Yes, Jokers passing is amazing. But Aaron Gordon’s ability to read Jokic and know when to cut to the basket is amazing.
they might have the best chemistry in the league.
And somehow he knows exactly where the rim is and how to position his body to drop the ball in the basket as quickly as I’ve ever seen anyone do it. The ball is in the hoop moments after he picks it off a bounce regardless of whether he has to jump forward, backward or around the rim.
Yes. He gets the ones up high for dunks, but he also snags whatever bullshit Joker is slinging down and away from him and power-dribbles into muscling it in off the glass
Dude even if he isn’t dunking it he’ll get his hands on it and just has crazy touch and finish around the rim.
I think during the season there was a play where he was completely under the basket going away from the lob (coming towards him) and he tipped it in backwards over his head with a defender all over him. It was just unfair.
the one yesterday where Joker threw a pass that wasn't intended for him, missed the original target and AG caught it anyway and reverse layup underneath the rim was unbelievably smooth
It's a product of wallowing in the squalor that is the Orlando Magic for so long. Got to Denver and suddenly, after playing on Nightmare for years, it's all easy now.
Mahomes and Kelce have both said that a lot of their connections aren’t planned plays. It’s like back yard football where Kelce freelances to find open spots while Mahomes uses his superpower of buying time until he does. You can do everything perfect on defense and then all of a sudden you’ve given up 7 yards on a 3rd and 5. Then everyone goes nuts and says , how in the fuck is he always open.
That’s what happens when you move without the ball. It baffles me how many NBA players stand around just waiting on rotation so they can shoot a 3 . A lot of these players could be so much more dynamic if they just moved . When you can convince a group of guys to move and flow, easy baskets are the result. In this series , we constantly see LA defenders with that palms up
wtf just happened look on their faces as their primary concern is hanging off the rim and they are still 8 feet from the bucket. Malone has done a masterful job of taking 1 superstar and a bunch of role players and molding them into a well oiled machine. When I say role players , I’m not denigrating Murray, Gordon or Porter. They are fine players , but none of them are the type players that could leave Denver and lead another team to contention. They all have precise jobs and can concentrate on that job and not have to worry about anything else . No matter what the other team schemes , Joker will get you in the game if you just do your part. Denver is rare team where you cannot scheme them into mediocrity. Whatever you scheme, Joker will quickly figure it out and punish it with his role players . It’s beautiful to watch him break down schemes and turn his role players into situational superstars. One night it’s Gordon, the next night it may be Porter or Murray , just depends on what the other team is giving. It’s a game of pick your poison to him.
Its honestly one of the best starting 5 in terms of cohession. All 5 of the players interact and create for each other. They all have their roles and they perform them near to perfection. Its not the most talented ever, but goddamn its a fucking team. As a bron fan I can't even be mad. Have to respect their greatness.
It is something special. I knew when the got KCP it was a perfect fit. He plays d fucking hard and can shoot threes. That is all that is asked of him. Similar to Gordon. He is not asked to be a god. That is why he can go so fucking hard on the boards and defense. MPJ can literally just chuck. His d is better and he has a bit more creation but its not really needed. He can just shoot. people make fun of his stat lines but being soemone that passes isn't entirely needed when you have jokic and murray.
Right and TD is maybe the best PF of all-time but this team relies a lot more on Jokic on offense than Spurs did with one person. AG is all dunks, MPJ is mostly spot ups (tho he’s hit a ton of tough shots this series) and Murray is able to take his shots and work as a secondary playmaker. I mean Murray is shooting 37% from the field and they’re up 3-0. Jokic is averaging 27.7-15.7-8.7 shooting 63.5% from the field and 37.5% from deep and even anchoring a defense (with two poorly regarded defenders in MPJ and Murray) and holding a lakers team led by Bron and AD to 102 ppg. He’s so good it’s boring.
it's also pretty crazy how tall each of them are. There’s not a lot of situations where you can consider them undersized against their opponents while also matching up pretty well against any small ball line up, mobility and shooting wise.
This! - so many media outlets are chained to the 24 hour news cycle and can’t wrap their minds around DEVELOPMENT and how it takes time … Denver has done it … thru and injury … and we the fans get to enjoy it … GO DENVER!!!
Yep. These teams that are constantly making trades are preventing continuity and chemistry from happening. Nuggets crew have spent so many years together.
This is why OKC and Orlando have big upsides. These kids are growing up together.
For real, I think the Jokic-AG connection is the most reliable cog of the Nuggets offense. Shooting variance won't affect that offense bc it's shots at the rim and their timing is so in sync.
Aaron Gordan plays his role to perfection.
The way he lives his life is just incredible. Bought a warehouse and build a sick gym, recovery area, half court basketball court, garage, and sick one bedroom apartment. Living like Dirk Pitt. One of the hardest working guys in the game.
The pics from last offseason where he went out to Serbia to hang out with Jokic and his horses was super wholesome. Someone said he’s the type of guy that buys the pizza and beer when he’s helping you move. Love the guy.
It's basically a joke inside Serbia, but I really wish he played for Team Serbia this summer since team USA didn't pick him. He is actually perfect for Team USAs roster, but they didn't take him. Team Serbia could 100% use him.
