Self-awareness is a skill that few people possess. Combine that with the inherent bias of being surrounded by 18,000 like-minded sports fans and the problem becomes even worse. That’s what we saw last night when the Paycom Center crowd had the audacity to try to get under Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokić’s skin by calling him a free throw merchant.
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The Nuggets and OKC Thunder are fighting a war on multiple fronts. Not only are they matched up in the Western Conference semifinals, they also feature the only two legitimate MVP candidates this year in Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It’s completely understandable that the OKC crowd is about as vehemently anti-Joker as Batman right now, but if they’re looking to make a point, this isn’t the one to make.
Jokić does get to the line a lot, 6.4 times per game to be exact, which puts him ninth in the NBA in that category. The only problem is that their beloved SGA trails only Giannis Antetokounmpo with 8.72 free throw attempts per game himself.
The OKC crowd’s misguided attempt to get to Jokić was bound to fail since he doesn’t seem to ever get rattled under any circumstances. He proved that during the game as he led the Nuggets to an improbable 14-point comeback in the second half to steal the win, and he proved it again after the game when asked about the chants.
“To be honest, I didn’t hear [the free throw merchant chants], but that’s kind of funny,” he said. NBA Redditors leapt to his defense anyway, with one saying, “They forgot SGA was on their team” and another suggesting, “SGA gonna sue for infringement rights.”
Opposing fanbases have no real way to taunt Jokić
SGA is considered a sizable favorite to take home his first MVP award, but Jokić proved in Game 1 why he’s the best player in the world. SGA’s 33 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists were great. Jokić’s 42 points, 22 rebounds, and six assists were better.
If Jokić hadn’t already taken home three MVPs, this wouldn’t even be a conversation, despite how great of a season SGA has had. Jokić is top three in the league in points, assists, and rebounds, and he’s even filled in as a de facto player-coach since the Nuggets fired Mike Malone with just a few games to go in the season.
Most fans expected the Thunder, who finished the regular season with the league’s best record at 68-14 and its best home record at 35-6, to roll through a Nuggets team that just barely escaped the Clippers in seven games. When Nikola Jokić is on your team, though, you always have a chance.
The Nuggets are filled with confidence because they know that at the end of the day, they have the best player in the world. That’s why they didn’t fall apart after falling behind by double digits, and it’s why they need to be taken seriously in this series. Stealing a win on Aaron Gordon’s late three will only amplify that feeling, especially since they now have home-court advantage.
OKC has to prove that they’re more than a regular season team, and they have to go through the guy they’ve been hating on all year to do it. Buckle up, folks, this is going to get good.
