Remember that they just fired the coach that brought them their first ring? Now they look like they've lost as there are times that Jokic tries to be the coach and you can see his the frustrations in his face. So they are not the underdog in this series and the next game will still be at Clippers homecourt so they better show in the next game as they will be down 3-1.
The outcome of this series is crucial as it might even lead to Jokic leaving the team if they lose.
You can really see the frustration. He’s not happy anymore. And for a guy who usually doesn't complain much, this is not the kind of Jokic we want to see.
If this problem keeps going, I wouldn't be surprised if the Nuggets never recover.
You know, Jokic has a lot of pride because he’s a former champion, an MVP - he has so much to lose if they just crash out in the first round.
True, but the thing is that they don't have the coach that maybe they are playing comfortably, although he has been criticizing his team prior to Malone being fired. But I think he just want to motivate this players.
But obviously, the problems has started to shown in this series, Jokic is frustrated and yeah it could be the beginning of him wanting to get out of the Nuggets because he is no longer feeling motivated with his team mates.
One wrong decision can ruin everything... just like what happened to Dallas. Last year, they reached the NBA Finals, and now they didn’t even qualify for the playoffs!
I think management should look beyond just the coach’s performance. They also need to consider the coach’s relationship with the players.
Because what usually happens is, when a team struggles, the GM just points all the blame at the coach.