Rob Issa, FISM News
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While LeBron James contemplates his future, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time in the 47-year franchise history.
Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists for his eighth triple-double of the playoffs, breaking Wilt Chamberlain’s 1967 NBA record for triple-doubles in a single postseason.
The Nuggets overcame a 15-point deficit at halftime and went ahead to stay when Jokic drove past Anthony Davis for a go-ahead layup in the final minute. Jokic earned the conference finals MVP award.
“I think that’s why playoffs are so nice and so interesting, because you don’t care about how tired you are,” Jokic said. “You don’t care about minutes, fouls, shots, percentage. You just want to win a game. Some plays today we weren’t playing good defense sometimes, (but) you can win it in every kind of possible way.”
Jamal Murray continued his hot shooting with 25 points for the top-seeded Nuggets, who will face the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. The Heat lead the Celtics 3-0 and can advance with a victory Tuesday night.
“This is one of the best teams, if not the best team, we’ve played together for all four years,” James said of the Nuggets.
Just well-orchestrated, well put together. They have scoring. They have shooting. They have playmaking. They have smarts. They have length. They have depth. And one thing about their team, when you have a guy like Jokic, who as big as he is but also as cerebral as he is, you can’t really make many mistakes versus a guy like that.
LEBRON RETIRING?
LeBron James didn’t rule out retirement when asked about it after the Denver Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers out of the Western Conference finals.
“We’ll see what happens going forward,” James said Monday night after the Lakers lost 113-111 to the Denver Nuggets.
I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball, I’ve got a lot to think about.
James had a personal best 31 points in the first half and finished with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, but he struggled in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter, and missed two opportunities to tie the game in the final minute.
The 38-year-old James showed plenty of frustration and said he hasn’t mind up his mind on what he’s doing next year.
“It’s all about availability for me and keeping my mind sharp, and things of that nature,” James said.
Being present on the floor, being present in the locker room and bus rides and plane rides, things of that nature. It’s challenging, for sure. It was a very challenging season for me, for our ballclub, and obviously we know whatever went on early on (in the Lakers’ 2-10 start to the season). It was cool, a pretty cool ride.
James is a four-time NBA champion and is the top scorer in NBA history. He’s scheduled to make $46.9 million next season with the Lakers. James hasn’t declined on the court, though he’s playing fewer games because of injuries to his ankles and feet. James missed 27 regular-season games this past season. He led the Lakers to an NBA title in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
The Lakers entered the playoffs as the No. 7 seed after winning a play-in game. They beat No. 2 seed Memphis and eliminated the defending champion Golden State Warriors before losing four in a row to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
“I don’t like to say it’s a successful year, because I don’t play for anything besides winning championships at this point in my career,” James said. “You know, I don’t get a kick out of making a conference (finals) appearance. I’ve done it a lot, and it’s not fun to me to not be able to be a part of getting to the (NBA) Finals.”