[Izulde]

"All the life-potentialities that we never managed to bring to adult realization, those other portions of ourself, are there; for such golden seeds do not die. If only a portion of that lost totality could be dredged up into the light of day, we should experience a marvelous expansion of our powers, a vivid renewal of life."
-Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces

The quote's on my mind as I pace the small balcony outside my bedroom door high up in the Rockies, slowly smoking. In my dark moods, in my melancholic periods of doubt, tobacco and Joseph Campbell are great comforts.

A copy of the day's Denver Post, the Sports section more specifically, sprawls carelessly atop the plastic green table shoved in the corner. There's thankfully no wind on this late May evening or it'd be lost to the winds, gone forever.

I suppose I'm a 40 year old dinosaur. In this age where most people read their news online and tangible books are dying a slow death to the steady enroachment of e-readers the past 15 to 20 years, I still hold to the solid, the texture of hard copy. There's something comfortable in the full-bodied form of newspapers and books that no electronic, cyber-transmission can replicate.

But my breed, too, is dying. After all, this isn't 1919, when the world is recovering from the ironically-named Great War. It's 2019 and we're 10 years removed from the Nuggets' championship, a crown claimed shortly before I came here to Denver.

We've lost three straight championship series to the Raptors and are in peril of replicating the 1990s NFL Buffalo Bills, who lost four consecutive Super Bowls. Our shame would be all the greater for having lost to the same team all four years.

Hence the need for clove smoke and Campbell. The former to relax me, the latter to remind me that even if we fail here, our title dreams do not die, but still reside, quietly waiting for the time until they -can- be realized.

But perhaps I'm being too pessimistic here. After all, the Finals have not yet been played out and the Post does not fully discount us.

I scan the article again as I have all the stories every year.

"The two titans of the NBA meet again for the fourth straight year for the championship and this annual Raptors/Nuggets clash is beginning to approach the legendary status of the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers' rivalry of nearly a hundred years ago. Denver's in danger of replicating the Buffalo Bills' feat of four straight championship losses, but they still have a chance to topple the three-time defending champion Raptors. It will not be an easy task, but GM Jestor appears to have put the pieces in place to make this the closest Finals between these two teams since 2015, when they went the full seven games, the Nuggets losing the deciding game in Denver.

Point Guard
Zelipe Gama vs. Justin Richler
Nuggets head coach Jim O'Brien instructed Gama before the West Conference finals to focus more on passing the ball and go back to his old play style. Gama did just that and the Nuggets looked spectacular in ousting the Lakers in five games. He's averaging 12.8 points, 9.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks and if he can continue to follow the mantra of running and executing the offense, Denver's chances of winning increase significantly. One caveat: Gama's been a non-factor the last three Finals and that has to end here for the Nuggets to avoid another defeat.

Unfortunately, he won't have the luxury of facing eric Kostov after the Bulgarian broke his arm against the Pistons. Instead, it'll be another Finals of facing off against Richler, who has looked brilliant in the postseason, averaging 22.1 points, 4.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks. Richler's not a natural PG, but he lit up the Nuggets last year and the native Canadian superstar looks poised to do exactly the same thing this season.

Advantage: Raptors

Shooting Guard
Mateen Yeaton vs. Dale Stukes
Yeaton showed absolutely no signs of slowing down against the Lakers and is averaging 22.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.5 steals this postseason. He's been healthy the entire playoffs and looks the sharpest he ever has, shooting 48.2% from the field and an astonishing 52.4% from 3 point range.

Even better for the Nuggets' prospects, he matches up against Stukes, a 29 year old former 2nd round pick (3rd pick in the 2nd round by the Nets in 2012), who despite having some offensive pop, averaging 11.8 points a game as the Houston Rockets' starting SG last season, is completely overmatched here. He's just 6'2 and a mediocre defender, precisely the sort of opponent Yeaton feasts on for big points. The Raptors -really- miss Rico Wolfe here, who had the height, size and skill to contain the Nuggets star last year.

Advantage: Nuggets

Small Forward
Luol Deng vs. David Anyan
Deng just keeps motoring along this postseason for his quiet 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He shut down Austin Buller in the conference finals, making amends for his failure to limit Kevin Durant in the second round.

