NBA FINALS: HEAT VS. NUGGETS

May 31, 2023

Jamal Murray

Denver Nuggets

Media Day

Q. Jamal, they're doing a watch party in Kitchener tomorrow and for the rest of the series.

JAMAL MURRAY: (Fist pumping.)

Q. What do you make of that, what's going on at home?

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, it's been nice. I've had a lot of friends text me about the watch parties, gathering around. The support has been crazy back home. That means a lot, especially from a small town like Kitchener.

Excited for that town. Be back there in the summer, see my friends and family. But, yeah, no one from Kitchener has made the this far, so it's nice to be a pioneer in that sense.

Q. You had a front-row seat in 2019 when the Raptors did it. How much did that open your eyes to all of this? Did that kind of light a fire for you about wanting to be on the floor for a Finals?

JAMAL MURRAY: Always had the fire to be on the floor. I didn't need to be in broadcasting to find that fire.

It was cool to see all the attention that the Raptors got at that time. It was just cool to be a fan of the game at that time of the year. It's even better to be playing.

Q. There's a big mural of you and Nikola on Colfax. Have you seen it? What has it been like seeing the city ramp up and be excited?

JAMAL MURRAY: It's cool to see. Saw it at the pop-up shop at the gas station the other day. Thought that was cool. Haven't seen that before out here.

All the little things. Seeing my jersey more often. Anybody's, honestly. To see the city rally behind the team, even the other teams, other players on other teams. I think Kyle wore my jersey while he was practicing. I think that was cool. Saw him at dinner the other day, too.

Everybody in the city is behind us. That means a lot.

Q. You just used the phrase 'pioneer' to describe yourself. How did you choose basketball over hockey given where you grew up?

JAMAL MURRAY: I always loved basketball. Couldn't afford the equipment for hockey at the time. Basketball was the easiest thing to give me.

Yeah, I just fell in love with it. The only thing I wanted to do. Night and day, it made me happy, and still does to this day (smiling).

Q. Coach Malone a few minutes ago looked back at the end of last season, that little period of time when you were giving some thought to maybe coming back in the Playoffs. I wonder how much pressure, if any, did you feel at that time to get back? It seems certainly like the organization stood behind you and let you have your space to make the choice. Because they did that, it leads to something like this. How much did it strengthen that relationship?

JAMAL MURRAY: Strengthen my knee, as well (smiling).

But, yeah, it was nice to not have -- obviously the outside noise can be pressure, regardless if you're healthy or not at the time. To have the team say to you, It's up to you, if you want to come back, if you're ready. If not, it's okay. We'll wait.

That meant a lot, knowing that I was in no rush and that I could just focus on my health at the time. I was still working to get back. Just that mental factor of having something to strive for at the time.

But wasn't there. Now you look back, my dad at the time, he didn't want me to play either, just knowing what I can do, how I should look, especially to him. He's been watching me my whole life. At the time I didn't look like that, even if I was making shots or whatever. I knew I wasn't 100%.

To hear from him meant a lot more. It was a team effort in that decision.

Q. Your whole team had roughly over a week of waiting to see who your opponent would be for the Finals. Was this the opponent you were expecting? Did you get to watch the Miami-Boston series?

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, watched all the games.

No, it's best of seven, first to four. We didn't know who we were going to play. We prepared for both. Once we finally knew, it kind of brought us all to ease to be able to prepare mentally just for the matchups, game plan, all that.

It was a little relieving to see, a couple days ago, the result. Yeah, we're excited.

Q. How difficult will it be to prevent Jimmy Butler from repeatedly getting to the line in this series?

JAMAL MURRAY: Show your hands. Be in stance. It's going to take a team effort, crowd. Verticality, jumping straight up when he attacks the rim. He's going to throw his body at you. He's going to fall to the floor. You just got to stay solid and be as legal as possible. That's a couple things to touch on.

