Nikola Jokić Hits Back at Critics for Not Giving Denver Nuggets Credits for their Great 2020 Season

The Denver Nuggets are coming off a fantastic season in the NBA. They had the third-best record in the Western Conference. In the playoffs, the Nuggets completely shocked the basketball world and became the first team in the NBA to overturn two 3-1 deficits in consecutive playoff rounds. Their success was down to Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray playing at superstar levels.

The Nuggets defeated the Utah Jazz in the first round and then went on to beat the LA Clippers. The two series were completely shocking, as the Nuggets were able to overturn significant 3-1 disadvantages. The series against the Clippers was especially surprising, as LA were favorites to win the series and also the NBA championship. Even then, the Nuggets were able to knock them off.

The Nuggets played some excellent basketball in the NBA bubble and even made it to the Western Conference Finals. However, they could not overcome the Los Angeles Lakers and lost to them in five games. While the Nuggets couldn’t reach the NBA finals, fans were thoroughly impressed with their performances in the bubble.

The Nuggets have an exciting future in the duo of Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray. The two players were their MVPs during the playoffs. Jokić was especially great, providing the team with great scoring and playmaking.

Nikola Jokić talks about Nuggets being underestimated

Despite their great performance, the Nuggets are still not considered world-beaters by many in the NBA. They are, at best, dark horses for the Western Conference, capable of shocking any team.

Nikola Jokić spoke to the media ahead of the new NBA season. Jokić was unhappy with how the Nuggets are not acknowledged for their accomplishments and said, “Even now, they are talking about how Clippers lost, they don’t think about how Nuggets won.” 

However, Jokić claimed that the Nuggets don’t harp on the lack of respect. They proved what they needed to last season with their play. He said, “We don’t care that nobody gives us some kind of whatever, respect. We’re going to be there. We were in tough situations last year. We fight.”

Finally, Jokić said that the team knows their potential and doesn’t give too much importance to what the naysayers have to say. He said, “Just [because] someone doesn’t give us respect doesn’t mean that we take their opinions. We know what we are capable of.”

It will be interesting to see how the Nuggets perform next season. Jokic, Murray, and Denver take the court when the new NBA season begins on December 22, 2020.