Nuggets Coach Mike Malone On Preparing To Heat/Celtics, 2023 NBA Finals | May 29, 2023

Coach, you know when we talk, you always talk about Jamal when you knew exactly when he was back in that Portland game. I guess with MPJ in his back, was there a moment when you knew he was back? Early in the season, you know, I don't have an exact date, you know, but I felt that Michael was fully back. I felt this was by far his best season as an NBA player and the commitment he made to being the best defensive player he could be and buying into that end was evident early on and as well as was his commitment to being the best offensive player he could be and playing without the ball and moving without the ball and and spaced in the floor. But, you know, obviously Jamal missed a lot more time than Michael, but I think for me was Michael, I could tell early in the season that he was poised to have a very good season. He was moving well. He was healthy and that's all that we needed from him because he's such a talented player. Michael, you always tell us about Nicola's maturation and maybe the last step is finding his voice. Obviously, you spoke about it in game three against the Lakers. Have you seen his voice get more pronounced or more louder as the playoffs have gone on? You know, I mean, I think that makes for a great story, but I don't know if it's entirely accurate. I think he's throughout the year, not just the playoffs, he's picked his spots in terms of when to be vocal, when to challenge his teammates, you know, and, you know, the game three was just, hey, hey, here's something we can do offensively, which is great, but I think it's even more important when we're playing at Houston and he calls the guys together before the game starts in warm-up lines because he doesn't like how we're warming up. So when he's holding others accountable and he's being a leader in that way, I think that's what really matters and it's something where eight years now, you know, and you have to go back to early on, a young player, not from this country, English not your primary language, like that's, hey, be a leader, speak more. That's hard. So I think as he's matured, gotten confident, and just become more comfortable in that role, he's done it more and more and I think that's been a huge part of his continued development. Michael, a lot of times, a lot of times a rookie has a difficult time joining a good team and not getting the minutes he was used to. How do you think Christian has sort of navigated that whole thing this year and what do you admire about that? Well, you know, all year long, the one thing I've talked about with Christian is that he's a winner and the guy has won at every level and here he is in the NBA Finals. So it's kind of staying true to form for Christian Brown and then as a rookie, you know, game two at Golden State, he plays and he plays well because Jamal didn't play in that game. And I think that's when we all realized that for a young player playing against the defending world champions on the road, he wasn't afraid and that really stuck out to me. Like most young kids that get in a situation or environment like that, you know, they're gonna be a little bit over their head and he wasn't. And all season long, you know, Christian's been a pro in regards to staying ready. Am I in the rotation? Am I not in the rotation? I'm not gonna allow that to take away from my work ethic and my dedication to my craft. And then obviously the last two months of the year, whatever it was, you know, he was a rotational player for the number one team in the West and he's been, you know, he's done his job in the playoffs. He's gone out there and defended, rebound, ran the floor, moved without it and he's never afraid of the moment, which you have to appreciate for such a young kid. Michael, what have you done as a team since we last saw you on Friday and has this week been like a training camp but at the same time you somehow have to simulate playoff tempo and playoff pace with this team? Yeah, it's definitely been a challenge because, you know, while these two other teams are, you know, going to a Game 7 and it's been great theater from afar because of, you know, Miami's up 3-0 and now it's going back to Boston for a Game 7. So, you know, yesterday we took off but the all the practices leading into yesterday were about us with a real heavy emphasis on conditioning, pace, purpose and just on all the things that we need to. And then today we started working on things at both Miami and in Boston, kind of things that we need to be prepared for both offensively and defensively and the best thing about tonight is we're going to finally know who we play and that gives us Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday morning to get ready for Game 1. But I give our guys credit. They have been locked in. The energy has been very good. And I think we understand that while we don't know for sure who we're playing, we have an obligation to ourselves to make sure we're preparing and conditioning and doing everything with that pace and purpose that I