Nikola Jokic becomes the first player to score 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a single season, leading the Nuggets to lock up a playoff spot / Nikola Jokic first with 2K points, 1K rebounds, 500 assists; leads Denver Nuggets to playoff berth
Published: April 7, 2022 US time
Published media: espn
Article author: Brian Lewis
Article translated by de Gaulle
On April 8, Beijing time, the Nuggets defeated the famous "No Mo Bear" at home 122-109, giving the opponent a losing streak, improving the team's record to 48 wins and 33 losses, and widening the gap between themselves and the 7th Timberwolves in the West to 2 wins. With both teams left with only one final regular season game left, the Nuggets are no longer likely to be overtaken by their opponents, and they will lock up a spot that advances directly to the playoffs.
In terms of merit, in this crucial victory, the absolute core of the Nuggets, Jokic, is the greatest. The strong contender for MVP this season has delivered gorgeous stats of 35 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in a single game. Meanwhile, Jokic's three major stats this season have reached 2,004 points, 1,019 rebounds and 584 assists. As a result, Jokic also became the first player in NBA history to play the "2000+1000+500" statistic in a single season.
In the past, when talking about such exaggerated data, Chamberlain would often be on the list. But even in Chamberlain's heyday, 1967-68, he was eight points away from an all-around performance like "2000+1000+500". So, Jokic's performance this season is really the first person in history. At the same time, Jokic's 35 points and 16 rebounds in this game is also his fifth consecutive performance of "35+12", which makes him the first player to play such a performance after Chamberlain.
Even the Nuggets, who are accustomed to Jokic's various magical performances, are shocked by his performance. For example, the team's rookie, Hyland, does not know what to use to express his admiration for Jokic: "This guy is really good at playing basketball. ”
In addition to the exaggeration of the data, Jokic's performance on the field is also amazing. Less than a minute into the battle with the Grizzlies, Jokic's right forehead was hit by the Grizzlies' inside Jaren Jackson Jr. elbow, instantly bleeding profusely. After receiving a simple treatment at the end of the game, Jokic returned to the court wearing a dark red headband. The Nuggets' official social media specially produced a picture of the protagonist of the movie "First Blood" Rambo tying his hands on Jokic's back (above), and attached a few lines of text: "Headband Jokic, Rambo Jokic, playoff mode Jokic, MVP." ”
Even if the Nuggets officially have a certain emotional color, Jokic's performance in this game has indeed reached the level of MVP. Recently, as the regular season draws to a close, the battle for regular season MVPs has also intensified. In addition to Jokic, Embiid and Alphabet Brother are also on the offensive towards the ultimate glory of this player. And Jokic's "bloody battle", coupled with the unprecedented record, undoubtedly gave him a lot of points in this scramble.
"In my opinion, MVP is nothing to argue about," Nuggets coach Malone said after the game, "there are other really good players, but look at these things that Nikola Jokic has done this year." Looking at the team he's led, looking at what we've been through, it's just that he's doing incredible. ”
As Malone said, Jokic's team environment is undoubtedly more difficult than Embiid and Alphabet Brother. Jamal Murray suffered a knee injury at the end of last season and has yet to return; Michael Porter Jr. has a recurring low back injury this season, playing just nine games in total. But Jokic led the Nuggets into the top 6 of the West in the absence of the team's two absolute main players to avoid the team falling into the playoff area. Such team conditions have added chips to his competition for MVP
Moreover, the Nuggets have a chance to continue to climb higher positions. At present, the Nuggets, who have one more game, are only 0.5 wins behind the Jazz who are no. 5 in the West, and if the Nuggets defeat the collapsed Lakers in the final final game, and the Jazz lose to the Suns and the Blazers in the last two games of the regular season, then the Nuggets can surpass the Jazz by one win and rise to the 5th place in the West. Although the conditions are more demanding, after all, the game has not yet been played, and no one can say what kind of result will occur.
Known as the strongest brigade in the league, the "No Mo Bear", after a record of 20 wins and 2 losses, the last two games have lost to the Jazz and Nuggets, suffering a losing streak. Summing up the game, Grizzlies coach Jenkins said: "I think we've been playing very good games before, even if it was the previous game that lost to the Jazz, we played well. But tonight, we played very badly. ”
So why did the Grizzlies play poorly on the court? Jokic is undoubtedly an important reason.
"We really used everything we could to defend him," Jenkins said, "and there's a reason he's been able to be MVP, because it's really almost impossible to be defended." He can beat you on the inside, he can hit you on the outside, and he can organize attacks. Tonight in this game, he played at a very high level. ”
In addition to the technical level of play, Jokic's "bloody battle" in this scene has undoubtedly added a lot of color to his performance. At first, he did not wear a headband, but because the injured parts were outstanding twice, Jokic rarely wore a pocket headband in order to be able to stay on the field. "I immediately remembered that Steve Nash was in the playoffs, and there was a game of bleeding," Malone said after the game, "and when I saw him bleeding, I couldn't help but say: 'Don't have an accident at such a critical moment tonight.'" Later, I told the team doctor that I would stop the bleeding no matter what, even if I used the stapler to tie the wound. Fortunately, his bleeding stopped, and then Nikolai contributed another MVP performance. ”
Three minutes and 19 seconds before the finale, the Nuggets, who had already established a 24-point lead, had the victory in hand, and Jokic was replaced early, enjoying the standing ovation cheers of the fans. Malone stood on the sidelines, constantly waving his arms, signaling for the fans to make them louder. Jokic ripped off his headband as he walked. "Although I look handsome, I'm not going to let all of you see me like that for the second time," Jokic said after the game.
In his words, it can still be heard that Jokic may not be satisfied with the image of his headband. However, when it comes to his performance this season, he is very confident, and he feels that he has played better this season than when he won the MVP for the first time last season.
"If I'm good enough [to win the MVP], it's enough," Jokic said, "but if it's not enough, it's something I can control." ”