It takes more than a single superstar to win in the NBA, especially when playoffs come around and the pressure mounts. To contend, championship caliber teams need two or three “first” options, and then a supporting cast whose members can also rise to star status at certain moments.
[Think of the Golden State Warriors NBA Finals MVP in 2015 — not Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson but part-time superstar Andre Iguodala, a strong all-around player best known for his high hoops IQ and defense.]
So it comes as a shock that as the NBA preps for the Conference Finals, one of the featured articles at NBA.com is about which SIX players might win the Conference Finals MVP trophies.
That’s six players identified as candidates for both Conference Finals MVPs, meaning two of the four teams have only one candidate. It’s preposterous — and one player in particular gets shockingly disrespected by the league here: The Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray.
The @nuggets officially clinch the No. 1 seed in the West after Memphis’ loss 🔝📈
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 6, 2023
The West runs through Denver ⚒️🔥 pic.twitter.com/zq1oUyo07n
Murray easily deserves mention on this list, which should also include Miami’s Bam Adebayo.
“Just masterful!”
— NBA (@NBA) May 10, 2023
Jamal Murray deep in his post bag with Denver rolling in Q4 on TNT. pic.twitter.com/kfdWQGFnvj
And it’s not as if Murray shrinks from the playoff spotlight. After missing the last two campaigns while injured, Murray is back better than ever. Averaging 25.9 points, 6.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 11 games in the 2023 playoffs, Murray makes the Nuggets, who have needed him, truly competitive again.
Here’s Denver head coach Mike Malone after Game 1 against Phoenix:
“Jamal just continues to add to the legend of ‘Playoff Jamal Murray.’ He’s a bad man. I mean, Jamal Murray lives for this.” Sounds like a candidate for Conference Finals MVP, doesn’t it?
What does 2x NBA MVP and Murray teammate Nikola Jokic think about Murray? Jokic said recently: “He is our best player, and we are following him right now.”
The NBA article lists as possible Conference Finals MVP candidates LeBron James (Lakers), Anthony Davis (Lakers), Jokic (Nuggets), Jimmy Butler (Heat), Jaylen Brown (Celtics) and Jayson Tatum (Celtics).
Murray is used to being neglected. The University of Kentucky product has yet to be voted into an All-Star Game. He and the Nuggets will continue to use the neglect as fuel. But for the NBA to ignore Murray, at this point in his career and at this point in the season, is shockingly neglectful.
