It was Erik Spoelstra who caused it Friday night after the defeat in Game 4. Asked about the Heat’s stray bullets and its difficulties in attack, the Miami coach had mentioned the “feet” of Nikola Jokic. “Tonight, it was undoubtedly the activity of their hands, whether it was to take the ball away from us on penetrations, the kicks that Jokic masters very well, the deflected passes or simply errors…” Spoelstra had listed.
In detail, Jokic deflected 7 balls in Game 4, including four with feet ! Like a footballer in defense, Jokic never hesitates to extend his leg on opposing passes, and as Spoelstra explained, this breaks the rhythm of the attack. At the same time, it allows the Nuggets to get back on defense. Of course, it’s forbidden to punch or kick the ball, but that doesn’t mean it’s a fault. It is simply a “violation of the rules”, and it is sanctioned with a throw-in.
Nikola Jokic defends “like a foot”
Are his four “feet” in Game 4 exceptional or a trend? A bit of both. This is exceptional because it is very rare for referees to whistle four “feet” to the same player in a match. It’s a trend because Jokic is the NBA’s specialist in this area. While last season, he had only made 11, he was at 45 this season at the last score directed in March by Zach Lowe, our colleague from ESPN.
The latter also reported that the Serb was 28 “feet” longer than his runner-up in this sector. For him, it’s not clumsiness, and it’s more like anti-game. This could lead the NBA to punish this gesture more harshly.
“Should an intentional kick deserve a technical foul? »
“He’s clearly doing it on purpose, relying on his legs for down passes, instead of really defending.” wrote our colleague. “Honestly, it’s smart if you see you’re at a disadvantage. Jokic is an average defender who didn’t look so involved until now. (…) It can be difficult for referees to discern intentional kicks from incidents in which a dropped pass hits the foot of someone who is actually defending. But some of Jokic’s kicks are clearly not basketball actions, and I don’t quite understand why the NBA allows martial arts moves intended to interrupt the flow of play. Should an intentional kick deserve a technical fault? Why not a warning and a technical foul in the event of a repeat offence? »
The debate has begun !
