“Denver” won the championship for the first time in its history. Although it will probably be remembered that Denver is a team whose coach urged his guys to try a little harder for the first time in decisive series history, it’s still happening in the finals.
Let’s take a closer look at the brightest members of this team and see why they have become so popular in recent years. You’ll find out why this season has proven to be as entertaining as entertainment from similar popular online slot resources.
Nikola Jokić
The Serbian’s career is as surprising as the feel of his game: you can never get used to a skinny guy carelessly throwing the ball somewhere toward the ring in a sloppy motion, and it either lands on the arc and fails or turns out to be an inexplicable pass to an up-tempo dunker.
There were requests here to draft him: Jokic was averaging 12 points and four assists at the time and wanted to withdraw, but the Nuggets were so inspired by his performance at the Nike Hoops Summit that they discerned potential even then.
Even Jokic’s mom couldn’t have imagined that one of the greatest players in history would come out of it:
- He is already the best European basketball player of all time;
- A player who has a career-high PER in the playoffs and is ahead of Jordan, LeBron and Shaquille;
- the most influential offensive player in history, based on
- Author of arguably the most outstanding statistical hike in the playoffs: 1. Triple-double average with 30.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists at 54% from the game and 47% from behind the arc (for comparison, best playoff career of “most dominant centre” Shaquille O’Neal at 30.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 57% from the game); 2. The all-time leader in points generated for the team (Jokic has 55.7, below LeBron with 54.7 in 2018, Magic with 51.8 in 1986 and Michael Jordan with 51 in 1990); 3. Three games with a 30+-20+-10+ lineup (and only 5 in history);
- The only star on his team to take out Rudy Gober and Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in one playoff run;
- Separate point: leader in points, rebounds and assists among all players in the league in the playoffs;
- Winner of three consecutive MVPs if it weren’t for the bias of American journalists;
- The best passer in NBA history: no one has ever shown such angles, decision-making speed, and creativity before him.
Jamal Murray
For some reason, recovery from the worst injuries in modern basketball (torn crosses and Achilles) is considered normal. But the statistics are far from 100%, especially among agile point guards whose game is built on the ability to change trajectories in fifth gear.
Michael Malone recounted how the guard cried on the bus immediately after the injury and feared he would be traded as “inferior.”
He missed the following season and didn’t play for almost a year and a half.
And when he returned, he admitted that he was afraid to go into passes, afraid of collisions with big players, afraid to jump out, terrified of seeing the tunnels he had to dive into close.
His playoff run is a miracle in itself:
- Only seven players in basketball history have produced a line of 25+ points, 5+ assists and 5+ rebounds in a career. Jordan. Jerry West. Curry. LeBron. Yannis. Jokic. And Jamal Murray;
- His career playoff scoring average of 25.2 points is 23rd all-time: higher than Karl Malone and slightly worse than Dirk Nowitzki;
- He is 38th all-time in assists – above Steph Curry, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson;
- He’s 30th in True Shooting, above Harden, LeBron, and Chris Paul. Before the final series, he was going with a 50-40-90% lineup and posted wacky numbers on the most challenging shots;
- He is ahead of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett and Julius Irving on PER in the playoffs;
- The way he adds to the playoffs is unprecedented: his career PER rises by 5.9, nearly double that of second-place Baron Davis, and his scoring output by 8.3 points;
- For the fourth time in the playoffs, he produced quarters in which he scored 20 points. That statistic goes back to 1996, and only two other guys since then have done it more than once (two) – Jordan and Iverson.
Murray is both a stability and an integral part of the most unstoppable pick-and-roll in the NBA and is willing to explode with a series of wild shots when things don’t go according to plan.
Michael Porter Jr.
Porter was blinded by the final series spotlight, in which he emerged as the worst player to get time in the Nuggets’ rotation.
He never developed into the coveted third star for Denver.
His three-point shooting in the playoffs appeared unstable and even slipped to overall averages.
But the Nuggets are unimaginable without his shots, his gravitas, his renown as the best catcher in the game, and his willingness to work even in his half.
The process of incorporating Porter proved difficult and risky.
Denver showed absolute faith in him when they took a man with a troubled back under the lottery pick. The man who was compared to Durant at the high school level fell to No. 14. In five years, Porter missed three seasons and had three surgeries.
Denver showed absolute faith in him when Porter, even when healthy, was not so inspiring. In addition to problems on defence, there were repeated run-ins with Mike Malone, who struggled with the youngster’s selfishness and complete misunderstanding of his role.
So Porter indeed dropped his near-elite 49-41-80 line in the playoffs before the finals, but those who have watched him all along are far more struck by how he stepped up for the Nuggets after all that. He collects 7.8 rebounds in elimination games, shows impressive or at least diligent defence at times, doesn’t disrupt the natural flow of the offence, and doesn’t drag himself down.
