DENVER – Kentavious Caldwell jumped Pope to score the rebound on Kyle Lowry’s last three-point effort on Monday night and immediately dribbled into open space. When he realized Miami had deliberately chosen not to foul, he raced to the other end of the field, a safe place where the final eight seconds of Game 5 could evaporate. Bruce Brown covered his face with both hands in disbelief. Aaron Gordon clenched his fists as he flexed.
Calmly, emotionlessly, Nikola Jokic walked over to shake hands with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. As the packed crowds of the Ball Arena absorbed the horror of Denver’s first-ever NBA championship, Jokić made his way onto the Heat bench, shaking the hands of his defeated opponents.
There is no initial demonstration of emotion. There is no emotional moment that punctuates his finally reaching the top of the NBA mountain. As Jamal Murray covered his gushing eyes with his shirt, overcome with emotion, Jokić was backing away from Haywood Highsmith to make sure the Heat wingman got a handshake too.
Mostly, though, he seemed like a guy completely unimpressed with what he’d just accomplished. The last two superstars to lead their team to the title, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmo, spent the final seconds of their victory in tears. Jokić looked more relieved that he was finally home now.
Celebrate at the end. He was lifted into the air by his brother. He carried his daughter on stage. He poured champagne on him and did a few dunks. He just had a beer or two. Deal with Murray in the pond. He was the guest of honor at A Serbian dance party in the locker room which lasted until approximately 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday. Joki enjoyed the moment. But when he learned of the procession on Thursday, he sounded like an employee who had been forced to attend a company picnic.
“I’m going to ask the coach to give me an extra two weeks off so I can be ready for the season,” Jokic said, staring down, wiggling his right ear. He suddenly looked up as he was met with silence.
“This is supposed to be a joke, and you didn’t laugh,” said the big man with a smile, and finally chuckles from the crowd. “Good job guys.”
Joki’s humility is evident in his death, respect for his teammates and lack of interest in self-promotion. He can take or leave the extracurriculars that come with reaching these heights. And he has made it clear that he values spending time with his high school sweetheart and wife of nearly three years, Natalia, and their young daughter, Ognjena, above the usual star privileges and duties.
But Joki’s relative indifference is symbolic of a greater feeling now that he’s won a tournament. deterministic. If his behavior was like someone who had been there before, it was probably because he was likely to come back here again, soaking under the showers.
He’s 28, so he’ll get better. His behavior didn’t seem to fill him in, yet it makes sense that he’d be more confident now that he sure could do it.
He can stop now, for sure, and get certified. Jokić led all players in these playoffs with 600 points, 269 rebounds, and 190 assists. This has never happened before, one player topping all three categories. He put up numbers that make Wilt Chamberlain tip his hat for what’s behind him. He rose from No. 41 to two-time MVP to two-time NBA champion, and elevated the small-market team to the ranks of the elite. It is a story for the ages indeed.
While the NBA makes no guarantees, this feels like the beginning of something rather than a crowning achievement. The dominability of it, the consistency with which it manages, and the human aura it exudes indicated that this might become a thing.
Go deeper
Is a Denver Dynasty on the horizon? Why these little bits are built to last
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, “I’ve said this many times before, but Nikola, up until tonight, he’s acting like this was just another game. He’s never changed with all success, and he never will. It’s just not in his nature.”
The only strike left against Joki was that his greatness had yet to produce a tournament. It has long been understood that he was a brilliant player. His two best players have cemented him into the Hall of Fame. He’s been really good in the postseason before, like when the Nuggets pulled one win out of the Western Conference Finals in their first playoff run, averaging 27.1 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in seven games. From a series against Portland in 2019.
All that’s left for Joki is to do it on the NBA’s most pressured stage. He’s getting better, the roster around him getting healthier, and he’s delivered the heights his incredible talent demanded. He punctuated the Finals MVP performance with 28 points on 12 of 16 shooting along with 16 rebounds and 4 assists. Now that he’s finished, he’s the hero’s centerpiece, offering the city of Denver what no NBA player before him could, Jokic is officially in the pantheon.
And he just gets into his head, which is why this doesn’t seem like a one-off. Having reached the top now, he can already be on this dance floor enough to make Sombor Shuffle as popular as Cha Cha Slide.
Right foot, two stomps.
Undoubtedly, other elite NBA stars – Curry, Antitokonmo, LeBron James, and maybe even Kawhi Leonard – will have a say in future championships. But it is entirely possible that we have just witnessed the launch of the Jokic era.
Curry was known for “changing the game” with his 3-point game. The Warriors had the entire league space out the floor with pitchers in every position trying to keep up. They popularized nowhere basketball, turning real centers into an endangered species. This season’s Miami race is a relic of the league the Warriors created: small, skilled, versatile and a killer from the deep. But the NBA is always adapting and adapting.
