By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
The Denver Nuggets have entered history during these 2019-20 NBA playoffs as the only squad to have bounced back from 3-1 deficits multiple times in one postseason.
Now retired Sasa Pavlovic had a chance to work with coach Mike Malone in Cleveland when the latter was an assistant in charge of defense. The Montenegrin forward noted that Malone’s character has been one of the main reasons that Denver has been showing such resilience.
“For five seasons, my main defensive coach was Mike Malone. I assure you that the man doesn’t give up no matter the score, until the last second. And he showed that now as well. Such a fighter and optimist is rarely seen and he managed to transfer that character and optimism to the team. His character is this Denver squad,” Pavlovic told Aleksandar Dzikic and Srdjan Radojevic on Sportklub’s “BLOK po BLOK” podcast.
Pavlovic and coach Dzikic agreed that those tough and long series come with a cost that can be seen already in the first game of the next series. As is the case with Denver losing to the Lakers in Game 1. “It’s not just physical, it’s an emotional discharge, a huge one. That’s what many people don’t get. You have to rise up to your maximum every other day,” Dzikic explained.
Pavlovic spent ten years in the NBA, playing alongside many great talents and stars, and that includes LeBron James as well Rajon Rondo who are now both wearing the Lakers uniform. What sets the duo apart, per Pavlovic, is that they are extremely intelligent basketball-wise – Rondo more so than LeBron.
“He knows play-calling for the whole NBA and now there are two of them in one team. Very hard to play against. That basketball IQ of LeBron and Rondo is unbelievable. LeBron has an amazing IQ but I think Rondo might have an even higher one. He reads things two seconds ahead, literally. He would throw me a pass in empty space, where I wouldn’t have even thought of going to, and I would end up with a free basket just because he forces me to run there with his pass. That reading of the game… I didn’t even see it from LeBron.”
He also praised LeBron for his ability to lift the squad up in the locker room when the long regular season gets tedious midway through as well as to know exactly what the team needs at any given time during a match. Furthermore, James has been doing it consistently for almost two decades and has never stopped improving.
“I really don’t know. Unbelievable stuff. We were a part of the sam Draft and the way he plays, the level he plays at… from the very start until the now his 17th, 18th season. He constantly improves. He hasn’t had a season for which you can say that it was worse than the one before. In fact, it was always better. A big professional on and off the court, and he cares only about winning,” Pavlovic said.