mentioned. Michael, I asked Nikola if you changed at all over your time together and he said the only difference is that you give him the ball more. Do you feel like that is accurate or do you feel like you're a significantly different coach than you were year one here? No, I think if I'm the same coach I was in year one, I failed. You know, I wasn't meant for laughs. Thank you in the front row. But I think for all of us, everybody sitting in this room, if you're the same person that you were from a year ago, not even just eight, then we've all failed. You know, I challenge myself to continue to grow and not just as a coach, but in all facets of life. I think that's, you know, if you're not growing and improving, then you're probably getting worse. So, yeah, there's no there's no doubt in my mind that I'm a much different coach than I was in year one. And I think eight years in, I think for me, you know, you kind of don't coach every dribble. You don't win and lose with every win or loss. It's not life and death. And, you know, you try to pick your spots when you need to be emotional. It can't be every game. It can't be every halftime. It can't be every postgame. But yeah, over the years, I've challenged myself to look in the mirror, be honest with myself, listen to those around me and become the best version that I can be. And by the way, I think I've given the ball for a long time. Michael, in some sense going off that, but I feel like one of the commonly used phrases in sports is trust the process. When you look at this Nuggets team going back to Macaulay Culkin eight years ago, Jamal, Michael, everything. Is this the true definition of what trusting the process should look like or looks like in sports, this team? Yeah, I mean, I have to give so much credit to Stan and Josh Kroenke, you know, and when we beat L.A. the other night in L.A. and I love the fact that they were there and part of that celebration. And I often allude to, you know, my third season, that game 82 of Minnesota when we lost. We won 46 games, but we lost an overtime game to go to the playoffs. And probably 80, 90 percent of pro sports teams probably said we have to pivot here. We have to go in a different direction. And I can remember after that game being really dejected and down because we, you know, we failed in that quest. But Josh Kroenke came over to me, put his arm around me and was so excited. And he talked about how look, look at how well our young players, Nicole and Jamal, just played in the playing tournament before the playing tournament. And I think the fact that they have the ability to be patient and take a step back and have a big picture approach. We have the chance to do something special if we let this continue to grow and develop and mature. And so, yes, I think trusting the process, I think being patient. And that's what all the great sports teams over the last 50 years, regardless of the sport. You look at teams like the Steelers, like, you know, they've had three coaches and seems like 70 years. They're not changing. So the programs that change a coach every year or two never get off the ground. You have to let something take root. Let it grow. Go with the growing pains. And hopefully it blossoms into something like we've seen here in Denver. And I think the way we've done it, I hear from a lot of people saying, well, we want to be like the Denver Nuggets. We want to draft well. We want to have our players develop, add the right pieces around them, be patient and see where it goes. So this has been really fun to be a part of that process. And I can't thank ownership, front office for being as patient as they have been. Coach, what were your thoughts on the final three seconds of the Heat Celtics and what were your coaching takeaways from that whole process? Nobody wants to hear my coaching takeaways. That was a crazy ending. Obviously, that game was won and lost quite a few times in the last three minutes. You know, at one point, Boston looks like they're going to win going away, double figures, and then Jimmy Butler gets to the foul line. Al Horford fouls a three point shooter. Great challenge by Joe Mazzullo, because even though they don't win the challenge, they put the time back on the clock, which allows Derek White to have the time to get that put back in before the final buzzer. And that's why you always preach to your players. Man, you got to play for 48 minutes. You know, that game right there is a perfect example of that. So I know I speak for everybody in our locker room. We just can't wait for tonight's game to be over to finally have some clarity. So when we wake up tomorrow morning, we know who we're playing. We know who we're preparing for. And we can kind of turn the page and really focus in on that. But Eastern Conference final has been a hell of a series. And I think this is the first time where a team has been down 3-0 to force a game seven and have home court advantage. So we'll see if that plays a part. But I'm expecting another crazy, crazy game and ending in Boston tonight. Coach, what's it like for you watching these games? Are