Jamal Murray is out here breaking records and he has a message for the NBA world – put some respect on his name.
“I don’t think I get enough respect as I should be,” Murray told Andscape. “I’m better than a lot of players in the league. Every time I see rankings of guys I think, ‘Man, that is crazy.’ Maybe it’s because I have been out for so long. But if we win the chip, it changes everything.”
In Game 3, Murray had his fourth career 20-point fourth quarter in the playoffs. Which was the most of any player in the last 25 years.
Then in Game 4, he went to another level. Nikola Jokic was in foul trouble early, so Murray made it his game.
The point guard recorded a game-high 37 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 51.7 percent shooting from the field and 45.5 percent shooting from three.
Denver had the best record in the West for pretty much the entire season and Murray averaged 20 points, 6.2 assists and four rebounds rebounds.
Yet he wasn’t named as an All-Star.
“He is definitely one of the best guards in the league,” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said. “He has not been named an All-Star yet, but he is one of the best players in The Association. The Association is about getting buckets. He can hit tough shots down the stretch with the best of them. He is showing up with playoffs, obviously.”
The franchise are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals and even though the narrative is focused squarely on their opposition, they have been focused on one goal.
“We’re number one in the West for a reason,” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “I believed it from the jump that we could win a championship. That was everybody’s mindset. We knew how we could jell together and play together.”