Nikola Jokic Has Proved He’s the Best Player in the NBA | The Bill Simmons Podcast
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- Bill Simmons and Kevin O'Connor discuss Nikola Jokic's greatness, why Denver looks poised to win the NBA title this year, and how this could be the first year of many deep playoff runs for this team.
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It's weird that a guy that won back to back MVPs is just now being fully accepted as what he is. He is one of the best passers that has ever played, not just big men. He is a throwback and completely futuristic simultaneously. He's special
plus he plays his home games in Denver giving him a ridiculous home court advantage nobody wants to talk about... he was +21 at home and only +5 on the Road for Off v Def Rating, Durant was +9 on the Road this season... fax
completely futuristic? Wtf? He's a big person who passes. There have been dozen, if not hundreds of those players. The future is quick three point making which Murray and MPJ exemplify.
@@Adam-qf2rq False. He’s as good a playmaker as Magic and he’s seven feet tall. That’s NEVER been seen before.
@@dereksupernaut If playing in Denver is such an advantage,why are they JUST now making their first Finals? It's not like they haven't been around for very long...
Your example of futuristic is just literally the current way NBA basketball is played.
Thinking how embiid literally begged for this years mvp award and came up small in game 7 of the east semis, then threw his teammates under the bus, and jokic just let his play do the talking and now he’s led his team to the nba finals. He definitely should’ve won his 3rd straight mvp award 🃏
Jokic nice but if you switch Harden for Murray, Nuggets get put out in 2nd round while Sixers would be on way to Finals. Embiid choked but you can't expect to get far when Ben Simmons or an old Harden are your 2nd best player
Ben simmons was a all nba player and all defense, harden gave 2 great games and one good one embiid had about 1
@@tdup191 No.
Woulda shoulda coulda. It's a regular season award and they won't award 3 in a row to a guy who had no ring. Deal with it.
But perceptions last for years. Dirk couldn't shed the unfair "soft" label until he carried a team tot eh Finals and "solved" the Heatles. That exit will haunt Embiid until he wipes it away. or not.
Don’t forget. Bill voted for Embiid this year because he felt Embiid deserved at least one for his career🤦🏻♂️
Simmons: I always told you about this Jokic guy. Only casual people didn't know he was the best.
Also Simmons: Votes Embiid for MVP about a month ago
Hey, Bill wasn't trying to get cancelled around here. Wanna blame anyone, blame Perkins.
Sympathy MVP. He said "can you imagine 10 years from now looking back and realizing that Embiid never got an MVP?" Also didn't want to give it to Jokic 3 years in a row.
Jokic was the best player three years in a row but the margins were very slight.
Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!! Drives me nuts!
To be fair, he did say he would likely regret it the rest of his life.
White people in America are held hostage.
Overcorrection...
The only reason why jokic didn't win his 3rd MVP. Is cause idiots in the media caved to a narrative. Jokic is clearly the best player in the league. He's a basketball savant
He shouldn't won it in 2021 🤷🏿♂️it should of been greek freak
The best regular season player frequently do not win. It's just something they spread around to honor people. Does a firm want a single guy to win "salesman of the year" 10 years in a row? No, it's shitty for morale and that dude is stick getting max perks.
@@goldteethpoohproductions2707 Giannis 2021, Embiid 22, Jokic 23
It appears as though Perk claiming racism was enough to scare people into voting for Joel
@@tdup191 embiid didn’t deserve it last year
The reaction that he gets is very similar to the reaction fans and players had when they first saw Bird hoop. They could not comprehend how a dude looks so weird, with such a weird personality, can have such a sublime and flawless game
The thing about Jokic is: he is a better person than he is a player. Character counts on the court and in the locker room.
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Exactomundo
Give this man a Nobel prize..... Nah I know what you mean but he is the best basketball player in the world. And a great guy.
Have you seen his brothers?! No way you grow up with those two without being humble with zero ego
100%
Jokic has the passing skills of Magic, and the offensive footwork of Olajuwon. Amazing to watch.
The thing I like most about Jokic, beyond his scoring, rebounding and passing, which are supreme, is his refusal to be marketed, to fit in a neat box for the press. “I’m not sexy, but I’m the best player in the world,” he says in all but words.
Jokic has multiple “driveway moments” from behind the arc in the first 3 rounds alone. Those countdown prayers we all chucked into bricks. That one-legged step back behind the arc was iconic. Big salute
ICONIC 🎉😂🫠🤷💗🥹
Few years ago he had multiple game winners with that move. He built for this.
