After an incredible regular season in which the Denver Nuggets dominated the competition in the Western Conference and lost only seven games at home, Nikola Jokic and company are three wins away from winning the franchise’s first NBA title.
Although it’s hard not to like this Nuggets squad led by arguably one of the best passers in league history, Denver hasn’t been without its critics, with one former player chiming in about his old team playing in the NBA Finals.
Veteran guard Austin Rivers has bounced around the league, as he’s played for seven different teams during his career up to this point.
During the 2022-23 season, Rivers suited up for the Minnesota Timberwolves after playing with the Nuggets for two seasons, and he’s not happy about Denver being in the Finals via NBA Retweet.
Austin Rivers on seeing his former team, the Denver Nuggets, play the NBA Finals:
"It bothers me that they're in the Finals… I’m bitter, I’m salty”
(via @ringernba) pic.twitter.com/d8D3mniix3
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) June 4, 2023
Clearly, Rivers is upset about the missed opportunity to play for the Nuggets when the team was healthy and firing on all cylinders, as the first thing he mentions is not being able to play with Jamal Murray.
Ironically, Rivers’ Timberwolves were the first team that the Nuggets dispatched in the postseason, with Denver crushing Minnesota in five games to advance to the second round.
So not only did Rivers miss this potential title run with the Nuggets by one season, but he also saw his playoff run come to an end at the hands of Jokic and company in convincing fashion.
As a veteran journeyman, Rivers is no stranger to changing teams and seeing them go on to success, but this has definitely got to be painful to watch, especially with his window of opportunity closing.
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