By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Smaller lineups versus the Houston Rockets will not apply for the Los Angeles Lakers moving on to the Western Conference finals and the Denver Nuggets. Containing Nikola Jokic will certainly go a long way into a potential NBA finals berth.
“Joker is one of the most unique players in the world, one of the most unique players ever to play the center position in this league,” mentioned head coach Frank Vogel, “He can hurt you in all ways, from the three-point line, in the pocket and obviously with the passing.”
The Nuggets played 14 playoffs games so far coming back from a 3-1 deficit opposite to the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers. Jokic averaged 25.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.7 steals per contest in the postseason.
“He makes it very difficult to guard him,” added Vogel, “He makes this series a lot different from the previous in terms of how much we use our centers.”
“He gets to his spots,” took out Dwight Howard projected for a larger role, “He makes plays for his teammates, rebounds, does a little bit of everything. He is a complete player. I love playing against him.”
The storied organization looking to return to the NBA finals for the first time since the 2010 championship only needed ten games advancing to the West finals. The semifinals forced them to adjust to small-ball, the conference finals will be a totally different story.
“They are a terrific basketball team. They deserve to be in the Western Conference finals,” pointed out Vogel regarding the next opponents, “Jamal and Joker are playing at a super high level and with a ton of confidence. So, I wasn’t surprised.”
Game 1 is scheduled to take place Friday in the NBA bubble set up in Orlando.
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