At this point I don’t even know if they’re prayers I think it’s just another shot for him
Everything Jokic does is simple yet nobody else can do it. You cannot copy greatness.
💯💯💯
Bro 90% of his stuff is far away from simple🤣
Laser passing accurate, one legged step backs shooting, insane perifering vision, weird shooting angles, 7 footer leads transition fast break etc
100%🙌
Finally people are getting it! Jokic is the best player in the WORLD! He will continue to be for years to come!
I grew up in Colorado loving the Nuggets. Issel, English, Thompson, Lever. I got a job with them after they fired Doug Moe and the team was terrible. It was disheartening for other teams to have more fans. I was always one of the few people proudly wearing my Nuggets gear, my Alex English and Fat Lever T-shirts and it felt like this day would never happen. Still feels like a dream. Hope and Pray they win four more and bring home a title so they can enjoy the love the team always deserved!
You are a true fan!
SALUTE
Me too brother. Me too.
I still wear my ABA Thompson #33 to Nugz games. Wore it to the second home game -vs- the Lakers. Long live the Skywalker!!
My favorite was English and T.R Dunn. Calvin Natt too.
I haven't heard one mention of Kiki Vandeweghe as being one of the great Nuggets. why not?
As a big Nuggets fan who has loved seeing Jokic play for years it’s been fun to see him get more national love. A few commentators like Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe especially have been praising him publicly for years but most haven’t taken him seriously.
This segment meant a lot to me as a lifelong Nuggets fan. Bill was the first sports writer that I really loved and felt a connection to way back in the day.
Simmons is just a fan with a show lol. He's nothing special
🤮
@@j2398 you’re wrong, that’s part of what makes him special
I love that you are praising MPJ. Best story of the year so far for the Nuggets. His willingness to sacrifice for the team speaks to his character. And he's just scratching the surface. Can't wait to see him next year after a healthy summer of work. Thanks.
He has def grown. I remember couple seasons back he was throwing a tantrum about his playing time. Fantastic player, glad he’s grown into his role and understands team basketball
@veedwg8824 facts. That's the problem I've always found with teams that tank every year, young guys don't realize what it takes to win until you start winning.
Yes and it’s because of Jokic example… another thing that failed to be recognized on mvp ballots
I agree ! I feel a big game coming on from him in the finals! 13-18 from the floor with 11 boards 🤪
I predict he will score 20+ very efficient PPG next year and average almost a double-double and improve his D even more. He is already a + defender. That was definitely not true at the beginning of this year.
For 2 or 3 seasons now Jokic's teammates have been becoming pass first players due to playing with him. It's as if they have all seen the light ... Wait until the rest of the league figures it out ... fundamental basketball!
Kind of like the Warriors who for the past 10 years have led the league in assists. Its great to see the Nuggets healthy and playing well, but nobody played fundamental basketball as well as the Warriors over the past decade.
Yeah seeing Aaron Gordon thread needle bounce passes to backdoor cutters is kind of a wild experience lol
@@crablord7934 that pass to Murray in the lane was a thing of beauty. It blew me away. Jokic-ball is so contagious.
Remember in the bubble run MPJ was whining about touches? He's grown up, got better, and is pulling in the same direction.
When they traded for Gordon I thought "Here we go." Then Murray tore his ACL. Now it comes back around as the beautiful game.
I knew they were going to be great once healthy and I wasn't even taking MPJ maturing into account. Unfortunately they eliminated my Suns. I don't see the nuggets having much trouble winning the whole thing. Enjoy the finals.
Seeing the Nuggets in person is so different than seeing them on TV. They are so big and fast and Jokic adapts his game continuously to do whatever is needed to win. Case in point, down 15 points to the Lakers in the first half in game 4 did not even phase them.
Just like Curry changed the NBA and basketball in 2015, Jokic has changed the NBA and basketball in 2023. Jokic is the new Curry. Steph was new then but the whole NBA practiced shooting 3s . Giannis showed a 7 footer can play like a perimeter player, but Jokic showed a 7 foot player can go further and play like a 1988 Magic Johnson.
