The Great Denver Nuggets Ball Mystery of 2019: Did They Really Use a Mountain of Leather or Did Jokic Just Have a Slingshot?
Ah, 2019. A simpler time. A time before face masks and social distancing. A time when the biggest mystery in Denver wasn't whether you'd get sunburned at a Broncos game, but how many dang basketballs did the Nuggets use that year?
Seriously, the Numbers Don't Lie (Maybe)
We all know the Nuggets had a stellar 2019 season, reaching the Western Conference Finals. They were a force to be reckoned with, a well-oiled machine... or were they just really good at hide-and-seek with basketballs?
QuickTip: Skim for bold or italicized words.
According to the fine folks at Basketball Reference, the official statisticians of the NBA (not to be confused with the official counters of missing socks), an NBA team uses, on average, around 750 basketballs per season. That's a lot of rubber!
Tip: Read actively — ask yourself questions as you go.
How Many Basketballs Were Used By The Denver Nuggets In 2019 |
But Here's the Thing:
- The Nuggets were known for their high-octane offense, with Jokic seemingly flinging no-look dimes at will. Did some of those passes end up... elsewhere? Like maybe launched lovingly into the Mile High crowd?
- Every coach dreams of a team that hustles for loose balls. Did the Nuggets take that hustle to a whole new level, needing a fresh rock for every possession?
- We all saw Jokic's playoff beard. The man clearly has hidden talents. Maybe he discovered a newfound love for leatherworking, LeBron-style, and just went through balls like nobody's business.
Theories Abound (and Let's Be Honest, They're Probably Wrong)
QuickTip: Don’t skim too fast — depth matters.
Here at Totally Serious Sports Investigations (totally a real organization, definitely not me and a very confused intern), we've got a few working theories:
- Wormhole Theory: Maybe there's a Denver-based wormhole that leads directly to a dimension fueled by perfectly inflated basketballs.
- Nikola "Black Hole" Jokic Theory: Jokic's gravitational pull is so strong, it warps the space-time continuum, causing basketballs to disappear into a singularity of awesome Serbian basketball.
- Denver Altitude Theory: The high altitude affects air pressure, making basketballs deflate faster. This, of course, necessitates a constant supply of replacements.
QuickTip: Don’t ignore the small print.
In Conclusion: We May Never Know
The truth, as with most things in life, is probably pretty boring. Maybe there was a bad batch of basketballs, or maybe the Nuggets just have a thing for collecting them. Whatever the reason, the 2019 Denver Nuggets remain an enigma, a team shrouded in the mystery of the missing (or maybe just very well-loved) basketballs.
FAQ: How to Solve the Great Denver Nuggets Ball Mystery of 2019 (Probably Not But Here are Some Fun Ideas Anyway)
- How to Time Travel to 2019 and Become a Ball Boy for the Nuggets? This is a great question for a sci-fi movie, but not exactly realistic. Try Doc Brown, he might have a flux capacitor lying around.
- How to Train Like Nikola Jokic and Develop Your Own Ball-Disappearing Gravity Well? We recommend starting with basic weightlifting and a healthy diet. For the gravity well, that might require contacting a theoretical physicist.
- How to Build a Wormhole Basketball Delivery System? This one involves a lot of math and advanced physics. Maybe ask Elon Musk, he seems to be into that kind of thing.
- How to Play Basketball at High Altitude Without All Your Balls Deflating? Invest in a good air pump and a team of dedicated ball-inflation specialists.
- How to Accept the Mystery and Just Enjoy Watching Great Basketball? This might be the most realistic option. Sometimes, the beauty of the game lies in the unknown.