The regular season meant nothing once the playoffs started.
The Denver Nuggets went 54-28, grabbed the third seed in the West, and won 12 straight to close the regular season.
They looked ready for a deep run.
Then they lost to the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in six games, bounced in the first round for the first time since 2019.
Denver failed to crack 100 points three separate times in the series.
For a team that averaged 122.1 points during the regular season, that is hard to process.
What Went Wrong Against Minnesota
Rebounding and defense destroyed this series for Denver.
Minnesota averaged 47.2 rebounds per game compared to Denver's 38.3, and all of those extra possessions turned into second-chance points the Nuggets couldn't stop.
Jaden McDaniels called the entire roster bad defenders after Game 2, which felt wild at the time, then dropped 32 in the Game 6 closeout to prove it.
Nikola Jokic was fine in stretches, averaging 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.5 assists, but he shot 44.6 percent from the field and 19.4 percent from three with Rudy Gobert making everything tough.
Jamal Murray was a different story.
He scored 12 points on 4-for-17 shooting in Game 6 and finished at minus-18, a performance that should sting for a while.
What really makes this loss sit wrong is the fact that Minnesota was shorthanded. Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, and Ayo Dosunmu all missed Game 6.
The Timberwolves were running out reserves, and they still won by 12.
Don't Blame David Adelman
The easy target after a loss like this is the head coach, but that would be wrong.
David Adelman just finished his first full season after replacing Michael Malone, and Jokic went out of his way to defend him after Game 6.
He told reporters it wasn't Adelman's fault they couldn't rebound or catch the ball.
Adelman dealt with injuries all year and still got this group the three seed.
Whatever went wrong in April, it was about personnel, not play-calling.
A Tough Summer Ahead
Now comes the hard part.
Denver has about $212 million locked into next season's roster. Jokic is at $59 million, Murray at $50.1 million, Gordon's deal climbs to $32 million, and Christian Braun's five-year, $125 million extension starts.
Peyton Watson averaged 14.6 points on 49 percent shooting this year but is a restricted free agent, and teams like the Bulls, Lakers, and Nets are already sniffing around.
If Denver wants to keep Watson, they probably have to move Gordon or Cameron Johnson to stay under the second apron.
Jokic is expected to sign a four-year, $293 million extension this summer, which only squeezes the cap further.
Murray trade rumors are already floating around, though splitting up the best two-man game in basketball feels like a gamble most front offices wouldn't take.
Denver has Jokic, and that counts for a lot, but this roster hit its ceiling in the first round.