'Modern Day Tim Duncan' | Shaq, Chuck and G.Hill Praise Nikola Jokic Before GM1 | 2023 NBA Finals

We are live on the floor here at Ball Arena, still working with the Hall of Famers, Charles Barkley, Brad Hill, Hall of Famer and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal. Great to have you with us. How'd you get in the Hall of Fame? Because I got four of them things. Chuck, no vacation yet. You got two games, two games here in Denver. I'm excited to be here. You know, you talk about underappreciated superstars, you talk about underappreciated teams as Denver Nuggets. Nobody has believed in them all season and they're here. And listen, if the Miami Heat are able to win this championship, it will be, in my opinion, the greatest run ever for an underdog, for an underdog. No one has ever taken a tougher path to get to this point than the Miami Heat. You know, there's a lot of talk coming into this series about market size and the franchises that aren't here. The Nuggets were the best team in the West throughout the season. The Heat's run, we'll get into a little more, has been nothing short of phenomenal. And for casual fans, the casuals, as the kids call them, this might be their first real exposure to Nikola Jokic, who may just be the best player on the planet. Grant, what are they going to learn about this guy? Well, Matt, you said it best. First of all, I had the chance to cover the Nuggets the first two rounds. And we were talking, you know, in the back there, just watching him play in person, the feel, the passing. He doesn't beat you with the explosiveness that we've seen from superstars in years past, but just a great understanding of how to play the game. Very unselfish, has taken over at times, but also can beat you with the pass. And really just a treat, kind of the modern day version of a Tim Duncan, a guy that doesn't necessarily want all the attention. Obviously his game is a little bit different than Tim's, but the personality and Chuck said it best, this team, look, everyone was sort of counting them out in the post-season. Okay. They were number one seed in the regular season. They're not going to get far. It's going to be Phoenix or Golden State or the Lakers. And this team has a chip on their shoulder and sort of the feeling that they have something to prove that you don't typically see from a number one seed, but Jokic is a treat to watch and we'll get a chance to watch him here tonight. Jokic comes in as just the third player in NBA history to reach the NBA finals, averaging a triple double through three rounds. What has impressed you about this run? I'm actually anxious to watch him play in person. I'm actually happy that a big man is now named the best player in the league. Listen, he plays with poise, plays with confidence and he plays the right way. Us three Hall of Famers, we can appreciate that. You know, we see a lot of guys that have a lot of talent, don't utilize their talent. This guy right here just goes out and he just outworks everybody. And it's a joy to watch. I'm always laughing, Chuck. I said, Chuck, this guy gets the easiest, slowest, 35, 17 spin I've ever seen in my life. And he's a great player. But again, I'm anxious to watch him see him, you know, to actually watch him live. There's nobody like him and I'm not the Hall of Fame, but I can appreciate him as well. That's why he's got my MVP vote for three straight years now. This Joker dude was the second round pick. It's incredible. You know, I mean, I'm sitting here thinking like, first of all, it's got to be easy. Well, I forget about Steve Nash going to MVP. Like, is there any other player who didn't get two MVPs who didn't go like in the first round or something like that? I mean, that's crazy and amazing. Yeah. Well, he's the lowest drafted MVP already and he's got two. Yeah. I mean, nobody else got two for sure. But I will tell you this, they got to finish the journey. They got to finish the journey. I think they got a huge advantage with the Celtics losing because now they get the home court. They came close to losing at home.