MINNEAPOLIS — The Nuggets’ championship window didn’t close. It shattered.

And losing to the team that broke Denver was as painful as chewing glass.

With chants of “M-V-P!” rattling the rafters of the Target Center for Jaden McDaniels, the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated Nikola Jokic and his disconsolate teammates Thursday with a 110-98 loss that left no doubt who was the smartest basketball man in the building.

“If we were in Serbia,” Jokic said, “we would all get fired.”

Less than an hour before tipoff of a playoff game that will force Denver to contemplate if its roster needs an extreme makeover or a stick of dynamite, T-Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly stood courtside with Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke, the man who let T.C. bolt Colorado for more money in Minnesota.

It was a basketball sin whose penance has only just begun.

“Right now, it sucks,” said Adelman, after he grieved with his players in the losing locker room. “You know you’re not going to see this group together again.”

Should the Nuggets dump Adelman as coach and woo Steve Kerr?

Calling Billy Donovan would be a better idea.

Should a replacement for Jamal Murray be found to serve as Jokic’s wing man?

That would be a panic move. No way.

Can steady health from Aaron Gordon ever be trusted again?

Save his legs, cut his minutes and convert Gordon to the league’s best sixth man.

Should the Nuggets ship out Christian Braun if that’s the only way to retain Peyton Watson?

Absolutely. That’s a no-brainer.

And how steep a price is the Kroenke family ownership willing to refortify a roster?

I’m afraid we already know that answer.

Although a litany of injuries can be used as a legit excuse for the premature ending of a season for a team that won 54 regular-season games, Jokic knows the truth about Denver’s status as a championship contender.

“We just lost in the first round, so we are far away,” Jokic said.

Those rings the Nuggets earned in 2023, after Connelly departed, still shine.

But what should have been a glorious Jokic Era has been marred by that error.

“I’m disappointed,” said Jokic. He scored 14 points in the third quarter to keep Denver within striking range, but couldn’t find enough help to carry the Nuggets back home with a chance to win Game 7.

With this series plagued by injury, both Denver and Minnesota needed a hero to step from the shadows.

And that’s how we were painfully reminded about Connelly’s genius for roster-building.

In Game 5, the Nuggets avoided elimination, in no small measure because Spencer Jones didn’t care he went undrafted in 2024 and stepped up to score 20 points that took pressure off Jokic and Jamal Murray.

But one of the NBA’s oldest truths: While a role player can ride the wave of home crowd enthusiasm, that magic is far trickier to bottle and take on the road. Jones was solid. Not spectacular.

On this night, however, it was often hard to tell the difference between Terrence Shannon Jr. and Anthony Edwards, the Wolves’ all-everything guard sidelined by a knee injury.

Which reminds me of a little draft history that almost feels cruel to retell.

Two years ago, Calvin Booth made the last big draft move of his career as Nuggets general manager, when he fell so madly in love with Dayton big man DaRon Holmes II that the Nuggets traded four draft picks to move up six slots on the board and grab him at No. 22 in the first round.

After patiently watching all of Denver’s draft machinations unfold, Connelly snatched Shannon out of Illinois with the 27th pick.

In Game 6, Shannon looked like a draft prize that was hidden in plain sight in front of Booth’s eyes. On his way to 24 points, the young wing from the University of Illinois ate up the Denver defense like chicken nuggets.

“He’s a great guy,” Connelly said outside the Timberwolves locker room, where he hugged everyone in sight.

McDaniels was the mouth that roared in this series. He dissed the Denver defense, daring to call out the Nuggets by name. And he walked that talk in the game that clinched the series for the T-Wolves, scoring 32 points.

At crunch time, McDaniels proved to be more valuable than Jokic, three-time MVP of the league.

“I needed to play better,” Jokic said. “I must play better.”

This was Jokic’s worst playoff series of his career.

The truth, however, is: Even at his worst, Jokic is better than 99.9% of everyone who has ever laced up basketball sneakers.

Jokic averaged 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds and 9.5 assists against Minnesota.

It was Murray who stunk. The end of his first All-Star season ended in clinks, clanks and clunks. He shot a horrendous 26.2% from 3-point range against Minnesota, including a frustrating in-and-out misfire from beyond the arc that could’ve pulled the Nuggets into a tie late in the fourth quarter.

The one piece of good news from the most disappointing season in franchise history?

Jokic, gave every indication he plans to sign a new contract to keep him in Colorado.

“I still want to be Nuggets forever,” Jokic said.

But it’s now painfully clear: The king of the basketball world is no longer enough to win the Nuggets another NBA crown.