But he's got another Herculean task here in going up against Anyan, who's been the MVP of the Raptors in the playoffs this season with 25.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks a game. Anyan's also a fantastic defender and it's a pity for Sam Mitchell and the rest of the coaching staff that he can't play SG, because he'd be an extremely effective glove on Yeaton. As is, Denver's going to have an extraordinarily difficult time trying to shut down the combination of Richler and Anyan.

Advantage: Raptors

Power Forward
Marcelino Augusto vs. Chris Bosh
While Augustino's been the answer to Anyan this postseason, averaging 22.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, the 20 year old Brazilian still has the memory of last year's Finals, where he was completely neutralized by the Raptors. Toronto made the smart move of sicing Greg Oden on Augusto and there's a good chance they could use the same strategy again.

Bosh may be getting up there in years at 34, but he's still a very good defender and a force to be reckoned with in all facets of the game, with postseason averages of 17.4 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals. That said, if they keep him on Augusto, the younger, more athletic, more physical Denver star will certainly have the edge.

Advantage: Nuggets

Center
Victor Gipson vs. Greg Oden
Gipson, although a rookie, is one of the two biggest X-factors this year for Denver. One of the reason why the Raptors was able to shift Oden on to Augusto last season was because Tim Davis was notoriously soft inside and Toronto could take advantage by setting Bosh at the five and Oden at the four. That same strategy, while possibly utilized again for this Finals, could backfire, because Gipson has built even in his first season a reputation for hard-nosed, physical play on the low blocks. He's averaging 10.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 rejections in the playoffs and shows absolutely no fear, not even against Andrew Bynum in the conference finals.

Oden's role continues to remain the same. Score some points if he can, but focus on his fantastic rebounding and defense. The size matchup here is going to be a fascinating one to watch, as Gipson's 7'2, 303 lbs and Oden's 7', 250 lbs. That 2 inches and 53 pounds could make a difference here, even given Oden's superlative talents and 11.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.9 blocks in the playoffs. Clearly, though, the quality edge lies with Toronto.

Advantage: Raptors

Bench
Rico Wolfe is the other major X-factor for the Nuggets. He hounded Yeaton in last year's Finals as the Raptors' starting SG. This season he's the first guard off the bench, scoring in bunches and playing extremely solid defense for Denver. In a recent interview, he said that he doesn't care about the Raptors' 3 straight championships, because he was only here for the last one and that, furthermore, a ring with Denver in destroying Toronto's stranglehold on the championship trophy would mean a lot more to him. That motivation and his 9.7 playoff points are something for the Raptors to fear. David Jackson's 6.7 points and 8.1 rebounds will also be difficult to contend with. This also could be team captain Emeka Okafor's last season, which adds even more intangibles to the advantage of the Nuggets.

34 year old Andrea Bargnani's defense took a real hit this year as he just doesn't have the foot speed anymore to keep pace with younger, quicker opponents. That said, he's still a very efficient scoring and rebounding 6th man, with 6.5 points and 3 rebounds in just 15 minutes a game. On the other hand, 38 year old Pau Gasol is a shell of his former self, particularly on the defensive end and there's nobody else on the Raptors bench who deserves any notice.

Advantage: Nuggets

Final Thoughts
This is the best the Nuggets have looked against the Raptors on paper in any of their Finals meetings. Furthermore, Denver's playing with a huge chip on its shoulder, angered over media and sports fans doubts of their toughness and ability to win after early season struggles under Scott Skiles. Skiles's midseason axing and Jim O'Brien's hiring, along with Jestor's shrewd steal of Wolfe from the Raptors for raw, mediocre rookie prospect Jon Freeman and a 2nd round pick really rejuvenated Denver's season. But be that as it may, even with all those factors in the Nuggets' advantage, we just can't see them beating Toronto's superior frontline or the all-critical Raptors homecourt advantage.
Prediction: Toronto in 7

Well, it's better than they usually give us, so maybe, just maybe.... there's a chance, however fleeting. This is our chance to be heroes. Can we banish our monsters of the past? I'd like to think so, but only time and the games will tell.