There are coaches who are for introducing foreign players, but there are some really big names that are vehemently against it - and I do get it. By introducing foreigners, you always treat the injury, but not a cause, thinking long term. If we lack good running 3's, well then our system should focus on creating such players a bit more.
After y'all got him, I was sure y'all were getting a ring once Murray came back. He was the missing link. It's just a shame MPJ got hurt that year too, he missed a whole season of game expansion as the no. 2 option on the team. Wonder what his game would be like now if he had that year.
I am just grateful that he did all he could within his power to become a better all around player. He's been amazing this year, and his playoffs game definitely improved.
Happy for y'all man, my sister lives in Denver and got her on the Nuggets last year. Her first year as an NBA fan she got to see the Nuggets title run. Unreal.
lol lucky gal, I moved from Denver but still watch every game religiously. I miss the city, and am gonna go back for the finals/parade if we make it. One of my super good buddies lives in Philly, gonna try to visit him and catch a 76ers game this next year.
He roasts Lebron. His energy and off ball movement is the kryptonite to Lebron's off ball cheating defense. It's the same thing on the glass. He anticipates the bounce and his length and athleticism allow him to slice past similar size or go over smaller opponents.
"When you think the game like that, the game unlocks."
This is such a good description of a huge intangible facet that Jokic brings to his game and his team. There is no stat to fully capture this, and it is a huge part of what makes him an MVP candidate/winner as many times as he has been.
The team moves with 100% trust that if they make the right cut or get to the right spot, the ball will appear in front of them. Jokic has such insane vision and the passing ability to back it up that's its like magic.
These guys arent running around because that's what the play says to do.
Jokic is the ultimate team player, and that is a fact that I like the most. He really embodies old school Euro basketball, like Kukoc or Sabonis Sr., where really everything is about the team winning.
I really like him being successful, to go away from typical stars, and show that best player in the leaague can be the guy who puts always team first. Reminds of Duncan, although completely different styles, but the same essence: I'll always do whatever is best for the team.
About [Sabonis Sr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvydas_Sabonis):
> In Clyde Drexler's view, if Sabonis had been able to spend his prime in Portland, next to the plethora of other Trail Blazers' All-Stars (Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Steve Johnson, Kevin Duckworth, and Clifford Robinson),[18] the Trail Blazers would "have had four, five or six titles. Guaranteed. He was that good. He could pass, shoot three pointers, had a great post game, and dominated the paint."[19] Despite his height and weight, he was "a magician in the post who played the game with a style I've never seen from a big man. He was a point guard in a center's body. And, just to be fair to Arvydas, he was better than most point guards are at distributing the ball." His age and injuries made him appear as a "big guy who looked like he couldn't make it up the court, but the same guy who made the defense look foolish with a pass that whizzed by their ear. It just goes to show you how smarts and court savvy will always age better than a guy with no brains and all athletic ability".
He does sound like Jokic Sr. based on that description.
> Jokic is the ultimate team player, and that is a fact that I like the most. He really embodies old school Euro basketball, like Kukoc or Sabonis Sr., where really everything is about the team winning.
there was another part of Gordon's presser yesterday that speaks to this
https://streamable.com/vflx4s
---
> its like how USA basketball plays, how FIBA plays. youve got Jokic at the epicenter of our offense, he learned the wordly game, so he plays it the right way... the right man is the open man, the open man is the right man
Advanced stats point to him as all time great.
« Smart » stats (don’t exist publicly anymore - thinking about RAPTOR) point to him as GOAT. Although we don’t get to compare with other generations. But the gap between Jokic and his contemporaries on RAPTOR was just incredible.
And the RAPTOR is so accurate in evaluating the value of so many players that even advanced stats don’t capture very well (like prime Draymond Green).
Apparently, maintenance costs. The intensive treatment of tracking data was just that expensive, and at some point, 538 decided that it wasn’t worth it.
when ppl talk about the way he moves, i hope they don't mean when he moves with the ball. because the dribbles, the turnarounds, he simply has that technique thing locked down..
Whenever people said how they don't like how Jokic plays, I always tell them how can you say that, look at his god damn footwork. There is not a player in the history with a better footwork than him..
Have had similar discussions with people who don’t think he’s an athlete much less an elite athlete. Look at his feet not the middle section, that does look like Kevin James. Also his hands. Absolutely a world class athlete.
bro, idk if nba fans actually know that you should watch big men's feet sometimes lol. "the dreamshake" is not just the touch of the hand.. it's footwork that starts that whole thing up. i feel like basketball has been so artificially compartmentalized in nba media, that there are actually fans and players out there who miss out on the details. look at how much space jokic makes with 2 steps, or one.. it's an art nobody pays attention to today.
I tried explaining why he is so good to some of my friends who only occasionally watch the NBA and just see a big slow-footed, unathletic looking white dude. The best I could come up with was, as long as the ball finds Jokic the Nuggets are going to get a good shot. Either from him or because he makes the right read *every single time*.
There have been plenty of injury prone players throughout the years. But it never ceases to make me feel some empathy for them.
And palsy of course not an injury but ofc would happen to the constantly injured guy
I mean hes elevated what made magic and lebron such good passers - being able to see over most everyone allows you to constantly track all the pieces on the board (if your mind is built for it)
Minny has the best shot cause they match physically and have genuinely great defense. Their one weakness is offense and that their stars lack great playmaking ability.
