This is no joke.

The Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic, aka “The Joker,” are NBA champs for the first time since entering the league 47 years ago.

And the Rocky Mountain high may be just beginning. The Nuggets are terrific now and there is little reason to suspect a decline.

With a quintet of starters still in their prime, the Nuggets came from behind in the fourth quarter Monday to defeat the Miami Heat, 94-89, to clinch the NBA title at an overflowing, frolicking Ball Arena.

Jokic had 28 points (including 10 in the fourth period), 16 rebounds, four assists and was named the Bill Russell Finals MVP.

“The job is done; now we can go home,” the 6-foot-11, 284-pound native Serbian center told the press.

Jamal Murray added 14 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

“I think this will be the first of many,” Murray said in the post-game presser. The future is glowing for Coach

Michael Malone’s Nuggets when it comes to his players.

Among the first five, Jokic is 28, Murray is 26, Aaron Gordon is 27, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is 30, and Michael Porter is 24. Top reserves are Bruce Brown, 26, and Christian Braun, 22.

Except for Brown, all are under contract through at least 2023-2024.

Jokic and Murray became the first duo in NBA annals to average 25 points, five rebounds and five assists for a championship team.

This was not only Denver’s first NBA title, but also its first trip to the NBA Finals.

The MVP Award rightfully is named after the late Bill Russell, who led Boston to 11 NBA crowns. Mr. Russell died July 31, 2022, at age 88.

On Monday, Ball Arena was filled to its capacity 18,000, and seats didn’t come cheap. The average ticket price was $3,085, with tickets going“as low” as $1,965 in the nose-bleed section.

The high rollers paid $50,000 to sit courtside.

Whatever the cost, “The Joker” sent them all home happy.

Rockets remembered: Before they were the Denver Nuggets, the pro team in the Mile High City was the Denver Rockets (1967-74) of the old ABA.

Led by David Thompson, who was in attendance during the game, the Rockets finished second to the New York Nets (led by Julius Erving) in the 1976 ABA Finals.

The Rockets were 60-24 during the 1976 regular season and defeated the Kentucky Colonels in the first round of the ABA playoffs before falling to the Nets, 4-2.

It was the last time a Denver team had made The Finals until this year.

As an ABA team, Denver made frequent trips to the Commonwealth to play the Virginia Squires at such locations as Richmond Arena and Richmond Coliseum.

ABA franchises in Denver, Indiana, San Antonio and the Nets were absorbed by the NBA the next season. The Squires didn’t make the cut.

Bones-less Nuggets: Former VCU standout Bones Hyland missed out on the celebration because he was traded from Denver to the Los Angeles Clip- pers on Feb. 9.

In his second NBA season, Hyland played 42 games for Denver and 14 for the Clippers plus five playoff games.

Hyland was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 2021 and the 26th player taken in the 2021 draft by Denver.