On the eve of the start of the 2023 NBA Championship Game, people are generally optimistic about the duel between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat. In addition to the Nuggets' majestic home at high altitude, which is as unbreakable as a steel fortress in the playoffs, there is also Nuggets star Nicola Jokic, a key figure who can determine the entire game. Relying on superb regional defense and a group of players whose fate is to reverse the fate, the Eastern Conference king of the playoffs The Heat know that this Serbian mountain will not be easily conquered.
Heat coach Eric Spoelstra praised Nikola Jokic while also being alert to Nikola Jokic's ability to connect with the Nuggets' offensive at any time. "He is very unique. Judging by his size, his skills, he really doesn't have any obvious weaknesses. Eric Spoelstra said. He is so unique that he can influence the game and the victory. ”
"It takes a whole team of five people to defend him." Jimmy Butler, Eastern Conference Playoff Player of the Year, echoed. "He can do everything well, and we have to fill in the defensive space and fight for rebounds together."
The Heat did try to cut off Nikola Jokic's connection with his teammates, leaving him in a solo state, and even managed to break the Nuggets' unbeaten home record in this playoff game in Game 2. However, Nikola Jokic of the championship game is already performing a gorgeous turnaround, and eventually averaged 30.2 points, 14 rebounds and 7.2 assists to win the Finals MVP award.
In 2023, 27-year-old Nikola Jokic completed his reigning myth in the "Mile High City", and it is really at this point that people really believe that Nikola Jokic is tied with the great stars of history - the 11th player in NBA history to win at least two regular season MVPs, a championship and a Finals MVP.
"He's one of the greatest players in history and he's only 28 years old. He still has that long way to go. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth said.
For Nikola Jokic, all the things he is greeting, such as championships, honors, awards, etc., are not the starting point of a great voyage. The empire he overlooks has been slowly building since his encounter with basketball many years ago.
When I was a child, the impression of Nikolai Jokic of people around me always stayed in a few keywords: "fat", "tall", "otaku", etc., almost all of which had nothing to do with basketball. In fact, Nikolai Jokic once said that he couldn't do even one push-up in high school. However, under the eyes and ears of his two older brothers, Nemanja and Strahinja, Nikola Jokić slowly continued to pound on the toy basket hanging on the wall of his apartment and deal with his two older brothers, and after the age of 16, he left his hometown to join a Serbian team called Mega Leks, playing in the professional basketball league dominated by members of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Then, after three years in the professional league, Nikola Jokic won the MVP title and was ready to fly higher.
The 2014 Nike Basketball Summit in Portland was the first time Nikola Jokic actually performed in front of the NBA, especially since most of the NBA's general managers appeared at this basketball summit. It's just that most people are not too positive. 'I think a lot of teams have watched Nikola Jokic but didn't like him very much.' An anonymous NBA executive said so. No matter how hard he tries to move forward, Nikola Jokic will continue to face labels such as "too slow" and "unable to exercise" or discrimination. In fact, only the Nuggets believe in Nikola Jokic. So the contempt of others is lucky for the Nuggets.
"By choosing him, we got these affirmations that are actually not very fair." Tim Connelly, then president of basketball operations for the Nuggets, now president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, later said so. "We have two more signings! We could have picked him earlier, just waiting for the 41st pick. Frankly, it's all because of the lucky scouting deployment. ”
Years later, Roy Rana, then coached Nicola Jokic at the Basketball Summit, recalled the dust-covered gem. "There were about 500 people in the stadium all week, and I would be surprised if anyone in the stadium had expected him to be like this." Roy Rana said. "It's all thanks to Denver and their growth plans, and the belief in him (Nikola Jokic) is unwavering. I really didn't expect him to be an MVP-level player. I think he'll become a good NBA player over time, but even at that point, that's controversial. ”
At the Nike basketball summit, Emmanuel Mudiay showed the "American team" his explosiveness in offensive and defensive conversions, while Justis Winslow, Kelly Oubre Jr. and others allowed the "world team" to witness what suffocating defense is. Throughout the game, Nikolai Jokic played only about 15 minutes, scoring 5 points and 7 rebounds. After the race, he returned to Serbia, but his future was still blank.
It wasn't until the night of the 2014 draft, that phone call from his brother Nemanja at midnight.
"You're drafted in the NBA! How can you still sleep? ”
With the 41st pick, the dust on Nikolai Jokic was gently brushed away, ready to bloom in the "Mile High City".
