Four Rounds: Welcome to the pressure cooker, Jamal Murray

The Talking Point: Welcome to the pressure cooker, Jamal Murray

A big takeaway from the last week of the NBA playoffs.

For most of his career, Jamal Murray has avoided the pointed fingers and heavy burdens that typically come with high-profile territory like his.

Rather, Murray is as sympathetic a figure as you’ll find in the NBA. He missed a whole season with a devastating ACL injury, came back and won a championship. He tailored his game to become the perfect co-star next to a three-time MVP. while Nikola Jokic’s credentials were the subject of debate for years, Murray was always the overlooked co-star who raised his game in the playoffs.

Until now, in this series against the Minnesota Timberwolves that will go to a Game 7 after the Denver Nuggets got walloped in Game 6. (Or, as Jokic said, “They beat our a**.”)

It’s been an off series for Murray, including Thursday’s 4-for-18 skid mark. He missed 10 of his first 11 shots in a game that was over quickly. Many of those misses helped power Minnesota’s transition game and game-defining 27-2 run. He got good looks. He just whiffed ‘em.

Did I say off series? It’s been an off playoffs. Don’t let the two-game winners against the Lakers fool you. Murray has just one 25-point game all postseason. He is averaging 19.3 points on 39.2 percent shooting. Murray’s postseason superpowers have seemingly left him. 

Yes, he’s banged up. The elbow injury in Game 6 really impacted him, as he told reporters after the game.

But he’s out there. He’s available. He’s playing. Stars aren’t afforded an excuse. 

Coming off a lousy Game 6, Murray will be under a ton of pressure over the next three days as both teams prepare for Sunday’s Game 7 in Denver. It will be unlike any pressure applied to Murray throughout his eight-year career. If the Nuggets lose this series, most of the blame pie will be on his plate.

The spotlight won’t be on Jokic — his bona fides are indisputable. It won’t be on Aaron Gordon, who is having a terrific series. For the first time in his career, Murray will be under the microscope. 

Murray is a champion. He’s made big shots, even in these playoffs, when his team needed them most. The Nuggets won three straight, and he played mostly fine, but he turned in a dud on Thursday night.

How he responds will likely determine if the Nuggets advance, and could change the way the NBA world talks about Jamal Murray.

The Reset: The Cavaliers should not trade Donovan Mitchell

Sometimes an old narrative needs another look. 

Here’s a phrase you’re sure to read a lot this summer: “Or risk him walking away for nothing.” In fact, it’s already happening! 

Just minutes after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs, The Athletic published a now-you-tell-us report outlining the key concerns for the Cavs this offseason, ranging from J.B. Bickerstaff losing the locker room, Darius Garland’s long-term fit and Donovan Mitchell’s hazy future. 

“Mitchell is under contract for next season and has a $37 million player option for 2025-26, but he is eligible for that four-year extension this summer,” read the Athletic’s report. “Should he decline the extension, the Cavs would have to consider trading him or risk losing him as a free agent in 2025.”

I’m here to tell you that the great giant “risk” isn’t all that risky…

… depending on how the market shakes out.

Look, should the Cavs explore trading Mitchell if he declines a long-term extension? Yes, of course.

But should they simply sell Mitchell to the highest bidder, even if it still amounts to pennies on the dollar? Absolutely not.

Will I keep using the writing device of asking myself a question and then answering it? I sure hope not.

There’s something to be said for exploring those trade offers for Mitchell, shrugging your organizational shoulders at the ho-hum packages from teams that assume you have to trade him, and running it back for one more season.

Mitchell is, after all, under contract. He played with a lot of effort this season. He really wanted to beat the Boston Celtics. This isn’t someone who gives up on his teammates. And most importantly, he’s a really good player!

As a reminder: Mitchell scored 70 points in a game this season, 50 points in a playoff game, averaged nearly 30 points per game in the postseason and led the Cavs to their first playoff series win since LeBron James left in 2018.

You don’t trade that guy to the Lakers for Austin Reaves, a couple of role players and distant draft picks. You don’t trade that guy to the Nets for a handful of first-round picks and two guys named Cam.

You don’t trade a star unless you have a chance to bring star talent back. Like Paul George for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Cavaliers need to find their Shai (or at least a player with the chance to pop like Shai).

If they can’t, the Cavs should call Mitchell’s bluff and make a run at it for one more season.

