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Few players in basketball today can boast of a talent similar to that treasured by Nikola Jokic. In a North American idiosyncratic competition, the European school is being in charge of adding the dose of magic necessary to complement the muscle.
The Nuggets have forced Game 7 of the series against the Los Angeles Clippers after saving a new match ball. The Angelenos faced the break with an apparently definitive advantage (63-47) but Denver took the roll with a simply majestic second half (64-35). Jokic himself was the main banner of the comeback with an exhibition in which he went up to 34 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists. Brilliant numbers to accompany a playstyle and IQ unmatched in today’s NBA.
After the game, several of his teammates raved about his immeasurable game. And they didn’t skimp on it. Neither in number of words nor in magnitude of the same. He rookie Michael Porter Jr. summed it up by defining Jokic as “the best player in the world” and Jamal Murray went one step further.
“Score with a Step back, after a fade off, on one leg, with his hand on his face … And several times in a row. I would say that he is the best player in the world ”, declared the point guard, author of 21 points and a 69.2% accuracy in field goals. “It was a team effort but Jokic definitely carried us.”
‘The Joker’ not only helped neutralize a 19-point deficit in the third quarter but was also key to keeping the Clippers at bay in the fourth quarter. Jokic scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, with three triples that show the broad dimension of his game. He scores from all positions, rebounds, organizes the offense, distributes the ball and joins in the transition. Not for nothing did his rival coach this series, Doc Rivers, call him a cross between Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin McHale.
Jokic, at 25 years of age, faced the game averaging 24.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. After coming back from 1-3 in the first-round series against the Utah Jazz, the Nuggets now have a chance to repeat the feat against one of the teams called up to fight for the championship. The seventh and final match will be played this Tuesday.
(Cover photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
