Nuggets HC Mike Malone takes CHEAP SHOT at LeBron James and the Lakers after sweep

Mike Malone didn’t hold back in firing shots at the Lakers despite their exit from the playoffs, this time, causing a low blow.

Nuggets HC Mike Malone takes CHEAP SHOT at LeBron James and the Lakers after sweep

Mike Malone (Image Via Getty)

The Denver Nuggets cruised past the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, delivering a clean sweep. The Lakers were dominated and cleanly swept by the Denver Nuggets, who are first-timers at the NBA Finals. A team like the Nuggets with a plethora of talent and powerful players didn’t struggle on the court but off it. During the Conference Finals, the biggest reason to worry for Head Coach Mike Malone and other Nuggets players wasn’t the Lakers, but the media’s narrative.

From the very first game, Coach Malone and the likes of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray complained about the narrative. Their stress originated from the media’s focus on the Lakers. Will the Lakers make a comeback? What changes will the Lakers make? Will D’Angelo Russell and others shoot better? These were the questions the media frequently asked.

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Coach Mike Malone revisited these narratives when he was asked a question about the same. A reporter asked, “Do you think that this [the narrative] will change in the finals depending on which team you face?” Malone didn’t mince words and said, “If anybody is still talking about the Lakers in the NBA Finals, that’s on them. They’ve gone fishing. We’re still playing.”

He then added, “The narrative should be on whatever two teams are still alive. For us, it’s a first time in franchise history that the Denver Nuggets have made the Finals. We are not satisfied with that but I just hope the narrative is on the two teams that are representing their conferences.”

Related: “Even when we win, they talk about the other team” – Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone TIRED OF DISRESPECT towards Nuggets, call out NBA media

What was the media’s narrative coach Mike Malone was talking about?

Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone and Jamal Murray
Nikola Jokic, Michael Malone, and Jamal Murray (Image Via Twitter)

After speaking about his desire for the media to have a narrative on the teams making it to the Finals, Malone spoke about the players. He expressed the hard work that each of the players put in, in order for the team to make it to the finals. He spoke about the diversity of experience in his team and that it should be the narrative. Towards the end, he just stated that all the negativity should be thrown out of the way. Malone concluded by saying that this tremendous accomplishment by the Denver Nuggets should be celebrated.

Throughout the Conference Finals against the Lakers, Coach Malone highlighted the media’s bias in covering both teams. He came out guns blazing against the media for belittling the Nuggets’ achievements instead of celebrating them. He spoke about how every irrelevant thing about the Lakers was being discussed instead of the Nuggets’ wins. How the discussions about the Lakers’ loss were more than the Nuggets’ dominance.

To a great extent, Malone’s comments hold true even after the series ended. LeBron James, while interacting with the media, hinted at “retiring” and the media’s focus went there. It’ll be interesting to see who the Nuggets will face in the Finals and what narratives will rule there.

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