It’s rare that we see Nikola Jokic lose his cool. Over his 6-year career, there are really only a few times we’ve ever witnessed the guy do something out of character.
Monday night was one of those times.
After receiving an elbow in the ribs by Heat forward Markieff Morris, Jokic retaliated by shoving him to the floor in a fit of rage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L06009FEQRs
Everybody was okay in the end, but the whole situation got pretty dramatic, to the point where Heat players were apparently waiting for Jokic after the game.
For the fans and media, people quickly chose sides and folks began to defend their guy.
For Bill Simmons (founder and CEO of The Ringer), his opinion was clear: Morris was in the wrong. On Twitter, he explained why:
The 11th man on a team losing by 17 in garbage time isn’t supposed to do shit like this to the league’s MVP. It’s a cheap shot that led to a second cheap shot.
The 11th man on a team losing by 17 in garbage time isn’t supposed to do shit like this to the league’s MVP. It’s a cheap shot that led to a second cheap shot. ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/lfOF9pwCDg
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 9, 2021
It’s clear from the video that Morris was the one who started the whole thing, and it should not be lost on anyone that he made contact first.
On the flip side, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra explained why the Nuggets big man was the one who crossed the line.
“We just wanted to make sure that Kieff was and is okay,” said Spo. “We’ll find out more. He’s moving around right now in the locker room. But that was a very dangerous, dirty play. I thought Kieff took a foul and it was one of those fastbreak take fouls. And when he dipped, you might deem that as a little bit more than just slapping somebody.”
In the end, neither party is really innocent and the league might end up publishing both of them.
For now, though, we’ll all just have to bide our time until they meet again on November 29th.
