Nuggets Coach Michael Malone Flexing On Microphone Almost Guarantees Lakers Will Get Swept
The NBA Playoffs are going on currently and the Denver Nuggets have been trouncing the Los Angeles Lakers, taking a 2-0 series lead Tuesday.
In Game 1, the Nuggets busted the Lakers' kneecaps, winning 114-103.
In Game 2, Denver ripped L.A.'s heart out, winning 101-99 on an incredible Jamal Murray buzzer-beating jump shot.
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 12: Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets speaks with media after a 94-89 victory against the Miami Heat in Game Five of the 2023 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship at Ball Arena on June 12, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO - JUNE 15: Head coach Michael Malone reacts during the Denver Nuggets victory parade and rally after winning the 2023 NBA Championship at Civic Center Park on June 15, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
It may be too soon to start running the Victory Lap — that won't stop Nuggets coach Michael Malone from clowning the Lakers, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Speaking on the Game 2 win, Malone flaunted Wednesday that his team has yet to utilize their full gamut of plays. Has Malone been pressed to make any adjustments? Doesn't really sound like it …
"We've gone over our game plan, we've gone over adjustments for a lot of different players and play-calls that we haven't even had to show yet," Malone told reporters.
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Michael Malone and Lakers star LeBron James have been known to go at it since Denver swept LA last season in the playoffs last year.
Malone is known for being a joker in the public eye. If he can win, he is the type of coach who clasps his hands and shakes them in the air, side-to-side, to get a taunt off.
If you're the Lakers, you must wonder if it's time to throw in the towel and sagely rest the starters in Games 3 and 4, looking ahead to next season.
That's a joke.
So far, the Lakers have been out-witted by the Nuggets, primarily because of their (what some Lakers fans would call) inadequate coach, Darvin Ham.
The Lakers and Ham do deserve major blame for their demise.
On Tuesday night, Ham stood frozen on the sideline, failing to call timeouts, while Denver climbed a 20-point deficit to win narrowly.
EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 06: New head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Darvin Ham speaks to the media during a press conference at UCLA Health Training Center on June 06, 2022 in El Segundo, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
After a full year of understanding that Denver posed a size advantage and boasted lengthy shooters on the perimeter, L.A. sat idly, not looking to boost their personnel or at least try to sign a big worth minutes in the playoffs.
Essentially, the same Lakers team with the same deficiencies from last year's sweep showed up to face the same Nuggets team and could reasonably suffer the same fate.
READ: Nuggets Coach Mike Malone Shades LeBron James With Hilarious 'Retirement' Comment
The series flips to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4.
Malone surely had his feet kicked up for the entire flight to El Segundo.
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