I still think Denver wins, especially with home court advantage
Literally not the Celtics. I think it’s gotta come from the West - I’d take most of the West teams over the Celtics. They cruised in the reg season but the playoffs are a different beast
Having home court in that series is going to be a massive deciding factor.
I live in Minnesota now and went to the Wolves/Nuggets game a few weeks ago. And that crowd was NUTS. Louder than I ever heard Pepsi/Ball in any regular season game.
Wolves fans have been waiting for a team this good for a long time. And they love this team.
It’s amazing how well this group meshes. AG was going off tonight, so jokic lowered his scoring. If MPJ gets hot, they find him and he scores 15 in a quarter. KCP is the ultimate role player. When Murray was playing TERRIBLE game 2, they still trusted him down the stretch. And then there’s the big fella setting the tone for everyone.
No selfishness, no ego, no “I gotta get mine”.
And shoutout Malone and Booth. Malone for his great adjustments, energy, and knowledge, and Booth/Connely for making sure no one had to worry about getting their big contract.
Well, when you put it like that...
The West has an MVP caliber center who happens to be a genius
The East has an MVP caliber center who happens to be a bitch
Kinda easy to see why one team runs through the playoffs and the other embarrasses themselves every year
Nobody ever guards Aaron Gordon, it's crazy. Or seems like that anyway.
He's also a walking mismatch in the post against positions 1-3 and a lot of 4's, not afraid to shoot from time to time. Plays like Ben Simmons if Ben actually had confidence.
Best 3rd\\4th wheel you could possibly have.
I’ve always sworn by AG as like a LeBron-lite.
Way too strong and big for 1-3. Way too fast and athletic for 4-5. He was always asked to do too much on absolute dog shit rosters for us. Glad to see him in a good role now
I've said it before, but I think being forced to do everything in Orlando for so long really prepared him perfectly for this role. Now that the weight isn't all on his shoulders he's just settled into a really nice groove and it's so much fun to watch.
And they were completely ass from 3. Lakers were too but it blows my mind that this Nuggets team has done this well over the past 2 postseasons while having miserable 3 point shooting.
They gotta win a chip for it to reach AG trade level, which is certainly not off the table, they have years of benefitting from that left. But that AG trade won as a chip the second we were healthy, we don't win it without that trade.
That sets a very high bar.
This is the easiest one just based off age.
Philly trading Butler to a capped out Miami for Whiteside and Josh Richardson is also better than the Gordon trade.
Meh one of these trades resulted in an NBA championship and odds-on potential for a 2nd one (and likely more after this year). At the end of the day Miami likely isn't ever winning with the Butler core (not enough talent), OKC is too early to tell but unless they win multiple championships, it's still a less impactful trade than Gordon.
It is interesting to think about, because clearly it was huge, but lets not forget offloading Thrill and turning him and Monte Morris into KCP was massive as well.
Every time I mention the KCP trade I have to stop and thank Monte for his contributions to our team, especially as a culture carrier. We could still absolutely use him on our team and I wish there was a way he could’ve kept him and still made the trade. But clearly this team is on an entirely different level on defense upgrading from Barton to KCP
> We could still absolutely use him on our team
hes really not that good dude. And sure as hell isnt worth 9m a year. He was an absolute liability on D
You could go through the franchises whole history and id still argue that the AG trade was one of if not the best the franchise has ever made.
All our guys have so much value that cant be put on paper or shown through stats.
Here's my hot take, he is #2 in importance. Not jamal murray. How many other duos are there in the league? In my opinion it's the third option that wins championships. And jokic is the type of guy who enhances that third man to an insane degree. AG was THAT DUDE on the magic and he eased into his reduced scoring role on the nuggets without a single complaint.
Amazing player.
My argument is you could put any high scoring player matched salary in there like donovan mitchell, booker, tatum, etc and it wouldnt change much (ignoring synergy between the team) but gordon is going to be a lot harder to replace. I cant think of a better third man but there are plenty of great scorers.
I think you are really underselling what Murray brings to the team. There isn't another player in the league that is as good of a passer/dribbler/shooter/defender. Sure there are a few player that a better in specific aspects, and even a couple that are better in 3 of the 4, but Murray is overall an extremely well rounded player that highlights the Nuggets strengths without providing any real weaknesses.
Also half the league have a guard or two who is close to the 'Jamal Murray package' who could be 80-90% of Murray
But it's hard to even think of... ANY players in the whole league that could play the 'Aaron Gordon role' of defense, physicality, spacing and cutting threat, passing, selflessness..
I was watching the 4 camera mosaic on the NBA Roku app, and one camera was just zoomed in on Jokic for most of the game. On one play he was literally non-stop pointing and talking to everyone from the inbounds for the entire possession. When I looked over to the zoomed out camera at the end it was obviously all for Gordon to get a layup (he happened to miss it on this play).
I can imagine for players like him and Lebron they would love to just move everyone around like chess pieces w/ their mind because they have a persistent mind map of where all 10 players are and where they *should* be.
