National narrative no distraction to Nikola Jokic as he delivers at historic rate for Denver Nuggets

May 19—The one sports show Michael Malone seems genuinely interested in probably will never end up on television.

"If you want to be consistently great, you have to put in consistent work, and Nikola doesn't skip steps," the Nuggets coach said Thursday night after Denver's 108-103 win over the Lakers in Game 2.

Then, Malone pitched his idea for a more informative program than what the big sports networks currently air.

"I really wish, you guys, there was a behind-the-curtain look into Nikola Jokic's off-day routine, pre-practice routine, post practice, how he takes care of his body, how he lifts after games," Malone said.

That commitment and work ethic has long been cited as a big reason Jokic has blossomed into a two-time Most Valuable Player and annual All-Star after entering the NBA as a poorly conditioned, unheralded second-round pick. It was almost fitting his draft selection was announced during a Taco Bell commercial. Now, it's comical.

Unfortunately for Malone and the rest of Nuggets nation, Jokic doesn't seem interested in any additional attention let alone a step-by-step, behind-the-scenes look at his basketball life.

"It's nothing new for us," the reluctant superstar said of the national media attention, or the lack thereof.

"To be honest, I like it."

If the two-time Most Valuable Player ever changes his mind, he's a deserving subject. Jokic became the first player in NBA history to record a 20-point triple-double in four consecutive playoff games after posting 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists in Game 2.

"Joker, for those that don't know him, he's got 13 playoff triple-doubles now," Malone said. "It's just incredible what he continues to do on a nightly basis on the biggest stage in the world."

Jokic has posted triple-doubles in five of Denver's last six playoff games, moving up to third on the all-time list behind only Lakers legend Magic Johnson (30) and Lakers star LeBron James (28), who would've tied Johnson for the lead with one more assist Tuesday and one more rebound Thursday. The exception for Jokic was a 53-point performance in Phoenix where he also had 11 assists. After averaging a 30-point triple-double against the Suns, Jokic is putting up 28.5 points, 19 rebounds and 13 assists on a 55.3% shooting through two games against Los Angeles.

If that's not enough, Jokic also bounced back on the defensive end Thursday. After Anthony Davis dropped 40 points on Denver in Game 1, "AD" went 4 for 15 and scored nine of his 18 points in Game 2 from the free throw line while primarily being guarded by the guy whose defense has been compared to a traffic cone by many observers.

"AD is one of the hardest dudes to stop, and 'Jok' was playing him one-on-one a lot of the game. It was a huge effort from him," Michael Porter Jr. said. "If AD had a game like he had last game, we wouldn't have won that game. So, Nikola definitely stepped up on that end."

Malone doesn't have much of an appetite for the talking heads currently covering the NBA. He expressed frustration with the national narrative after Game 1 — when Jokic had 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists — being about the Lakers' adjustment that had Rui Hachimura defending Jokic late in the game.

"No one talked about Nikola just had a historic performance. He's got 13 triple-doubles now, third all time," Malone said. "What he's doing is just incredible, but the narrative wasn't about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn't about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments."

If there ever is a documentary-style show that takes fans behind the scenes, James and the Lakers would be the top choice for a variety of reasons. That might bother Malone, but the rest of the Nuggets seem to follow Jokic's script.

"We don't really let that get to us. We've got a lot of dudes who aren't really big into the social media thing or feeding into that, which I think that plays to our advantage being the type of small-market team that we are," Porter said. "I don't think we mind that at all."

The Nuggets now head to Hollywood with a chance to change the conversation, two wins away from the franchise's first trip to the NBA Finals. Malone might be the only one tuning in to see if that's the case.

"We don't need the media attention. ... We're going to go out there and try to win the game. We're going to be quiet. We're not going to not talk about it. Maybe some guys will," Jokic joked. "But I think in general, we don't need talking trash. We don't need that."