Jamal Murray with Jared Greenberg on TNT after scoring 50 Game 6
Jamal Murray was sensational for the Denver Nuggets during their 119-107 win over the Utah Jazz in Game 6 on Sunday. But as spectacular as he was while firing in 50 points and accounting for every big shot down the stretch, he was even more inspirational as a human being during his postgame interview with Jared Greenberg on TNT following the victory.
“These shoes mean a lot,” an emotional Murray explained while referencing the customized adidas sneakers he was wearing as a tribute to Breonna Taylor and George Floyd who were each tragically killed by police in recent months.
“These shoes give me life. Even though these people are gone, they give me life. They help me find strength to keep fighting in this world. That’s why I keep doing it.”
What Murray has been doing during this series has been electrifying. In Game 6, he became the first player since Allen Iverson in 2001 to score at least 40 points in three-straight games. The Nuggets point guard totaled 25 in each half while shooting 17-of-24 from the field overall and connecting on an unconscious 9-of-12 three-pointers to go along with six assists and five rebounds.
After forcing Game 7 inside the NBA Playoff Bubble, Murray spoke with Greenberg about his will to win and desire to keep using his platform to fight for social justice.
JAMAL MURRAY POSTGAME INTERVIEW | NUGGETS vs JAZZ AUGUST 30, 2020
“An emotional roller coaster,” Jared Greenberg began during the postgame interview on TNT following the Denver Nuggets Game 6 win over the Utah Jazz.
“How did you carry over the momentum from an explosive Game 4, Game 5, and then put everything else aside that happened this week to go out and drop 50 in a must-win game tonight?”
“Got a will to win. These shoes mean a lot,” Murray replied, referencing his customized adidas sneakers that paid tribute to Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
” Shoes mean a lot.”
“Take a deep breath Jamal,” Greenberg said as the postgame interview continued.
“You were outstanding tonight. We understand that these are tough times. Jamal, what are you thinking about right now?”
“I just want to win,” Jamal said. “In life, you find things that hold value to you, find things to fight for. We found something to fight for, as the NBA, as a unit.
“I use these shoes as a symbol to me to keep fighting, all around the world. They give me a lot of power to keep fighting. We want to win, I show my emotion. It comes out.”
“You have a picture of George Floyd on your right shoe, you got Breonna Taylor. Why has this been so personal for you Jamal Murray?”
“Because it’s not just in America, it happens everywhere. For us to come together as the NBA, it doesn’t take one meeting. It takes a couple meetings, a few meetings, it takes phone calls, it takes persistence. It’s not going to take one night, we’ve been trying to fight for hundreds of years.
“These shoes give me life. Even though these people are gone, they give me life, they help me find strength to keep fighting in this world.
“That’s why I keep doing it.”
“You’re a special person Jamal Murray, on and off the court.”
“Thank you, appreciate it.”
Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell
During the first round playoff series between the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz inside the NBA Playoff Bubble, Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell cemented their place as truly elite superstars. But despite the fireworks and electrifying performances by the dueling point guards, the outpouring of admiration and respect that followed the conclusion of Game 7 was even more inspiring than the basketball wizardry throughout the seven-game slugfest.
After Mike Conley’s potential series-winning 3-pointer rimmed out on Utah at the conclusion of an 80-78 Game 7 win for Denver, Mitchell collapsed to the floor in defeat. The Jazz point guard had just turned in a herculean series in which he averaged 36.2 points on 53% shooting from the field and 51.5% from three. As he laid on the floor exhausted, after optimizing every ounce of energy and effort from his basketball soul, the player who came to pick him up was Jamal Murray.
The two explosive guards combined for 475 points in the series. That total represents the most combined points by opposing players in a single series ever in NBA history according to ESPN Stats and Info. The previous record was set by Jerry West and John Havlicek during the 1969 NBA Finals where they combined for 463 points–a dozen less than Murray and Mitchell.
While leading the Nuggets back from a 3-1 deficit, Murray averaged 31.5 points on a staggering 55% shooting overall along with 55% from 3-point range (!!!) and a near flawless 92% from the free throw line. The Kentucky Wildcat by way of Canada chased two 50-point games with a 42-point effort while scoring 142 total in Games 4-6. With his team facing elimination, he offered a cheat-code performance in which you felt like every shot that left his hand was going in. As hard a Dononvan came at him, Murray responded with even more force and helped his team advance to meet Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in the semifinals.
For as emphatic as the shot-making and statistics were, though, it was refreshing to see the two stars embrace after Murray helped Mitchell from the floor as the game clock bid farewell to the series. Each player elevated his game in the big moment. Each player put his team on his back. Each player demonstrated what excellence looks like on the basketball court. And when the final shot was fired, each player offered a competitive respect that we seem to have lost among rivals in our modern society.
Murray and Mitchell were brilliant inside the NBA Playoff Bubble in more ways than one. They represented the reason we play sports in the first place. Hopefully, we see these two face-off again on the postseason stage for many years to come. But even if we don’t, those who watched this epic saga play out before our eyes won’t soon forget what we just witnessed.
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