NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

June 8, 2023

Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets

Practice Day

Q. Obviously your on-ball skills get discussed a lot, but maybe your screening doesn't get a lot of attention. You're especially good at making the decision when to hit the screen, hold the screen and when to slip it and not screen, maybe more importantly. What goes into your decision-making process? What's your read about when to hold the screen or when to kind of slip away?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I mean, a bunch of things, to be honest, but good question. Mike, take note (Laughter.)

Depends. If I feel my defender is down the floor, I can set a screen and hold it. If I see that they're going to blitz or show, I can slip out. Or if I see the defender is kind of late, I'm going to slip out.

It's just an in-moment decision, I think. Sometimes you make a good decision, sometimes you make a mistake. But just probably to change, have a more variable -- I forgot the word, but doesn't matter. Just to have different variation.

Q. Random?

NIKOLA JOKIC: Random. Just don't give the same look every time.

Q. How valuable is Christian's off-ball movement and how it seems like he's always in motion, and how big was that to kind of disrupt their zone defense last night?

NIKOLA JOKIC: Yes, just aggressive movement. When he cuts and is aggressive, one defender is going to take him and that's going to open a lot of space. He was attacking downhill, which helps a lot just to go by the guy or just go aggressive. Yesterday he was amazing. But usually he does the same things. Sometimes he make, sometimes he miss. But generally he is playing really aggressive, and that's really helping us.

Q. With the great performance you have had, do you consider these Finals, these Playoffs the most important moments in your career, and how meaningful is that for you?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I mean, definitely it is because we have Jeff, we have Ish, we have DJ, who have been in the league a long time. Okay, Jeff one time was in the Finals. DJ played with a really good team, Ish played with a lot of good players, good teams, and they never made the Finals. It's maybe now or never. I think it's really important to be focused, to give us an opportunity or chance to win.

Q. Last night you blocked two shots, and Miami shot I think 3 for 19 when you contested as either primary or help defender. Bam is 1 for 10. Malone said, look, you're never going to block and pin a ball to the glass, but those who watch basketball know you're a very good defender. Jamal called you an elite defender. You've joked about your lack of athleticism. What is your process of defending and becoming an elite defender?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I think I didn't affect them at all, to be honest. They are really good players. But yes, maybe just try to make him uncomfortable or taking the shot he doesn't want or take it over a contested hand or just to move his hand or move his shot a little bit.

I think don't give an easy one. I think that's my main focus.

Q. Sarunas Marciulionis said how difficult it was for him coming to America discussing stats all the time, and everything is stats, stats, stats. Do you feel the same way? Because in our culture, it's a little bit different.

NIKOLA JOKIC: No, I don't feel the same because I only talk about people telling me my stats and I'm trying to say it's a team basketball. I mean, yes, I feel the same way, my friend. I think it's how everything works. In Europe, it's a little bit maybe the team, the winning. Here it's winning, too, but maybe more stats. I don't know. I really don't know. Good question. Mike. (Laughter.)

Q. Nikola, there was a story that you spoke up after the Game 2 loss. Why did you do that? Why did you feel the need --

NIKOLA JOKIC: I really didn't. I don't know.

Q. You didn't speak out?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I don't know. I don't think I did. Maybe I did. I don't remember, to be honest. Maybe I said a little bit of something, but I don't remember what, to be honest.

Q. Jamal was talking about how you guys are really enjoying kind of putting the puzzle together. Can you describe what it is that he means by that, and how much do you enjoy that intellectual side of studying what might be happening next?

NIKOLA JOKIC: I think it's cool just to see different solutions, how different players think different and how some players are reacting a certain way, how certain players don't react. Especially now, like you remember, so they blitz us a couple times, they steal the ball, then we reacted good.

It's just kind of bringing a game, like a chess game. They are one move, we are another move. I think this is the time where the players show what they've got.