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The Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray two-man game was on full display in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Denver’s 1-2 punch was responsible for 87 of the Nuggets' 104 points to show how dominant they can be.
Heat guard Kyle Lowry was asked by the media if he had ever played a duo with the same chemistry as Jokic-Murray. Here’s what the former All-Star had to say:
“I’m pretty old in this game right now. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, honestly. That’s a great combination that I got the opportunity to play against. Jamal [Murray] and Jokic, they’re just deadly.
"They both can score, pass the ball. They’re big targets and they have a great feel for each other. That combination, they’re very, very good.”
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker played together for 15 seasons. The French point guard won four championships with “The Big Fundamental.” Duncan, on the other hand, has five titles since he won one two years before Parker was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2001.
The similarities between Duncan-Parker and the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray pairing are striking. Duncan, like Jokic, was the superstar and the franchise player. Parker was the Batman to “TD’s” Superman in the same role Murray plays for the Serbian.
Both duos play within a system that allows everyone to succeed. They are all very unselfish and would rather win championships than strive for personal glory. The “Joker” is quiet and unassuming in the same mold as Tim Duncan. Both are back-to-back regular-season MVPs.
Jamal Murray is the more passionate leader who talks more like the way Tony Parker did for the Spurs. “TP” may be significantly smaller, but his ability to get to the rim was perhaps even better than Murray’s.
Kyle Lowry’s Duncan-Jokic comparison couldn’t be more apt. The Denver Nuggets superstar had this to say about the San Antonio Spurs legend:
“I want to be the Tim Duncan of the Denver Nuggets, but I need to win a couple of championships to be him.”
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are four titles away from what Tim Duncan and Tony Parker accomplished as a duo. They have a big chance to take a significant leap toward matching that total if they win the 2023 NBA Finals.
Nikola Jokic remembered playing against Tim Duncan
Nikola Jokic was a rookie when Tim Duncan played his last season in the NBA. “TD” played with a myriad of injuries and had been battling on one good knee in the later years of his career.
Here’s what the “Joker” had to say about his matchup with Duncan:
“He could not move that much in that period. But he gave me an easy 20 [points]. I did not touch him. I couldn’t do nothing.”
The game Jokic referred to was on April 8, 2016. It was Duncan’s fourth and last game against the Denver Nuggets that season. TD didn’t have a farewell tour. Three games after the Denver game, he walked away for good from the NBA.
Duncan had 21 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Nikola Jokic had eight points, 15 rebounds and four assists. It was the last matchup the “Joker” would ever have against the player he admitted he modeled his game after.
Also read: "He reminds me of Tim Duncan" - Charles Barkley expounds on why Nikola Jokic is all-time great
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
