Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone’s latest comments may come across as a subtle dig aimed at players like James Harden.
The Nuggets claimed a 108-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Two of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night. It means that Denver leads the series 2-0 going into Game Three in LA on Saturday.
Jamal Murray led the Nuggets to the victory in Game Two with 37 points in total, 23 of which came in the fourth quarter. He was supported by two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic with 23 points and Michael Porter Jr. with 16 points.
Malone was speaking to reporters after the win on Thursday night, with Murray’s performance one of the first subjects covered. The Nuggets head coach praised Murray for his ability to contribute to the game in a number of ways, and makes a point about “specialists” not being able to win in the NBA Playoffs.
“In the playoffs, you can’t be a specialist. Specialists don’t play in the playoffs,” Malone told reporters. “You’ve got to find a way to impact the game, and he did that tonight. He understands that.
“We all know one thing about Jamal, man, like he just has to see one go in. He got a mid-range pull-up to go in, looked up to the heavens, and that’s all he needs. After that, he’s shooting into a hula hoop.
“I’m proud of him, but my challenge to Jamal is don’t be just a scorer. He’s going to be an All-Star in this league, and for him to do that he’s got to be scoring, playmaking, rebounding, defending every single night, and he has that within him.”
Malone’s comments are timely after Philadelphia 76ers star Harden was unable to help them advance in the playoffs. The 33-year-old is widely regarded as a three-point specialist, with a 38.5% three-point success rate this season which is the highest in his career since his final year with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2011-12 (39.0%).
Despite Harden’s impressive form from behind the arc, he could not prevent the Sixers losing to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Harden scored just 22 points across Game Six and Seven in the series against the Celtics.
That form has led to speculation that he could leave Philadelphia during the off-season. Harden has the choice of either taking the $36.5m offer to sign for another year with the Sixers, or become a free agent and look to sign for another team.
However, Bleacher Report claim that Harden is set to reject that offer and become a free agent. This news comes just days after Doc Rivers was fired as head coach of the Sixers, with a major summer of change now expected at the Wells Fargo Center.
