Is Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr already trying to butter up his opponent for the first round of the NBA playoffs?
The playoffs are two weeks away, but if the regular season ended today, Golden State would be matched up with the Denver Nuggets in a 4-seed versus 5-seed battle.
That made Friday’s game between the two clubs a little juicier. The Warriors prevailed on their home floor, 118-104, and Stephen Curry finished with 36 points on seven made threes.
Nikola Jokić was his usual spectacular self for Denver, finishing with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists on 13-for-17 from the field.
The three-time NBA MVP Jokić is expected to finish second in MVP voting this season behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Jokić’s place among the game’s all-time greats is always a polarizing point of discussion for fans and experts alike. On Friday, Kerr turned a ton of heads in the basketball world when he made a bold statement about Jokić’s all-time legacy, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
“Steve Kerr doesn’t like to compare eras,” Youngmisuk said. “But asked about Jokic averaging a triple-double and career-highs in points, assists + 3-point shooting, Kerr: “He’s the best center I’ve ever seen. I played against Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) … Kareem couldn’t do all this stuff.”
Was Kerr being genuine here or merely attempting to soften up Jokić before the playoffs?
Calling Jokić better than Abdul-Jabbar is an outrageous claim, and Kerr’s declaration that he “played against Kareem,” while not technically false, is a smoke-and-mirrors statement — Kerr’s rookie NBA season (1988-89) was Abdul-Jabbar’s last NBA season. Kareem was 41 years old.
And while Kerr may have also been referring to facing Abdul-Jabbar in non-NBA competition behind closed doors (there’s no evidence that this happened, either), the fact here is that Kerr never played against Kareem during Abdul-Jabbar’s prime.
Most basketball writers, analysts, and fans who watched Abdul-Jabbar’s career have him ranked as the No. 3 player of all time and No. 1 center of all time. That’s what six MVPs, six rings, 19 All-Star appearances, 11 All-Defensive selections, and being the second-leading scorer of all time will get you.
Abdul-Jabbar’s career destroys Jokić’s, and while Jokić is the more versatile offensive talent, he doesn’t come close to the stratosphere that Abdul-Jabbar was in as a defender. Kareem was a four-time blocks leader.
Kerr’s statement is as close to false as a subjective opinion can be.
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