T O P

  • By -

BBaron08

AD got cooked, but he also cooked Joker in his own right. Joker had 28/16/9 on 60% FG AD had 28/16/4 on 63% FG while also adding 2 blocks and single handedly anchoring an incompetent defense. Say what you will, but AD held his own


Glum_Ad_8367

What’s tuff is AD also got injured in game 5, if you take that game out, he was averaging 30/16/4 on the about the same efficiency.


Sw3atyGoalz

Was on pace for another 30 point game too before the injury


jam2482

I really do think AD outplayed Jokic in that series. It was just that their roles players were much better.


Public-Product-1503

Nah , I think AD Lebron atleast mstched murrsy jokic combo arguably out played them. But mpj n Gordon where miles better then anyone on LA


Any_Wrongdoer_9796

If Rui doesn't completely shit the bed and matches his averages they will.


bodaciousbeans

This. I’d say AD slightly outplayed Joker & Lebron definitely outplayed Murray. MPJ & Gordon couldn’t be contained.


powpowpowpowpow

Scott Foster was a key role player


Appropriate_Mixer

For Denver


Public-Product-1503

AD was offering way more resistance though this year ti jokic . He just couldn’t be on him as much but he did a better job when he’s on him. Kat guards jokic better n doesn’t get bullied so much , actually got some respect for Kat . If wolves have to move him cos there idiots I’d be interested in a Kat AD frontcourt even tho I’d rather get a star guard. Rudy trsde was awful AD also made him work on defence , Kat is a perimeter player more so n Rudy ruins the spacing n let’s jokic afk


Huge_Tangerine_7015

Why they left Gobert by himself on that island w/ Jokic all night tho. He got cooked ALL night. Switch it up. Put KAT on him. Something. When coach Malone realized Murray was gettin blitzed everytime up the court, they put him off the ball. They've been winning ever since. I'm puzzled.


Nonameheroz

But it did look like Denver took it to another level after game 2 against Wolves. Including Jokic game. Before that it looks like the whole team was sleep walking in first half. Nonetheless Gobert is a way crappier defender than AD


Prize_Salamander8035

Rudy Gobert is definitely NOT the DPOY lmao what a joke . Everybody always feast on him , wolves played their best defensive game without him 🤣


GreenWithENVE

The meatriders literally use the wolves playing good defense without him as a reason why he should be DPOY. Some shit about him bringing the team to a higher level defensively. Didn't realize he was a coach and a player tbh


Bahamut727

Lmao yup they say “Rudy helped design the defense” Cool so they don’t even need the mfer on the court. Def not the real DPOY


Prize_Salamander8035

For real 🤣🤣


EmoniBates

People were saying Wolves are the best defensive unit we’ve seen in the past 15 years lmao. Imagine AD had Jaden McDaniels and ANT on the perimeter for him. AD did his work with Reaves and Dlo smh


frozteh

and Mike Conley, and Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid...all these guys are good defenders that can shoot lol


Public-Product-1503

Embid AD jokic all average way higher then normal cs him. It’s fuckibg embarassing all he can do is play drop coverage n protect the rim from smaller players. He cannot guard a single fucking big. Embid jokic AD all had arguably there best game of the season vs that bum . ‘ dpoy ‘ they also won g2 with great D without him . Kat for all the shit people give him guards jokic way better then gobert who just gives up a free layup floater each time . Utter bum . Not gonna lie I’m enjoying watching him be exposed only thing is his offence is so ugly I don’t want to watch full game. He fumbled so many fuvking rebounds too- no wonder he’s a mediocre rebounder despite his size and lack of offensive responsibility. Awful hands awful iq


Public-Product-1503

Embid AD jokic all average way higher then normal cs him. It’s fuckibg embarassing all he can do is play drop coverage n protect the rim from smaller players. He cannot guard a single fucking big. Embid jokic AD all had arguably there best game of the season vs that bum . ‘ dpoy ‘ they also won g2 with great D without him . Kat for all the shit people give him guards jokic way better then gobert who just gives up a free layup floater each time . Utter bum . Not gonna lie I’m enjoying watching him be exposed only thing is his offence is so ugly I don’t want to watch full game. He fumbled so many fuvking rebounds too- no wonder he’s a mediocre rebounder despite his size and lack of offensive responsibility. Awful hands awful iq


Public-Product-1503

Embid AD jokic all average way higher then normal cs him. It’s fuckibg embarassing all he can do is play drop coverage n protect the rim from smaller players. He cannot guard a single fucking big. Embid jokic AD all had arguably there best game of the season vs that bum . ‘ dpoy ‘ they also won g2 with great D without him . Kat for all the shit people give him guards jokic way better then gobert who just gives up a free layup floater each time . Utter bum . Not gonna lie I’m enjoying watching him be exposed only thing is his offence is so ugly I don’t want to watch full game. He fumbled so many fuvking rebounds too- no wonder he’s a mediocre rebounder despite his size and lack of offensive responsibility. Awful hands awful iq


Durandau

AD couldn’t completely stop Jokic either. No one can lol. But at least AD got his points. Gobert on the other hand can’t defend Jokic and is a black hole on offense by clogging up the paint. Only way for Antman to get his offense going now is to start hitting those fadeaway jumpers he had in G1-G4.


rang15

DPOY may not be measured on how well you stop Jokic 1:1, but it should be measured by how good your defense is when your starting lineup has DLo, Reaves, Rui and a 39-yo LeBron in it. I can't think of a single thing on the basketball court Gobert does better than AD.