Guards shooting ridiculous 3s really changed the game lol
true true
Facts, curry shooting three that efficiently at a volume , forces the leagues to find players who are two way and won’t be lazy on defense, because 1 second late, it’s a 3 on your face and that changes the momentum of a whole game. Basketball is so much about repetition it’s crazy and amazing how a team just starts moving. Fluidly and being dead eye precise in shooting. It’s. Beautiful thing, then to see the dance in the footwork with the dribbling sound creating beautiful music. There’s nothing like it.
Curry has an incredible handle too and runs around like crazy to get open. You need to be more than just a shooter
Duuuude you crazy Jokic fans need to calm down a little bit. What Jokic is doing ISN'T special. He's just being a Point Center. Annnd he is the only Point Center in the league. Annnd he's the best offensive center of all time. Annnnd he is the best passing center of all time. Annnnnd he is the best European player of all time. Annnnnnnd he is about to win the Nugs their first championship. Annnnnnnnnd he is the best Nuggets player of all time and its not even close... As I said, not special.
As a Nuggets fan, I'm happy to see him finally getting the love and praise he deserves. But most of all, he doesn't care. Not in the sense of not caring for love and praise, but he doesn't need it. He doesn't crave it. He puts his head down and goes to work. He wants to be the best he can be not for selfish accolades and achievements. But because he wants to be the best he can be for his team and to win games. He'd rather feed his teammates when they're hot and hitting their shots and lead the charge when they need him to.
Every single player who has ever lobbied for an MVP in my lifetime has been a fraud. Karl Malone in 1997, then a big gap where nobody actively said "I SHOULD BE MVP!" before you get to Westbrook, Harden, and now Embiid. None of them winners when it mattered. Real MVPs don't moan for it. They just prove they are it.
Damn straight.
Exactly.
Lol. Because they didn’t win a ring ‘when it mattered’ they didn’t deserve their regular season award?? I hate you casual clowns that just hop on any popular narrative.
Embiid also said for himself that he is THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD in an interview this year, imagine saying that out loud lmao
great point
Content talking about the nuggets and not the lakers?!
It’s about dam time
Jokic is the only NBA player that is often in the same sentence as Chamberlin or Russell.
Been trying to figure out why everyone thinks Jokic is boring and constantly hating on him. Then I remembered most nba fans only watch the all star game and the finals and it makes sense
7:50 Jokic just wants to ball! That's why he is the undisputed best player in the league and why we love him! He doesn't prioritize the MVP over winning like some people!
Thank you for being with us throughout this journey😍😍
Jokic is the best. Tbh, the league got super lucky Murray was injured the past 2 seasons. These guys made the WCF in the Bubble and both Murray and Jokic showed they could hang with a team as great as those Lakers even at a young age.
Jokic also brings things to the table that nobody else does. You can't double team him because he can make passes nobody else can due to his height and court vision. He is not afraid to fight for rebounds despite being a superstar. He can shoot it at a high percentage from anywhere and he runs the offense but he isn't ball dominant.
Sure, he's not great defensively, but I love that we ignore that Giannis has been surrounded by good to great defensive players. He's had Jrue, Tucker, and Lopez.
Embiid imo is good defensively but his defense falls apart in the playoffs. He's not as fast as Giannis and he tends to get too much credit solely because people look at his blocks per game. Embiid also relies way too much on foul calls to get points. Like 1/3 of his points this season were from free throws. Jokic, like Giannis, can get you points regardless of how the game is being called.
How can you Not think he's the best?!? He can do everything.
Because Giannis is better
@@yodahekidanu9006 no. I have to disagree there. Because he's more athletic doesn't make him better. He is top-3 or 4 though. I'd prolly put Tatum and Embiid as better than Giannis at this point
@@yodahekidanu9006 😂😂🎉
except play defense
@@dannygibson2597 well
He can actually do that too
Prior to game one of the finals, Embiid should present Jokic with the MVP award.
Shoutout koc for giving MPJ his flowers. This dude is such a joy to have on the Nuggets and watch mature over the years. He sacrifices more than anyone else on this team filling the role he does. And he does it with the biggest smile. Love that dude.
I'm so stoked about our Denver Nuggets and the props we are hearing about the quality of this team. Waited years for this and I couldn't be more happy 🎉
This feels to me like what the 91 season must have felt like. Good team with an mvp that finally puts it together and sweeps and old rival that people still thought had a chance at a chip. Also just from a competitive standpoint where we didn’t know who will win the finals going into the playoffs or even the cf.
Could this nuggets beat the 91 bulls?
How old are you?
