Chauncey Billups may not get a lot of attention, but when he came to Denver earlier this season in the “most lopsided trade” the National Basketball Association has witnessed in years, the Nuggets started winning. Sorry, Allen Iverson (who, by the way, has been out of action in Detroit with a bad back).

As The Associated Press reports, when Billups arrived via the Pistons, Denver became a “legitimate threat,” tying its own franchise record for wins in a season (54) and earning a home-court advantage in the playoff series for the first time in 21 years. Billups’ teammates heap on the praise, including Carmelo Anthony: “Even with the team we had last year–winning 50 games–we needed to bring in a guy of his caliber.”

The Nuggets start their playoff ball Sunday at home against New Orleans.