DENVER \u2014 Hall of Famer Dan Issel played for the Nuggets from 1975 to 1985, before coming back to coach the team in the ’90s.<\/p>\n
During his playing days, Issel\u2019s toughness and durability earned him a nickname: \u201cThe Horse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The moniker is fitting for another reason, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in the thoroughbred business,\u201d Issel explained in a sit-down interview with Denver7. \u201cGoing to University of Kentucky, you almost have to fall in love with that industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Denver7<\/p>\n
Nuggets legend Dan Issel says fans should “embrace and enjoy” the team’s recent run of success.<\/p>\n
So much so, that Issel says only a couple of moments during his incredible basketball career measure up to the feeling of winning a big horse race.<\/p>\n
“No. 1 was when I won the ABA Championship when I was with the Kentucky Colonels,\u201d he recalled. \u201cAnd No. 2 was coaching the Nuggets when we upset the [No. 1] team [in the 1994 NBA playoffs]. Seattle SuperSonics had the best record in the in the NBA that year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turns out there\u2019s another Nuggets big man and all-time great who loves his horses: Nikola Joki\u0107.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/x.com\/Underdog\/status\/1949541658355495118?s=20<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re both in the horse business,\u201d said Issel. \u201cDifferent horses. He has trotters, which is the sulkies. The driver sit in the sulky and steer the horses\u2026 They’re different kinds of race horses, but they’re race horses and I’m sure he gets the same feeling I get when he goes into the winner’s circle.\u201d<\/p>\n
These days, the Nuggets are in the winner\u2019s circle most nights. The Joker is a big reason why.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I love about him is he’s just a big, cumbersome guy,\u201d said Issel. \u201cWhat he’s able to do on a basketball court, nobody’s ever done before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last month, Joki\u0107 passed Issel to become the second-highest scorer in Nuggets franchise history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s what records are for: records are to be broken,\u201d Issel responded. \u201cAnd I think he did it a lot quicker than I did\u2026 He\u2019ll be No. 1 [on the scoring list] before it’s all over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Issel talked about the difference between playing in today\u2019s NBA as a big man, versus when he was dominating as a player.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s completely different,\u201d he said. \u201cThe big men back then used to run to the block and, you know, you’d try to force the ball into the big guy, and he’d try to get a shot four or five feet from the basket. Nobody shoots four or five feet from the basket anymore\u2026 To be a big man today, you have to be able to go out on the court and maybe even all the way to the three point line, like Joker here in Denver.\u201d<\/p>\n
Issel thinks this year\u2019s Nuggets team is deeper and better than last year\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they get healthy and stay healthy, I think they’ve got as good a chance to win an NBA championship as anybody,\u201d Issel said.<\/p>\n
His message to the team, he says, is the same message he gave to the teams he coached, featuring Dikembe Motumbo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and LaPhonso Ellis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinning doesn’t come from you getting a big contract,\u201d he said. \u201cAre you having endorsements? Are you doing this, are you doing that as an individual? Winning will bring those things, but you have to be concerned about winning first.\u201d<\/p>\n
His message to Nuggets fans: Don\u2019t take the team\u2019s success for granted.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust embrace it and enjoy it,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause I’ve been around here when the Nuggets were winning 11 and 20 games, and that isn’t much fun. So enjoy the time that this team has, because it’s not going to last forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Eric Risberg\/AP<\/p>\n
FILE – Denver Nuggets’ Dan Issel holds the game ball and is all smiles after scoring his 26,000th NBA career point against the Golden State Warriors in an NBA basketball game in Oakland, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 1984. Now, with the Nuggets the top-seed in the Western Conference, Denver has never seemed to be mistaken for much beyond an NBA novelty. And if there really is gold at the end of all those rainbows, a real Nuggets fan will have to see it to believe it.\u00a0(AP Photo\/Eric Risberg, File)<\/p>\n
Christmas Tip-Off<\/p>\n
The Nuggets host the Timberwolves on Christmas Day, with a late tip-off at 8:30 p.m. on Ball Arena.<\/p>\n
Nuggets fans can watch the start of the game on The Spot Denver 3, and catch the conclusion of the game on Denver7 after the end of the Broncos-Chiefs Christmas Day game.<\/p>\n
Issel says he never played or coached in a Christmas Day game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn’t something back then that was a big deal on Christmas,\u201d he said. \u201cWe played a lot of Christmas Eve games, but the league kind of took Christmas off, I think. But, you know, those eyeballs are out there, so they’ve kind of loaded Christmas Day up\u2026 I like it because it kind of is the unofficial opening of the NBA. I know the NBA is going on for two months, but the NFL is, you know, taking most of the viewers. But it’s kind of the official opening of the NBA season. So, I think it’s terrific.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Denver7 | Your Voice: Get in touch with Ryan Fish<\/p>\n
Denver7\u2019s Ryan Fish covers stories that have an impact in all of Colorado\u2019s communities, but specializes in covering artificial intelligence, technology, aviation and space. If you\u2019d like to get in touch with Ryan, fill out the form below to send him an email.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DENVER \u2014 Hall of Famer Dan Issel played for the Nuggets from 1975 to 1985, before coming back…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":367080,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,157253,157254,459,5725,157255,157256,82],"class_list":["post-367079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-dan-issel","tag-dan-issel-nuggets","tag-nba","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-nuggets-hall-of-fame","tag-nuggets-players","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/367080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}