@@cottonmouth6369 No
@@cottonmouth6369in this era, probably
Lakers were a mediocre team all year. Detroit in 91 not old.
True hoopers and lovers of the game have been on Jokic 💯😎
Watching him these past few years is almost like being early on The Beatles. This is generational
Thank you for this. It was such a refreshing reprieve from the incessant, around the clock ‘Will Lebron come back or quit to watch Bonny?’ and ‘who’s coming back for the Lakers and does Kyrie join?’ Nonsense THE DY AFTER they get eliminated
I've been saying Jokic was the best in the world since mid season last season and everyone called me insane. Glad people are finally coming to realize.
He is best player already for 3 years. Even in 2020 He was on pair with best but Lakers were super stucked and refs fucked up and Rondo played only for 2 million chasing the ring with LeBron
@@milosjovicevic6083 giannis is better than him
I'll be 100% real with yall...
Most people watch 2 games of the regular season, but when the playoffs come!!!
The bars, the pool halls, you name it, they're full!
That's where most players become legends
4:00 the incredulity in his voice here "He knew where the game was going before I did"
Taco Bell could make a killing if they start using jokic as promotion
Triple layer burrito called the *Triple Double" sounds about right 😎
I use to be a jokic hater but the dude is legit 🤷🏽♂️
Idk how u can hate on him ever
Same here but is Murray equally as important?? I'm not sure Jokic is Nuggets clear best player especially when Murray the one who led them to WCF in bubble
@@michaelstover6778he wasn't winning and when they did Murray was go to guy. I know injuries hurt Nuggets last few years but I think this post season run for Jokic solidified his standing in NBA of being more than just a stats guy
@@tdup191 He's better than Murray. Even though Murray's scoring can sometimes Match Jokic, the playmaking isn't even close.
@@tdup191 while Murray was essential in the bubble, he did not ‘lead’ them to the WCF, full stop. The main reason why they were able to come back from 3-1 deficits against the Jazz and Clippers was because of their ability to adjust and begin specifically abusing the mismatches that Jokic caused on their big men. Gobert, zubac were all spaced out allowing for easier cuts for the wings while Doc playing harrell allowed jokic to operate out of post action. Jamal’s shot making was important but I don’t believe was THE deciding factor in those wins (although I can concede the idea that his ultra hot shooting in the first round vs the jazz edged out the overall offensive gravity that Jokic brought)
7:56 "he doesnt care, we need to figure it out how to marketing him" xDDDDDD I love Jokic
What makes him is humbleness and his trust and belief
On top of the "small market" media narrative (which I agree with), I think there's an intersting competitive chip on the shoulders of the players 1-6 to speak to the intangibles of each player.
1. I think Jokic quietly does take it personal about how he is talked about, even if he doesn't say he does. While he didn't need the MVP, that "stat padding" line did get to him for a week. Then, he used it to fuel the end of the season, and now these playoffs.
2. Murray has a massive chip on his shoulder. He's out to prove he belongs under the brightest lights and is more than a ghost of himself in the Bubble.
3. MPJ is wanting to shut down the haters who ruled him out for his back issues.
4. AG is willing to do anything to prove himself, especially after Orlando and its fans misjudged how to use him. Also, he was robbed of 2 dunk contests. Why do you think he wears the number 50?
5. KCP is out to prove he is legitimately a two-way championship caliber player, out to get out of the shadows of the 2020 Lakers roster.
6. Bruce Brown is out to prove his worth, because both the Pistons and Nets did not value how good he is. Hell, CBS Sports ranked him 51st in the Free Agent market last offseason. He's well worth more than the mid-market exception he got out of Denver, though he opted in because he saw it as his best chance at a first ring.
Throw in Jeff Green out for one last championship ride, and Christian Braun who has that rookie energy out to prove themselves, they all have a reason and a chip/deep-seed drive to go all out. And all of them have better basketball IQ with this coaching staff, and floor general.
It goes back to that popular saying, each of the Nuggets have their own "you gotta wanna." And they've figured out how to streamline it all into actual production at an elite individual and team level.
But Bill Simmons voted Embiid for mvp this year mainly because Bill felt like he deserves to get at least one. Imo, awful reasoning to give someone an mvp for a specific season
The voting for MVP is all over the place. Makes a mockery of the name of the award. It's no longer about who's most valuable but what's a journalists favourite cutesy narrative
People voted for Embiid because they didn't want to be labelled as Racist. It is that simple. Kendrick Perkins took it there. Bill was like, I'd rather vote for a sham MVP, than have people trying to cancel me.