you like in your basement by yourself taking notes, watching it diligently from a studying standpoint, or are you just enjoying them as a basketball fan? All that, you know, I mean, it's for us, obviously, knowing that we're going to be playing one of these teams and all week long with my coaching staff, we've been talking about both teams, the problems they present and the things that we have to be worried about. We always identify, Katie, the themes going into each and every series. And they change depending on who you're playing and what problems they present. And, you know, we had a long meeting this morning and tomorrow we'll have, you know, more clarity in that regard. But I watch it as a fan of the game. I watch it as a coach getting prepared to play game one against one of those two teams. And, you know, but I allow my wife to come down once in a while to check on me. She's allowed down. We'll go on Zoom real quick. We'll go to Joel Rush, Forbes. Hi, Michael. Good to see you. It's been a long time since Michael Porter Jr. was in the playoffs a couple of years till this round, and he's been through a lot in that time. I think his growth on the court has been pretty self-evident. But how about his mental growth? Like, what have you seen from him in terms of his mindset or how he's grown during that time since his last playoff run? Yeah, a long time, Joel. Good to hear from you. What stands out for me is that because he's healthy, he's confident. You know, I mean, when you're not healthy and you can't move and do the things that you're accustomed to doing, that really makes it hard to go out there and be confident in your game and what you're able to do. So first and foremost, with Michael being physically healthy, I think that is giving him the mental confidence to go out there and play the game at a high level. I think the game, the series he had against the Lakers, you know, just the scoring, the rebound and the efficiency was a huge part of us sweeping L.A. in that Western Conference Finals. But he's in a very good place right now. He's confident. He's really bought into trying to become the best player he can be on both ends of the floor. And like one one example of that is end of games like he does not want to be taken out because the perceived lack of a defensive player. And, you know, every time, you know, this season when he has been taken out, he gives Ryan Saunders a death glare, you know, like, I can't believe you're taking me out. And he's closed a lot of games for us lately because he's 6'10". He's defending well and he's rebounding at a high level. So he's confident. He's he's aggressive. And he's had a huge impact on this team. Next, we'll go to Jake Fisher. We'll take one more and we'll end with Jake with Yahoo. Hey, coach, just flashing back to the trade deadline in 2021. What do you remember about your perspective in the lead up to acquiring Aaron Gordon? And from the jump, you guys had that 8-0 start. How obvious was it? How perfect a fit he was going to be next to Nicola in the front court? Well, it's interesting when I when I go back to that trade deadline, I think we were in Tampa playing the Raptors. And as is always the case, you know, to get a player, an impact player, you have to give something up. And Gary Harris was a huge part of our team. Gary Harris was was here when I got here and was a big part of us kind of building our team into what it is today. And so to give up a guy like Gary Harris, as well as RJ Hampton, who was a rookie, you know, that was hard. And the lead up, you know, we're driving to the airport. We spent the night after the game. We're driving to the airport today, the trade deadline. And Gary's on the bus with us. And I get a call. And as we're approaching the plane, you know, the trade is done. And in a weird way, maybe it was it was great to happen this way because, you know, a lot of guys are crying and we all had a chance to give Gary a hug and let him know how much we loved him and appreciated him. So that was hard. You know, that's something that is never really talked about. When trades are made, you always talk about the play you're getting. And just like trading a guy like Monte and Will for KCP, those guys were here for a long time. The second part of your question, it was evident pretty quickly to your point. But the game that stands out right after that trade deadline was our game in L.A. beating the Clippers. They were healthy. We were healthy and we beat them. And Aaron's impact was noticeable because his ability to guard a guy like Kawhi Leonard. And I know after that game, I felt we had a real chance to win a championship that year. And then, unfortunately, as we all know, soon thereafter, Jamal suffered the ACL injury, which kind of put things out of whack for a while. So Aaron has been tremendous for us. And you look at the job he's done against Carl Anthony Towns, against guys like Kevin Durant, LeBron James and whoever we play next round. He'll have just as an important role for us. So very thankful that Aaron is here. Thank you, Coach. All right. Thanks, everybody.