NBA executives who missed Nikola Jokic on the basketball summit have seen the horrific product of their passing in last season's playoffs. The seemingly fat body has an endless stream of energy; Tall, but the posture is like flowing water, smooth and agile, each movement can achieve its own purpose. Throughout the playoffs, Nikola Jokic led the pack in scoring, rebounding and assists. At the same time, Nikola Jokic also set another record - surpassing the mythical beast Chamberlain, completing 10 big triples in a single playoff game, occupying the first place in the all-time leaderboard. But anyone familiar with Nikola Jokic knows that he really doesn't care, like in Game 3 of the Championship Series, Nikola Jokic turned in 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists, and he just said: "Honestly, it's just a statistic." I don't care. ”
In fact, what he really cares about is victory.
It's funny to say that the appearance of Nikolai Jokic at the award ceremony after the championship game without caring about the trophy is really a manifestation of his true nature - the most real big boy who exudes "it doesn't matter". Nikolai Jokic didn't care about the surrounding talk about his figure, so occasionally he would send videos about fitness to his friend and strength and conditioning coach Felipe Eichenberger, and then joke that one day he wanted to be like this. Or, when a race hurts his back or knee, he asks Felipe Eichenberger if losing weight can improve it.
However, in preparation for the 2019-20 season, Nikola Jokic talked seriously about becoming an MVP for the first time. At the time, he was quite angry, all because he didn't think he was such a player - he loved to pass more than score. "He's not the kind of person who slaps himself on the chest and says, 'Look at me.' He's the kind of 'hey, look at us. It's a team. Nuggets coach Mike Malone once compared San Antonio Spurs legend Duncan to Nikola Jokic, believing that the two were equal in strength but extremely humble.
Later, Nikola Jokic began to let go of the matter, as Felipe Eichenberger explained, not to care about becoming an MVP, but to focus on all training. Then, mixing in the retraining room became Nikolai Jokic's daily routine: after every competition, he would return to the gym to lift weights; He changed his eating habits; Every time I hit a game console, there is no longer a combination of beer and snacks to match. With that came the regular-season MVP for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. However, Nikolai Jokic's eyes are on higher championship honors.
Nikola Jokic still felt that he had more shortcomings: he was swept by the Phoenix Suns in the semifinals of the 2020-21 Western Conference playoffs, and he was ruled off in Game 4 of the series; In the 2021-22 season, the Nuggets lost in the first round to the future championship Golden State Warriors. Nikola Jokic remembers all this, so when the Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the Los Angeles Lakers and advanced to the NBA Finals last season, what he felt was not the thrill of waiting and working hard for many years, but the slightest satisfaction and restlessness. "Honestly, I thought it would be a deeper feeling. Yes, we won the competition and I'm really happy. Nikolai Jokic said. Yes, we made history. But, next year, no one will remember us, and unless we win them all, maybe it will be different. ”
Later, Nikola Jokic not only led the Nuggets to win them all, but also let the world see the birth of a completely different basketball hero.
Just as Nikola Jokic was worried about going home instead of the championship parade at the championship press conference, Nikolai Jokic didn't care much about being exposed to the fluorescent screen. Compared with other stars, Nikola Jokic does not have so many endorsements, he rarely attends non-essential press conferences, and even has a sneaker contract with Nike, but he does not even have a pair of his own exclusive shoes.
People still remember his words when he stood at the pinnacle of glory: "Basketball is not the most important thing in my life." But that doesn't change the impact of Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets' victory and Nikola Jokic's accession to the throne have far-reaching significance. "His approach to basketball was, I'm just a basketball player, in a very gentle way. He comes to play and then goes home. Of course, it also makes his job easier and eliminates all distractions. Andre Miller, who used to play for the Nuggets, analyzed.
The night the Nuggets won the championship, it proved a lot of things. Relying on accurate analysis and firm belief, the Nuggets chose a slightly obese young man who was far away; continue to believe in defenders who have suffered serious injuries and may not be able to recover to their peak; After many defeats, he still handed over the coaching whip to the old coach who repeatedly lost battles, and finally wrote a historic glorious scene with patience.
Finally, it was Nikola Jokic who changed basketball as a whole.
Put aside all restrictions such as body size and position, and face any opponent, the more you are suppressed, the more you can bounce back, and then destroy your opponent in a unique, comprehensive and all-round way. Nikolai Jokic's life is not only basketball, but he was born for basketball, a cross-era king.