Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had nothing but praise for Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Nikola Jokic after the team swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 on Monday night.
While celebrating their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history, Malone spoke to the media about Jokic when asked about what he has proven so far in this playoff run:
“I think he's shown other people, nationally, that he's real. What he's doing is real. The MVPs are real. The triple-doubles are real. All the narratives, the silly narratives this year, are just that: silly and somewhat ignorant. And I think Nikola has gone through three rounds now, where he's averaging a triple-double in the playoffs. Have you seen any stat-padding out there? I'm serious. Enough of the silliness. The guy is a great player. Give him his damn respect.”
"What he's doing is real… the silly narratives this year are just somewhat ignorant… he's averaging a triple-double in the playoffs. Have you seen any stat padding out there? Give him his damn respect."
Nuggets coach Michael Malone on Nikola Jokicpic.twitter.com/O3YdjJZGIQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 23, 2023
Malone has been vocal about how the media has treated Jokic and the Nuggets this season. When the Nuggets nearly lost to the Lakers in Game 1 after an adjustment that involved putting Rui Hachimura on Jokic, the media only focused on how Denver would adjust to them, instead of giving the two-time MVP the praise he deserves. Despite Jokic and the Nuggets' success in the regular season and the playoffs, Malone believes they aren't getting enough respect.
Jokic is certainly having an incredible run with the Nuggets this postseason. Through 14 playoff games, the big man is averaging 29.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game while shooting 53.8% from the field and 47.4% from 3-point range. He is currently first player in NBA history to average a triple-double in the playoffs. The Joker is the guy you look to when you think of the term “video game numbers.”
In this series, Jokic averaged 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists on 50/47/78 shooting splits against the top-tier defense of Anthony Davis. Not only was Jokic making impossible shots and making strong finishes under the basket, he was the center of their offense, and it allowed the Nuggets to collectively pulverize the Lakers, who had absolutely no answer to them.
Denver will now face the winner of the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Finals series, with the Heat currently on top 3-0. With Jokic playing at such a high level, it certainly looks like it's the Nuggets' time. But they still need to win four more games.
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