Nuggets Desperately Need “Playoff Jamal Murray” to Win Another Ring
In the summer of 2023, the Denver Nuggets were on top of the NBA world, defeating the Miami Heat to claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Denver took down Anthony Edwards ‘ Timberwolves, Kevin Durant ‘s Suns, and LeBron James ‘ Lakers en route to its first championship in franchise history. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić took home Finals MVP, but without Jamal Murray , Denver would have never made it that far.
Since that year, however, the Nuggets have been trying and failing to climb back up the ladder. They’ve lost each of the last two years in seven games in the Western Conference Semifinals. First , it happened against Anthony Edwards and the T-Wolves, then to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In both years, Jamal Murray struggled in the playoffs, statistically looking below his performance in 2023. That said, Murray has looked like a man possessed this year, averaging over 25 points per game and earning his first All-Star selection. He’s been playing some of the best ball of his life, and Nuggets fans can feel it.
With Murray playing at this level, the sky is the limit for Denver. Murray Magic Before the bubble season in 2020, few had regarded Jamal Murray as more than a solid young point guard. Murray had yet to average over 20 points a game in the regular season, and he had only reached the playoffs once.
Then, the bubble playoffs arrived, and he exploded, averaging over 26 points a night. In their first round series, Murray dropped 50, 42, and then 50 again in games 4-6, leading Denver to a 3-1 comeback against Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz. He followed up that performance by helping Denver pull off yet another 3-1 comeback against the Clippers, tallying 40 in Game 7.
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