"I couldn't even hold it in"- Jamal Murray opens up on the journey that led him to become an NBA champion.
On June 12, the Denver Nuggets won the first NBA Championship in franchise history. Led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, the Nuggets finally made good on their roster potential by dispatching the Miami Heat in five games, including a three-game win streak to ice the series.
When speaking to the media following the Nuggets' victory, Jamal Murray explained how he struggled to keep his emotions in check, letting his excitement shine through at the final whistle.
"It was really hard to put into words, still is," Jamal Murray said. "I couldn't even hold it in. I couldn't really hold it in. It was a surreal moment. Everything was hitting. Everything was hitting at once.
"From the journey to the celebration with the guys, to the moment, to looking back on the rehab, to looking back to myself as a kid. From the other viewer, looking from the crowd in, or from the camera lens in.
"It was a lot. I couldn't hold it in. Something I've been working for my whole life. Every real hooper wants to be on this stage, and play in the game, and be in this moment.
"So, to see it full circle, going from my rehab, not being able to go up the stairs, not just for a month or two, it was for a long time. A lot of different things going through my head. It was a lot of tears. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears."
"Every real hooper wants to be on this stage."
- Jamal Murray, a real hooper 🏆
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Jamal Murray was a key contributor for the Denver Nuggets throughout the postseason, averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47.3% from the field and 39.6% from deep.
Mike Malone warns of a Denver Nuggets dynasty
When speaking to the media during his post-game press conference, Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone spoke of how his team could potentially become the NBA's new dynasty.
"I've got news for everybody out there," Malone said. "We're not satisfied with one. We want more. Pat Riley said something many years ago, I used to have it up on my board when I was a head coach in Sacramento. It talked about the evolution in this game and how you go from a nobody to an upstart.
"And you go from an upstart to a winner and a winner to a contender and a contender to a champion. The last step after a champion is to be a dynasty. "
With Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon all under contract, the Denver Nuggets have all of the core ingredients to become a serial winner. Of course, the hard part is staying on top of the mountain, as every team in the NBA will now be looking to knock them off their perch.
Still, the Denver Nuggets have proven that their roster is the real deal and have shown how to incorporate multiple scoring talents with selfless ball movement and elite-level execution.
As such, we should certainly expect to see the Nuggets challenging for an NBA Finals spot next season - assuming they remain healthy.