There’s a saying that goes, “A word is worth a thousand debts. It’s a saying that expresses the power of words. Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets), the star of the NBA 2022-2023 Finals championship team, is no stranger to the power of words.
The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night at the Ball Arena to become the champions, winning the series 4-1. After the championship game, the Nuggets players sat down for interviews.
Murray told Bleacher Report that it was two years ago. Murray suffered a major injury on April 14, 2021, when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a game against the Golden State Warriors. As a result, he didn’t play a single game in the 2021-2022 season. It was only eight months ago that he returned to the court. He played in two exhibition games to test his fitness before returning to action on October 21st of last year against the Utah Jazz.
At the time of his injury, Murray was on the rise as part of the team’s one-two punch with Nikola Jokic. He called himself “damaged goods” after the injury. In a conversation with head coach Mike Malone not long after his surgery, Murray asked.
“Coach, are you going to trade me?”
Coach Malone said.
“No way. You’re our player, we love you, we’re going to help you make a successful comeback, and you’re going to be a better player for it.”스포츠토토
Malone’s faith in Marray was an important factor in his resolve to come back. After averaging 20.0 points and 6.2 assists in the regular season in his first season back, he unleashed his killer instinct in the playoffs. In the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, he averaged 32.5 points, and in the Finals, he averaged 21.4 points and 10.0 assists in five games to help the team win its first championship in franchise history.
“It was tough to watch the first two playoffs without playing,” Marais said after the win. We did it because of our teammates and our fans. It’s unbelievable that we’ve been through this journey and won. It’s amazing,” he said, breaking into tears of joy.