Welcome to the Denver Nuggets bandwagon: An illustrated guide for fans arriving a little late (UPDATE after Game One)

My latest for the Colorado Sun. WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY PETER MOORE

THIS MAY COME AS A SURPRISE to some of you, but Denver has a professional basketball team. The team (known first as the Denver Larks, then the Rockets, then the Nuggets) migrated from the American Basketball Association in 1976 after losing the final ABA championship to the New York Nets. The Denver Nuggets have had some great moments since then, but none have resulted in the hoisting of championship hardware. Until now! (Possibly.)

The NBA finals got underway Thursday with the Nuggets beating the Miami Heat 104-93, so it’s more important than ever to catch up on the Mile High City’s most recent title contenders. Here are answers to all your band-wagoneering questions:

What is a bandwagon?

Fans who begin supporting a team only when it is on the verge of success; they will abandon that team when they stink (i.e., soon). (Don’t get us started with talk among television analysts who say the so-called lack of star power…