SAN FRANCISCO — In a league notorious for curtsying in the presence of its stars, giving LeBron, KD and Steph all the favorable calls, why do NBA referees insist on giving Nuggets center and reigning MVP Nikola Jokic the no-soup-for-you treatment?
The Nuggets got blown out 123-107 in Game 1 of their playoff series against Golden State. It wasn’t a fair fight, with Jokic playing one-on-eight against five Warriors players and three referees.
Before he boarded a flight to the California, I asked Denver coach Michael Malone what kind of respect he expected the refs would show Jokic.