The pass is to basketball what the bunt is to baseball, a special skill of precision and beauty.
The Denver Nuggets' unicorn wonder Nikola Jokic's shooting reminds me of a master organ player commanding a full range of notes. He's a prodigious rebounder. But I'm most amazed by Jokic's virtuoso passing.
Jokic Monday night led the Nuggets to a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals with his eighth triple double of the playoffs, breaking Wilt Chamberlain's record. He scored 30 points on a variety of inside and outside shots, and pulled down 14 rebounds. But Jokic reached a higher level with his passing, totaling 13 assists.
The 6-11 Serbian pulls off unbelievable baskets like the three-pointer he hit late in the game with the shot clock running down. From about 40 feet, Jokic shot from behind his head with the Lakers' hapless Anthony Davis bearing down. Somehow, the ball rose on a rainbow arc, watched in unison by the Lakers' disbelieving fans, and plummeted through the net.
Despite some late game efforts by Davis and the intrepid LeBron James, the Nuggets prevailed over the Lakers and their house full of Hollywood stars to reach the NBA finals for the first time in team history.
Jokic's passing thrilled me the most. Like the NFL's Patrick Mahomes, Jokic stirs wonder at how he creates such magic. The big guy steers the ball through tiny spaces in a crunch of bodies. Jokic's cross-court laser beams dart like a great outfielder's throws to home plate, revealing sports' breath-taking beauty. .
Like opera lovers rating tenors, NBA connoisseurs will compare Jokic to passing masters like Bob Cousy, Pete Maravich, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Bill Walton.
Don't call Jokic the Joker. Call him maestro.
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