"I couldn't get my teammates going because my shot wasn't falling!" Jokic Self-Critical After Loss
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The Serbian center attributed the loss primarily to a lack of open looks and poor shooting efficiency.
"We struggled to create open shots, and even when we did, we couldn't convert them. They were physically dominant on both ends of the court. I believe they did an excellent job defensively, forcing us into contested shots or making an extra move. This was particularly evident in the first quarter. When you start a game that poorly, it's tough to recover. They were great defensively, and we were very poor offensively."
"They were very aggressive"
He added that the opponent dictated the pace from the very beginning.
"As I said, they made us overthink. They were constantly close on every shot, and they were exceptionally good at that. They emphasized, especially in the second game, that they would push for a faster pace and transition to prevent us from setting up our defense. They were very aggressive."
When questioned by a Serbian journalist, Jokic reiterated that his focus is now solely on the next game.
"We started the game poorly, especially with our shooting. The first quarter was really bad, influenced by their excellent defense. We'll see how it goes in the next game. The focus is on that one, to break their home court advantage and tie the series at 2-2," Jokic stated, adding that improved shooting percentages would benefit both him and the entire team.
Although Denver has faced tough situations in the playoffs before, Jokic emphasized that the only thing that matters is winning the upcoming game.
"I remember we've come back from difficult positions multiple times in the playoffs, but the most important thing is always the next game. We have to win that one, and only then can we think about the future. We need to play much better."
Finally, he explained why he only had three assists, an uncharacteristically low number for him.
"They are defensively excellent, and we weren't shooting well. For me to be a distributor, I first need to hit a few shots to draw the defense's attention. That's why I couldn't get anyone else involved. I think I'll have to score more points to open up space for others," Nikola Jokic concluded.
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