In Game 2, the Denver Nuggets were the protagonists of several nervous situations, much over the top. Jamal Murray and coach Mike Malone were certainly the most hysterical, with the coach going toe-to-toe with a referee in the first half and the Canadian point guard doing worse. Murray in the course of the game made money signs toward the officials, at one point, while on the bench, threw a towel at a referee and finally even a hot water bottle, risking someone slipping on it and getting seriously hurt.
Murray still ended the game without getting ejected, perhaps a handicap for Denver given his 3/18 shooting and only 8 points. But after videos of the player’s behavior spread online. many expected a disqualification against him..
The NBA has, however, thought differently, deciding to turn a blind eye probably in favor of the show he hopes will go on for the rest of the series. Jamal Murray will in fact not be suspended but only fined, by a large amount: $100,000. This is the same sanction the NBA had given Rudy Gobert during the regular season for mimicking the money gesture to referees and then making innuendoes about their potential involvement in sports betting. Looking at Murray’s and Gobert’s behavior, however, an identical sanction may still appear questionable to most.
Murray will therefore be available tomorrow, for Game 3 in Minneapolis: the Nuggets will try to reverse the inertia and reopen a series that now seems more closed than ever.
Milan, Italy. A graduate in Labor Management and Communication for Organizations from Catholic University, I founded BasketUniverso in 2011. Yes, I root for Orlando Magic and do my best not to hide it.