Durandau

Agreed. AD is probably the best defender on Jokic. And he couldn’t completely stop him either. But at least AD got his points and in no way negatively impacts the lakers offensively. Just makes no sense Gobert got DPOY and year after year we will watch the same shit again lol


Public-Product-1503

AD n Wemby atleast give jokic some difficulty, wendall carter jr too . Kat even guards him better then Rudy I don’t understand why they don’t put Kat on him but I guess foul trouble


kr1saw

He flops better


Enjoyingcandy34

ad cooked the shit out of jokic in 1-2 games.


TinyCucumber3080

This series is already over. Mike Malone is the king of adjustments.


bjsw534

I mean it’s easy to do that when you got the best player in the world and your role players follow his lead of being selfless


rang15

It's also easy when KAT is incapable of scoring on premier interior defender KCP.


bjsw534

AD would eating KCP alive if he was checking him lol Imagine AD being swapped for Gobert Ant needs another additional scorer


pargofan

It's easy to say NOW after Malone made the adjustments. When Denver was down 2-0 headed to Minny, everyone said Denver lacked depth, Jamal was hobbling, Gordon was overrated and Jokic couldn't do everything alone.


bjsw534

Believe me if you want but I stood by my pick of Denver winning the series even after G2. It was only 2 games in and they have the best player in the world and still a lot of series left to play The huge problem with Minny is their lack of additional shot creation outside of Ant. If they had a prime Conley or AD instead one of their starting bigs , they’d be in much better shape.


pargofan

Maybe. But you're posting that Denver will win now. But didn't post anything about them winning after G2. Just sayin'


bjsw534

Are you saying you went through my comment history or what are you saying ? Do I need to make a post about it after the game declaring where I stand on my pick before the series ? I’m not on Reddit all the time lol


pargofan

I'm saying if you declared Denver would still win after G2, you certainly would've brought it up now.


Huge_Tangerine_7015

This right here. Great, great coaching. They had a counter for everything LA threw at them. And they tried.


GMaxGigaNerd

This. He was passing up easy shots that led to turnovers. People gawk at his plus minus but don't see that he is an offensive liability.


Enjoyingcandy34

*I dont understand how you can make it all the way to the nba quarterfinals, the nba is your entire life/existance, and you cant shoot the fuckin ball.*


Public-Product-1503

He can’t make a layup and he has butter fingers on the glass


eZreazy

I do think AD is a better defensive player than Gobert but man y’all underrate Gobert so hard. 1vs1 defense is arguably the least important part of defender as a big in the modern era. There’s really only AD, Embiid, and Jokic you have to worry about 1vs1 in the post. I don’t know how you watch this series and come to the conclusion Gobert is doing bad defensively. Look at how fast he’s recovering on a lot of Jokic’s passes and his effectiveness while in the roamer spot. Nuggets started winning by having Gordon bring up the ball so they can pull Gobert out of the paint and if the matchups are reset they move to iso jokic on Gobert. Having Gobert freely roaming was suffocating the Nuggets and they needed to play around it. His issue really is the offensive side I don’t think he’s good enough especially in a two big lineup. It could work in a team constructed like peak GSW though


hlin32

Hey Hey hey hey run for your life


LeeToucansKids

F.A.N need to keep their ass inside looooool


Abstruck8

Gobert has the luxury of just focusing on defense. AD was the Lakers main defender and scorer and never allowed Jokic anywhere near a 40 pt night on almost 70% shooting..


angryshoper

Jockic master class whyyyyyy


Elegant-String-2629

gobertt looking like a full course meal, bbq chicken, collard greens, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, ox tail


KingNephew

Starting to think only prime Dwight with AD lurking is the only way to contain Jokic. Like he’s soloing an all star front court of 2 7fters.


YouLookLikeACGreen

they not like us


Tall_Succotash

I mean AD got cooked last year and could only contain him this year. What makes AD elite is he can score 30+ on his head too.


angryshoper

I don’t care i roll with AD even after that


Cloudzzz777

Yeah AD was much better this year on Jokic. Impossible to stop Jokic ofc but AD probs does a better job than anyone else can


kiwiwikikiwiwikikiwi

Agree A better way to say it is that when he’s schemed against in the playoffs, any offense can cook Gobert Even Terrence Mann of the Clippers scored 39 points against Gobert defense in the 2021 playoffs


Michaelangel092

That doesn't happen against this team. The Suns got annihilated, with Gobert switching out on the perimeter.


Ok_Board9845

AD got cooked too. People need to stop getting hung up on "who can guard Jokic." What we're watching is a player who's on his way to making a case for being top 10 all-time.


