The quarter soon ended, and as the players walked back to their benches, Payton passed by Jokic and gave him a tap on the behind, to which Jokic took offense. Curry played the peacemaker despite being considerably smaller than Jokic. In the end, nothing happened. But that play epitomizes Jokic’s night, when he had 26 points and 11 rebounds, but it wasn’t near enough — combine that with the perceived lack of calls going his way, and Jokic was heated. Throughout a 48-win regular season, Jokic was able to lift this Nuggets team up and have them playing well above the level one would expect from a team whose second and third best players were sidelined with injuries (an effort may well win Jokic his second consecutive MVP). Through two games of the playoffs, against a Warriors team finding its stride again, Jokic’s efforts have not been near enough.