Playoff basketball brings chaos. But on Saturday night, it brought comedy too, with a dash of irony and a throwback twist.

Nikola Jokic was in no mood for stalling. Down by one. Under a minute to go. The Nuggets had a sliver of momentum, and Jokic wanted to keep it. But when the ball landed in the hands of Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy, the moment turned from urgency to absurdity.

The reigning MVP lunged for the ball, hoping to inbound it quickly and deny L.A. the chance to challenge. But Van Gundy, now 63, didn’t let go. Jokic tugged. JVG tugged back. For a few hilarious seconds, the playoff spotlight shined on a two-man wrestling match nobody saw coming. The crowd roared. The internet exploded. And Jokic? He stayed dry as ever.

“It seems like it’s part of basketball nowadays, even though I think it’s not supposed to happen,” Jokic said postgame. “The NBA wants a quicker game. That was the emphasis when they came to us before the season. They said I can’t even take time tying my shoes anymore. But seems like [coaches] can do it.”

This wasn’t the first time Van Gundy got hands-on in a playoff game either. Long-time NBA fans instantly recalled his infamous 1998 moment, clinging to Alonzo Mourning’s leg during a Knicks-Heat brawl. Fast-forward 27 years, and the energy hasn’t changed. Old habits die hard—and apparently, so does that grip.

Adam Silver has long championed pace and flow. Players have been warned for delays, fined for shoe-lacing, and even lectured for breathing room. And yet, when a coach physically prevents an inbound in crunch time? Nothing. No delay of the game. No tech. Not even a warning. Where’s the consistency? If this had been a player, would the outcome have been the same?

The irony hit harder considering who was involved. Jokic is the league’s poster boy for pace and flow, a cerebral center who thrives on quick decisions and seamless rhythm. Yet in one of the biggest moments of the game, that flow was physically stopped by a very old man in a suit, wearing loafers. The image of the NBA’s maestro of motion being physically restrained by a sideline figure was a visual representation of the game’s unpredictable nature.

One broadcaster quipped it best during the game: “That was the slowest fast break I may have seen.” Jokic, who was looking a bit wired down after a full-court push, looked every bit the man carrying a franchise. He may be the MVP, but even he isn’t immune to fatigue or frustration.

And for the first half, it showed. The Nuggets trailed for most of the game and didn’t claim a lead until late in the fourth. They struggled to contain Harden in the pick-and-roll, allowing easy buckets and clean looks. That’s where the real adjustment was needed.

So how did they flip the script—and what does it tell us about what’s coming next?

When the ball’s in Nikola Jokic’s court, it’s bad news for the Clippers

And yet, when the game moved on, so did Jokic. He finished with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 12 assists, and a reminder that he’s still the most versatile big in basketball. The Nuggets amped up their aggression in the second half, holding L.A. to just 45 points after halftime and forcing a chaotic finish.

Jamal Murray, playing through a nagging hamstring, gutted out 21 points. And while his jumper was shaky, his resolve wasn’t. Aaron Gordon added 25 and five offensive rebounds. But it was Jokic’s voice postgame that best captured the shift: “Sometimes it seems like they score too easy. We need to be more physical. Don’t let them make quick easy passes, quick reads. Make them do something else.”

Denver did exactly that in the second half—blitzing Harden, closing out on Kawhi, and cleaning up defensive breakdowns that had plagued them early. The Clippers shot just 40% in the fourth and overtime.

Meanwhile, interim head coach David Adelman quietly added another strong chapter to his unexpected story. A week ago, Adelman was an interim name on a chaotic org chart. Today, he’s the man who benched a $30 million scorer to let Russ cook.

With his late-game decision-making under the microscope, Adelman made the call to close with Westbrook over Michael Porter Jr.—a move that paid off big. “My job is to be the low man,” Westbrook said afterward. “And find a way to — excuse my language — f— s— up.”

That he did. The veteran guard, once a source of uncertainty, came alive in crunch time, grabbing rebounds, cutting to the basket, and drilling a massive corner three with 24 seconds left. Adelman’s gamble wasn’t just gutsy. It was game-winning.

Still, this series is far from over. Harden dropped 32 in Game 1 and carved Denver apart in the first half. Kawhi had his moments, but faded late—something Ty Lue will no doubt address in Game 2. Expect more early looks for Zubac, who battled Jokic effectively and finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

Do they double Jokic early? Trust Zubac more late? Give Harden the wheel and tell Kawhi to rest and ramp up for fourth quarters? The counterpunch is coming. Meanwhile, Jokic’s fire has been lit. But an irritated Jokic isn’t loud. He’s surgical. He’ll slow the game down, carve out mismatches, and punish every overhelp.

Game 1 might’ve started with chaos. But it ended with a warning — Jokic isn’t here for theatrics, he’s here to win. And that’s a problem no coach can hold back. The underlying message is clear: despite the sideline antics, Jokic’s focus remains unwavering, and a motivated Jokic is a formidable force that the Clippers will struggle to contain.