By any means necessary, Jokic was going to snatch Game 4 and re-write history.
That’s the type of competitor Jokic is, in any sport he plays. “You just want to win a game, and you’re trying to win a game.” “You don’t care about how tired you are, you don’t care about minutes, your fouls, shots, percentage, this and that,” Jokic said. It was as unflinching and intentional of a basket as he scored all series. With 52 seconds left and the game tied at 111, Jokic ramrodded his way past Davis and Dennis Schroder en route to the rim. Maybe it was hard to chalk his wild, one-footed 3-point heave late in the fourth quarter up to fitness, but his next basket certainly qualified. Nikola, and I’m not joking when I say this, is just an ultra-conditioned athlete.”Įarlier in the series, in a nod to his other love, Malone compared Jokic to Secretariat, the great racehorse, for his elite fitness. “I learned a long time ago if you ask somebody something, they can say no,” Malone said. After all, Jokic once played 65 minutes in a playoff game at Portland during the 2018-19 season. Malone knew better than to ask Jokic if he could play the entire second half. AG is here a little while now.” He then went through the rest of the roster. Mike (Porter Jr.) was drafted by the Nuggets. “I think it’s something that we really build and we really - like I was drafted by the Nuggets, Jamal (Murray) was drafted by the Nuggets. “It’s really from (equipment managers) Sparky (Gonzales) and Gene (Marquez) to family Kroenke,” Jokic said. But winning with the only team he’s ever known, with the same people who pushed him throughout the first eight years of his historic career, made it that much sweeter. Self-deprecating and fiercely loyal, winning is all that matters in his mind. Jokic is unlike any superstar in the NBA. Nuggets’ Peyton Watson a focal point of Summer League squad: “I’m still making a name for myself in this league” The three shared a tender, quiet moment with a few kisses. There, waiting for him, was his wife and daughter. Having already made history, you’d think he’d allow himself a chance to recover and soak in the astounding performance he’d just authored.īut about 10 minutes after he and the Nuggets cleared the court following Monday night’s trophy presentation, Jokic left his stall in the far corner of Denver’s cramped but jubilant locker room and pivoted left. His 30-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist, three-block masterpiece carried the Nuggets further than this franchise had ever been, earning him MVP of the Western Conference Finals. He’d bullied Anthony Davis for his third triple-double in four games and set an NBA playoff record with his eighth triple-double of the postseason. He’d played 45 minutes, 16 seconds, of sublime, scintillating basketball, including all 24 minutes of the second half. Nikola Jokic had just shredded the Los Angeles Lakers in tidy fashion en route to the Denver Nuggets’ first-ever trip to the NBA Finals here Monday evening. LOS ANGELES – Not even history can break routine. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
#Nikola jokic nba series
The Nuggets swept the best-of-seven series 4-0 to advance to their first NBA Finals in franchise history.
#Nikola jokic nba drivers
Nikola Jokic (15) of the Denver Nuggets drivers between Anthony Davis (3) and Dennis Schroder (17) of the Los Angeles Lakers for a clutch basket in the waning seconds during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 113-111 Western Conference finals game 4 win at Arena in Los Angeles on Monday, May 22, 2023. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu
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