Salute to the Joker and a Look Back At Preseason Predictions

The Nuggets put the finishing touches on a brilliant 2022-23 campaign Monday night in Denver, beating the Heat 94-89 to capture the first championship in the franchise's 46-year history. 

(Thanks again to everybody who followed along with me in this newsletter throughout this exciting, enjoyable season!!)

The main takeaway from Denver's dominant run was the incredible performance from Nikola Jokic. Yes, he was fantastic in the Finals, where he averaged 30.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 7.2 APG, but he was an unstoppable force the entire postseason. 

Here are the leaders in each statistical category during the 2023 playoffs:

Points:
1. Nikola Jokic 
2. Jimmy Butler
3. Jayson Tatum 

Rebounds:
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Bam Adebayo 
3. Anthony Davis 

Assists:
1. Nikola Jokic 
2. Jamal Murray
3. Jimmy Butler

The Joker is the first and only player in NBA history to lead all three categories in a single postseason.

There was a lot of talk over the past few months from some prominent pundits about how Jokic was overrated and a "stat-padder" who didn't deserve a third-straight MVP because he had not produced in the playoffs (as if that has any bearing on a regular season award) and wasn't an all-time great player.