That call right there is why the @nba is absolutely a joke. No one touches Jimmy, kicks a dude and a fouls called. Absolutely a brutal call and the call stands
When Jamal Murray was just a kid chasing his hoop dreams, his dad had him squat with cups of hot tea on his knees. No timer. Just pure mental and physical hell.
He called them pain tolerance drills. They were meant to prepare Jamal for the toughest moments in basketball. So when he got to the league, nothing could shake his spirit.
Not an ACL injury. Not a floor burn in the NBA Finals. Not even losing your MVP teammate in the 4th quarter of Game 4.
With 9 minutes left, the Nuggets had a 86-76 lead. Nikola Jokic was benched after receiving his 5th foul, and suddenly it was 86-81.
We've seen this story before. Miami came back like this a handful of times over the past two months. But last night, a different story we've seen before happened.
In 2000, an MVP Shaquille O'Neal fouled out on the road in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Then, a 21-year-old Kobe Bryant carried the Lakers to victory. And eventually they won their first championship together.
Jamal Murray came back and hit a clutch three to make it 89-81. He then ran a pick-and-roll and found Aaron Gordon at the rim for an alley oop, followed by a nasty crossover and kick out to Jeff Green who hit the corner three.
Of course, Bruce Brown and Aaron Gordon combining for more points than Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo helps. But mentally, Jamal Murray kept his team together in Game 4. And together, they maintained the lead for 5 minutes without Jokic.
In these NBA Finals, Jamal Murray joined Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Jerry West, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his MVP teammate as the ONLY players NBA history to average 25/5/5 through at least 50 playoff games.
But winning a championship takes more than stats. It takes leadership, sacrifice, and guts.
It takes tolerating pain and carrying your teammates through the pressure of losing an MVP when you need him most.
And it probably didn't hurt as bad as hot tea on his knees…🤷🏽♂️