Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander facing off” width=”100%”>“What to some is pain, to me is really just fatigue,” the late, great Bill Walton once wrote. “I love and live for that fatigue and the soreness that comes with it.” Stay in that feeling for long enough,and there comes a breakthrough,a second wind. For all the wonders that lie in Nikola Jokic’s divine basketball intelligence, these days, I find myself most compelled by his almost supernatural endurance. Most of the greats make the game look easy yet nonetheless find ways to tap into struggle. Jokic literally wears that drama on his sleeve.
As soon as the whistle blows and the ball is tossed into the air, Jokic is already on the brink of collapse. His triceps have permanent temporary engravings, like the strongest walrus on a sheet of ice, the last alpha standing against a gauntlet of tusks. the scrapes and scratches deepen over the course of a game, then they heal, wiping the canvas clean for another round in a few days. His entire body expands and contracts with the heaving breaths he takes, with a mouth that’s always just a bit agape, as he stares off into a mile-long distance at mile-high altitudes. He conjures moments that make you feel alive; he’ll do it with a punch-drunk wobble that,if you didn’t know any better,might suggest he’s about to pass out. But he never does. That state of fatigue and soreness that Walton coveted? Jokic has internalized it. He’s harnessed its potential: the never-ending second wind.
Jokic has turned this property into something to be shared among his teammates. Earlier this year, I suggested that Jokic “instills a greater consciousness on the floor akin to nature itself.” Nonetheless of the situation or the scoreboard, he trundles on. The game isn’t over until the best player on earth concedes, and until he does, the rest of the Nuggets have an almost biological obligation to keep going.Jokic never gave up in Game 1; ergo, neither did they. The opening stanza of the Western Conference semifinal matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the top-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder looked to favor the home team for just about the entire night.OKC’s lead woudl swell to double digits but recede to eight, to five. Ebbs and flows. Again and again.Never quite in hand, never quite out of reach.Coming into the series, we knew that one of the key pressure points would be the Thunder’s lack of crunch-time reps—after all, OKC won almost 80 percent of its regular-season games by at least 10 points. The Nuggets, meanwhile, came off one of only two Game 7s in the postseason thus far and played more than twice as many clutch minutes as the thunder in the regular season.
And once again, in astonishing fashion, the Nuggets found a way to win in the final ticks of regulation.
“We’ve been through a lot with this group,” two-time hero Aaron Gordon said after Game 1. “We’ve come from behind in plenty of games. It’s not necessarily what we’re trying to do, or what we want to do.But we know we’ve been in that position.”
There is a subtext in Gordon’s words: Oklahoma City hasn’t been in this uncomfortable position enough. He isn’t wrong. I’m usually not the type to relitigate the previous night’s follies, but there were two pivotal, regrettable moments in the closing minutes of Game 1 that overrode what could have been an crucial close-game win for a Thunder team that is, confoundingly, both dominant and inexperienced. With 3:48 remaining in the game, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was called for a loose-ball foul after he made contact with Jokic. There was some hand-fighting from both MVP hopefuls during the possession; Thunder coach Mark Daigneault made the executive decision to challenge the ruling—despite SGA rushing over to implore him not to. It was a curious (and unsuccessful) decision.For one, a lot of junked-up challenges are made as appeals to ego, a symbolic show of support to a star player’s emotional response to a perceived injustice. This was the exact opposite. Daigneault must have gleaned a sliver of possibility in the moment: Jokic had five fouls, and whether he initiated the contact or not, he did swipe away at Gilgeous-Alexander’s arm. The Thunder were up nine at the time; even the slightest possibility of forcing Jokic out of the game was too much to pass up.
But if that was Daigneault’s intent, it makes the second regrettable moment even harder to parse. With 12.9 seconds remaining in a one-point game, the Nuggets made a defensive substitution to get Jokic off the floor to prevent the risk of fouling out; Daigneault drew up a perfect sideline out-of-bounds play to part the seas for a wide-open SGA dunk. Without any timeouts, the Nuggets had no ability to bring Jokic back on the court. This was the Thunder’s dream scenario. This was exactly what Daigneault had presumably sacrificed a timeout on the earlier challenge to achieve. Yet the Thunder, holding steadfast to their team principles, fouled up three, taking just 0.4 seconds off the clock and allowing Jokic to reenter the game. The rest is history. At the last second, OKC invited chaos to dinner; it walked into the room and flipped the table.
