Despite the Miami Heat’s status as postseason comeback kings, the Denver Nuggets had a chance to match their opponents’ clutch factor in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Once the Heat took a late 107-95 lead, the Nuggets went on a 13-4 run to give themselves a chance at a surprising win.
And when Jimmy Butler missed a long jump shot, Denver — which had two timeouts and just over 11 seconds on the clock — could’ve tied the matchup and sent it to overtime at 111 points apiece.
But rather than stop the action and call a timeout to draw up a quality play, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone trusted Jamal Murray to figure something out in free-flow chaos and play the hero for his team. Murray would get a good look but couldn’t bury the shot as the Heat hung on to tie the series.
And it’s this no-timeout decision that folks from the outside looking in are questioning:
The last 2 possessions pic.twitter.com/IZYOJcZtcf
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 5, 2023
There’s something to be said about having faith that Murray would make the right decision in the clutch without any additional input or structure. He’s one of the NBA’s premier shooters and was already in rhythm with two three-pointers in the final few minutes.
Plus, if you’re the Nuggets, you might want to avoid Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra getting a chance to set his elite half-court defense. This was precisely Malone’s logic, as he explained after the game:
“You take a timeout, you let them get set, you let them review whatever play they think that we’re going to run and there’s a great chance that we don’t get a quality shot like Jamal [Murray] got,” Malone said, “which was on line and from my perspective, looked like it had a great chance of going in. And we’ve seen Jamal [Murray] make shots like that before.”
I understand the logic. I do. But everything about that last sequence seemed so chaotic from a glance and all subsequent viewings. Even if you think it’s theoretically better to trust your best shooter in that situation, trusting someone like Nikola Jokic to create something (either for himself or someone else) out of a set play is a much better idea.
NBA fans think the Nuggets made a mistake not calling timeout with a chance to tie Game 2 of the NBA Finals
Can someone explain why Nuggets didn't take the timeout with 10s on the clock?
— Varunram Ganesh (@varunramg) June 5, 2023
Literally everyone: CALL A TIMEOUT
Mike Malone: pic.twitter.com/xCH6fvv4Z6
— Sam Yeezy (@samstaydipped) June 5, 2023
How does Mike Malone not call a timeout there? Terrible coaching at the end for Denver.
— Super Nintendo® Chalmers (@OldManChalmers) June 5, 2023
Huge win for Miami to win in Denver.
Don’t let this distract you from Mike Malone not calling a timeout on the final possession, that lost them the game!!!
— Dehls (@JoelDehls) June 5, 2023
Why mike Malone doesn’t call timeout there is beyond me
— Deion | SeeReax (@SeeReax) June 5, 2023
Can't question such a great coach like Mike Malone but it's head scratching he didn't take that timeout there.
Down 2 not calling a timeout to play in flow and possibly get to the rim is understandable but down 3 it's hard to get a good look in the full court.
— Pasha Bains (@DRIVEBasketball) June 5, 2023
Surprised the Nuggets didn’t call a timeout and even more surprised the Heat didn’t give a foul
— Cody Mallory (@RealCodyMallory) June 5, 2023
Looked like Butler was maybe trying to foul up 3 and then decided against it. Worked out as Murray's shot glanced off the rim. Nuggets probably could have called timeout once initial transition stopped, but it's tough to get ref attention when coaches are behind the play.
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) June 5, 2023
Not using a timeout to let Jamal Murray iso is perfect.
— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) June 5, 2023
