Doug Moe, who became one of the winningest coaches in Nuggets history by orchestrating a high-speed, high-scoring style of basketball that was ahead of its time in the 1980s, died on Tuesday. He was 87.
In 10 full seasons as head coach, Moe led the Nuggets to 432 wins, a number immortalized today in the rafters of Ball Arena and a record that stood until Nov. 23, 2024, when Michael Malone surpassed it in his 10th season — a passing of the torch that Moe wholeheartedly endorsed.
Moe first came to Denver in 1974, serving as an assistant coach under Larry Brown for two seasons and reaching the ABA Finals in 1976. After a four-year stint as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, he returned to Denver in 1980 to replace Donnie Walsh at the helm. The Nuggets led the NBA in scoring six times in the next decade, made the playoffs nine consecutive years and won their division twice.
Their deepest playoff run under Moe was in 1985, when they reached the Western Conference Finals but lost in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers. Moe’s tenure coincided with the Lakers’ stranglehold on the West, with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leading Los Angeles to the NBA Finals eight times in the 1980s.
Moe, who finished his head coaching career with a 628–529 record, later returned to Denver again as an assistant coach from 2003-08.
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