The Cavs aren’t that far away. With the right moves, this could be a real contender to make it out of the East next season.

With Jarrett Allen and Mitchell sidelined for Game 5 on Wednesday, Evan Mobley played full-time center. Surrounded by shooting and empowered by Garland’s playmaking, Mobley finished with 33 points on 15-for-24 shooting. 

He didn’t need to be spoonfed. Mobley scored plenty on his own, powering past Boston’s defenders in isolation and finishing with hook shots and Plastic Man layups.

The third-year big man leveled up this postseason and increased his production from the regular season. He posted higher marks in points per game (16 to 15.7) and blocks (2.2 to 1.4). 

The Cavaliers don’t work as currently constructed, but they have the resources to pivot quickly. Rather than trade Mitchell, the Cavs could shop Garland and Allen and retool around their two highest-upside players.

The Spurs are in the market for a point guard (and reportedly aren’t interested in Trae Young). Garland is a cleaner fit with Victor Wembanyama and won’t rock the boat. Plenty of teams like the Wizards, Pelicans and Warriors should be interested in a rim-rolling center like Allen.

Just for fun, here’s a three-team trade I like for all sides:

The Cavs could roll out a starting lineup of Mitchell, Max Strus, Keldon Johnson, Kyle Kuzma and Mobley and still have Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill and Georges Niang off the bench (or trade for other pieces).

That’s a good team that could make some noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Maybe a deep run is enough to convince Mitchell to stay a year from now. Maybe it’s not. But an opportunity to make the Finals is nothing to sneeze at.

In terms of risking Mitchell walking away for nothing, that’s not nothing.

Observations

The Thunder are getting good looks

After Wednesday night’s loss to the Mavericks, Thunder coaches and players were surprisingly optimistic for a team that missed 30 of its 40 3-point attempts and is now one loss away from elimination.

“This is probably going to sound crazy because we didn’t shoot it well, but I thought our offense was really good,” Jaylen Williams told reporters. “We didn’t make shots.”

The Thunder have not shot it well. After making just one 3-pointer in the first half of Game 4, coach Mark Daigneault made the starting lineup change everyone saw coming, benching non-shooter Josh Giddey for marksman Isaiah Joe.

The Thunder have been hedging off Giddey all series, planting his defender in the paint to prevent rim attacks. The swap paid immediate dividends in Game 5. With PJ Washington occupied with Joe in the corner, a runway opened up for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for his first points of the game. It was his first make at the rim since Game 3.

That paint penetration put the Mavs in rotation and led to kickouts for open looks. Of Oklahoma City’s 40 3-point attempts, 39 (!) of them were considered open or wide open, according to NBA.com’s tracking data. It’s a Mavericks miracle that OKC only hit 10 of them.

The Mavs have been the better team for most of the last two games, but after OKC stole Game 4, the split feels right. This series is far from over.

McBride ball screens

If you thought Tom Thibodeau’s coaching was limited to playing his guys for 48 minutes and icing ball screens, then you are very wrong, my friend. 

In New York’s Game 5 win on Tuesday, Thibs unleashed his pipsqueak screen setter, the 6-foot-1 Miles McBride.

With Tyrese Haliburton defending McBride — now starting for these limping Knickerbockers — this was a way to pull Haliburton into the action. The Pacers don’t want Haliburton to switch onto Jalen Brunson, instead electing to show and recover. Brunson sliced ‘em up anyway.

His timing and unique driving angles were too much for Indiana’s ad-hoc defense to contain.

Brunson finished with 44 points in New York’s blowout win. It’ll be interesting to see how the Pacers, on the brink of elimination, counter in Game 6 Friday night.

Take That For Data

81: That’s how many points the Mavericks have outscored their opponents by with Kyrie Irving on the court. Ten more than when Luka Doncic is on the court and the highest of any non-Celtics in the playoffs.

2: Near full-court passes that made my jaw drop this week. One by Jokic. Another by Luka.

3: That’s how many players age 37 or older have recorded 20 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a playoff game. The list: LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and… Al Horford, on Wednesday night.

1: There are one too many people on “Inside the NBA” when Draymond Green is involved. Don’t get me wrong—I love it when Draymond stares blankly into the camera as much as the next guy, but time and place. The shows’ days might be numbered. Just give us the crew we love!