Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have bid farewell to LeBron James and company by sweeping them clean in the Western Conference Finals. James, with a 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists night, came up with his best post-season performance for Game 4 but still fell short of Jokic s 30-point triple-double. After the game, the 19x All-Star complemented The Joker for taking a page out of Larry Bird’s book.
It was the first time for an LBJ team to be swept in the Playoffs since 2018 when the Warriors did the same to win a championship. However, he did t look as emotionally wounded as he did in Game 3. And that might be the biggest reason why he did t miss out on praising the Serbian international this time.
LeBron James compares Nikola Jokic to Larry Bird
Following Game 3, there was some noise around the fact that James missed out on Jokic while praising the Nuggets players. He put a full stop to that on Monday night, as he compared Nikola Jokic s ability to shoot from behind his head to a renowned Boston Celtics legend s.
Even when you guard him [Nikola Jokic] for one of the best possessions, you think you guard him, started James, hinting at the step-back shot Jokic took on Davis to make it a 6-point game with under 3 minutes remaining in the game.
He puts the ball behind his head, Larry Bird style, and shoots it 50 feet in the air, and it goes in. And did it like 4 or 5 times this series? So, you do it like this to him [tipped his cap off to salute Jokic].
Watch James in awe of Jokic in the following Tweet from the page no he didn t.
LeBron James tips his cap to Nikola Jokic. Call his shots "Larry Bird style" pic.twitter.com/tNtCaw1grU
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 23, 2023
It s hard not to relate to LeBron James here. After all, Nikola Jokic seems to have incredible touch on these high-arcing shots. Even Larry Bird and the best alongside him in the 80s would be wildly proud.
As for what LeBron said, this might be the best compliment Jokic has received from a top player this season. Especially so when you consider the constant criticism he received for his lack of defense throughout the year.
Nikola Jokic is a 2-time MVP. Perhaps because of the high standards he has set for himself, the man often receives heavy criticism for not showing up on the defensive side of the ball, like Joel Embiid.
Despite being an unstoppable multidimensional threat on offense, experts including Kendrick Perkins slandered his game, further adding to the fire of Embiid s case to win the MVP. But, instead of being upset, Jokic simply used it as inspiration in the post-season.
Head coach Mike Malone elaborated on the same in the post-game press conference after winning the Western Conference. Take a look at yet another no he did tweet below.
"This was the first year where I think the negativity around the MVP race I think did get to him. And I can't blame him. The guy goes out there and does his job every night and he's being criticized."
Michael Malone on Nikola Jokic pic.twitter.com/KWdtRqAkIN
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 23, 2023
While it felt like Joel maxed out in the regular season, The Joker kept his best for when it matters the most. And now, the Nuggets MVP has the chance to get the trophy that matters more than any other to a basketball player, the Larry O’Brien trophy.
