warriors series this time around. They will host Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday.