1974-75 Denver Nuggets (65-19)

Coach: Larry Brown

When the ABA was born in the 1967-68 season, it was made to compete with the NBA. By 1975, many knew that both companies would merge. The Denver Rockets decided not to avoid confusion with the NBA's Houston Rockets by renaming themselves the Nuggets in order to pay homage to Denver's first pro team. The franchise would get a complete renovation from top to bottom by acquiring many faces from the Spirits of St. Louis, including coach Larry Brown. Since the ABA only had 10 teams, the Nuggets would storm the entire league by winning 65 games en route to a playoff spot. After flying past the Utah Stars in 6 games, the Nuggets would fall to the Indiana Pacers in a tough 7-game series. However, both the Nuggets and Pacers, along with the Nets and Spurs would join the NBA in the 1976 merger.