The defending champions are not in the habit of losing games, especially in the postseason. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves seem to have total control over the Nuggets after winning the first two games in the semifinal series. Unfortunately, the Nuggets are not responding well to the pressure situation and an example of that can be seen by how Jamal Murray behaved during Game 2. The 27-year-old threw a towel and a heat pack on the court in a moment of frustration.
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Murray successfully avoided suspension for his act but couldn’t go unpunished as he was given a $100,000 fine. A one-game suspension, which most people were suspecting of the Nuggets star would’ve further damaged their chances of making a comeback in the series. While discussing the topic on a recent episode of the Run It Back show, Lou Williams said that he is happy for Murray because he didn’t get suspended as that’d give the Nuggets an excuse after losing more games or even the series.
Williams said, “The NBA could’ve easily gave these guys an out, suspend them for game 3, now there’s your built-in excuse, now the fans are like ‘ahh it’d be different if Jamal Murray was playing’. Like nope, you’re going to stay here and finish getting your a** whooped.” Williams believes that the Wolves will kick the Nuggets out of the race, and he’s happy Murray will get to experience it with the rest of the team.
"I love it, the NBA could've easily gave these guys an out, suspend them for game 3, now there's your built in excuse, now the fans are like 'ahh it'd be different if Jamal Murray was playing'. Like nope, you're going to stay here and finish getting your a** whooped."@TeamLou23… pic.twitter.com/t4CMo8sIEL
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 8, 2024
The former NBA star said that he appreciates the league for the way they handled it to keep the series fair, but Chandler Parsons saw it for something else. He said, “They’re setting the standard” in the league for offenses and punishments. He believes that some player in the future will get suspended for doing something much less offensive, but those rules won’t apply to stars and key players like Murray.
In addition to that, according to Parsons, it wasn’t a fineable offense so it’s better to let Murray go with a fine. While he didn’t see any harm in it, another NBA veteran thinks that Murray’s action could’ve been dangerous.
Gilbert Arenas explores the possible outcomes of Jamal Murray’s offense
The Nuggets had a rough Game 2 against the Wolves. Right before the halftime, they were down 28 points, which is not something we can usually say about the Nikola Jokić’s squad. Unfortunately, it happened, and that frustrated Murray to the point where he even risked injuring several players on the court, including some of his own. As the heat pack slid across the floor, Karl-Anthony Towns was making a layup at the same time.
On a recent episode of Gil’s Arena, Gilbert Arenas said, “Where he threw it, his own teammate could’ve slipped on that. He could’ve slipped on it.” But it seems like in the heat of the moment, Murray didn’t even realize he was making such a huge mistake. While Williams is pleased with the $100k fine, former NBA coach Mark Jackson believed that it should have ended up in suspension for Murray as it would set the tone within the organization.
