Is there really something wrong with Steven Curry's defensive strategy in the final moments? On this night, Nikola Jokic had 35 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists on 13 of 24 shooting, including 3 three-pointers, 3 plus 9 free throws, and he had come to the inside line, and if no one completed the pinch, judging by the efficiency of the inside line of 10 of Jokic's 18 shots, the game was likely to enter overtime. Instead of making overtime decisions, it is better to gamble on the Nuggets' three-point feel, but unfortunately, Lady Luck did not stand on the side of the Warriors, Monte Morris hit a whistle three-pointer, and the Nuggets completed a 16-point reversal.
In a whole game, the Nuggets only got one chance to lead, that is, after Morris hit the whistle three points, which was enough to prove the nuggets' difficulties, the Warriors who played at home pressed the Nuggets to play, but unfortunately they won the night and were actually completed by the Nuggets at dawn. It really responds to the more popular saying today: life is impermanent, the large intestine is wrapped in the small intestine!
Regardless of the fan support for the home team, the game between the Warriors and the Nuggets can become a classic game, especially in the final moments, Curry and Morris hit key shots consecutively, coupled with the resilience of the Nuggets and mike Malone's tactics of cutting Kevin Looney, these factors have further sublimated the game. The Warriors are a bit depressed, but losing to such a Nuggets is not unjust, and their defensive strategy is not much of a problem, just encountering the more powerful Jokic and Morris, who is not soft at key moments.
The Warriors' tactic is to cut off Jokic's contact with teammates as much as possible, and then interfere with Jokic as much as possible on the defensive end, in the first three quarters of the game, the Warriors cut off Jokic and teammates to do a good job, but on the defensive end, they simply can't limit Jokic, so Jokic's full-game shooting rate reached 54.2%, three-point shooting rate reached 60%. But Jokic's fitness is clearly in trouble, otherwise there wouldn't have been two consecutive free throws and one shot in the fourth quarter.
An MVP-level player like Jokic, it is almost impossible to be limited all night, and Jokic, who only gave 3 assists in the first three quarters, still found a way to connect the team in the final quarter, sending 5 assists in a single quarter, and in the last quarter, he sent three-point assists to Morris and Forbes, including the key three-pointers hit by Morris. Throughout the fourth quarter, the Nuggets shot 6-of-10 from three-point range, including three goals from Jokic's assist.
So, it's really understandable that the Warriors were turned over, and Jokic in the last quarter not only remained efficient on the offensive end, but also connected the team, which is not the Nuggets' favorite rhythm? Forget about it, in the first three quarters, Jokic gave 3 assists but 5 turnovers, and in the final quarter, he delivered 5 assists without errors. So I have to add one more thing: Jokic adapted to the Warriors' defensive intensity and defensive style, perfectly breaking down the Warriors' defense.
After beating the Warriors, the Nuggets won three consecutive games and are currently sixth in the West with 33 wins and 25 losses, which makes it difficult for Jokic to become MVP, but the Nuggets' situation seems to be ignored by many people, the team lacks the two key players Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Jokic's offensive responsibilities and the heavy responsibilities of tandem teams more often. In this case, Jokic was able to play 26 points, 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists, shooting 57% from the field and 37.2% from three-point range.
Jokic will face more defensive intensity without enough helpers, and even so, Jokic's shooting percentage this season is the second highest shooting percentage of his career, second only to 57.8% in the 16-17 season and 0.4 percentage points higher than the 56.6% in the MVP season. In fact, Jokic this season is somewhat similar to Steve Nash in the 05-06 season, when Amare Stoudemire was reimbursed for the season, nash against pressure to average 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game, with 51.2%, 43.9% and 92.1% of the three rates, respectively, leading the Suns to a 54-28 record.
The Nuggets' record this season may not be comparable to the 05-06 Suns, but the Suns at least had hacker Sean Marion, who was 21.8 points and 11.8 rebounds at the time, and all the pressure on the Nuggets today is on Jokic. Therefore, Jokic is the real MVP, which is why the Nuggets have a poor record, but he can be at the top of the MVP rankings, because his performance is too stable and too efficient.
Text/Duncan's laugh