(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
January 20th, 2024
Friday night we got to see a marquee matchup between arguably the two best teams in the league. The Denver Nuggets traveled to Boston to take on the Celtics and attempt to beat the unbeaten. The Celtics had been 20-0 this year at TD Garden and for the first time all year they fell at home. There are many storylines that can be talked about from this game.
Jayson Tatum had the ball in the closing seconds and took a highly contested fadeaway shot that leads to the monthly, ‘Is Tatum clutch?’ conversation. Jamal Murray led all scoring with 35 points and proved why him being an all-star should not be a question. Those could both be talked about forever but what I want to focus on is what took place with 17.2 seconds left in the 4th quarter. With the Nuggets up 2 points and Aaron Gordon at the free throw line, who is a 62% FT shooter this year, the Joker did something so simple yet equally effective. He was on the box between two top 50 players in Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis.
When Gordon was well before releasing the ball, Jokic did a hard sell that got both Brown and KP to cross the line and cause what should have been a lane violation. The refs went back and called it a jump ball, saying that Jokic’s foot crossed the line first.
This is not a play that the Joker invented. Many have tried to bait lane violations before but it seems that anything Jokic does he does so effortlessly yet more effectively than anyone else in the league. The clip has quickly made its rounds through twitter.
Admittedly I am a victim of the moment, but this one play where not a tenth a second came off the clock I got the sense that the Denver Nuggets were going to repeat as NBA Champions. There is talent all over the league but Championships are won by the little things. And the Nuggets do the little things right.
When thinking about the moments right after superstars have won NBA Championships, a couple come to mind.
There are the now legendary quotes that seemed to be said in all caps…
“ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!” - Kevin Garnett
“CLEEEVELAND! THIS IS FOR YOU!” - LeBron James
There were the all time images like Kobe in his thinking pose with the trophy in the shower; Giannis sitting in the first row of the stands.
The newest addition to this was from the Association’s serbian superstar. When asked how he felt about winning his first NBA Championship he simply said, “It’s good. It’s good. The job is done. We can go home.”
If this was a multiple choice question saying which of these reactions is not like the other, it would be safe to assume Nikola Jokic’s response would win handily. Does this mean he doesn’t care? No. Does this mean that it is harder for him to be the face of the league because of his demeanor? It does. But that’s just something he does not care about, and it’s admirable. He did a rare sit down with teammate Michael Porter Jr. on his podcast ‘Curious Mike’ (which is definitely worth a listen), where he talks about his take on superstardom and what comes with being an NBA celebrity. It was a refreshing take to hear in an era where all that seems to be important is clout and followers. With each little nugget we learn about him, It seems more and more likely that when the Joker retires that will be the last we see of him until his Hall of Fame ceremony.
Hopefully it’s a long time until this moment, but until then, I am going to sit back and enjoy watching a generational talent play, and just wait until he does something again that leaves us speechless.
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