Ball Arena was home sweet home for Nuggets on the road

The only thing missing from the Denver Nuggets' potentially historic 109-94 home victory over the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Ball Arena on Wednesday night was the Nuggets themselves.

They, of course, were actually playing the Heat 2,000 miles away in Miami. But that did little to dampen the spirits of the raucous crowd back in Denver that grew only more raucous as the Nuggets began to pull away in the third quarter.

The announced crowd of 18,688 watching along on Ball Arena’s gigantic screens above the empty playing court was just 411 shy of capacity. Tension that built throughout the close game was fully released like a gas explosion when Christian Braun’s ferocious dunk gave the Nuggets an insurmountable 82-63 lead with 50 seconds left in the third quarter.  

A few moments later, ageless mascot Rocky (or son of Rocky; one never knows these days) sank his signature backward half-court shot — a potent omen that sent fans into a delirium entering the final 12 minutes.

But first, the ABC camera crew caught Nuggets coach Michael Malone in the huddle reminding his players that the Heat owned the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 2 loss. When the fans back in Denver heard him tell them, “Tonight, we own the fourth quarter!” they let out a cheer as loud as any Springsteen encore.     

It all sure looked and sounded like a home game. When the Heat whittled down the Nuggets’ lead, the crowd did its part by breaking into a football-style wave.

When Nikola Jokic made more NBA history by reaching the 30-20-10 mark in points, rebounds and assists, the crowd erupted again in deafening cheers of “MVP! MVP!” One fan said she hoped the players could feel all their positive energy, which by game’s end felt like a settled matter.

With an admission of only $15, several fans said the watch party is the closest they will ever get to an actual home game — certainly one in the NBA Finals. There were entire families (mine numbered 12). Babies were everywhere. One grandmother in a Nuggets jersey was being helped to her seat by a daughter on one arm and a granddaughter on the other. This game, which put the Nuggets back on course for its possible first NBA title, was clearly a night they will never forget.

Many were surely Denverites going back for generations … but not all of them. One fan who lingered long after the game just to soak up every minute of the experience was Jake Morris of Melbourne, Australia. As the final seconds ticked down, Morris was on his phone with his partner back in Australia, letting her watch along with him.

“It doesn't get much better than this,” said Morris, a 27-year-old hospitality worker who came to Denver at great personal expense to watch as much of the NBA Finals as possible. He landed tickets to watch Games 1 and 2 in person, and he came back to Ball Arena for the Game 3 watch party on Wednesday.

“I have been a Nuggets fan since I was 9 years old, so that’s 2005,” he said. “The Nuggets were playing on TV in Australia and I just said, ‘I'm going to follow that team.’ And it stuck.”

Morris, sporting a white Nikola Jokic pullover, said the Nuggets are becoming more of an international fan favorite than locals might realize.

“They've got a bit of a fan base building in Australia, I think,” he said. “It’s strange to hear, but it stems from the Melo (Carmelo Anthony) days, and a little bit of Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups. And this team — they’re just so easy to love.”

Morris had been saving money for a trip and he decided to fly to Denver the minute they completed their sweep of the L.A. Lakers to advance to the finals. And he is all in.

“I am scheduled to fly out two days after a possible Game 7,” he said. “So, hopefully there will be time in there for a victory parade through the streets of Denver.”   

As Morris was talking to his (very supportive) partner in the final seconds of the game, I was taking a text from my Denver Gazette colleague, Carol McKinley.

“Ball Arena is more crowded than the Heat’s home arena right now,” she deadpanned — accurately.

As the TV cameras panned the faces of the deflated Heat players, a Nuggets fan in Ball Arena noted how utterly tired they looked.

“Must be the altitude,” said another to great laughter — a reference to all the national media chatter that the Nuggets have a geographical advantage when playing at home.

Miami might only be 6 feet in elevation, but back at Ball Arena, the 5280 faithful was a mile high.

Note: Tickets for the Nuggets' Game 4 Watch Party on Friday night are already sold out.