In the weeks following Michael Malone's late-season firing from the Denver Nuggets, we've seen glimpses of Nikola Jokić clearly taking on a more vocal player-coaching role with his teammates.

Everything for the Thunder starts with how they defend Nikola Jokic. Jokic was sensational and dominant in Game 1, scoring a game-high 42 points on 15 of 29 shooting to go along with 22 rebounds.