Taped to the wall beside Jamal Murray’s stall within the Denver Nuggets’ locker-room is an image of Bruce Lee with a quote from the martial arts legend.
“Figuring out just isn’t sufficient, we should apply. Keen just isn’t sufficient, we should do,” it reads.
The Canadian guard adopted the credo to perfection Monday night time at Ball Area, preventing by means of a left calf pressure to ship a efficiency to recollect.
Murray’s 14-footer with 3.6 seconds left was the distinction as Denver beat the Los Angeles Lakers 108-106 to finish a five-game win within the first-round NBA playoff sequence.
“These are pictures you dream of as a bit of child,” Murray stated. “That you simply practise within the yard and on the playground.”
After the sport, a happy Murray sat down at his stall and exhaled. He pulled off the black compression sock from his left leg and snipped off the white tape that was wrapped round his decrease shin and ankle.
“I simply would not have been capable of stay with myself if I wasn’t capable of play on this sport,” he stated.
Teammates nonetheless buzzing on the late-game dramatics got here by for high-fives and fist bumps. The ball from Murray’s game-winning shot in Sport 2 — dubbed “The Shot at 5280,” a Mile Excessive Metropolis reference to the variety of ft in a mile — was stationed behind him at his locker.
He might find yourself with fairly a group if he retains this up.
“Huge shot after massive shot,” stated guard Christian Braun, seated on the adjoining stall. “He desires the massive second. We belief him with the massive second. We all know he will take these pictures and hit them.
“That is what he does. Playoff time is when he rises.”
Sellout crowd roared for Murray
The sellout crowd roared when Murray was introduced as a starter earlier than the sport and he set the early tone. He hit Denver’s first jumper, first three-pointer and first free throw as he settled in and acquired his legs heat.
Murray took a relaxation late within the interval and was the primary participant out at midcourt to high-five his teammates when Reggie Jackson hit a 19-footer on the buzzer to finish the primary quarter.
“There’s plenty of issues that do not present up on the statsheet,” stated Nuggets ahead Zeke Nnaji. “Ensuring everybody does effectively as a result of he cares about everybody’s well-being. He is actually really an awesome chief and probably the greatest level guards I’ve ever performed with.”
Murray grew up in Kitchener, Ont., labored on his sport on the Orangeville Prep Basketball Academy and had a one-year stint with the Kentucky Wildcats.
Drafted seventh total by the Nuggets in 2016, he is now a face of the franchise with star centre Nikola Jokic. They have been a deadly 1-2 punch in final 12 months’s playoffs, main the squad to its first-ever NBA title.
Murray averaged 21.5 factors over the primary 4 video games in opposition to the Lakers however was nonetheless displeased together with his capturing. Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated Murray talked about it with him on the flight residence after a Sport 4 loss in Los Angeles.
“I stated all of us share within the wins and all of us share within the losses,” Malone stated earlier than Sport 5. “So I feel it is necessary for folks to understand how aggressive he’s. He made that shot in Sport 2 that is going to go down as probably the greatest pictures in Denver Nuggets historical past. He desires to do effectively for his crew.
“He does not wish to let his teammates down and he wears that. I actually admire and respect that about Jamal. He desires to be there for his teammates and step up like he has executed numerous occasions earlier than.”
A couple of hours later, Murray was on the market once more proving why he is probably the greatest guards within the league. He completed with 5 three-pointers, seven assists and a game-high 32 factors.
“He is essentially the most aggressive participant that I have been round,” Braun stated. “He pushes you, he challenges you and he challenges himself.
“Within the largest second, he rises.”