And guess what? It all worked out. Embiid is now seen as a fraud, and Joker is gonna win a championship and being called the best player in the world. There can be justice after all.
It’s a regular season award not best player in NBA award. I’m a huge Jokic/Nuggs fan and I’m happy Jokic didn’t win it frankly as the discourse around his 2 MVPs was already so toxic. All of Jokic Giannis and Embiid would have been deserving winners. I do feel Embiid deserves criticism much more for his playoff performance this year relative to Jokic’s performances in his two years as MVP so if you want to gloat on that fine but Embiid was still a deserving winner.
@@traviskrueger9531 It's about how the whole MVP conversations turned out and Perk only talking about "stat padding" and went there with the race card after the second last straw poll came out witch showed Jokic miles ahead of everyone else. Perk knew he had to muddy the waters and start some BS narrative to get into people's heads and it worked. It was never about does player A deserve it.
He fell for the voter fatigue narrative because he was too afraid of being wrong at the end of the day. He regrets it now.
Man still on cloud 9, tbh I've as a Nuggets fan for over 30 years now been waiting for Nikola Jokic the whole time... 🙏🙏🙏🎉🎉
You guys are bigger homers than us Denver fans. I love it.
Embiid did a great job being the second most valuable player this year. Congrats to Embiid
None of the foreign born players ever get the marketing. Dirk played his career criminally unappreciated. Probably had as much positive impact as Kobe. Ginobili would be another one.
How good is this podcast ..
These guys are having an intelligent conversation with no yelling or drama .
So many good podcasts like this don’t even get a mention , when you have garbage shows on espn that like the Hollywood drama & only talk about Lebron & the lakers 24/7
Jokic better get a statue in Denver after his career. Ya'll got someone incredible.
My God if you talked like few more hours about Denver i would have starved to death with 0 regrets...
Beautiful 🎉😂
Kevin O’Connor should not be victory lapping on Jokic, he has him 3rd in MVP despite knowing he was still the best player
Back to back MVPS and not a single commercial
Lol he's had plenty of commercials in Serbia.
I literally had goosebumps listening to this. I'm a life long Nuggets DIE HARD. I watch all 82 every year. I've known how incredible this guy has been since his first summer league. Generational. But we had to wait until this moment, where stars aligned and the supporting cast was healthy to crown him as the best player. Listening to you guys praise him and the Nuggets is like a long drink of water after 47 years in the desert. When we win the Finals, maybe, just maybe the national media will actually start to talk about us.
Been watching since Larry Brown coached Skywalker and I feel exactly the same. Heartbreaking it took so long to see his character while NBA was making JA their poster boy…
You market him by having him in commercials with someone that speaks English, and you play on his reluctance to speak because of his English. Like bird magic, the commercials could turn into gold I can’t believe the NBA is dropping the ball on this. It’s absurd how easy it would be to make him a great ambassador for European basketball.
Fax
Kevin O’Connor & Simmons together are the most knowledgeable NBA duo in the field ❤
Jokic goes through his reads exactly like a quarterback...either he hits the open guy or 'runs' for the score himself. Add in his offensive rebounding and he is an unstoppable offensive force. He is Bird/Nash/Duncan in one dude: something we may only see once just like Nash, Duncan, and Bird were, and who certainly had their own influences. And anybody that large, tall, smart, and long is a defensive asset. He could play for 10-15 more years. If he does he could be the NBA's Tom Brady and the GOAT of GOATS by the time he's done
Well said! People are not fully aware that this is only the beginning of a dynasty, nobody will come close to beating them if they only remain healthy, add Watson and Kamagate, game over! They are not even in their prime, haven’t even sweat the last month of the regular season, and will crush whoever in the east wins! Next level Warriors, it’s gonna be really hard and tough for anybody to stop the Nuggets for the next 5 years and beyond!
Domantas Sabonis isn't as good as Nikola Jokic but his playstyle is very comparable. He needs to heel his wrist injury and develop a consistent 3pt shot to be more impactful
I love the return of the big man.
Glad you guys talked about him! You gained a new fan here!
About NBA and ESPN, they will probably hate Jokic more than they already do if he wins because it exposes their bias towards the MVP vote.
They will make excuses for the ring. He is doomed if he wins or loses. NBA, ESPN and other media folks hate that he is this great!