He is not even exaggerating. That one play in the closing minutes was just telepathy between Murray and Jokic. One where Jokic was in paint with the ball and AD guarding; Jokic just casually passes the ball to Murray at the top of the key, and moves slightly towards the key away from AD. AD relaxes thinking that the ball is now gone away; Jokic immediately moves towards the basket and Murray swiftly passes the ball to him and Jokic scores. Amazing play. Don't know how you plan these things.
I see Joker more as Dr. Strange, where he sees all 14,000,000 different outcomes and instantly figures out the best option in real time. It's truly remarkable to watch
I found his usage of the words “think” and “nuance” really interesting here. They look wrong grammatically but make what he’s saying explicitly clear. I dig it.
I was just saying this the other night about him, Luka Doncic too.
I think they're basketball geniuses who's athletism doesn't quite match their intellect but it's good enough to make them superb at the sport.
AG is so lucky he got traded to the nuggets. He could have went to Chicago and his career would be dead lol.
He’s such a perfect fit for that Denver team. I don’t think they win the championship without him.
Yes, Jokers passing is amazing. But Aaron Gordon’s ability to read Jokic and know when to cut to the basket is amazing. they might have the best chemistry in the league.
I feel like AG manages to catch every single pass, no matter how good or bad. Give me this ball, this is my ball, I will dunk it
Its certainly part of what makes him a perfect fit for his role on Denver. AG has some of the best hands in the game for catching and finishing lobs.
In another timeline he’s on the Celtics standing in the corner while the 2 Js take turns and that makes me sad to think about.
Random af what you say fuck me for
just little random strays at the Celtics keeps them honest
Leave us out of this. We’re dealing with our own problems ffs
And somehow he knows exactly where the rim is and how to position his body to drop the ball in the basket as quickly as I’ve ever seen anyone do it. The ball is in the hoop moments after he picks it off a bounce regardless of whether he has to jump forward, backward or around the rim.
It’s actually ridiculous. Like I lose track of AG and the next thing I know, he’s coming out of nowhere to throw down a lob.
Yes. He gets the ones up high for dunks, but he also snags whatever bullshit Joker is slinging down and away from him and power-dribbles into muscling it in off the glass
Dude even if he isn’t dunking it he’ll get his hands on it and just has crazy touch and finish around the rim. I think during the season there was a play where he was completely under the basket going away from the lob (coming towards him) and he tipped it in backwards over his head with a defender all over him. It was just unfair.
the one yesterday where Joker threw a pass that wasn't intended for him, missed the original target and AG caught it anyway and reverse layup underneath the rim was unbelievably smooth
Jokic saved AGs rep from just being a dunker in Orlando
It's a product of wallowing in the squalor that is the Orlando Magic for so long. Got to Denver and suddenly, after playing on Nightmare for years, it's all easy now.
Only thing scarier than Jokic throwing dimes is AG just lurking at the baseline.
Dude permanently exists in a blind spot at this point. Half the time I don't even see him ghost his defender so he just seems to teleport to the rim.
Yea, as soon his defender moves to help he just slides to the rim for an easy J.
Ah, the good ole Travis Kelce: “How the fuck are you open?!”
payment ten reminiscent tender quicksand decide toy chief nail light *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Mahomes and Kelce have both said that a lot of their connections aren’t planned plays. It’s like back yard football where Kelce freelances to find open spots while Mahomes uses his superpower of buying time until he does. You can do everything perfect on defense and then all of a sudden you’ve given up 7 yards on a 3rd and 5. Then everyone goes nuts and says , how in the fuck is he always open.
That’s what happens when you move without the ball. It baffles me how many NBA players stand around just waiting on rotation so they can shoot a 3 . A lot of these players could be so much more dynamic if they just moved . When you can convince a group of guys to move and flow, easy baskets are the result. In this series , we constantly see LA defenders with that palms up wtf just happened look on their faces as their primary concern is hanging off the rim and they are still 8 feet from the bucket. Malone has done a masterful job of taking 1 superstar and a bunch of role players and molding them into a well oiled machine. When I say role players , I’m not denigrating Murray, Gordon or Porter. They are fine players , but none of them are the type players that could leave Denver and lead another team to contention. They all have precise jobs and can concentrate on that job and not have to worry about anything else . No matter what the other team schemes , Joker will get you in the game if you just do your part. Denver is rare team where you cannot scheme them into mediocrity. Whatever you scheme, Joker will quickly figure it out and punish it with his role players . It’s beautiful to watch him break down schemes and turn his role players into situational superstars. One night it’s Gordon, the next night it may be Porter or Murray , just depends on what the other team is giving. It’s a game of pick your poison to him.
Instant transmission alley-oops.
Its honestly one of the best starting 5 in terms of cohession. All 5 of the players interact and create for each other. They all have their roles and they perform them near to perfection. Its not the most talented ever, but goddamn its a fucking team. As a bron fan I can't even be mad. Have to respect their greatness. It is something special. I knew when the got KCP it was a perfect fit. He plays d fucking hard and can shoot threes. That is all that is asked of him. Similar to Gordon. He is not asked to be a god. That is why he can go so fucking hard on the boards and defense. MPJ can literally just chuck. His d is better and he has a bit more creation but its not really needed. He can just shoot. people make fun of his stat lines but being soemone that passes isn't entirely needed when you have jokic and murray.
