On May 8, Beijing time, the NBA officially announced that Nuggets guard Murray would be fined $100,000. What the hell is going on? G2 of the Nuggets and Timberwolves, Murray sat on the sidelines in the second quarter of the game, dissatisfied with the blowing on the court. He first threw a towel at the baseline referee and then a hot compress into the court, and Pop bent down and threw it out.
NBA officials prohibit throwing things into the court, which may cause injuries to other players, and Murray is really not unjustly fined $100,000. G2 Murray played 36 minutes, shooting just 3-of-18 (16.7%), 0-of-4 three-pointers, 2-of-2 free throws, 8 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 turnovers.
Murray's 16.7% shooting percentage is the second-worst in the history of the Nuggets in the playoffs (at least 15 shots), only better than Anthony! In the 2004 playoffs, the same Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Anthony made 1 of 16 shots in a single game in his rookie season, shooting only a pitiful 6.3%. Could it be that the Timberwolves are the nemesis of the Nuggets' perimeter players?
Nuggets reporter Brendan Vogt couldn't stand it: "Murray is not performing well because of the injury, and he can accept it. But it's really hard to accept throwing stuff on the field during a game and leaving without an interview after a fiasco. Murray also gestured to the referee to count the money, for which Gobert was fined $100,000.
Before the start of this year's playoffs, Murray averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 turnovers per game in his playoff career, shooting 47.3%, 40.4% and 91% from three. In this year's playoffs, Murray averaged 20.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6 assists, 0.4 steals and 2.4 turnovers per game, shooting 37.5%, 28.6% and 89.5% from three.
Two kills over the Lakers covered up Murray's inefficient performance. In this year's playoffs, Murray has played seven games with a shooting percentage of less than 47.3 percent (playoff career average) and five games under 40 percent. In the two games with the Timberwolves, Murray made only five free throws in total. Nuggets coach Malone said he expects Murray and Jokic to be more aggressive.
In the regular season this season, Murray only played 59 games due to injury, averaging 31.5 minutes per game, scoring 21.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1 steal, 0.7 blocks and 2.1 turnovers, shooting 48.1% from the field, 42.5% from three-point range, and 85.3% from the free throw line. The average assists, shooting and three-point shooting percentage per game are all career highs in the regular season.
Murray's true shooting percentage in the regular season was 58.6 percent and plummeted to 44.6 percent in the playoffs. The regular season is relatively long, and Murray can choose to rest once he is unwell, but he cannot take a break in the playoffs. Don't forget, Murray is also a major injury, and on April 13, 2021, Murray suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee and was reimbursed for the entire 2021-22 season.
After a torn cruciate ligament, even if you fully recover, there will be small injuries of one kind or another. In the first round of this year's playoffs, Murray was doubtful for a while because of a left calf strain. Many fans thought it was a smoke bomb for the Nuggets, but in fact, Murray was really injured. Now that Murray is not in good shape, he can't stand the Timberwolves just by relying on Mr. Yoo!
Trailing 0-2 at home, only 5 teams in NBA history can turn the tables around! Do you think there is still hope for the Nuggets?