LOS ANGELES (USA) - The Western Conference Play-offs has an intriguing showdown between good friends Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Los Angeles Clippers and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
The two have had some unforgettable moments playing for Serbia in recent times. Now they are adversaries.
The matchup is happening because the Clippers acquired Bogdanovic in a midseason trade with the Atlanta Hawks. Bogdanovic isn't sharing any extra insight his team will use to combat the brilliance of three-time NBA MVP Jokic.
"It's a team sport...," he stressed before the series.
"Yeah, he (Jokic) makes them better but he needs the rest of the teammates as well. Yeah, we talk about it (how to compete against Jokic), obviously, but basketball is five on five at the end of the day and we all have to lock in. ...
"Some players like that, they're great like but there are no tricks to stop them. You've got to use multiple efforts."
Bogdanovic, 32, has known Jokic, 30, for a long time.
"FOR SURE THERE IS THAT EXTRA MOTIVATION WITH HOW THE COMPETITION IS COMING TO AN END BUT I THINK HIS (JOKIC'S) BIGGEST QUALITY IS PREPARING THE SAME WAY FOR EVERY SINGLE GAME."
In an interview he gave to The Hoop Collective a couple of years ago, Bogdanovic said: "I’ve known him since I was a kid, since he started (playing).
"I met him at a mutual friend’s house. We were playing PlayStation. He came in, but he was really shy. We had no idea this guy would be an NBA champion a few years later!"
Bogdanovic was the more celebrated player growing up in Serbia but Jokic has blossomed into one of the greatest ever in the sport.
Bogdanovic explained why Jokic is special.
“At first, he was a big guy who knew how to pass," Bogdanovic said. "And then we saw that he also had a decent shot and a good touch. He started like that.
"But now, he controls the game, while being so quiet, he leads his team by example. He really shows how to play. His brain is working at full speed. Every second, every move is thought out, he is completely invested in his minutes."
Bogdanovic says Jokic has been in the league so long that really, there isn't much that he'll be able to share that Clippers coaches and teammates do not known already, something that might slow him down.
While speaking to the media before the series, he said: "We've known each other for a while and not just me. He's been playing against these guys (Clippers teammates) many, many games. We have guys that can be unstoppable, too."
A consistent approach to the game, Bogdanovic says, helps set Jokic apart from the rest.
"I honestly think he approaches, attacks every single game the same way," he said. "For him, there is no difference of a moment in the season or anything.
"For sure there is that extra motivation with how the competition is coming to an end but I think his biggest quality is preparing the same way for every single game." Jokic, Bogdanovic and Serbia put USA on the ropes in the Semi-Finals at the Olympics before falling 95-91, yet they bounced back with a Bronze Medal Game triumph over Germany.
Meanwhile, the Western Conference First Round showdown is already special.
The Nuggets edged Game 1 after overtime, 112-110 and Jokic had 29 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists.
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