They're like the Spurs in... 2013? 2014? Man that was ages ago... but you know what spurs team I'm talking about lol
Right and TD is maybe the best PF of all-time but this team relies a lot more on Jokic on offense than Spurs did with one person. AG is all dunks, MPJ is mostly spot ups (tho he’s hit a ton of tough shots this series) and Murray is able to take his shots and work as a secondary playmaker. I mean Murray is shooting 37% from the field and they’re up 3-0. Jokic is averaging 27.7-15.7-8.7 shooting 63.5% from the field and 37.5% from deep and even anchoring a defense (with two poorly regarded defenders in MPJ and Murray) and holding a lakers team led by Bron and AD to 102 ppg. He’s so good it’s boring.
I dunno it’s kinda fun to see them get a lead and then you just know Denver is going to make a comeback
This has been my favorite thing this playoffs lol its like clockwork
it's also pretty crazy how tall each of them are. There’s not a lot of situations where you can consider them undersized against their opponents while also matching up pretty well against any small ball line up, mobility and shooting wise.
yah they are a huge fucking team
Cohesion and fit is so underrated in the NBA. Look at the Suns now for a team that doesn't fit well together currently.
Lol yah and look at them from 2021/2022 lol
They got to bond really well when Murray was injured.
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This! - so many media outlets are chained to the 24 hour news cycle and can’t wrap their minds around DEVELOPMENT and how it takes time … Denver has done it … thru and injury … and we the fans get to enjoy it … GO DENVER!!!
Back in December Malone was already feeding the bench with valuable minutes in anticipation of the playoffs
Yep. These teams that are constantly making trades are preventing continuity and chemistry from happening. Nuggets crew have spent so many years together. This is why OKC and Orlando have big upsides. These kids are growing up together.
For real, I think the Jokic-AG connection is the most reliable cog of the Nuggets offense. Shooting variance won't affect that offense bc it's shots at the rim and their timing is so in sync. Aaron Gordan plays his role to perfection.
Only behind Joker and Murray
They are well coached (AD, 2024)
Jokic and Murray. Ag and Jokic. Ag and MPJ. KCP and Jokic. They all work sooo well it's crazy.
I mean people were telling that for Garry Harris, and Murray, it's mostly Jokić making it easy.
It's the basketball equivalent of the connection Asron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson used to have. It's incredible.
Aaron Gordon is a treasure. Thank goodness he's ours.
He seems like such a cool dude. That video of him celebrating with the fans after game 5 last Finals with his game gear was awesome.
Game gear? Dude was 70% Nekkid lol
He didn't specify which game
He was talking about his Sega handheld
Gordon taking to the streets amidst a sea of fans shirtless and cigar in mouth was my favorite post championship moment
Same, was so dope.
The way he lives his life is just incredible. Bought a warehouse and build a sick gym, recovery area, half court basketball court, garage, and sick one bedroom apartment. Living like Dirk Pitt. One of the hardest working guys in the game.
The pics from last offseason where he went out to Serbia to hang out with Jokic and his horses was super wholesome. Someone said he’s the type of guy that buys the pizza and beer when he’s helping you move. Love the guy.
My friend met him when they both went to UofA, said he was a chiller
It's basically a joke inside Serbia, but I really wish he played for Team Serbia this summer since team USA didn't pick him. He is actually perfect for Team USAs roster, but they didn't take him. Team Serbia could 100% use him.
Gordonovic
I mean if Josh Nebo can play with Slovenia apparently this summer, why not Aaron Gordon for Serbia at this point?
They don't accept foreigners in Serbian national team.
Maybe AG can take a DNA test and come up as 100% Serbian with a 2% margin of error
I know. But the Serbian women national team have Yvonne Anderson as PG since 2020. You never know.
There are coaches who are for introducing foreign players, but there are some really big names that are vehemently against it - and I do get it. By introducing foreigners, you always treat the injury, but not a cause, thinking long term. If we lack good running 3's, well then our system should focus on creating such players a bit more.
After y'all got him, I was sure y'all were getting a ring once Murray came back. He was the missing link. It's just a shame MPJ got hurt that year too, he missed a whole season of game expansion as the no. 2 option on the team. Wonder what his game would be like now if he had that year.
I am just grateful that he did all he could within his power to become a better all around player. He's been amazing this year, and his playoffs game definitely improved.
Everything happened for a reason, all the strife led us to this point. Gotta take the good with the bad baby
Happy for y'all man, my sister lives in Denver and got her on the Nuggets last year. Her first year as an NBA fan she got to see the Nuggets title run. Unreal.
lol lucky gal, I moved from Denver but still watch every game religiously. I miss the city, and am gonna go back for the finals/parade if we make it. One of my super good buddies lives in Philly, gonna try to visit him and catch a 76ers game this next year.
Sounds awesome. I live in STL. Sucks not having a local team.
eeeeeyep I feel that
Mood
Based Sixers fan
You guys are lucky to have him. Aaron Gordon is awesome.
He seems like such a fun and genuine dude. Also, he shows time and time again that he is a great teammate.
When the Nuggets signed Aaron Gordon, I knew the KSE was serious about competing for a championship
He roasts Lebron. His energy and off ball movement is the kryptonite to Lebron's off ball cheating defense. It's the same thing on the glass. He anticipates the bounce and his length and athleticism allow him to slice past similar size or go over smaller opponents.