I think Giannis and Nikola are the new Lebron and KD. The argument between these two will go on for seasons to come
It's a good day when Bill & KOC sit down yearly to have a nice convo about who the "best" player is
Thank you guy's for covering the Nuggets
What's great is that his skill set should age gracefully since he relies on smarts and preternatural awareness of where his teammates are rather than athleticism. He could easily still average a near triple double 10 years from now.
Not going to lie. Some guys just have a talent for passing. It pretty much comes down to not needing the ball to be a good passer. Im Not a yogic's level, but I tend to watch a lot of Larry Bird and through just watching him play fot thr last 15 years on CZcams i unconsciously started passing and playing like him. You can show me any highlight and I'll tell you what's going to happen next because of how excessive I am. And because of that I recognize all the patterns that he recognizes simply because I watch him so much. You look for certain passes because they're so easy. So I kind of understand his point of view. It just comes to you because you want to play an unselfish brand of basketball
This is going to sound nuts but the first person who comes to mind when thinking about how to describe what Jokic is and does is Wayne Gretzky. Jokic's super power is the way he sees and thinks the game. His complete mastery of court geometry is almost like time travel in that he knows what the court will look like seconds or even milliseconds in the future. The conversation has shifted from is he the best passing big to is he the best passer ever.
I grew up in Chicago so Michael Jordan will always be my favorite player to watch. Joker is easily my second favorite player ever. My sports fandom is obsessive and honestly probably not totally healthy or rational. For that kind of fan Jokic is appointment viewing forever!
I love your comparison to Gretzky. My guess is they both see the game in slow motion.
@@jonathanbein5559 Thank you
Watching Jokic play is so much fun, I can only imagine how much fun it is to actually play with him.
@@Bewbscueser his teammates constantly confirm how much they LOVE playing with him in interviews.
Bill, thank you for recognizing the truth
Finally Joker is getting some love.
Been saying he's the best guy to start a team with for at least 3 or 4 years now and hes actually gotten better.
2 weeks ago "omg embiid is the mvp. jokic doesn't play defense."
The defense thing is so overdone. 1) blocks are overrated. They are worth about half of a steal because 50% the time, the team that got blocked retains the ball. Shooting percentage as the closest defender is a much better stat. Jokic is not bad at that. 2) defensive rating and on/off stats for joker is not bad 3) defensive IQ, reading the play and positioning is more important than highlight blocks 4) he has quick hands for tips and steals 5) One of the most important aspects of defense is rebounding, and he is a great rebounder 6) every 7 footer looks slow and silly against a small quick guard in the pick and roll.
Again: highlight clips and (low light clips) do not translate into wins (losses). Those are just for the casuals.
@@CleverAccountName303 This. The whole defense thing became a narrative used by people pumping Embiid for the MVP. Jokic isn't a rim protector....and that's the flashiest part of defense for a big guy....casual basketball fans see he's not and think he's some sort of awful defender. Most advanced analytics show him pretty average or middle of the pack. It's just how he looks sometimes I think.....I never heard people saying stuff about MVP and defense when Steph, Iverson, Harden, and Westbrook (who should have been a much better defender given his athleticism) won.
@@KClouisville team is all athletes..embiid takes this team #1 d in league
The nuggets core is going to be a force for the next 5 years at least. There's a good chance they win multiple rings
Yes but wait to get 1 one 😂
Lg Denver 💪😉💪
Nikola is on the brink of making legend this coming final. Either remaining team on the east will make it a great tournament. Having said that, go HEAT 🔥
I’m eating up this national media realization (3 years too late) like sweet sweet ice cream.
He already was the best, ever since the bubble. Y'all just didn't notice.
“He’s averaging 10.3 assists to only 3.5 turnovers these playoffs.”
Bill, in a low, almost sexual, voice: I KNOW 😩🥵
Jokic is like a Zach Randolph who can pass like Magic and shoot like Bird. Bananas.
This is Simmons’ mea culpa for voting for Embid for MVP
This is how Simmons always felt. He only voted for Embiid because he knew it wasn't worth it to get cancelled. :D Blame Perkins for Embiid's MVP. No mainstream white person wants to be adjacent to accusations of racism.
He’s always been a Jokic fan and has already said he felt he regretted the Embiid vote (which doesn’t mean Embiid wasn’t a deserving winner but a closer vote might have been a better indicator of how great all the top 3 were).