Joki is that evolution.
The big guys have been trending in the NBA these past few years. But the Nuggets winning the championship with Jokić as their MVP plants a flag for a return to the big boys. It’s the first dominant position to be MVP on a champion since Shaquille O’Neal in 2002.
Yes, sure, a case can be made for Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett – and even Anthony Davis on the bubble – as dominant seniors who have led their teams to the top. But Jokić is cut from the original fabric of NBA centers. He belongs to the lineage of former marquee giants, key hubs like George Mikan, Chamberlain and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Size matters again. Centers are back in vogue as are eyebrow parts. But Jokić is very unique because his size does not lower his skill quotient. reinforce it. Again, Joki is my evolution. He’s a big old school guy who was brought up in the Three Points area. It was shaped in the era of centerless basketball and inverted charts. As a result, it is a traditional position, great extended, point forward and high center.
He’s still a big player who sniffs rebounding and takes a high percentage of shots. When it came time to win on Monday, he went indoors. He was 5 of 6 in the paint in the fourth quarter, honoring his series-closing pedigree. He’s also reliably effective on defense, and his size and intelligence make him a reliable blocker.
But he’ll also burn defenses with 3-point shooting, point runs, pull big opponents off the paint, and control the game from the high post without shooting.
“He makes the right play every possession,” said Heat fullback Bam Adebayo. “I feel that’s the most important thing in a player. He’ll try to make the right play every possession, regardless of whether he’s scoring or passing the ball. … That’s what makes him dynamic.”
Jokić’s characteristic was visible during his demo during a layup with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter. The game was tied at 60, but the Nuggets missed four straight shots, including 2 3s, and the pointless stretch was capped with a turnover by Murray that quickly broke up the Heat’s game.
“I didn’t close the chair,” Jokic said, “but I like the way it makes it a bigger (deal). Yeah, I’m yelling at them because we were only shooting 3 seconds, I think it was like 4 on 3, we can just get an easy corner kick or score the ball.” In this case, it means to score a lot… Especially (since) it’s a low-scoring game…. In this case, the emotions, yeah, I yell at them. But I think they’re used to it. Sometimes I yell at them. Sometimes I cheer on them. But this is part of the family, part of the team.”
Joki’s epic run for the title was an incredibly loud announcement of his arrival. The NBA has to deal with it. He’s got a well-deserved co-star alongside him in Murray. He has a well-built team around him who now has championship experience. And Denver is a favorite destination for those seeking a championship, which could help them upgrade their roster.
You don’t have to predict that the Nuggets will grow into a dynasty to understand that Joki is here now, and the League may look different in seeking to oust him.
“This was a historic walk,” said Michael Porter Jr. of Denver. “I don’t know how you can say he’s not the best big guy ever, really. He’s one of the best basketball players ever. I don’t care what anyone says. I think he’s one of the best guys ever to play this game.”
The notorious copycat league will not be able to go and find another Jokić. But teams will definitely be in the market until the bodies are dumped on it. The league is already going big, but the Nuggets star is making it big alone just isn’t enough. Put toughness in there and Gokic will make the cha-cha slide.
Left foot, two stomps.
The Joki era will require true competitors of size without sacrificing too much through skill.
He persuaded The Heat Murray in two subpar games. Few other reliable Denver pieces have struggled for larger stretches. But Jokić didn’t need much support because Miami didn’t have much on hand for an answer to their biggest dilemma. Adebayo is a perfect big man for the small-ball era, and he fought admirably against Jokić. But it was still severely exaggerated. Adebayo’s second half – 2 points on 1-of-7 shooting while grabbing just three of 12 rebounds in 23 minutes – is a sign of how Jokić insults his opponent. The Lakers’ Anthony Davis, another ideal powerhouse converted center in the age of speed and space, was bombed by Adebayo, in the Western Conference Finals.
Basketball smarts in NBA front desks and on the benches will find their way. He always does. You know the other greats are now resetting what it will take now to get back on top. Now the league’s problem solvers are heading to the warrooms and drawing boards knowing they have a big and permanent problem on their hands. The thorn in their side is Mt.
The evolution of basketball has completed its latest marvel. Joki is here now. He may be drawn to more company trips.
Related reading
Sam Amick and Tony Jones: How the Denver Nuggets finally made it to the top of the NBA mountain by not chasing stars
Nick Cosmider: Jamal Murray’s grueling path to an NBA title made the long-conceived moment even sweeter
John Hollinger: Could the Nuggets be the NBA’s Next Dynasty? Why Denver is built to last
Will Guillory: What comes next for Jimmy Butler and Miami after four amazing years
related listening
(Photo: AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)