There is no answer to Jokic right now. This is pretty much the pinnacle of big man game in modern NBA. If he just has one guy who can step up and do some additional scoring and playmaking, it’s over. Their achilles heel is health (aside from Jokic, since he is an iron man on top of everything else), so they should be looking at adding a little bit of depth as insurance if possible. Or just roll with what they have and accept the possible downfall in case of injury, like most teams. But they are positioned very well right now and are young too. They are going to be the main threat for years to come.
ok i'll tell it: we'd beat both of these teams. you say "didn't the nuggest just sweep us?" not these guys. mpj/kcp/brown combined to go 3-16 from the field with zero threes made. denver went 5-18 from three. they'd have lost every game to us if the support players played like that, even if jokic and murray went off and even if russell was a no-show. as for being positioned for the future...i think mpj making his salary in a small market is going to be a problem going forward. he's hurt a lot, and he doesn't play like a 40 million per player. so yeah, their core should win a lot for a long time, but these playoffs have been unusual for them, as has much of the season. my bold take is denver doesn't return to the finals after this year.
Makes me wonder if he is really THIS selfless. I like his attitude. His game speaks for itself. Amazed on his soft touch on his shots that give it a great % of dropping in. Has that Sikma style behind the head form that is nearly unblockable. If Jokic can deal with his neurotic a** of a coach then he is a remarkable human being. It won't take long until he grates on his crew's nerves.
It’s pretty hard not to like Joker. He makes his teammates better and has so little ego for how good he is. Rare combo.
the nuggets role players coming back down to earth from 3 was completely predictable after they made everything in the lakers series. it's basically just jokic/murray carrying them right now in the finals but i think their FO is smart enough to do what they have to do to surround jokic with the necessary talent for additional deep playoff runs. they have a potential top 3 all time big man in his prime and there's no one who can stop him. i'd be surprised if they don't make another finals run in the next few seasons
Braun is actually going to be really good in a few seasons. He has very good length, is already a good defender, athletic, can shoot and he knows when and where to cut in the seams.
He was really exciting off the bench last night and a huge part of their win especially since KCP and Porter Jr were nowhere to be seen once again.
I wasn't a fan of Shaq just brutalizing guys like the schoolyard bully and then calling them out to stand in there and take it (like Mutumbo), with his strength, quickness and 50-70lb weight advantage assuming they were also 7 footers. If they were forced to play each other straight up though I guess I see your point in how does Shaq do when Joker is playing outside and dropping 3s on him.
Count me as a Jokic fan. The guy can flat out play, and he is by far the best offensive Center in the league. This playoff run has demonstrated how much better he is than Embiid. But top 3 big man all time? Which of these players are you going to dump to put Jokic at that level? Kareem Shaq Wilt Hakeem Russell Moses Malone Tim Duncan The Admiral
Jokic's scoring is not unusual at all given how polished he is offensively. His passing is what sets him apart from the 5's nowadays. He can hit cutters with ease and set up lobs on point. Last center I saw who could do that was Divac who in comparison is not as good. I heard Sabonis in his prime has the same skillset but I never saw him play at that time. I know he did outplay Robinson when the two met in the Olympics.
Jokic is physical but he hits with enough force where the defender becomes off balance but not enough to draw a charge. He does flop too however prompting the aggressor to be called as "not that strong" by commentators (i.e. Durant or Reaves).
Yeah prime Sabonis and prime Wilt would have been fair for prime Shaq. Prime Dream worked not ready for prime time Shaq.
*potential if he keeps playing at the level he has the last few seasons and wins a few titles, he could very well surpass shaq. kareem and wilt are untouchable to me. he's only 28 and has shown that he's able to stay healthy for the most part, so he could very well keep this up for a long time
Adebayo who is on the All-Defensive Team (4X) is having his hands full and more with Jokic. The last player who threw him off his game plays in Taiwan and past his expiration date.
Robinson... He did not really acquit himself until Duncan came along. Jokic is the COMPLETE package. Edit: Jokic reminds me somewhat of a prime Walton but not as good defensively.
The difference in rebounds in the 3rd match of the final is Miami 33-Denver 58. This hasn't happened since 1972.For the first time since 1972, the difference in the number of rebounds between the teams in the final series match was 25 or more. That year, in Game 5 of the Finals, the Lakers surpassed the Knicks in rebounding, 67-39.