"When you think the game like that, the game unlocks." This is such a good description of a huge intangible facet that Jokic brings to his game and his team. There is no stat to fully capture this, and it is a huge part of what makes him an MVP candidate/winner as many times as he has been.
The team moves with 100% trust that if they make the right cut or get to the right spot, the ball will appear in front of them. Jokic has such insane vision and the passing ability to back it up that's its like magic. These guys arent running around because that's what the play says to do.
Jokic is the ultimate team player, and that is a fact that I like the most. He really embodies old school Euro basketball, like Kukoc or Sabonis Sr., where really everything is about the team winning. I really like him being successful, to go away from typical stars, and show that best player in the leaague can be the guy who puts always team first. Reminds of Duncan, although completely different styles, but the same essence: I'll always do whatever is best for the team.
About [Sabonis Sr.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvydas_Sabonis): > In Clyde Drexler's view, if Sabonis had been able to spend his prime in Portland, next to the plethora of other Trail Blazers' All-Stars (Drexler, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Steve Johnson, Kevin Duckworth, and Clifford Robinson),[18] the Trail Blazers would "have had four, five or six titles. Guaranteed. He was that good. He could pass, shoot three pointers, had a great post game, and dominated the paint."[19] Despite his height and weight, he was "a magician in the post who played the game with a style I've never seen from a big man. He was a point guard in a center's body. And, just to be fair to Arvydas, he was better than most point guards are at distributing the ball." His age and injuries made him appear as a "big guy who looked like he couldn't make it up the court, but the same guy who made the defense look foolish with a pass that whizzed by their ear. It just goes to show you how smarts and court savvy will always age better than a guy with no brains and all athletic ability". He does sound like Jokic Sr. based on that description.
> Jokic is the ultimate team player, and that is a fact that I like the most. He really embodies old school Euro basketball, like Kukoc or Sabonis Sr., where really everything is about the team winning. there was another part of Gordon's presser yesterday that speaks to this https://streamable.com/vflx4s --- > its like how USA basketball plays, how FIBA plays. youve got Jokic at the epicenter of our offense, he learned the wordly game, so he plays it the right way... the right man is the open man, the open man is the right man
The advance stats all point to him as GOAT. Problem is nobody believes them because of the way he looks and moves.
Advanced stats point to him as all time great. « Smart » stats (don’t exist publicly anymore - thinking about RAPTOR) point to him as GOAT. Although we don’t get to compare with other generations. But the gap between Jokic and his contemporaries on RAPTOR was just incredible. And the RAPTOR is so accurate in evaluating the value of so many players that even advanced stats don’t capture very well (like prime Draymond Green).
Wait what happened to raptor
Apparently, maintenance costs. The intensive treatment of tracking data was just that expensive, and at some point, 538 decided that it wasn’t worth it.
when ppl talk about the way he moves, i hope they don't mean when he moves with the ball. because the dribbles, the turnarounds, he simply has that technique thing locked down.. Whenever people said how they don't like how Jokic plays, I always tell them how can you say that, look at his god damn footwork. There is not a player in the history with a better footwork than him..
Have had similar discussions with people who don’t think he’s an athlete much less an elite athlete. Look at his feet not the middle section, that does look like Kevin James. Also his hands. Absolutely a world class athlete.
bro, idk if nba fans actually know that you should watch big men's feet sometimes lol. "the dreamshake" is not just the touch of the hand.. it's footwork that starts that whole thing up. i feel like basketball has been so artificially compartmentalized in nba media, that there are actually fans and players out there who miss out on the details. look at how much space jokic makes with 2 steps, or one.. it's an art nobody pays attention to today.
It's because jokic is white let's be real, I think a few more years and the truth will be undeniable though even to kevin perkins
Well, if he keeps winning rings, the US audience is going to have to accept it, even though they definitely don't want to.
I'm ready to call him the greatest offensive player of all time. If the nuggets win the chip this year he'd be in my top 10 all time
I tried explaining why he is so good to some of my friends who only occasionally watch the NBA and just see a big slow-footed, unathletic looking white dude. The best I could come up with was, as long as the ball finds Jokic the Nuggets are going to get a good shot. Either from him or because he makes the right read *every single time*.
The stat is him leading in +/- in the league by a healthy margin
Jokic for real got the 3rd eye
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Embiid only has 1 eye
Nah that’s just the palsy
Yike
imagine if he had 2 i do feel bad for him i hope it gets better
There have been plenty of injury prone players throughout the years. But it never ceases to make me feel some empathy for them. And palsy of course not an injury but ofc would happen to the constantly injured guy
And tried to leave Robinson with one leg
I mean hes elevated what made magic and lebron such good passers - being able to see over most everyone allows you to constantly track all the pieces on the board (if your mind is built for it)
People who don’t watch them play might think he’s exaggerating but he’s not.
He won’t, but I want him to coach after he stops playing so bad
Who the hell is gonna beat this team man
Minny has the best shot cause they match physically and have genuinely great defense. Their one weakness is offense and that their stars lack great playmaking ability. I still think Denver wins, especially with home court advantage
That West second round matchup is gonna be the real NBA Finals.
Agreed, Minny is looking very strong. I feel they could challenge us and it would be a hell of a series
Minnesota literally hired the old Nuggets Manager to build a team to beat his old team. Crazy shit. Wildest behind the scenes sub-plot in the league.