“It’s tough to switch the strategy,” Daigneault told reporters after the game. “We’ve got the guys locked in on fouling up three as a philosophy. They executed it. Anything with the fouling-up-three stuff in terms of timing, that’s on me. I’ll take full duty for that.”
In the battle between the nature of Jokic and the nurture of Daigneault, nature landed the first blow. Game 1 was a classic and a punch in the mouth that the Thunder
Nikola Jokic’s Endurance and the Nuggets’ Clutch Gene: A Playoff Deep Dive with Basketball Analyst, Dr. Erin Dubois
Keywords: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA Playoffs, clutch Performance, Shai Gilgeous-alexander, Mark Daigneault, Basketball Analysis, Playoff Strategy
Time.news: Dr. Dubois, thanks for joining us. Game 1 between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder was a nail-biter.The article really focuses on Nikola Jokic’s almost superhuman endurance and how it impacts the entire Nuggets team. What’s your take on this “Jokic Effect”?
Dr.Erin Dubois: Thanks for having me.The “Jokic Effect” is very real, and it’s multi-faceted. People get wowed by his passing and his court vision, but it’s his stamina that really separates him.He’s always seemingly on the brink of exhaustion, yet he maintains a high level of play throughout the entire game. This relentless nature seems to be contagious. The Nuggets, especially after their championship run, have developed this collective resilience. They simply don’t quit, because their leader doesn’t quit.
Time.news: The piece highlights that Jokic’s fatigue is almost a weapon,a constant state he leverages. Is this a common trait among elite athletes, or is Jokic operating on another level?
Dr. Dubois: Many elite athletes embrace discomfort, absolutely. It’s part of the training and mental fortitude required to reach that level. But Jokic seems to have mastered it in a unique way. He doesn’t shy away from the grind; he thrives in it. That “punch-drunk wobble,” as the article describes it, almost lulls opponents into a false sense of security. When he looks most vulnerable, he’s often at his most hazardous. His processing power probably increases in this state which sets him apart.
Time.news: The article contrasts the Nuggets’ playoff experience with the Thunder’s relative inexperience in high-pressure situations. How big of a factor is playoff experience, especially in close games?
Dr. Dubois: Playoff experience is invaluable. It’s not just about the number of games played; it’s about the quality of those minutes. The Nuggets have faced adversity together, they’ve learned how to manage pressure, and they know how to execute in the clutch. The Thunder, despite their regular-season dominance, haven’t been consistently tested in those late-game scenarios. You can’t replicate playoff intensity in practice.
Time.news: The article points to two key decisions by Thunder coach Mark Daigneault: the unsuccessful challenge and the decision to foul up three late in the game. What are your thoughts on these decisions?
Dr. Dubois: both decisions are definitely being heavily scrutinized. The challenge was risky. While the potential reward – getting Jokic his sixth foul – was meaningful,it cost them a valuable timeout. Hindsight is 20/20, but in that moment, trusting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s instincts probably would have been better. As for fouling up three, it’s a common strategy, but the execution has to be perfect. It only took .4 seconds off the clock. In this case, the execution and timing were off, Daigneault himself admitted to that. This provided Jokic the oppurtunity to reenter the game.
Time.news: So, in the battle between the Nuggets’ playoff experience and the Thunder’s regular season dominance, experience won out?
Dr. Dubois: Experience helped, but the Nuggets’ mental fortitude was the real difference maker. They remained composed even when trailing, they trusted their system, and they relied on Jokic’s leadership and endurance. The Thunder, on the other hand, seemed to hesitate at key moments, possibly due to the pressure of the situation. They were definitely in an unfamiliar situation.
Time.news: What advice would you give to aspiring basketball players and coaches after analyzing this particular game?
Dr. Dubois: For players: don’t underestimate the importance of mental toughness and physical endurance. Work on developing your stamina, your ability to perform under pressure, and your trust in your teammates. embrace the grind, just as Jokic has.
For coaches: create high-pressure scenarios in practice to prepare your team for clutch situations. Develop clear strategies for end-of-game situations and ensure your players understand and can execute them flawlessly. Don’t be afraid to adjust your game plan based on your players’ on court feelings.
Time.news: Dr. Dubois, this has been incredibly insightful. Thanks so much for your time.
Dr.Erin Dubois: My pleasure.Thanks for having me.
