Nuggets head coach Michael Malone is not happy about the narratives so far in the Western Conference Finals.
After Denver defeated the Lakers in Game 1, a lot of the discourse surrounding the contest was about Los Angeles' second-half adjustments — not superstar center Nikola Jokic or the Nuggets' win.
Jokic went for a historic triple-double of 34 points, 21 rebounds and 14 assists to lead his team to victory, becoming the first player to ever record multiple 30-20-10 triple-doubles in the playoffs.
Instead of diving into that one-of-a-kind performance, the media chose to talk about how the Lakers figured something out by switching Rui Hachimura onto Jokic to allow Anthony Davis to play more of a free safety role as a rim protector.
Malone didn't wait until after Game 2 to let the media hear it, defending his team during his pregame availability.
"This is the first time I've ever been in a series up 1-0 and the series is over in everybody's mind because they put Rui Hachimura on Nikola Jokic for six possessions. So let's see how it plays out tonight," Malone stated.
His team backed up his words with a gutsy fourth-quarter comeback to take Game 2 and build a 2-0 series lead heading to Los Angeles.
Jamal Murray led a fourth-quarter 3-point barrage, pouring in 23 points with four triples to ignite the Nuggets to victory.
MORE: Murray's fourth-quarter explosion leads Nuggets over Lakers
Going for 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists, Jokic made history again, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to ever record four-straight triple-doubles in the playoffs.
After the win, Malone doubled down on his pregame statement with an emphatic rant to the media.
"You win Game 1 of the playoffs and all everybody talked about was the Lakers. Let's be honest. The national narrative was, 'Hey, the Lakers are fine. They're down 1-0 but they figured something out.'
"No one talked about how Nikola had a historic performance. He's got 13 triple-doubles now, third all-time (in the playoffs). What he's doing is just incredible, but the narrative wasn't about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn't about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments.
"So, you put that in your pipe, you smoke it, and you come back and go up 2-0," Malone concluded.
MORE: Where does Nikola Jokic rank on the all-time NBA Playoffs triple-doubles list?
"You win Game 1 of the playoffs & all everybody talked about was the Lakers. Let's be honest, that was a national narrative... They're down 1-0 but they figured something out... You put that in your pipe, you smoke it. You go up 2-0."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 19, 2023
— Michael Malonepic.twitter.com/LEJXWTzi3s
Mic drop.
The Nuggets will look to put the Lakers in a historically insurmountable hole when they travel to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday, May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
