TNT Analyst Shaquille O’Neal Was Impressed By Nikola Jokic’s Impact Against The Miami Heat
The Denver Nuggets started the NBA Finals the way they wanted by dominating the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal was amazed by the Nuggets’ unwillingness to waste time but pointed to Nikola Jokic’s passive impact as a huge ingredient.
“Yeah they came out with great energy,” O’Neal said. “Joker [Nikola Jokic], what can you say about him? You know, he’s…sat here and watched him. Very impressive. Passing, scoring, leadership and he’s a true definition of letting the game come to you. Charles and myself, and Grant sometimes, we would go get it. But, you know, the first five, six minutes he didn’t even take a shot.”
Jokic constantly passed the ball to teammates who had easy looks and didn’t attempt a shot until the end of the first quarter. He finished the quarter with four points and six assists but started to take over in the second half. By the end, he had 27 points.
This is just the way Jokic plays.
He has followed this same regimen the whole season. He could easily use his size and strength to get easy buckets but instead, he prefers to fall back and get a natural feel for the game when his team handles the work.
Jokic’s playing style is unique for a center, whose position is expected to carry most of the scoring load.
If the Heat want to win the series, they have to figure Jokic out.
Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.