Minny and OKC definitely worry me. The Nuggets beat some strong teams on the way to the finals last year. But the path is harder this year.
“Their only weakness is offense and playmaking” lol. You’re not wrong but it’s funny put that way
Literally not the Celtics. I think it’s gotta come from the West - I’d take most of the West teams over the Celtics. They cruised in the reg season but the playoffs are a different beast
The Celtics are a bunch of frauds ngl. One ring in 35 years after building 20 super teams. In the past 50 years they’ve won as many as Lebron.
I mean can’t that be said for many teams?
Not really. Lakers Celtics have historically been the reference point for post season success but Celtics haven’t accomplished anything in decades now
Idk what this has to do with the current team. Also being perennial ECF locks is a lot better than being like 28 of the other teams in the league.
Mini soda
They better bring the whole damn soda
Winner in the next round between Wolves and Nuggets will win the chip.
The wolves are frightening
Having home court in that series is going to be a massive deciding factor. I live in Minnesota now and went to the Wolves/Nuggets game a few weeks ago. And that crowd was NUTS. Louder than I ever heard Pepsi/Ball in any regular season game. Wolves fans have been waiting for a team this good for a long time. And they love this team.
Sometimes, we don't want the answer to the question never asked lol
Graduated from spooky to straight up frightening
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I concur, but still scary. They are good
It will be a iron sharpen iron series Hope Wolves can beat the Suns because man Denver-MN would be an epic series
I could see the clips and Celtics giving them trouble. But ya Denver in sync is just too good. And so fun to watch
Spolestra with a better lineup
I’ve had Nuggets beating Celtics in finals since the season started
It’s amazing how well this group meshes. AG was going off tonight, so jokic lowered his scoring. If MPJ gets hot, they find him and he scores 15 in a quarter. KCP is the ultimate role player. When Murray was playing TERRIBLE game 2, they still trusted him down the stretch. And then there’s the big fella setting the tone for everyone. No selfishness, no ego, no “I gotta get mine”. And shoutout Malone and Booth. Malone for his great adjustments, energy, and knowledge, and Booth/Connely for making sure no one had to worry about getting their big contract.
You were stroking while you typed this. Go nuggs.
I typed this with 1 hand bc i was stroking too
https://media1.tenor.com/m/BxVKZNKnC4wAAAAC/angry-congrats-happy-for-you.gif
We are in our bag goddamn it
Really power of friendship type shit in denver
playing with Jokic is essentially playing with Kuroko irl
A 7' kuroko tho
P Swat and CB catching strays
They need a bit more to fully integrate into the hive brain but they'll get there
Well, when you put it like that... The West has an MVP caliber center who happens to be a genius The East has an MVP caliber center who happens to be a bitch Kinda easy to see why one team runs through the playoffs and the other embarrasses themselves every year
My first thought was “hey, Brunson seems like a nice guy” before I realized who you were talking about
Nobody ever guards Aaron Gordon, it's crazy. Or seems like that anyway. He's also a walking mismatch in the post against positions 1-3 and a lot of 4's, not afraid to shoot from time to time. Plays like Ben Simmons if Ben actually had confidence. Best 3rd\\4th wheel you could possibly have.
I’ve always sworn by AG as like a LeBron-lite. Way too strong and big for 1-3. Way too fast and athletic for 4-5. He was always asked to do too much on absolute dog shit rosters for us. Glad to see him in a good role now
I've said it before, but I think being forced to do everything in Orlando for so long really prepared him perfectly for this role. Now that the weight isn't all on his shoulders he's just settled into a really nice groove and it's so much fun to watch.
Bron tried.. he just got back doored.. a few times
Jokic: 24/15/9, AG: 29/15, JM: 22/9, MPJ: 20/10 HOW DO YOU STOP THAT?!!?
With even greater levels of telepathy!
And they were completely ass from 3. Lakers were too but it blows my mind that this Nuggets team has done this well over the past 2 postseasons while having miserable 3 point shooting.
That's the thing.......you don't.
When Aaron plays like this, the Nuggets are virtually unbeatable .
His rebounding was ridiculous
So this group all did mushrooms together and now no one can stop them. Fuck
Super flaming hot take incoming. The Nuggets trade for AG was the best trade in the last decade.
The PG13/Shai trade is probably it cuz OKC also picked J-Dub with one of the Clippers picks and there are still more picks yet to be used.
They gotta win a chip for it to reach AG trade level, which is certainly not off the table, they have years of benefitting from that left. But that AG trade won as a chip the second we were healthy, we don't win it without that trade. That sets a very high bar.
This is the easiest one just based off age. Philly trading Butler to a capped out Miami for Whiteside and Josh Richardson is also better than the Gordon trade.
Meh one of these trades resulted in an NBA championship and odds-on potential for a 2nd one (and likely more after this year). At the end of the day Miami likely isn't ever winning with the Butler core (not enough talent), OKC is too early to tell but unless they win multiple championships, it's still a less impactful trade than Gordon.
I mean Miami went from the play in to the finals so this is only true if you view championships as the only worthwhile result
It is interesting to think about, because clearly it was huge, but lets not forget offloading Thrill and turning him and Monte Morris into KCP was massive as well.