The year everyone just HAD to give the MVP to embiid dude sweeps lebron James lmfao
Coach Pop knew LOOONG time ago truth about Jokic.
@0:56 "Foth Kuowartuh"😆
That’s a great point, as great of a passer as LeBron is, even he can’t create some of the passes that Jokic can. Those passes that nobody else sees, those passes that truly change the game.
Imagine what Jokic could do under the tutelage of Second Row Joe!
I remember when having a passer like Draymond as a top of the key passer was a cheat code. What Jokic provides on offense as a big passing from the top of the key is light-years beyond what used to feel revolutionary.
More than any player I have seen, Jokic plays like he is also looking at the court from the top down, an overhead view of the x's and o's like a diagram, not just who is in front of him
And who did you vote for MVP this year Bill? Victory lap my ass
It really pissed me off that embiid was able to finesse the MVP with the media brigade
media brigade helped fosho. But jokic coasted the last month of the season, maybe to let embiid get it, maybe just to rest for the playoffs
Nuggets Dynasty Era up ahead! Diamond Jokic set off in the front office setting of perfect complimentary players. Cuddos for the early recognition. 💎💍🏀🏀🏀🏆🏆🏆
Murray is one of the best competitors in the league. A few moments in these play offs he has been Kobi - esk
This only the beginning for Jokić we COULD be on the verge of a dynasty, however it is a little to early to tell.
Yes!!! Could be but first let's go and win this 1 🥳🎉😂
Could be the only player that can challenge jokic is Gianni’s cause he like a mini Shaq. But his team is old so buck need to do changes.
Team finally makes it's FIRST NBA Finals trip in its entire history. Finals havn't even started yet, and you throw out dynasty? Yeah its a little early. like 5 years. LOL
@@gregrizzo8054 you right bro 😂💯 sorry I’m just excited because I’ve legitimately been following Jokić since 2015 so it’s a long time coming. I hope more people get to see his greatness because they are definitely winning it this year regardless if it’s Celtics or Heat they play.
@@zacks3288 No worries, enjoy the finals. I'm a huge Warriors fan, but am taking Denver in the Finals.
Tim Duncan through 10 seasons
1998-2007
2mvps, 3finals mvps 4-0 in Finals
9× 1st Team All-NBA 1× 2nd Team
7× 1st Team All-defense, 3× 2nd Team
In 03 he carried a team with no allstars to a title beating prime Shaq and Kobe along the way. 2005 beat the defending champion Pistons arguably the greatest defense of all time.
Also the West was a gauntlet with 60 win Suns teams, 60 win Mavericks teams , and Shaq and Kobe, he faced them all multiple times.
So if Duncan through 10 seasons did all that and still had a backseat to probably 5 or more other superstars at the time in mainstream media coverage and popularity , how much do you think Jokic would have to do to get that top level recognition in a small market and similar non attention seeking personality?
People are going to think this is cap but Duncan I believe was quite a bit better than Kobe and Jokic is quite a bit better than Steph. But with their popularity and marketability you'll see them in top 3-5 goat conversations alot more while it's Duncan and Jokic who are actually closer to that level at their peaks.. but obviously Jokic is just getting started with building his resume worthy of the conversation. In 5 or 6 years as long as he has decent help and is healthy he will enter top 10 conversations. Jokic is Duncan, Dirk and Bird mixed with Magic's point guard mentality and passing. People try to diminish his greatness because he's not an alltime great defender but neither was Bird, Magic or Dirk. Jokic's defensive deficiencies are exaggerated because the eye test looks bad and they don't want him to get that credit as #1 like they didn't want to with Duncan.
Duncan is top 10, maybe even top 5. THE most underrated superstar of all time.
Jokic is a great basketball player and deserving of his 2 MVP's, saying he is quite a bit better than Steph at this point is silly because Steph was the obvious leader of a team that won FOUR NBA Championships, Regular season performance has meaning but until you win titles, not just one, not 2, not 3, how about 4, you are just another good player. Win in the playoffs on an extended period and everyone will start to recognize a player as one of the all-time greats.
@@gregrizzo8054 Steph had KD, Klay and Draymond for 2 of those so they don't count in that arguement.
@@dimitrijetucovic1307 And Jokic finally has Murray, Porter KCP and Gordon healthy. They are both great players with good teammates. So if Joker wins this year it doesn't count because he has talented players playing with him?
