They’re all out to get the Juggernuggets. But anyone who thinks the defending champs are worried about Damian Lillard joining the Bucks or the Suns acquiring Bradley Beal has never seen Jamal Murray devour a Starburst.
While they’re assembling super teams in Milwaukee and Phoenix to stop the Nuggets from repeating, I say a bigger challenge will only make the chip on Murray’s shoulder grow larger.
Here’s the best reason I can give you to believe Denver can win back-to-back championships: This season is the chance for Murray to be truly recognized as the All-NBA player he has audaciously strived to become.
While we all know Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the best basketball player on the planet, it’s Murray who instills Denver with its defiant, mess-around-and-find-out edge that every champ needs.
I call it the Starburst Effect.
My favorite moment from the NBA Finals, when the Heat was as good as beat, was on the eve of Game 3 in Miami, with the best-of-seven series tied at one victory apiece and many hoop pundits suggesting Denver was in deep trouble.
Rather than showing even a hint of anxiety, Murray walked into his Q-&-A session that June day with a carefree smile, munching on candy. When the microphone found me, perhaps I should’ve inquired about crunch time tenacity or defensive intensity, but instead I decided to go in another direction.
So I asked Murray: “What I really want to know is: What’s the best flavor of Starburst?”
Without a word, Murray confidently put a bright pink square between his thumb and forefinger, holding the yummy attributes of strawberry to be self-evident. Then, without further ado, the Nuggets point guard popped the chewy candy in his mouth and savored the inarguable correctness of his choice.
True to my contrarian nature, I dared to challenge Murray, suggesting that my favorite Starburst flavor was orange.
“Nah,” responded Murray, looking at me as if I had two knuckleheads that maybe he should turn into pillars of salt and pepper.
What in the world, you might reasonably ask, does a strawberry-vs.-orange Starburst debate have to do with the Nuggets taking on the fresh challenge of defending the first championship in franchise history?
Well, Murray loves to be challenged. He craves being doubted. But I must warn you: Make either mistake at your own risk.
If you think Murray gets fired up when challenged on his taste in candy, you should see the fire in his eyes when you tell him there’s a basketball player who’s too much for him to handle.
As the Nuggets get ready to pack their bags for training camp, I’d suggest one motivational mind trick that coach Michael Malone should play with Murray is to tell him that despite his stellar averages of 21.4 points, 10.0 assists and 6.2 rebounds during Denver’s 4-1 series domination of Miami in the Finals, the NBA still doubts he’s one of the top five guards in the league.
The blockbuster three-team trade that sent Lillard to the Bucks instantly made an impact in Las Vegas, with oddsmakers lifting Milwaukee past Denver as the new favorite to win the championship during the upcoming season.
So here’s a theory I would love to run by Murray.
In a series between Milwaukee and Denver, Jokic has a slight edge over Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Khris Middleton is a hair better than Aaron Gordon.
So the matchup would come down to: Who’s better, Lillard or Murray?
And we all know the Nuggets will have to escape the wild, wild West to reach the Finals again. The Suns and their feisty ball boy, franchise owner Mat Ishbia, have been obsessed with reshaping the roster to challenge Denver.
The most intriguing subplot of the Lillard trade was Phoenix’s involvement, with the Suns casting aside disgruntled center Deandre Ayton and adding our old friend Jusuf Nurkic to take his place.
In a budding rivalry with the Suns, Jokic dominates Nurkic, but Kevin Durant is far more impactful than Gordon. Let’s be generous and say Michael Porter Jr. can have as much impact on the game as Bradley Beal.
So the decisive star-on-star matchup between the Suns and Nuggets is: Can Murray outshine Devin Booker?
Yes, that’s a huge challenge.
But let me warn you: Never bet against strawberry Starburst.
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