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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
Having beaten the Clippers after a series of ups and downs, the Nuggets now see the Thunder standing in their way. After qualifying, Nikola Jokic spoke of the threat posed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander & Co.
For weeks on end, they sowed discord within the NBA community with a duel at knifepoint. Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battled it out to the end, and have no regrets in the race for the MVP trophy. While we wait to find out which of them will inherit the coveted award, they’ll be able to settle their scores more head-on on Monday.
Indeed, while the Thunder had already booked their ticket to the Western Conference semi-finals a few days ago, the Nuggets followed suit on Saturday. Winners of their Game 7 against the Clippers, the Nuggets will have their work cut out in the next round, as they face the league’s best team during the regular season. So it’s already time to get ready in Denver.
Nikola Jokic intimidated by Thunder’s strike force
Before the start of this enticing series between the Thunder and the Nuggets, there are a number of facts to whet the appetite. Former Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook, for example, will be keen to shine and has made this clear in recent hours. As for Nikola Jokic, his mission will be to dominate Shai in their confrontation. He knows, however, that the hardest thing will be to get the better of OKC, whose merits he praised on TNT :
Nikola Jokic: It’s clear that they’re a really scary team, on both sides of the pitch. Their game is very much based on speed. They really try to attack you from the back and play in transition. Everything they do is unrestrained and done at full speed. Having said that, I hope we can keep up with them and do even better.
Although underdogs in this series, the Joker and his team-mates can take some comfort from their record against the Thunder this season. Beaten on Opening Night, they have subsequently won twice against Mark Daigneault’s men. One of these victories came on the floor of the Paycom Center, which is encouraging enough for Game 1.
If he is to repeat the feat, the Serbian center will undoubtedly need to be at his very best. After all, it took him 35 points, 18 rebounds and 8 assists to earn that famous victory in Oklahoma last March (140-127). Problem: he only has 48 hours to regain full physical fitness before Game 1, which could be seen as a slight handicap.
