DENVER — All eyes will be on Nikola Jokic Monday night as the Nuggets look to make history. They are one win away from becoming NBA champions. Some fans will be watching from thousands of miles away.
"I love Jokic," Petar Milovanovic told 9NEWS from New Zealand. I'm originally from Serbia. When [Jokic] was younger he was just, you could tell he's got something different about him."
That difference is what led Milovanovic and his family to become dedicated Nuggets fans in New Zealand. Many of the NBA Finals games start around noon there.
"I literally watched every game — I didn’t miss the whole season," Milovanovic explained. "We've got the great hours. In Serbia they've got to get up at 2 or 3 a.m. or 4 a.m."
Nemanja Nesic in Požarevac, Serbia confirmed that on Finals game days, because of the time difference, his alarm goes off at 2:00 a.m. but he told 9NEWS what Jokic has done for this country is worth the early wake-up call.
"Serbia is a small country and to have someone like Nikola, that's unbelievable," he explained. "Least that we can do is stay awake watch the game and enjoy, at least we can do that."
Both Nesic and Milovanovic are confident the Nuggets will win it all this year and they say Jokic will be the one to take the team there.
"We had a lot of good basketball players in Serbia but he’s just completely different on another level," Milovanovic said. "He’s a good overall player and a really good person, too."
"Nikola is currently the biggest name in the world," Nesic added. "These are the best days for Nuggets Nation I think in the history so it’s special, it’s like [a] dream come true."
The Nuggets will face the Miami Heat on Monday for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The game will be held at Ball Arena at 6:30 p.m.
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