NBA Finals | Jamal Murray on Jokic’s stat-line: “I think it speaks for itself."

Jamal Oum-Young, ESPN. Malone was in here saying that he thought you kind of took the blame for game two, or at least put it on yourself. How long did it take for that last shot? Was that the thing that bothered you in game two? And how did it motivate you and Nicola tonight? That last shot felt good. It was more like throughout the game. You know, I felt like I didn't bring the intensity that the moment called for. And even though I didn't play terrible, I felt like I could have done a lot more. And, you know, most people that have watched the Nuggets play, you know, when I have a game like that, you know, I'm most likely gonna bounce back. So just one of those days, I think not just me, but everybody bounced back. Everybody brought the energy. You know, K, K only took four shots, but he was into everybody. You know, Mike was grabbing boards, even though he wasn't making shots. You know, A.G., same thing. 10 boards, didn't shoot well. No, so, or actually he shot 50%, but my bad. Yeah, just everybody was just coming into the game and wanted to bring the intensity that we're used to playing with. I thought CB was great. I thought Jeff was great. And everybody was ready to play tonight. Front row and the left. Hey, Jamal, Shane Yellen, Ford Sports. You mentioned Christian. What have you thought about his activity, his cutting, his off-ball movement, everything that kind of just fits in with your style of offense? Yeah, he knows what to do to stay on the floor. You know, he's solid on defense, shoots the gaps, plays hard. In the right spot, he crashes, plays solid defense. You know, so he knows the offense will come when he's doing those things. And he's playing with a lot of confidence. We're finding him like he's a five-year vet. You know, he's just playing the game the right way. Every game, even if he makes mistakes, he knows how to bounce back. And I think that's huge for a rookie, especially getting these kind of minutes. And, you know, he's got a lot more game to come, you know, not just in these finals, but, you know, for his career. We're excited to see what he can do. Joe on the left. Joe Varden from The Athletic. Jamal, what Nikola did tonight has never been done in a finals game. And then what you two did together had never been done, period. In the moment, are you able to, are you watching Nikola and appreciating what he's doing, but then also feeling the kind of game and performance that you're having? What he does, he makes it look so easy. You know, he grabbed 21 boards and everybody talking about he can't jump. And, you know, he's out there battling. Everybody's physically strong. 30 points, people say he doesn't want to score. Gives you 32. I mean, and 10 assists, you know. So it's just, he just makes the game look easy throughout the game. And like I said, just free-throwing, his touch, his creativity, his no-look passes, his IQ. I could go down the line. He's a special, special, special player. Melissa here, second row. Hey Jamal, Melissa Roland, Fox Sports. Many are calling this game, obviously you're in Joe Kitch's best game as a duo. Over the last seven years, how has your relationship grown, both on and off the court? How have you guys supported each other through everything both of you guys have been through? I'd say it's a trust and a feel, is the best way for me to put it. It's not really X's and O's. It's just reading the game and trust that the other's gonna make the right play. You know, if he throws it to me, he knows and expects what to see from me. And he knows the mood I'm in, the intensity I'm playing with, whether it's low or high, time and score and vice versa. You know, I know when he's overpassing. I know when he's looking to score. I know when he's the best player on the floor. I know when he's taking a second to get into the game. I think it's just a feel and a trust that we're gonna figure it out. And it's a lot of unselfishness, like I keep bringing that up. It's just, it's free flowing. If something's there, we go. If it's not, we don't force it. And, you know, he makes tough shots look easy. And he's been doing it for a very long time. And I think the consistency doesn't get talked about enough. Michael, third row and left. Michael Pino, The Ringer. With about seven minutes to go in the second quarter, you caught a pass from Jeff Green and hit a step back over Bam in a bio step back three. Just how big was that shot? In the first half? In the, yeah, in the second quarter. It was a shot clock. It was going down and I just got to my spot and just sunk it down. Just a drill shot that I practiced basically my whole life, so. Vinny, third row. Vinny Benedetto with the Denver Gazette. Jamal, your locker's been next to Christian's all year. I'm curious if you've seen him change off the court at all. Is he more comfortable being himself in the locker room as the season has gone on or has he always just been the same guy? I think we've got a great team bond. We're very tight. Everybody's comfortable saying something to each other, getting on each other. I told CB at halftime to shoot a gap and get the steal because he had a chance to do it in the first half and he didn't go. And second half, he went for it. And just the confidence he has to go in the game and gamble like that, you know, seconds after I just told him, you know. Like I said, he's going to grow and he's going to be a very, very, very solid player in this league. So excited to see him develop his game and gain more confidence, more trust from not just us, the coaching staff as well and, you know, see him grow. Standing in the back left. Jamal, James Jackson with The Athletic. You guys had one of the biggest rebounding margins in finals history tonight and you had a triple-double, of course, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, along with your 30 points. Outside of you as a scorer, but as a rebounder and a facilitator, like what are you seeing with the defense to like pick your spots and contribute when you have nights like these? I think it's a mixture. You know, sometimes it's just an effort play. Sometimes the ball just comes to you. Sometimes somebody else does the dirty work and boxes the big guy out, you know. So I think it's everybody chipping in to get those rebounds. It's not just, that's not an individual stat. Like I said, Mike on the board is A.G. on the board is following his own misses. You know, I'll come in from the front row and help out. Yoke's down there battling every time, every time, every game. So I think it's a collective effort. And sometimes you may not get it, but you may be the reason that somebody else gets it. And yeah, I think we did a great job just collectively giving them one shot and getting on running. Malone said you put a lot of pressure on yourself after game two. How do you manage pressure? Like what do those hours look like? And how do you just try to compartmentalize and not let that pressure dog you? You know, people ask, you know, is a big stage, you can get nervous and stuff. You're supposed to be. That's what makes you care. That's what makes you alive. That's what makes you enjoy these moments. So it's good to feel that. And I just kind of get into my low zone, meditate a little bit and lock back in, know that this is what I do. This is what I've been doing for my whole life. This is what I've wanted to do my whole life. This is the stage I've been working personally to get into my whole life. So all the butterflies, that's supposed to happen. That shows that you care and that shows that you're excited. I asked Malone about it pre-game, that conversation you guys had yesterday, he threw his arm around you. He didn't want to say a lot, but what did that mean to you? Just to have that never ending support from him? Yeah, not just me, but he's always checking on guys, seeing their mood and tone. And I just think he did a great job, especially at this stage, just communicating what he's thinking as well, not just picking your brain. But he has, like I said, we've been playing together for seven years now. And he's got a lot of trust in me and my capability and most of all, the energy intensity that I bring, he's excited for that. So, he knew I wasn't my best in game two and he looked forward for me to get it back in game three. Tim, last question. Tim McMahon, ESPN. When you're scanning the box score and you see 32, 21, 10 on Joker's line, what goes through your mind? I think it speaks for itself. It speaks for itself, bro. I mean, like I said, how many times does he have to do that for you guys to believe in his game or our game or whatever? Like he's doing it so, making it look so easy, on good shooting, low turnovers, two block shots. He's got great hands, great communication in the pick and rolls and IQ and all that. So, like I said, we're running out of things to say. He makes the game look easy and like I said, the consistency that he's doing that with, not just the first time in finals that he's put up, he's done that before and it's fun to play with, fun to watch and be part of. Thank you, Jamal. Appreciate it.