Niwot alums Ryan Gonzales, Tyson Christensen at the heart of Nuggets' NBA Finals run

Although it has required some long hours, Niwot High alums Ryan Gonzales and Tyson Christensen are enjoying every minute of the Denver Nuggets' first NBA Finals trip in franchise history.

No, neither Gonzales nor Christensen is suiting up for head coach Michael Malone, but both have been instrumental to the Nuggets' home-court success this postseason.

Gonzales, a 2002 Niwot grad, works for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets, as a Senior Director and Producer of Broadcast Services. In simple terms, his job is to produce the "in-arena show" that keeps fans entertained beyond the actual basketball game.

Christensen has also been working nearly nonstop to keep Ball Arena loud. Under Kroenke, the 2000 Niwot graduate oversees season ticket member benefits and sales, which includes managing game packages and seat upgrades. He has even helped Nuggets greats such as Alex English, Dan Issel, LaPhonso Ellis and David Thompson attend the finals.

As of June 11, the Nuggets are 9-1 at Ball Arena this postseason, and one win away from their first NBA championship.

"It's amazing to be around the atmosphere in the building and everything," said Gonzales, who additionally works in the same capacity for Colorado Avalanche, Mammoth and Rapids home games. "Since we're talking high school, it feels like going to work is like getting ready for the big Friday night game every day."

The Nuggets' success hasn't been lost on Christensen, another lifelong fan, throughout what has been a busy past month.

"I've worked basically every day for the past few weeks," Christensen said. "You got VIPs requesting tickets, so you're managing a list of people and prioritizing who gets what seats and who we help out and who we're not able to help out. There's a lot of demand, obviously, and a significant increase in demand after last night's (Game 4) win."

At Niwot, Christensen and Gonzales became friends while playing varsity soccer together. While the former moved out of Colorado to work different stints with the Phoenix Suns, the New York Yankees and The Madison Square Garden Company, the two have remained close.

"We've stayed in touch all these years, especially being in the same industry," Christensen said. "(We have) very different roles within the industry, but I see Ryan regularly still on the campus of Ball Arena. When I'm at the game with my kids and I want to text him to try to get him to put us up on the scoreboard, I'll do that."

Gonzales, who has worked for nearly 16 years at Kroenke, added that he considers pinching himself on occasion as the Nuggets inch closer to what the Avalanche achieved last year.

"You're actually like a part of history," Gonzales said. "Growing up, I never thought I'd be on stage with the Avs (at their championship parade) in front of like half a million people at Civic Center Park."

The Nuggets can secure their own parade with one more Ball Arena win on Monday, June 12.