Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets have begun to play in the NBA Western Conference finals. How they got here is demonstrated by game 6 win over the Phoenix Suns.
The Nuggets strong defense and well-organized attack, especially in the paint, resulted in a rout of the Suns and their superstar Kevin Durant. The victory represents somewhat of a retort to the weeks of so-called sport experts underestimating Denver and badmouthing Nikola Jokic who finished the game with a signature triple double.
Toward the end of the NBA season, Jokic appeared to be the front-runner to achieve a third consecutive Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. However, Kendrick Perkins, a Black ESPN analyst found a way to sabotage it by pulling out the race card. Perkins stated that Jokic was in line to receive the award again because he is White. He used race to advance the fortunes of Joel Embiid, a Black power forward from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Embiid played the 2013-2014 season with the University of Kansas (KU) Jayhawks before being drafted number 3 in the first round by Philadelphia. Although he was a great player at KU (my school) and among the top 5 players in the NBA today, his election as MVP is questionable.
Embiid’s award is diminished by the Perkins comments that appeared to have caused enough voters to cast their ballots for Embiid. Just to make sure, analyst Mark Jackson, a Black MVP voter went as far as to leave Jokic off the ballot altogether because he said he “forgot.”
During the playoffs, ESPN commentators have spent endless hours talking mostly about Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee, Jayson Tatum of Boston, Joel Embiid of Philadelphia, Jimmy Butler of Miami, LaBron James and Anthony Davis of Los Angeles, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins of Golden State and Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns. There was little said about the Nuggets or its players except to state the fact that Denver has the best season record in the Western Conference.
Stephen A. Smith, a loud preacher-like talking head for ESPN picked Phoenix over Denver in game 6. At half-time of the game, with Denver leading by 30 points, Smith basically spent his time talking about how embarrassed he was by the performance of the Suns and calling it a “comedy show.”
It took Jalen Rose, another analyst, and a member of the Michigan Wolverines Fab 5 and NBA star to balance the half-time commentary with statements like how Nikola Jokic “made the game look so easy.” Patrick Saunders, a Denver Post sportswriter said the obvious when he stated that “Nicola Jokic made Mark Jackson, Suns, haters look like fools.”
Even Stephen A. Smith made some “afterthought” comments about Jokic being a brilliant basketball player. Another afterthought that caught my attention was Perkins comment after game 6 that appears to backtrack about an opinion that was too little and too late.
Perkins admitted that, “I’ve been in denial about Jokic and the Nuggets…But I must say that they are legit.” Being in denial however, does not go well with the use of race.
Nikola Jokic lost his opportunity to three-peat. The loss was instigated by a new oppressive force in the sports media establishment.
The Denver Nuggets have a tough road ahead to succeed or not in achieving a conference championship and an NBA title. Victory in the end is just as important as doing it in a space of honesty, integrity and fair play.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
