There’s something about a city’s team reaching a professional sport’s championship game for the first time that just makes people want to experience it together.

That’s according to the people closest to those who have been watching the Denver Nuggets NBA Finals run — sports bar employees.

“Each sports fan is so different when we’re talking Nuggets versus Avalanche,” said Jasmine Nunez, a 23-year manager of one of the most visible sports bars in Denver, the 24,377-square-foot Brooklyn’s at Ball Arena. “The Nuggets have had playoff runs before. … but this is definitely a hockey town. Nuggets fans are extra excited because they never got to experience this before.”

Considering Ball Arena fell just a few hundred seats short of selling out for the Nuggets Game 3 watch party Wednesday, Brooklyn’s was packed as though it were a sellout home game. It didn’t open the building’s top floor, but the huge screen on the patio with a huge beer tub was thronged with Nuggets-gear-clad fans. Same was true for Friday’s Game 4 victory over the Miami Heat.

“We’ve been doing this so long, it’s like well-oiled machine,” Nunez said.

Down I-25 7 miles, the Bout Time Pub & Grub sits tucked away in the north side of River Point at Sheridan near Hampden Avenue. The small chain’s south Denver location’s approximately 150 seats have been full through every finals game.

“Unfortunately, the first couple of rounds of the playoffs it wasn’t as big of a draw as the Avalanche run last year,” said Nicole Bokelman, co-proprietor and general manager of Bout Time. “But for the Nuggets fans, I feel like people were maybe just a bit hesitant knowing their (playoff) history. … It wasn’t full force until the Lakers series. Now we’ve been busy every game.

“It took a little building, but I’m glad it finally hit where we were hoping for.”

Both managers were asked about what it takes to serve a crush of fans who usually show up an hour or less before the game, and expect to be served immediately.

For Brooklyn’s on home game days, it’s even more urgent as most leave to watch the game in-person at Ball Arena. They can deploy up to 25 servers, 10 bartenders, six hosts, 10 food runners to serve hundreds in a matter of usually two hours or less.

“It takes practice, lots of practice,” said Nunez. “Things get crazy during playoffs, but the staff knows this is our job.”

Both said well-trained, experienced staff members are the key to success.

“You definitely have to be able to trust the staff that you have on and that they’re capable of handling that type of volume,” Bokelman said. “You always want to make sure you’re overstaffed, because it’s easier to cut someone than try to call in staff.”

While Brooklyn’s has a built-in clientele going to-and-from games and Ball Arena events, Bout Time has to work a little harder to draw customers.

The pandemic restrictions forced them to have to ditch things like pool tables and video games to make room for spaced-out tables. So the 9-year-old pub didn’t really start coming back until the Avalanche finals run in 2022.

“It started getting people remembering that we are over here and being like ‘Oh ya, there was the cute little sports bar tucked into the corner, that has really good, fresh-made food and all of these TVs and how much fun that is’,” Bokelman said. “That the Avalanche made it as far as they did really helped.”

For the Nuggets Game 1, Bout Time’s sales soared 42% compared to the prior Thursday. The Sunday game was even more pronounced, 57% up from the prior Sunday, with most of that (69%) coming from the big boost in alcohol sales.

“I’m projecting the same for Monday, based on the fact that we couldn’t add any more bodies inside,” Bokelman said.

While — as fans — the managers hope the Nuggets take it all Monday, they’d be lying if they didn’t say they’d appreciate the sold-out business of two more games.

“For the staff, they know it can be a once-in-a-lifetime type run, so we encourage them to have fun with it and keep their heads up until the last hurrah,” Nunez said. “They really enjoyed the Avalanche finals run last year. Not everyone gets to experience something like that, so they enjoy it and make the most of it.”

There’s definitely a unique and exciting atmosphere when the Nuggets win and the sold-out sports bar customers and staff celebrate simultaneously.

“They get a lot of enjoyment out of when the Nuggets win and everyone’s happy,” Bokelman said.

“They don’t want to watch this party alone,” Nunez said of Nuggets’ fans. “They want to experience it with everyone for the first time.”