These are the days you almost wish Jamal Murray would lean into the microphone and just say something really, really dumb. Dumb with feeling.
Something along the lines of “The moon is made of cheese,” or “The Easter Bunny is real,” or, “I talk to squirrels and they talk back.” Just so people would pay attention.
Because here’s Murray, rolling into Hollywood like a boss and a star, writing one of the best individual comeback scripts in NBA history. And Disney shrugs.
Speaking of dumb with feeling, after Denver swept the Lakers out of the postseason for the first time ever, longtime basketball scribe Chris Mannix had the sheer gall to hop onto Rich Eisen’s show and say this:
“Frankly, the Nuggets aren’t very interesting … People just don’t find them as interesting as some of the teams on the bottom half of the bracket. They’re just not a compelling team to talk about, to write about.”
Hang on, hang on. The Nuggets aren’t (makes air quotes with fingers) “compelling?”
Have you ever listened to Nikola Jokic? Have you ever talked to Aaron Gordon or Bruce Brown? Have you ever googled “Jamal Murray rehab”?
Two years ago this week, Murray’s left knee looked like a wad of Big League Chew. From May 16 through May 22, the Blue Arrow and his patched-up left ACL went out and averaged 32.5 points, 3.8 3-pointers and 5.3 assists against the Lakers, crushing LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jack Nicholson, ESPN, and decades of postseason demons.
They’re not (more air quotes) “very interesting?” Two years after reconstructive surgery, Murray shot 52% from the field, 41% on treys and 95% on free-throws — 50/40/90 in the playoffs is Larry-Bird-esque — against a Lake Show defense purported to be, according to the coastal media cognoscenti, one of the best since Bill Russell hung up his Bristols.
““He has been our best player since the first round,” Jokic, the Nuggets’ two-time NBA MVP, said of Murray, his longtime running mate.
“And he’s really stepping up … even if he doesn’t make shots, his energy is always good and I think that’s the best feeling for the guys around him. Yes, we know he can make shots, he can go for 50. But even when things don’t go his way, he doesn’t fall down, he’s still into it, he’s still playing, he’s still fighting. And I think that’s the best thing about him right now.”
Here’s a stat worth writing about: Murray, lifetime, is averaging more points per game in the playoffs (25.4) than Russell Westbrook (24.5), Kyrie Irving (23.3), James Harden (22.7) and Derrick Rose (21.9). He averages more postseason 3-pointers per game (2.9) than Trae Young (2.6), Devin Booker (2.4), Bradley Beal (2.3) and Ja Morant (2.1).
Among active NBA players who’ve averaged at least 30 minutes per postseason game in their career, Murray’s lifetime 120.7 offensive rating — as in, points produced per 100 possessions — is higher than those of Jimmy Butler (119.9), Chris Paul (119.0) and Anthony Edwards (117.0). Oh, as well as LeBron (116.5) and Steph Curry (116.5). And Klay Thompson (106.9), who provided a light and sounding board for Murray’s journey back to center stage after injuries wiped out nearly two years of his NBA prime.
“It’s nice,” Murray said when asked last week about the long road from recovery to the NBA Finals. “Especially coming off the injuries (in the spring of ’21), this feels good.
“And like I said, I want to win these four (games in the NBA Finals) before we indulge in any celebrations or anything like that. So (I’m) just trying to stay locked in and we have to stay locked in and enjoy the moment. But we know we’ve got more work to do.”
Thompson got a lot of ink detailing his return to the Warriors in January 2022 after 941 days away from the court, and deservedly so. Golden State’s veteran guard returned from knee surgery to average 19 points and 3.5 treys on 16.7 shots and 36 minutes per game during the ’21-22 playoffs, helping to snatch his fourth NBA championship with the Warriors.
Compelling stuff, right? Only Murray’s proven to be even better this spring.
After a 555-day gap between NBA tilts, the Blue Arrow didn’t just pick right up where “Bubble” Murray (26.5 points per game in Orlando) left off. He’s picked up the pace, averaging 27.7 points and 3.1 treys in the ’23 playoffs on 21.3 shots and 39.1 minutes per tilt.
“You cannot control what people (say) about you and (don’t say) about you,” Jokic shrugged. “So I’m not even going to comment on, ‘Does (Murray) deserve it or not?’ I think he deserves it. But who am I?”
One interesting dude. No matter what Mannix says otherwise.
And ain’t it funny? The more the Nuggets go on the offensive, the more defensive national media gets. Because if Murray and Jokic aren’t “compelling” enough, it’s only because you haven’t felt compelled to sit down and take a closer look.
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