NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

May 26, 2023

Jamal Murray

Denver Nuggets

Practice Day

Q. Jamal, I asked Bruce this. What was the plane ride like home, and what was that scene like to be able to celebrate knowing you had so many days off but to be able to enjoy it and soak that moment in?

JAMAL MURRAY: It was good. Everybody on the flight was standing up, it wasn't just the players, so it was nice to have the staff, just mingling, all that, which was cool. Obviously, everybody was just enjoying the moment, like you said. It was a good flight.

Q. I think you said on NBA Today whatever day it was, you guys were just focusing on yourselves without knowing an opponent going forward. What does that mean? What are you honing in on?

JAMAL MURRAY: Just our awareness, especially we need to lock in on practices for just the detail stuff, man. Let's be on time, let's not have any turnovers that we're doing scripts, just kind the simple things so we're not getting sloppy just because we are where we are. I think it's more of those mental awareness days instead of -- we know our bodies are going to be right by that time, June 1, so just making sure our mental is staying sharp and locked in throughout these days.

Q. When you saw firsthand how hard MPJ worked to get back, how impressed are you with where he's at and what he's been able to accomplish?

JAMAL MURRAY: I think he's done amazing, not just with his scoring or his shooting but with the all-around game. He's grabbing boards, he's helping out on the boards, grabbing like 10 a game, and playing defense, just communicating more, doing all the little things that will help us be more in tune on both ends of the court, staying spaced, not cutting when it's not there. Picking his spots when to shoot it, pass it, cut. Just everything. Just playing a more complete game throughout the game.

Q. Is there any worry about losing the rhythm that you guys had in that Lakers series with this long layoff, or do you take the rest 10 times out of 10?

JAMAL MURRAY: That's the thing, we take the rest, yeah, but you don't want to pick up bad habits throughout this week. Like I said to Mike, just staying sharp, whatever it is. If we've got to flip the switch and lock in for a drill or two, let me do that. Just be able to stay locked in.

We don't want to get relaxed. I think that's the biggest thing. We don't want to relax and just wait. We want to stay sharp.

Q. You guys have had great offense, obviously, throughout these Playoffs, but the defense has really risen, as well. What do you think is the biggest key to maintaining that but also kind of what has gotten you to this point with the defensive end?

JAMAL MURRAY: Well, on the defensive end I'd say it's our intent. I was watching the hockey game yesterday, just threw it on, and they said one team is playing -- I think it was the green team and the white team. Couldn't tell you. But one team was -- they said one team was playing with a certain intent, a certain intensity, a meaning, whether they turn it over or not, whether they missed a shot or not, they play with a certain aggression and awareness and the other team was just kind of going through the motions, and you could visibly see it.

I think our defense has been being played with intent. I think we've all been on a string. When we need a stop, we all lock in, even if we don't get it, we lock in and try and get it possession by possession. I think that's crucial at this stage.

Q. We've talked about it throughout the season, just the value of some of the first-year guys, Bruce, KCP, the draft picks, and the continuity of the core is one thing, but how valuable have the new additions been this year?

JAMAL MURRAY: They've been great. I think the biggest thing for them is just staying ready. I think during the season, P-Wat [Peyton Watson] came in against Phoenix and another team I think he played where he played really well. Just being aggressive, not overthinking. CB [Christian Braun] has been great all year, just picking his spots and being solid while he's on the court. And everybody else, man, just staying ready and staying within the group upstairs.

If we do two groups, everybody is either making a sub, subbing themselves in, or just knowing what's going on. I think that's crucial.

So right now we're very team oriented. We've got everybody participating, everybody involved, and everybody mentally, like I said, locked in.

Q. A lot was made out of the Rui Hachimura-on-Nikola adjustment with Anthony Davis roaming. By the end, it felt like you guys really solved that adjustment. What does that speak to? You guys' ability to problem solve?

JAMAL MURRAY: I think we've seen everything. I was going to make a joke, but no, that's okay, because it'll be everywhere.

I just think we've seen everything. We've seen all the adjustments. We've seen the double from the baseline, the double from the top, the sign from a non-shooter to single coverage to -- know what I'm saying? We've seen every different type of mixture. We've seen them try to put Kawhi and PG to switch it, we've seen everything.

It's all a read. It's all balance. It's all timing. I don't think that worked.

Q. Really nice celebration for you and a lot of the fellas after the Western Conference Finals. If you'd indulge me, one or two things you're really grateful to your father for, getting to this point for you.

JAMAL MURRAY: I just think because we've envisioned it since the beginning, like just me personally, me and him have envisioned it and dreamt about it and went through all these moments in our head and on the court.

He's been saying, how often do you get this opportunity to be in this position and living your dream basically, living it up.

