Since winning the NBA championship earlier this week, Nuggets coach Michael Malone has not been shy about speaking out against the haters and naysayers who have been doubting all year long. Finally, after years of attempts, the Nuggets are champions and Nikola Jokic has validated his resume with one of the greatest individual playoff runs in the modern basketball era.
Taking a moment during the victory parade in Denver, Michael Malone delivered yet another statement on Jokic’s greatness and how he has proved everyone wrong.
“You guys know he stat pads right? You guys know he didn’t win a 3rd in a row MVP because the voters didn’t want to vote for him. This guy right here is an amazing player.”
"You guys know he stat pads right? You guys know he didn't win a 3rd in a row MVP because the voters didn't want to vote for him."
Nuggets coach Michael Malone taking some shots at media members who didn't vote for Nikola Jokic 👀pic.twitter.com/GQK0AQ55ew
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 15, 2023
Malone’s words are not just random gibberish. Earlier this season, before the playoffs began, Jokic’s MVP campaign was dismantled as certain members of the NBA media tried to downplay his impact on the court. ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins even once accused the Joker of stat padding during games.
Jokic Doesn’t Care About The Numbers
At first glance,e it can be tough to believe that Jokic is able to average a triple-double naturally, but that’s exactly what he’s been doing for years now as a 2x MVP and 5x All-Star. Amazingly, Jokic doesn’t need to manipulate the game to stuff the stat sheet, and he’s only playing to win.
“I think it’s ridiculous. You can’t win that many games in a row, get a triple-double, and only be padding your stats,” said Draymond Green on the Joker. “At some point, your stat padding in 30 games will catch up to you. Trust me I see the Joker’s stat lines often, and there are often times where he’ll have 10 or 11 assists. So if you are stat-padding, chasing that 10th or 11th assist is going to cost you the game. It hasn’t. The stat-padding narrative is lazy.”
Now that he’s a champ, any talk about stat-padding has been put to bed, but it’s only a matter of time before the haters find something else to critique and bring down.
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