Q. Last series you talked about dreaming as a kid hitting big shots in big moments, yelling, Bang, like Mike Breen. What is it like to know you have an opportunity to hit big shots in the NBA Finals, that you are a clutch player at the biggest level?

JAMAL MURRAY: I just keep that same mentality. I know there's a lot of media in here and stuff, but we have four wins to go. Keep that same mind state, stay focused. Can't get relaxed or complacent. I think that's the biggest thing. Or satisfied. We haven't won a championship. Until then, stay in the right mindset and everything will come.

Q. What is the earliest sort of NBA Finals you remember really locking in on as a kid, being like, That's awesome, I want to do that?

JAMAL MURRAY: I don't know. I remember watching LeBron against the Spurs, when the Spurs swept in the Finals. I remember Miami versus the Spurs (smiling). I don't know. I don't remember specifics.

I just remember the stage, the crowd being really into it, all the eyes, everybody talking about it within the city, outside. It's just a great environment to be in.

Excited for the opportunity. We want to make the most of it.

Q. When you were a kid on the blacktop, I assume when you did three, two, one in your head, it was for an NBA title?

JAMAL MURRAY: Every time (smiling).

Q. Who were you pretending to be?

JAMAL MURRAY: Funny thing is it wasn't just for the championship. I used to, like, write down the playoff seeding, put myself on one of the teams, then play. If we played Detroit Pistons, I would go against Billups and Rasheed Wallace, and just talk like Marv Albert, all of them. I was in deep. I was making shot after shot, trust me (laughter).

Q. You got to be serious and locked in. I don't want to get your confidence down, but taking you back in 2019 at the Basketball Without Borders, I think 8 a.m., playing one on one, can you take us back to how the game went between me and you, and be honest about it.

JAMAL MURRAY: Oh, I can be honest about it. I can be honest about it (laughter).

For everybody, me and Ben (Mathurin), where were we? Columbia, yeah, we were in Columbia. Basketball Without Borders. I remember the girls were really good there, young girls. What?

Q. Players.

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, as players. I'm talking about a basketball camp.

But me and Ben were there. I was coaching him up. He was really athletic, as he is now, jumping over everybody. Couldn't shoot as well as he could now. Developed his game a little bit. Matured so much. So proud of him as a fellow Canadian.

We played one on one. I think I hit a couple stepbacks, little fadeaways.

Q. Be honest.

JAMAL MURRAY: I am. We're talking four years ago.

Q. I'm trying to make it so I ain't trying to have problems with you or issues. Score two points. I scored two.

JAMAL MURRAY: This guy over here. Next question (laughter).

Q. It was 4-2, you started shooting from halfcourt.

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Q. Playing serious.

JAMAL MURRAY: Yeah, I was trying to get your confidence up. I remember that. I got you.

Q. I won 5-4, right?

JAMAL MURRAY: I think I was giving you confidence. Yeah, for sure. You asked me to be honest, I'm being honest (smiling).

Q. The Heat have built their roster in an unconventional way. Seven undrafted players. Do other guys around the league talk about how the Heat has gotten so far with so many guys that were overlooked by so many others?

JAMAL MURRAY: I think these are the two last teams remaining. Have the most chemistry within each other. Lowry has been a champion. Jimmy has been in the Playoffs a ton. I remember we played Jimmy in Minnesota for the eight seed. I forget what year. I think it was 2018.

I'm trying to go through the team.

Drafted or not, they can all play. They play really well. The handoffs that they do. They put us in a lot of actions. The ball is hopping. They're unselfish looking for the shot, looking for the best shot. They use the whole shot clock. I think they're very well-rounded team and they trust each other. They've trusted each other a lot throughout the season. I think that's what sets them apart from all the other teams in the East that they faced.

I think they're really together through the ups and downs. They're very resilient. Kind of like us in a sense where we're very resilient. Been together, continuity, chemistry, ball hops, unselfish. They're more of a gritty defensive team throughout the season, and we're more of an offensive powerhouse throughout the season.

I think it's going to be a fun series.