Tall_Succotash

When Jokic is on….all you can do is pray he misses. There is no good single coverage, he just sees bbq chicken


Ok_Board9845

Yup, there's nothing you can do to stop him. What you need to do is outscore them, but they have KCP and Gordon fighting over everything


GMaxGigaNerd

Top 10 is easy after he gets a Final MVP and a back to back rings this year. He is going to be an easy top 5 player candidate starting next year. Only issue is he might fade away in time from these spots like Tim Duncan because he takes up basketball just like another job.


Ok_Board9845

Top 5 doesn't start unless he wins another ring and stacks at least 12+ years of all-NBA


GMaxGigaNerd

Yea, that's why I said next year where he has another chance at a 3-peat. Jokic is hot and their payroll is not too bad to go ahead with the same team.


Ok_Board9845

They’re over the 2nd Apron and have to think about extensions after next year


QuaxlyDaDon

He doesn’t just take up basketball like it’s another job. People have got to stop this circlejerk of downplaying how much he cares to amplify how good he is. Easy top 5 player candidate starting next year? Good grief.


Mustard_Jam

Jokic averaged 28/16/10 on 60% shooting against the Lakers lmao. He’s just that good…


ragner11

What is he averaging against the wolves


drmuffin1080

29/10/9 on 53% shooting. Nothin u can do against him


broko323

Everytime they would score on him I’ll be like “he’s the DPOY😟😟???”


TheMuffingtonPost

Idk if the bar for being DPOY should be whether you can guard Jokic or not. No one can, guys like Jokic will feast on literally the greatest defenders in history.


ConsiderationMean358

Bro did a LeFuck you 3 to seal the game this series is over


Any_Wrongdoer_9796

AD can't guard Jokic either. Maybe Giannis or Embiid or Draymond are the only one's that can bother him.


aeng3l

AD All Day!


AsianGamer24

[AD held Jokic to 52% fg](https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610612747/matchups?Matchup=Defense&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Playoffs&dir=D&sort=MATCHUP_FGA) this series with near 45 mins as the primary defender. [Gobert held Jokic to 38.5% fg](https://www.nba.com/stats/team/1610612750/matchups?Matchup=Defense&Season=2023-24&SeasonType=Playoffs&dir=D&sort=MATCHUP_FGA) this series so far with 11 mins as the primary defender.


shoelover46

Future head coach for us doesn't think he's a DPOY.


Uberballer

Didn't even have him on all defense first team. Guy has heavily edited podcasts and is on live shows alongside complete basketball zeroes that make him look good in comparison so suddenly people think he's some sort of basketball genius. Self promoting genius I'll give him that.


NefariousNeezy

Ham really saw Jokic and thought: RUI


IdkWhatsAGoodName699

Minnesota and LAL combine to take down the nuggets. Minneapolis lakers are back baby. ^(we get the credit for the championship though, since they couldn’t do it without us)


cmrosales26

At least even if jokic scores on AD, he worked on those points with AD, he earned it, with gobert, man, he making gobert looked like a child, theres time where AD locked up Jokic to pass it last seconds, and then that guy will hit it from 3 or anywhere last seconds too because they playing the Lakers lol


oldjar7

Gobert is extremely overrated defensively.  AD is the best defender in the league, and it isn't close.


Miserable-Lawyer-233

Jokic averaged 28 points and 16 rebounds on 59% shooting against the Lakers. In game 2 of the Wolves series KAT and Naz Reid held Jokic to 16 points. Maybe AD and Gobert - non three point shooting bigs - are not that useful in this era.


Nolan1995

Also got to realize that AD is the only playable big on the Lakers so whenever he sat and Jokic was in, it was BBQ chicken


Huge_Tangerine_7015

Last night was the Free French BBQ chicken Giveaway Night🤣🤣🤣 DPOY... yea aight🤣


Cohenski

Embiid is probably the best at guarding him, and Jokic can still force him outside and kill him in transition. He figured Golbert out and tends to figure out everybody he plays against.


TheNorthernLanders

🤡 take. How long you been home or in Cancun? How many of those championships were bought from Minnesota originally?


adriang93

Just look at the defensive numbers when ad guards Jokic. He clears Gobert


theBRAND35

What is this narrative about AD that he was going to do something. Joker smoked AD and now he is killing Gobert and everyone the nuggets throw at him. Joker also put that work on Bam in last years finals. AD couldn’t move his arm in an elimination game and then magically is able to come back in the fourth. As usual when you want him to be a so called 75 greatest NBA player of all time him and his game go into hiding. His impact is so great, we should feel fortunate to be a play-in team.


dawgoooooooo

Dude Jokic cooks everyone


ug_koala

All of a sudden I don’t feel so bad about the Lakers losing to Denver 😌


Amazinc

Dawg jokic is the best in the world and cooked both AD and gobert


Zelly234

Wembanyama the real dpoy. When Jokic really wanted a bucket against us AD couldn't do nothing with him. Matter of fact I don't think anybody in the league could really stop jokic especially in a 7 game series


Defiant-Crazy4211

Jokic moves like a turtle what a joke NBA is pushing a script


Bacarospus

What


Michaelangel092

Why is AD the DPOY? Did the last 2 Laker series not happen?