George Karl had a bold statement ahead of the NBA Finals, calling for a Denver Nuggets win as it would be the perfect way to introduce Nikola Jokic as the best player in the world.
And he wished the maiden championship for the franchise and their bonafide star would come against the Boston Celtics.
There could be something magical about the Nuggets winning the Finals over the Celtics if Boston gets there,” he tweeted. “Slaying the two most historic franchises on the way to the ultimate and introducing the NBA properly to the world’s greatest player, Nikola Jokic!”
While Jokic has managed to stay consistent throughout the season, he will certainly face a stern test against the Celtics, who have been on their own admirable run leveling the series 3-3 against the Miami Heat and gearing up to play a crucial Game 7 on Monday night.
The Lakers were the other decorated franchise Karl was referring to in his tweet. The Nuggets swept LeBron James and Co. 4-0 in the Western Conference Finals to make the final stand.
It’s no surprise that Karl, a former Nuggets coach, would root for his former team. He was with the franchise for nine seasons with an impressive 423-257 record in the 680 games he coached for the team. While he couldn’t lead the side to a title, maybe this might be the season for Jokic and the Nuggets.
George Karl Believes Nikola Jokic Was A Better Offensive Player Than Larry Bird
Such has been Nikola Jokic’s dominance in the league this season on both ends of the floor that the former Nuggets head coach called the center a better offensive player than Larry Bird.
“A former pro hoops owner told me this week Jokic is the most complete offensive player he’s ever seen,” Karl said in a tweet. “I give him a slight nod there over Bird because of his passing skills. And there is a ton of Sabonis and Duncan in his game. But I do think Jokic is one of one.”
As far as numbers go, Bird averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.3 assists for his career, while Jokic comes in at 20.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. And what both players boast of is efficiency. And while Karl is undoubtedly of the belief that Jokic is better than the Celtics legend, there is no denying that the Serbian, in our opinion, is well on his way to getting there. However, it will take him some time and a couple more titles.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