@@dimitrijetucovic1307 Dankan najprecenjeniji igrač ikada. Bukvalno. Kao prvo igrao je u najslabijoj eri ikada gde su Ol Star igrači bili likovi poput Luol Deng, Memeta Okura, gde je Dzo Dzonson bio 7 puta Ol Star a danas ne bi ni video Ol Stara u ovoj konkurenciji. Dankan je imao najboljeg trenera ikada, gomilu brutalnih saigraca i posebno kreatora poput Parkera i Djinobilija. Leonard, Robinson, Parker, Djinobili itd Jokic može o tome samo sanjati. Marej igra sada odlično ali za 7 godina Jokic je imao odličnog Marej u 10 utakmica mehura i u 10 utakmica sada. Dankan je imao celu karijeru gomilu super konstantnih igrača. Dankan je veliki ali je imao najbolju moguću podlogu u karijeri najboljeg trenera, brutalne saigrače a igrao je u daleko slabijoj eri nego što je sada. Da li misliš da bi Dankan u eri Ratnika u prajmu, Lebrona u prajmu i jos gomile svega i svačega osvojio toliko trofeja i nagrada? Ni upola toliko
Jokic hadn’t been recognized as the best because he hasn’t had the playoff success but now that his team is healthy It’s clear that the guy is legit. It’s all clicking at the perfect time right now.
I know Jokic doesn't care about the fame, but he's perfect for the NBA to grow into a more viewed sport as the NFL loses talent from concussion problems. Nikola plays a very unselfish brand of basketball which is easy to like, he has no drama outside of the Morris brothers, he is very devoted to his family and horses, and comes from a war torn country that many around the world can relate to. Nikola and Giannis both look to own this generation, which one has staying power?
just wait- our only weakness has been rim protection. we're about to add our 2 best rim protectors next year with Watson and Kamagate. addition by subtraction worked for Barton to KCP, Braun, and Brown. the same will happen with Green to Watson. MPJ is going to ASCEND next year too~ Murray and Joker have been grooming him to be next. Joker doesn't want to play this hard, he's trying to make everyone else great so he can chill and play mobile games. Losing Brown going to hurt bad, but, i have faith in the young guys and front office to make it all work. sucks real bad that TB didn't work, but again, kamagate i think will be better for this team IMMEDIATELY
I hope and believe that MPJ will be 20+ very efficient PPG. If that happens, defense has no chance. They will have to pick their poison withe Nuggets.
I hope mr Perkins can't sleep at night
That dude said 1920. I was like damn, I don’t know who was on the 1920’s Nuggets but they must have been cold for you to bring ‘‘em up 100 years later 😂
You realize he said '19-'20 right?
Can anybody find that interview with Jokic that Kevin O'Connor was talking about at 11:28?
It so funny that 6 weeks ago these guys were all "Embiid is the MVP, and the Suns are going to the finals"
And now they are saying "it's been clear all year the Nuggets were the best team, and Jokic is the best player in the world"
How disingenuous
Welcome to sports media!
@@dimitrijetucovic1307 Indeed...I get that these guys are supposed to give their opinions and it is entertainment. So, their opinion may not be correct (like most people had the Lakers winning the series).
So I don't care if their predictions are wrong, but when they make statements like "Embiid is the MVP. Jokic hasn't proven anything", then literally 6 weeks later "Jokic is the best player in the world", it's just so stupid
@@markprice5651 It's hot take culture, as much as the Ringer pretends they don't do the ESPN thing, they all worked there and it's in their journalistic DNA.
Magic Chonkson
3:59 wow an NBA coach knew where the game was going before Bill Simmons?? How miraculous
Deserved a 3rd MVP this season IMO
I ot Giannis #1 but if Joker wins the finals, then Joker is the new #1.
Media really gave Embid a sympathy MVP smh. I don't see anyone who had a case for mvp this year more than Joker or Giannis
These 2 will be the best players for the next 10 years.
The playoffs is when super stars can really make their name and grow their legend as it's when the casuals pay more attention. Hopefully folks stop hating on Jokic now.
If the voters(Mark Jackson, Kendrick Perkins, JJ Redick, etc) werent motivated by racism he would have his third mvp trophy. This 3/4 year run he's been is nothing short of historic. His game will age well too considering hes not dependent on athleticism. Hes gonna be a problem for teams for years to come.
Don't lump JJ Redick with them
@@DavidJackson-fq9fn Didn't he vote Embiid too?
@@Paul420MI No, he voted for Giannis