As he is, Nikola Jokic is maintaining his calm demeanor and paying back that respect regardless of the fact that he and the Denver Nuggets are just one win away from completing their road to gold.
Jokic, who dropped an all-around brilliance of 23 points, 11 boards, and three blocks in their major Friday win, insisted in his postgame presser following Game 4 that they will continue to honor their Finals bout with the Miami Heat and keep themselves cooled despite the fact that they are up 3-1 heading home to continue the series. The two-time MVP also acknowledged the fact that Miami is in the title stage for a reason.
“That team, they did something amazing and we know that they’re capable of making history. We respect them,” Jokic said about Miami. “I respect them a lot. We as a group we’re gonna give them the respect they deserve and we’re gonna play like the first game of the series. It’s must-win for us.”
If there’s one team who can still pull off the unthinkable even if the chance is as the size of a grain of salt, it is indeed this Heat squad. As an eight-seed team heading to the postseason, they silenced critics and deflected odds courtesy of a majestic Cinderella run en route to the NBA Finals. They’ve made history back and forth and remain in the position to keep fighting in order to allow themselves to live for another day for championship contention and fulfill the greatest playoff run in NBA history.
Led by the inspiring leadership of Jimmy Butler and the mastermind of Erik Spoelstra, Miami is expected to prepare with all its heart and effort as they are determined to go off and still grasp its chances to execute a near-impossible comeback.
The conclusion of Game 5 of the NBA Finals this Monday can only determine what will be the true fate of both teams.
