'Coach Jokic' calls great game down the stretch
Michael Malone is the head coach of the Denver Nuggets, but Nikola Jokic was the one calling plays down the stretch in Game 3.
Jokic took over as offensive coordinator late in the fourth quarter. The two-time MVP decided to feed the two players he trusted most: Jamal Murray, who had 37 points, and Nikola Jokic.
On four consecutive plays, Jokic motioned his teammates to one side of the court and ran a pick-and-roll with Murray as the screener. The Nuggets got two easy buckets and drew two fouls in that stretch. Jokic hit a three, Murray made a layup, Anthony Davis fouled Jokic and then Jokic was fouled grabbing an offensive rebound.
On the next play, they switched up the two-man game slightly, with Jokic taking a dribble hand-off from Murray - normally the guard takes that hand-off, not the seven-footer. Regardless, Jokic drove before hitting Michael Porter Jr. for a three-pointer. And then the game was over.
One of the most important aspects of NBA coaching is knowing when to step back. When your team's best player is also an offensive mastermind, Michael Malone's best coaching move might sometimes might be simply to get out of Jokic's way.
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