DENVER — For the Clippers’ vaunted defense, the ultimate test undoubtedly will be dealing with Denver’s incomparable center Nikola Jokic during what figures to be a competitive seven-game playoff series.
Jokic is a basketball savant, exceptional in every facet of the game, a player for whom the Clippers will gameplan like never before.
He’s a three-time NBA most valuable player and is a strong candidate again for the award following an even more impressive campaign than the others.
Jokic became just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season, joining Nuggets teammate Russell Westbrook and Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. Jokic posted numbers of 29.6 points (third best in the league), 12.7 rebounds (third) and 10.2 assists (second).
His counterpart at center is Ivica Zubac, who will get the first crack at Jokic for the Clippers starting with Game 1 on Saturday afternoon.
At 7-foot and 240 pounds, Zubac has the size and strength to not get overpowered by the 6-11 and 284-pound Jokic.
But when asked to share his thoughts on having to defend Jokic, Zubac paused, smiled and then chuckled before he answered.
“Ugh, it’s going to be tough,” Zubac said, chuckling again. “He’s incredible. He’s the best player in the league, for sure, and it’s going to be tough. He’s got so much stuff offensively. You got to mix in a lot of different coverages. It’s going to be tough for sure, but I think we have our advantages and I’m sure our coaching staff is going to prepare us to be locked in in Game 1.”
The Clippers allowed just 108.2 points per game, the fourth-best defense in the league, and had the third-best defensive rating at 109.4 per 100 possessions. They held teams to 46.1 percent shooting (eighth), 35 percent three-point shooting (fifth) and picked up 8.8 steals (eighth) per game.
The plan, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, is to throw a variety of defenses at Jokic.
Expect the Clippers to double team him from different areas on the court, to blitz him and to throw different bodies at him.
“You can’t play the game perfect,” Kawhi Leonard said. “You can’t guard anyone perfect, so whatever way you guard him, he’s going to try to execute and if that’s him scoring high or him [getting] high assists, that’s just how the game turned out. But we’re just focused on trying to win the basketball game. Obviously, he’s a big part of it and he causes a lot of attention.”
For as much attention that is rightfully being paid to Jokic, the Clippers as a whole have been playing some of the best basketball in the league to end the season.
They entered the postseason tied with the Milwaukee Bucks with the longest winning streak at eight.
The Clippers have won 18 of their last 21 games, winning their last two high-pressure games to secure the fifth seed.
That left an impression on Jokic.
“They are a great team,” Jokic said after Denver’s practice Friday. “They are playing really well lately. They have dangerous players and they have players there that are probably the best in their roles coming off the bench and we know it’s going to be really a big task for us. But I think we are ready for it.”
The Clippers and Nuggets split the season-series at 2-2, but Leonard didn’t play in any of them.
Six of the Clippers average double figures, three over 20 points per game in James Harden (22.8), Norman Powell (21.8) and Leonard (21.5).
“I think we know who we are,” Harden said. “We have to be great defensively every single night. Offensively, it can be anyone of us that can get going. It could be Zu getting post ups, Kawhi and Norm or myself or Boggie [Bogdan Bogdanovic]. For us, I think the game is going to dictate who has got it going. Defensively, that’s the most important thing, is making sure we lock in on that side of the basketball.”
Bogdanovic played with Jokic for the Serbian national team during the Olympics in Paris. The two have been teammates and friends for years, both knowing each other’s game, strengths and weaknesses, and now they will face off in a playoff series.
In that regard, the Clippers did pick Bogdanovic’s brain on ways to prepare for Jokic since the two of them have known “each other for a while.”
“I honestly think he attacks every single game the same way,” Bogdanovic said. “For him, there is no difference of opponent, the season or anything. For sure there is that extra motivation of how the competition is coming to the end. But I think his biggest quality is preparing the same way for every single game.”
Etc.
Clippers all-purpose forward Nicolas Batum, who missed the final two regular-season games with because of a right groin injury, said he was “good, good after a few practices,” and would be ready to play in Game 1.