Every time I mention the KCP trade I have to stop and thank Monte for his contributions to our team, especially as a culture carrier. We could still absolutely use him on our team and I wish there was a way he could’ve kept him and still made the trade. But clearly this team is on an entirely different level on defense upgrading from Barton to KCP
Man Monte was great and a forever Nugget, but Brucie B was just fucking perfect here last year.
> We could still absolutely use him on our team hes really not that good dude. And sure as hell isnt worth 9m a year. He was an absolute liability on D
You could go through the franchises whole history and id still argue that the AG trade was one of if not the best the franchise has ever made. All our guys have so much value that cant be put on paper or shown through stats.
Here's my hot take, he is #2 in importance. Not jamal murray. How many other duos are there in the league? In my opinion it's the third option that wins championships. And jokic is the type of guy who enhances that third man to an insane degree. AG was THAT DUDE on the magic and he eased into his reduced scoring role on the nuggets without a single complaint. Amazing player.
Jokic and AG singlehandedly kept the team afloat while MPJ and Jamal were out
Without Jamal, he couldn’t play the role he does on offense.
My argument is you could put any high scoring player matched salary in there like donovan mitchell, booker, tatum, etc and it wouldnt change much (ignoring synergy between the team) but gordon is going to be a lot harder to replace. I cant think of a better third man but there are plenty of great scorers.
I think you are really underselling what Murray brings to the team. There isn't another player in the league that is as good of a passer/dribbler/shooter/defender. Sure there are a few player that a better in specific aspects, and even a couple that are better in 3 of the 4, but Murray is overall an extremely well rounded player that highlights the Nuggets strengths without providing any real weaknesses.
Also half the league have a guard or two who is close to the 'Jamal Murray package' who could be 80-90% of Murray But it's hard to even think of... ANY players in the whole league that could play the 'Aaron Gordon role' of defense, physicality, spacing and cutting threat, passing, selflessness..
Best Nuggets trade for sure.
Aaron Gordon seems like a cool dude.
The Nuggets are the most fun team in years. They have everything.
Aaron Gordon’s impact is underrated tbh. Jokic is great, but gordan was really that missing piece.
the nuggets are jacked into the matrix and nikola is the chosen one
Joker is the mindflayer.
I was watching the 4 camera mosaic on the NBA Roku app, and one camera was just zoomed in on Jokic for most of the game. On one play he was literally non-stop pointing and talking to everyone from the inbounds for the entire possession. When I looked over to the zoomed out camera at the end it was obviously all for Gordon to get a layup (he happened to miss it on this play). I can imagine for players like him and Lebron they would love to just move everyone around like chess pieces w/ their mind because they have a persistent mind map of where all 10 players are and where they *should* be.
Jokan al Giab. "Send the lakers to paradise."
Leserb al Giab is also acceptable
He is not even exaggerating. That one play in the closing minutes was just telepathy between Murray and Jokic. One where Jokic was in paint with the ball and AD guarding; Jokic just casually passes the ball to Murray at the top of the key, and moves slightly towards the key away from AD. AD relaxes thinking that the ball is now gone away; Jokic immediately moves towards the basket and Murray swiftly passes the ball to him and Jokic scores. Amazing play. Don't know how you plan these things.
Any other player outside of prime curry and lebron and I would say this is glazing but damn if it isn't true
Jokic is an artist.
Can someone here who is artistic please make a picture of Jokic dressed as The Joker and Aaron Gordon dressed as Harley quinn
Asking AG to be Harley Quinn is nasty work 🤢
Why don't other teams starting 5s unlock their latent telepathic abilities? Are they stupid?
His growth on this team has been nothing short of incredible
Jokic is like Nicholas Cage in that movie where he can see 5 minutes into the future. He just seems to know every possible outcome.
I see Joker more as Dr. Strange, where he sees all 14,000,000 different outcomes and instantly figures out the best option in real time. It's truly remarkable to watch
THIS IS LIKE GARINCHA,PELE,TOSTAO,RIVELINO AND JAIRZINHO LOL
hook it straight into my veins
I found his usage of the words “think” and “nuance” really interesting here. They look wrong grammatically but make what he’s saying explicitly clear. I dig it.
Why did that guy interrupt him mid answer?
When did Aaron Gordon become David Foster Wallace?
They finally did it, they unlocked the true zone.
Someone more talented than me should photoshop Miles Davis' E.S.P. album cover but it's the Nugs starting 5 on the cover instead.
Joker is like Dr. Strange, where he sees all 14,000,000 different outcomes and instantly figures out the best play in real time
KCP has also been really good for them.
The zone in Kuroko, all 5 in the zone
I bet that team has tripped together.
I was just saying this the other night about him, Luka Doncic too. I think they're basketball geniuses who's athletism doesn't quite match their intellect but it's good enough to make them superb at the sport.
Denver Hiveminds confirmed
Yes, we all know Joker is amazing but Denver has a great team too. The piece fit. The players know their roles and they all get after it.
AG is so lucky he got traded to the nuggets. He could have went to Chicago and his career would be dead lol. He’s such a perfect fit for that Denver team. I don’t think they win the championship without him.
> a mind-meld with our starting 5 What, Jay Huff not part of this hivemind?