Shaquille O’Neal Spares One Nuggets Star After Nikola Jokic & Co.’s Elimination: “He Played Well”
unlicensed image ©unlicensed image Since winning a championship in 2023, the Denver Nuggets haven’t managed to reach a conference finals. Twice in three years, that path’s been impeded by the Minnesota Timberwolves . Even against a shorthanded opponent, who was without Anthony Edwards, the Nikola-Jamal Murray tandem fell short.
There are several reasons this happened. The Timberwolves were just relentless in ensuring they highlight the Nuggets’ vulnerable defense. However, Shaquille O’Neal expects the Nuggets’ prolific duo to pack more of a punch.
The Big Diesel was critical of three-time MVP Nikola Jokic for just being “good” in Game 6. “Yeah, the defense played very well, but you know, Joker to me didn’t play great, and when you’re a great player, especially in the playoffs, I think you know Charles seems to disagree with me. I think in order to keep advancing, you have to play great.
He played good but good is not good enough,” said Shaq . Jokic has a classic game by his margins. The Nuggets cornerstone contributed 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists.
What Shaquille O’Neal and even Kenny Smith expected was dominance. “I would like to see 35, 36, 37,” said Shaq. The Joker can take complete control of games, literally capable of doing it all on the offensive end.