Ok, he may not have won the third consecutive MVP, but in these playoffs Nikola Jokic is proving to be among the best players in the world with his performances. Dragging the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA Finals.
The Serbian center tied with Wilt Chamberlain (1967) as the only player in NBA history to produce a triple-double in two playoff series.
Yet, despite yet another year as a champion, Coach Malone is convinced that his player doesn’t receive the right credit from the media in the first place, but also from fans.
“All the MVPs he’s won (last one the MVP of the West Final) are real. It’s all the narratives around him that are often silly. He has triple-double average. On the pitch, do you see someone who plays for statistics? Give him the goddamn respect he deserves.”
Jokic, for his part, prefers to think about the journey he made together with his Nuggets.
“I remember the times when you could hear the ball bouncing off the parquet and there weren’t many fans. Now it’s sold out every night…”.
“We beat the Lakers 4-0, a very, very strong team. In game 4 LeBron showed us what he is capable of in the first half, dominating the game. But we found a way to make him take more difficult shots in the second half”, concludes the Serbian ace.
The pick’n’roll between Jokic and Jamal Murray is the main nightmare of the opposing defenses.
“I think our chemistry is at an all-time high right now, the way we play, the way we read various situations, we don’t even need to talk,” comments the Canadian ex Kentucky. “We speak the same language on the court, it’s honestly a beautiful basketball. Now down with the Finals, we need four more victories ”.