NBA Playoffs 2023: Jamal Murray’s evolutionary leap: from obsessive scorer to indiscreet reader

Nikola Jokic represents the absolute center of gravity of the Nuggets. Not because of the annotation, which also, but because of the mental and physical speed that inoculates the game from the Colorado team. And next to him, his faithful servant, Jamal Murray. A player who adapts perfectly to the figure of the Serbian. Attendance prevails over personal display, among other reasons because Nikola’s mere presence allows him to explore the deadliest connection of these Playoffs. Jamal finds Sombor’s pivot in the heights, supplies him in the post. In short, a accomplice in the game.

the basis of Kitchener He has stripped himself of scoring obsessions and explicit leadership, and has turned assists into a path to perfection. It is demonstrated by the comfort with which he leads the statistics: 30 assists in the Finals. He has not gone below ten in any game. No one has provided as many points as he. Not even other specialists, like his own partner or Jimmy Butler, who tend to work in the “invisible” category of philanthropists.

The Canadian has abandoned his status as a purely one-dimensional player to start flirting with the field of offensive two-dimensionality. A new evolutionary leap. The total scorer that he already was has been transformed into an excellent player of the game. That is why it is impressive to observe him in a vision of basketball that scan the field and find the best solution. And it does not mean that he has given up his scoring statistics (27.4 points average), but the qualitative leap brings Murray the best and greatest meaning of ‘playmaking’.

Dynamiting the defense in Spoelstra’s zone

In it Game 3 of the Finals, Miami’s starting five had 66 points, 25 rebounds and 12 assists. Between Murray and Jokic: 66 points, 31 rebounds and 20 assists. A fact that reflects the dominance exercised by these two over the park. They play easy, they look for the best alternative and their shooting percentages are unbeatable. If you close one, you free the other. Jamal, a microwave talent like few in the NBA. The perfect partner. Control of spaces in between He is being key against the zone defense implemented by Miami.

The aggressiveness of the exteriors is essential (Murray-Braun) for punish where the zone does not reach. Yesterday, at times, Spoelstra had a zone in ‘Case’, two in the low post and two more in the upper part, with a man released before the offensive supernova that is Jamal Murray. But it didn’t work. The Serb had lots of comfortable shots three to four meters from the rim, due to the ‘traps’ that Miami made to the point guard. The situation, thanks to Jamal’s intelligence, It went from being a 1 vs 2 in favor of the Heat to a constant 3 vs 2 in favor of Denver.

And it’s very curious, of the 80 field goals made by Mike Malone’s only 18 came from the tripleconverting the insignificant figure of five to a mediocre 27.8%. Faced with defenses as closed as the spider’s web that Spoelstra tends to weave, the outside shot is usually always key. However, they did not need it. An anomaly. The Nuggets are the first team since 2013 to win a Finals game with five or fewer 3-pointers made.. The Canadian is accrediting in these Playoffs 27.4 points (48.4% TC and 39.6% T3), 5.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists (10 in the Finals). Indecipherable.

Denver knocked this Wednesday at the gates of heaven for its first NBA title, thanks to its trustworthy pairing. Before them, 32 teams out of 40 achieved victory in the third match of the series and thus ended up putting on the ring of champions. Who could have guessed that the Nuggets would have to wait almost 50 years to return to the bottom step before being able to put a ring on their finger and that the creator would be a giant born in a remote Serbian town, named Nikola Jokic. Along with his faithful squire named Jamal Murray. An intractable duo.