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By Johnny Askounis / [email protected]
Smaller lineups against the Houston Rockets will not apply for the Los Angeles Lakers to advance to the Western Conference finals and the Denver Nuggets. Containing Nikola Jokic will undoubtedly go a long way towards a potential NBA Finals berth.
“Joker is one of the most unique players in the world, one of the most unique players to ever play center position in this league.” mentioned head coach Frank Vogel, “He can hurt you in all ways, from the 3-point line, in the pocket and obviously with the pass.”
The Nuggets have played 14 playoff games so far, coming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers. Jokic averaged 25.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.7 steals per game in the postseason.
“It makes it very difficult to protect him”, Vogel added, “He makes this series very different from the previous one in terms of how much we use our centers.”
“Get to their places” got Dwight Howard cast for a bigger role, “He makes plays for his teammates, he bounces, he does a little bit of everything. He is a complete player. I love playing against him. “
The historic organization seeking to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2010 championship only needed ten games to advance to the Western Finals. The semifinals forced them to adapt to the small ball, the conference finals will be a totally different story.
“They are an excellent basketball team. They deserve to be in the final of the Western Conference ”. Vogel pointed out regarding upcoming opponents, “Jamal and Joker are playing at a super high level and with great confidence. So, I wasn’t surprised. “
The first game is scheduled for Friday in the NBA bubble set in Orlando.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
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