The top two teams in the state of Colorado — the Avalanche and the Nuggets — flamed out in the second round of their respective playoffs.

Both have superstars under contract for years to come and don’t appear to be losing their status as title contenders anytime soon, but which is under more pressure to get a second championship? 

Paul Klee and Tyler King debate:

Paul Klee, sports editor

Answer: Nuggets

Credit Mr. King, who makes a strong case — and has tickets to see his red-hot Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field on Saturday. Tyler, what’s it like to root for a World Series contender?

Back to business: The Nikola Jokic Nuggets officially are on the clock.

Joker is the best player I’ve ever seen. Everyone else eventually will have him top-five all-time.

Wait for it.

That means not one… not two… but three-plus titles would squeeze the juice from Joker’s era.

That’s why last week I asked Jokic how long he wants to play ball in the NBA — an attempt to measure the Nuggets’ championship window.

“I think the determination is going to be if I can perform on a high level or not,” Jokic said. “I think I’m not going to take (a) spot from a young guy and put the franchise down. As long as I can play at a high level and help the team, I think I’m going to play until then.”

There’s time, but Denver can’t waste time. Jokic won his first title at 28. Hakeem Olajuwon won his at 31 and 32. Tim Duncan won two titles after 30. Shaquille O’Neal won one after 30.

General manager Calvin Booth said Thursday there are two ways to build a supporting cast in the new NBA: fill the holes with veterans for one or two seasons, or get young and stay young.

Since the Nuggets chose youth, they must convince Michael Malone to play the young guys.

Expecting perfection in the draft is too tall an ask. But Denver can’t afford to miss in the draft. It’s been clear the Nuggets missed on Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, the Gonzaga star who was 23 and available when Denver took 19-year-old Peyton Watson, a playoff ghost.

Going young doesn’t mean going that young.

Nembhard had 20 points in Indy’s Game 7 win over New York. Watson didn’t play in Game 7.

The next order of business: forget about trading Michael Porter Jr., the best shooter on a team that can’t shoot; find backups for Jokic and Jamal Murray; develop Watson into a real player.

The Nuggets have time to maximize the Joker era, but they can’t waste time.

***

Tyler King, college sports reporter

Answer: Avalanche

Why thank you for pointing out the team with the best record in the MLB, Mr. Klee.

While Denver sports fans are still mourning the ends of the Avalanche and Nuggets seasons, they can all join me and a few hundred other Phillie Phanatics this weekend at Coors Field to watch a real title contender on the diamond — trust me, what the Phillies are doing right now is new to me, too.

But speaking of the two teams that call Ball Arena home, I certainly do agree with my editor that there is a substantial amount of pressure for the Nuggets to make sure the Jokic era features more than one NBA championship, I still feel it’s slightly less than the amount of pressure the Avs are facing to do the same for the MacKinnon era.

There’s one simple reason for that: Cale Makar is a better co-star than Jamal Murray.

While unlikely to win a second Norris Trophy in three seasons, Makar is still widely considered the best defenseman in the NHL — and for good reason. What he’s done since he entered the league five seasons ago is unheard of for a defenseman and it feels like he’s just about to enter his prime.

That, plus the fact that Murray’s reputation as an elite playoff performer may have taken a hit with his play during this year’s second-round exit, is why Colorado needs to win another Stanley Cup with the duo of MacKinnon and Makar.

Sure, there’s a lot that goes into winning a title than just a star center and a star defenseman — something the Avs have learned the last two postseasons — but there’s still plenty of time to figure out if either Gabe Landeskog or Val Nichushkin are capable of returning and playing at an elite level once again, even if there’s some doubt that either can do so.

Plus, goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has proven he’s talented enough to get hot for a long enough stretch to help his team win a title — and he’s also shown he can quickly bounce back from one really bad playoff game.

But it all starts with MacKinnon and Makar — a duo that talent-wise might even trump the legendary pairing of Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg as the best in franchise history.

Those two guys won two Stanley Cups together, though — and that’s what this current team is chasing.