Game One
Things kick off grimly for us in Toronto as Chris Bosh bulldozes his way to 21 points and 14 rebounds and Greg Oden is deadly with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. The sellout crowd is convinced their Raptors are on the way to a fourth straight title. Our bench makes its best effort, Louis Mertens surprising everyone as the Belgian leads with 11 points and our reserves outscore their Raptor counterparts 22-9. It's still looking bleak, though... until a hero arises. Mateen Yeaton displays another legendary performance with 35 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks, stunning the hostile crowd and carrying us to a sensational Game 1 upset!!!!. I scream myself hoarse with joy in the skybox and celebrate with other members of the front office. Yes, it's only one game, but we've drawn first blood! In Toronto!!! Suddenly, Hope is real!
Final - Denver 101 Toronto 86

Game Two
David Anyan and Justin Richler were furious about being contained in Game 1 and they get revenge, feeding off the home audience's energy on their way to 29 points and 9 rebounds and 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists respectively. Greg Oden does his part as well with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks. The Raptors concentrate on Mateen Yeaton, daring the rest of the Nuggets to beat them. Although Rico Wolfe put on a sensational showing of 22 points off the bench, that was all the offense we could really muster and the Raptors emphatically even the series in a bigger stomping than even the sizeable score differential suggests.
Final - Denver 81 Toronto 109

Game Three
Back home in Denver. I'm hoping we still have some confidence left from Game 1 to take back the series lead with the help of our fans. Justin Richler and David Anyan are hell-bent on that not happening, Richler erupting for 27 points, Anyan adding 20. Chris Bosh bangs his way to 12 points and 13 rebounds and Greg Oden plays effectively with 9 points, 19 rebounds and 6 blocks. Luol Deng matches Anyan with 24 points, Victor Gipson throws down the gauntlet against Oden with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks, but it was magical Mateen Yeaton coming through again, marvelously scoring 38 points to secure us an answering 20 point victory and the crucial 2-1 series lead.
Final - Toronto 92 Denver 112

Game Four
This could be the game that determines this year's NBA champions. Win here and we've got a huge momentum 3-1 series lead and one more game in Denver to finally win the trophy. Lose and we'll have to grind out at least one more victory in Canada. My heart's pounding in my chest all game long as Justin Richler scores 27 and Greg Oden continues his absolutely astounding hot Finals play with 17 points and 15 rebounds. The Raptors have replaced Dale Stukes at SG with Gabe Rosen, who's taller and a better defender to try and contain You Know Who. Our bench comes through for us again with 12 points from Louis Mertens and 11 rebounds from David Jackson, but all of our starting five struggles all night long and it appears we're headed to an evened series. All of our starting five, that is, except Mateen Yeaton, who is the hero of every legend, every song and every saga, dazzling everyone with 33 points and 11 rebounds as he carries us to a nailbiting, thrilling 3-point victory and the 3-1 series lead!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final - Toronto 92 Denver 95

Game Five
Oh what sweet justice, what marvelous poetry it would be to win the title at long last, here in Denver, home of so many magnificient performances by Mateen Yeaton, including the timeless ones we've seen so far this series. But I know this isn't Hollywood or some cliched sports movie. This is the Raptors, who are fighting mad, determined to drag us back to their den in Toronto and extend this series. I can barely watch as Greg Oden powers to 15 points and 14 rebounds and Andrea Bargnani wakes up for the first time this Finals for 15 bench points. Our valiant bench warriors David Jackson and Rico Wolfe combine for 10 and 11 points respectively, but our chances with victory lie solely with our champion, our bravest knight and Mateen Yeaton caps off his stellar, epic postseason with 28 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks and the confetti drops and the people scream, "YEA-TON YEA-TON YEA-TON!" as we win!!! At long last, THE DENVER NUGGETS ARE YOUR NBA CHAMPIONS!!! MATEEN YEATON NBA FINALS MVP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Final - Toronto 88 Denver 119

I rush out of the box and run down the steps, tripping and nearly falling in my hurry to get on the court. A group of deliriously happy Denver fans help me and an equally ecstatic security guard escorts me onto the floor.

Mateen Yeaton's got a fierce look on his face, but tears of joy are streaming, the same happy tears on my face as I run over and give our 6'8 shooting guard, our star a huge bear hug.

"I always wanted you on our team", I whisper in his ear, "And I'm damned glad I did."

"This is the happiest night of my life. Thank you, Mr. Jestor. Thank you!"

"Just come back to Denver. Whatever terms you want. We'll find a way to make it happen."

I let go and we walk together where a jubiliantly dancing Emeka Okafor is holding up the trophy and head coach Jim O'Brien is all smiles.

"We did it!" they shout in unison and I can't help smiling myself as I touch the gleaming, silver ball atop the trophy.

"Yes we did!"

Denver Nuggets. NBA Champions.

Here is our vivid renewal of life.