According to basketball-reference, only five players in NBA history have played more minutes in a single game than Nikola Jokic did in this one (which was 65, in case the title of this vid was too long and you couldn’t manage to get to the end of it). Everyone should already know about that Supersonics-Bucks quadruple overtime game in 1989 where Dale Ellis played 69 minutes and Xavier McDaniel played 68. But I wasn’t aware of a previous playoff quad-overtime contest, a game between the Boston Celtics and the Syracuse Nationals back in 1953. Bob Cousy played 66, and two forgotten dudes from the Nationals played 67, Red Rocha and Paul Seymour (who both only made five shots, are you serious??????). If you want more recent NBA history, Vince Carter played all 63 minutes of a triple-overtime game in 2001. So there’s your NBA history lesson for the day.
Jokic is not the kind of guy I would expect to be able to play 65 minutes of intense playoff basketball. His conditioning is not his strongest attribute. Indeed, it seemed like the minutes took their toll; he only scored 3 points combined in all four overtimes despite playing the whole time. His statline, while sick, is actually on the low side for a game of this duration. But look at that thumbnail. That is the thumbnail of a dude who has nothing left to give. I don’t blame him for missing that free throw at the end of the fourth overtime that cost the Nuggets the game. If I was tasked with shooting a free throw after over an hour of intense cardio, I doubt I’d even be able to get the ball above my head. Yeah, it would’ve been cool to see another overtime period, but at the same time, I didn’t really want to see anyone die on the court, and I felt like Jokic was getting perilously close. Maybe he knew that. Maybe that’s why he missed.
He’s going to need a lot of Coca-Cola to recover from this one. Normally Coca-Cola administered orally would be my suggestion, but Jokic might need to take drastic measures to make sure he’s ready for game four. I did some research on the internet, and it does appear that if you pay one of those in-home nurses enough money, they’ll set up an IV drip with Coca-Cola so you can get bedrest while it’s injected directly into your veins. I figure if it’s safe enough to drink, it’s safe enough to have coursing through your bloodstream.
Darn, that last paragraph would’ve made for a good story. And maybe the nurse reveals himself to be Jusuf Nurkic or something, except I’m pretty sure I already used that concept. Oh well, too late now.