“You see the Joker, who’s the best player on the team. Not even playing great, but Jamal’s playing great.” Despite the game 5 win, Shaquille O’Neal previously criticized Nikola Jokic for not showing out for the Nuggets. That day, it was the Murray masterclass of 43 points that helped them prevail. But in game 6, it was the Clippers who once again etched out the win and now have forced a game 7. So, Shaq is now once again issuing notice to a fellow Big to take charge of the series.

James Harden had 28 points and eight assists in an outstanding bounce-back performance. Kawhi Leonard added 27 points. Los Angeles took control in the second half while playing tenacious defense on Nikola Jokic, who scored 20 of his 25 points in the first half. The three-time MVP was held scoreless for 11 minutes in the third quarter and went only 2 for 9 in the second half. And Zubac blocked a layup attempt by Jokic with 24 seconds left.

During Inside the NBA, Jaylen Rose, who subbed in for Charles Barkley today, gave praise to the Croatian. “Joker who’s a three-time MVP and a champion you can’t stop him, you only can hope to contain him, and so when you look at his stats tonight, they’re all below his season averages in points, rebounds, and assists. I want to give Zubac a lot of credit for defending them.” But Shaquille O’Neal had another way to motivate Jokic.

“Joker has to send a message in game seven to Ivica Zubac. ‘Okay, you have four blocks this game, but you can’t stop me.‘” According to ESPN Stats, Nikola Jokic was 5-14 with Ivica Zubac as his primary defender in Game 6, including 1-8 in the 2nd half. So, Shaq wants the Nuggets center to punish the Clippers star who finished second in the Most Improved standings.

“Joker has to punish this young man, yes he’s a fine defender, but if you’re the best big man in the league, you have to show all other big men. ‘I don’t care what you do, single coverage, double coverage, triple coverage, this game seven, you’re not stopping me.'” Quite a strong motivating message from one Big to another. It was not too long ago when Shaq was positive towards the 30-year-old.

Nikola Jokic receives a belt and confidence from Shaquille O’Neal

The race for the league MVP is still on. The Joker finished the regular season in the top 3 for points per game, rebounds, assists, and steals. He became the first player in NBA history to rank in the season’s top 10 in those four categories. 3 months ago, the 3x MVP achieved a feat that nobody had previously. The Serb dropped another triple-double within three quarters for a fourth consecutive game. Naturally, Inside the NBA had a special way to celebrate it.

“You’re the best big man in the league — by far. I appreciate you,” Shaquille O’Neal told Jokic while promising to FedEx the title belt to the three-time MVP. It was after the Nuggets’ superstar’s 19th triple-double of the season. Shaq awarded Jokic a custom-built title belt to crown the Nuggets star as the most dominant big and the best player in the NBA.

It’s interesting to see Shaq’s perspective shift a bit. He was so ready to crown Jokic, handing over that ‘best big man’ title belt, but now he’s challenging him to really own that title in a crucial Game 7. It kind of shows how the narrative can change quickly in the playoffs, where every game is a new test of a player’s dominance.

So, the self-proclaimed President of the Big Man Alliance was keen to award the title to the Joker. But now in the playoffs, he has crossed the 30 points mark just once in six games. Previously, he averaged more than 30 points in 4 of the 7 months during the regular season. Will the Joker wake up after the call from the Big Aristotle? Only time will tell.