Volume 5: Unrivaled

On the next possession, Curry and Lopez ran a pick-and-roll, continuing to target Jokic. Lopez only needed to dribble toward the basket, forcing Millsap to come over and help, but Antetokounmpo was waiting in the paint. If the perimeter defenders did not collapse, Lopez could pass to Antetokounmpo; if they did, Lopez could kick it out. There would always be an open man. With little time left on the shot clock, Jokic beckoned to Barton. Barton ran over, and the two executed a handoff. What kind of center did not establish position in the paint, instead standing at the high post and constantly dealing the ball to his teammates? Mike Malone could only watch as Jokic was repeatedly targeted, unable to do anything about it. He knew he could not jump and had never wasted effort on such things. He might as well get back on defense early. In this season's All-Star fan and media voting, Jokic had been deeply unpopular. Despite averaging 19+10, he could not even crack the top four in Western Conference All-Star voting, though quite a few players voted for him. Lopez paid no attention to Barton and focused solely on Jokic. Curry was a step slow fighting over the screen, but he still disrupted Barton somewhat. Barton's mid-range shot clanked off the rim, and Antetokounmpo secured the rebound. Yet while everyone else was down on Jokic, Zhang Yu had lavished praise on him in a pregame interview, saying the Warriors absolutely would not take him lightly, leaving many people puzzled. The Warriors' starters were Curry, Jaylen Brown, Wiggins, Antetokounmpo, and Lopez. The Nuggets started Murray, Barton, Craig, Millsap, and Jokic. The media still did not think highly of Jokic, but Zhang Yu's words forced them to take this white center they had dismissed seriously. Lopez