LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers end season with a nod to Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets

May 24—Torches were not passed, but hats were tipped after Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets to a sweep of the Lakers.

When asked about the performance from Denver's superstar, the NBA's all-time leading scorer in both the regular season and postseason literally removed his hat in a nod to Jokic.

"When you guard him for one of the best possessions that you think you can guard him, he puts the ball behind his head, Larry Bird style, and shoots it 50 feet in the air and it goes in, like he did four or five times this series," LeBron James said after Monday's game in Los Angeles.

There was laughter in the room, but there wasn't a joke.

"So, you do like this to him," James said with a hat tip.

The last of the shots James mentioned was the most impactful, but Jokic started the trend of absurd shot-making against the Lakers at the end of the third quarter in Game 1. He took a couple of steps back from the 3-point line and hoisted up a heave over Anthony Davis, who gave Jokic a bewildered look after the improbable shot splashed down just before the buzzer.

A couple more of those shots helped the Nuggets sweep Los Angeles and send the Nuggets to their first NBA Finals. There was another step-back 3 to beat the shot clock in the second quarter. Then, with the Nuggets up three points with just under three minutes to play, the shot clock was winding down once again. Davis still had the undesirable task of guarding Jokic, who spun out to the perimeter and once again nailed an off-balance, one-footed 3-pointer.

The Lakers fought back after going down six points, tying the game on Davis' free throws with 1:13 left, only for Jokic to bully past Davis and Dennis Schroder on his way to the rim for the decisive layup in the final seconds.

"You just tip your hat to him. He made those shots," Davis said.

"He's a two-time MVP for a reason. Hell of a player, scoring in multiple ways. He's not the most athletic but he has great footwork around the rim, great touch, step out and shoot it. Great passer. ... You know, he did everything for them to make sure that they won. Hats off to him."

Jokic made 8 of 17 (47.1%) from 3-point range against the Lakers and finished the four-game series with averages of 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists. He's averaging a triple-double in through three rounds of the postseason. It wasn't just Jokic, however. Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon teamed up for one last stop and scored 25 and 22 points, respectively. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a couple of early 3-pointers that helped the Nuggets fight off the Lakers' early surge, while Michael Porter Jr. continued to provide high-level shooting and rebounding with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

"They are a hell of a ballclub. They have been great all year. They have been great for a few years now," Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. "They have a hell of a 1-2 punch in Jokic and Jamal. Wish them nothing but the best. (Michael) Malone, happy for him and his staff. They have done a phenomenal job of just establishing a culture up there in Denver and making that a tough place to play. (It's a) well-balanced roster, very well coached, great vets."

It will be an interesting offseason for the Nuggets' longtime nemesis. It starts with James, who has a couple of big decisions to make. Offseason foot surgery is believed to be a likely outcome, and retirement is reportedly an option. There was no passing of the torch, just a tip of the cap from one brilliant basketball mind to another.

"There are certain guys in this league that play the game a certain way, a certain way that I like to play the game as well, and he's one of them, where you are always off-balance when you are guarding a player like that because of his ability to score, rebound, shoot. He sees plays before they happen." James said of Jokic.

"There's not many guys in our league like that. So, you already knew you was going against a beast once the series started, and not only just about his game. Everybody gets cracked up into his stats but I don't think a lot of people talk about, like, this part of his game," James said, pointing to his head, which was still covered by his hat at that point. "Maybe it's not talked about, because a lot of people don't understand it, but I do. He's special."