Just taking advantage of the opportunity and realizing what the opportunity is I think is the biggest thing. So just having fun right now.

Q. Are you sure you're Canadian, the green team and the white team?

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, I don't know. I've been playing basketball a lot lately.

Q. How are you watching these Eastern Conference Finals, and can you give us a quick thought on each team since you don't know who you're going to play?

JAMAL MURRAY: Just a thought on both?

I mean, Boston has got a good team. They've got a deep team. They can throw size at you. They're still young, so they can run both ways. They've been there plenty of times already with that young core. They're kind of ready for the moment, my opinion.

And Miami is tough. They're going to junk the game up. They're defensive oriented. That's where they make their bank. They've got a lot of guys that play very hard. They're very hard, and that alone can win you a lot of games.

I think we've been seeing both sides of what I just said.

Q. You and your team have the ability to hit shots from everywhere. It's become a three-point league, but your mid-range game, Joker mid-range, obviously everybody, how instrumental is that this time of year, that you don't have to rely on one shot, one area, you can do it from everywhere?

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, that's why it's nice playing with this team because everything is a read. If somebody is open, you're going to see that on film that that guy is open, and everybody is playing for each other. If I cut, it's for the other guy to get an open shot. If I run my lane, it's for everybody else to get their own shot.

So, I think when we're just playing the right way, everything opens up for everybody. Could be a Bruce three, could be a Mike back-door cut, could be AG that's just standing in the dunker waiting. I think everybody eats when we're all playing for each other, and we've been doing that for a while now.

I think we're just in a great rhythm of playing unselfish basketball.

Q. How long do you think it took you for you and Joker's chemistry to develop to an elite level, and do you remember when you thought this could be something really special?

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, like I said, we came off the bench together my rookie year when I was backing up Gary [Harris], and he was backing up Nurk [Jusuf Nurkic]. So, we would actually come into the game together, and we would run post-ups or just simple give-and-goes, but we used to run it crazy, run it really good, and he used to make a lot of over-the-head passes, and I'd say then we kind of developed a chemistry.

Soon we both started, we started playing off each other. We started to figure out where we like the ball, when we liked the ball, when I'm going to pass, when he's going to pass, when he's driving, when to relocate, where to relocate. It was just all the details we picked up together over time playing for most of our careers.

Q. After Game 4, Malone said about David Adelman that he should get a head coaching job this upcoming summer. How has he kind of impacted you and helped your game since you guys have been together here in Denver?

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, not just me but everybody. I just think he puts everybody in the right spots. When it's time to lock in, he can lock you in. He doesn't -- he's funny. He goofs around a lot, yeah, but when we're messing up -- you know like you know when you're messing up but you're getting away with it? Yeah, he'll get on you, and I think I respect that a lot just because we're all in it together. It's not like it's malicious or anything, it's just we all have a goal here. We're all here for a reason.

It's nice. We've been putting -- I go to him for a lot of the offensive stuff, just reads and what he's seeing just because I know he's locked in on that, and sometimes Coach may be thinking about subs or lineups or time and score, whatever, but he's always given me great input on what we can run or sometimes we have the same ideas, which is just really nice to see that what I am feeling in the game he's also seeing from afar.

Well deserved, and he should definitely be getting more offers.

Q. You just mentioned that obviously you worked for many years with Nikola and great success. Did you guys ever sit down and say, I dreamt about kind of the Finals and winning it all, and now that there is potentially four games, we just need to win four games? And the trophy, do you look at it as four games or just a game-to-game situation?

JAMAL MURRAY: I mean, you can only play one game at a time, but we know we've got four to go, four wins to go.

To answer your first question, no, we haven't sat down and talked about it or anything like that. Like I said, we talk the language on the court when we're playing. We just read the game and play off each other. There's no -- it's hard to explain. There's no selfishness when we're playing the game. It's just hit, cut, pass, move. If it's not there, you don't throw it. I try to go one-on-one, doesn't have it, hit, cut. We're just kind of free flowing, playing the game, and it has been working.

Q. What does it mean for you to be able to fight for a championship? You are four wins away from your first title. After everything that you've been through in the last couple of years, how big is that for you?

JAMAL MURRAY: It's nice. Especially coming off the injuries, to be here. It just feels good. Like I said, I want to win these four before we indulge in any celebrations or anything like that. Just trying to stay locked in. Yeah, just stay locked in and enjoy the moment, but we know we've got more work to do.

Q. Jamal, you did not win the Magic Johnson Western Conference MVP, but do you have your sights set on winning the Finals MVP?

JAMAL MURRAY: No, we're just trying to win a championship. All that comes after you win the championship. If we were to lose, no one gets that trophy, right? We win the championship, everybody eats. I'm just excited to see everybody succeed.