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'It puts our country in a different perspective': Colorado's Serbian community cheering for Jokić, Nuggets

Colorado Serbian community cheering on Nikola Jokić
Denver Serbian church plans watch party for Game 5
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LAKEWOOD, Colo. — On Monday, the Denver Nuggets could make history and win their first NBA championship.

St. John the Baptist Serbian Orthodox Church, the only Serbian Orthodox Church in Colorado, will host a watch party with their parish for Game 5.

“History in the making, and I really do believe that this wouldn't be the last we see the Nuggets in NBA Finals," Reverend Radovan Petrovic said.

Petrovic, who lived in Serbia until he was 19, said Jokic represents the country in the best possible fashion.

"It puts our country in a completely different perspective than what they might have heard back in the 90s and early 2000s," Reverend Petrovic said. “You need to be a humble person in order to be successful in a team sport, because basketball is a team sport. It's not just about Nikola Jokić, but it's about all the other players surrounding him.”

Petrovic said Jokić is a wonderful role model for his sons, who play basketball as well.

“It’s cool to see someone from the country that my parents are from, the country that I have origins in, making it big in the NBA, putting our country on the map," Jovan Petrovic said. “It makes me want to push myself harder and work harder.”

The watch party for the parishioners of St. John the Baptist Serbian Orthodox Church will start around 6 p.m.