If Nikola Jokic had a nickel for every time a middle-aged man challenged him to a game of basketball tug-of-war during a playoff series, he would have two nickels.
With 34 seconds remaining in a tense series opener between the Nuggets and Clippers, Jokic tried to seize the ball from the Los Angeles sideline after a Kawhi Leonard turnover, his goal being to inbound it immediately — only to encounter resistance from none other than Clippers lead assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Van Gundy joined forces with the team’s longtime trainer, Jasen Powell, to prevent Jokic from yanking the ball away in a bizarre interruption of Denver’s eventual Game 1 win.