Jamal Murray and his Denver Nuggets are finally on the biggest stage possible: they are officially in the NBA Finals.
And they are doing quite well too, holding a significant 3-1 lead over the Miami Heat.
They are a single victory away from winning their first championship in franchise history.
Jamal Murray has been a hero for his Nuggets and is doing things in his first Finals appearance not seen in years.
StatMuse has compared Murray’s first four Finals games to those of LeBron James and there are a lot of similarities.
Murray has averaged 23.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 10.5 assists in his first four games of the Finals.
Meanwhile, James was good for 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists during his first four.
In their first 4 Finals games:
Murray — LeBron —
23.3 PPG 22.0 PPG
5.8 RPG 7.0 RPG
10.5 APG 6.8 APG
46/42/93% 36/20/69% pic.twitter.com/qgpgVNbmuB— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 12, 2023
This means that Murray is doing things that not even James did at the start of his career.
His 10.5 assists per game are crucial for the Nuggets.
While he has always been a talented scorer and has the ability to make his own plays and post impressive shots, his skill at getting the ball to the right player at the right time has made the Nuggets a threat from all over the court.
The same is true for his teammate, Nikola Jokic, who can produce some crucial points but also has an uncanny ability to find other Denver stars at the right time.
Murray is proving that he is part of the glue that holds this team together and helps them find tremendous success.
He is also proving that he is not only ready but eager to step up to the challenge of the Finals and perform in a huge way.
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