DENVER -- Every once in a while, when things look good but feel a little bit off, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone will turn around in the middle of a game and ask a team staffer how many shots Nikola Jokic has taken.
Like everyone on the Nuggets' staff, Malone has learned to trust Jokic to read the game, what the defense is giving him and when it's time for him to start attacking. But sometimes it's still hard to wait.
Take Game 1 of these NBA Finals, when Jokic took just one shot in the first quarter and three shots in the first half of Denver's 104-93 win against the Miami Heat on Thursday night at Ball Arena.