AD absolutely dominated the Joker in the Bubble series- shut him down. Yes, Dwight helped a little. The Joker has improved since then, but it’s not like he’s become a totally different player.
yeah, he's not going to just run over AD, even in isolation. my concern is foul trouble. jokic creates a lot of contact and is super clever. we can't have AD on the sideline.
Agreed. This is where AD has to watch the film. Ignore all those fakes and pivots. Keep his feet on the floor. Jokic throws in a few of those crazy looking shots who cares just do not get in foul trouble. Then go make him work on the other end.
AD is really good at not biting on pump fakes. He stayed with Steph on that last shot in Game 4 TWICE. Jokic is no match when it comes to athleticism. If Denver is to win this series, they will need to hit all their open shots or they will die the same way Memphis and Golden State did.
agree with ox, but i think AD needs people in his ear telling him not to worry if jokic puts a few buckets on him. he's a two-time mvp in his prime. he's going to get some. stay disciplined and don't get into foul trouble. make his shots tough and help make sure his teammates' shots are also tough.
those shots have started looking good again, too. we've discussed it before, but his jumper seems to be the last thing to return after his injuries, and i think the three is the very last step. he hasn't been healthy long enough for him to get comfortable from out there again. but that's ok with me (the not shooting threes, not the health). if he can just regain his solid midrange jumper, that's enough for him to be a major threat, and it keeps him closer to the basket for offensive rebounds and/or tying up opposing defensive rebounders. i feel like jumpshooting bigs let the opposition off the hook a bit.
Joker will draw AD away from the basket. We need Bron, Vando,Austin to take care of the boards. Get Joker in the foul trouble and this will make it a short series. Easier said than done though, dude is smart and a great basketball player.
Our beta is doing pretty well. Scary to think what he could become if he somehow manages to wake up his internal Alpha.
He would be MVP and Finals MVP. That's why he never was. And that's why he might be this year because he's playing at this level and with such aggression and confidence
Davis' free throw shooting has been more reliable. His face-up J would pull Jokic farther out than usual. We should head hunt him with P&R's as much as possible as he is not fleet of foot.
I would definitely try to pick and roll that man to death for sure but if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it.
Lol..AD is going to smoke the Nuggets on offense. They don't have anyone that can guard him, Jokic can't guard a chair. He's great on offense, but he's going to give up just as much on D to AD IMO.
Nuggets are a legit first place team. We’re going to have to step up our game as a team to an unseen level so far this year to win. Hopefully AD can be a matchup we can take full advantage of. I think Bron will have his hands full.
So who's guarding AD on the other end? Gordon is on Lebron, right? Jokic will get destroyed unless he's hiding on Vando, but who else do they have?
Gordon on AD, MPJ on Lebron and Jokic on Vando - that could get ugly quickly. Lebron going downhill on MPJ or just putting him into PnR vs Reaves/Dlo/DS is something the Lakers' wouldn't mind at all. i think they just still stick with Jokic on AD, Gordon on Lebron, MPJ hiding on Vando. Lakers better prep for a zone because Malone is going to try everything he can to protect Jokic on those.