Via the Denver Post:
An hour before Game 6, Jamal Murray’s head drooped. The Nuggets guard took a brief moment to breathe after missing a string of baseline jumpers during his warmup routine. Then he gathered himself, moved to the wing and spotted up for the next shot.
Murray was going through it. He skipped shootaround Thursday in Arizona and stayed in bed until 2 or 3 p.m., he estimated later. He ate his first meal of the day after he got to Footprint Center. He had been feeling ill since Monday, but this was the worst it had gotten. Murray was listed as questionable on the Nuggets’ injury report before the close-out opportunity vs. the Suns.
“This morning was crazy,” Murray said after a series-clinching win.
That he stayed on the court for four quarters Thursday night was a testament to an essential quality Murray and the Nuggets possess.
Whether it’s playing through physical illness or calling fiery timeouts up 23, all championship teams have the ability to convince themselves they’re swimming upstream against something — no matter how dominant or highly regarded the team is.
