Kyrie threw the ball into the crowd after Jamal Murray's attempt to make 50-points as the game ended pic.twitter.com/Vbx3oNxmaf
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 6, 2018
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Kyrie Irving and the Celtics lost in demoralizing fashion to the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, mainly because the majority of the damage came from a single player. The C’s simply couldn’t solve Jamal Murray, who scored 48 points in a 115-107 win for Denver.
But the talk of the game isn’t about what happened in the first 47 minutes and 59 seconds. It’s what Murray did as the buzzer sounded that really pissed Kyrie off. After appearing to dribble the ball in order to drain the rest of the clock, Murray heaved a last-second three-point attempt from about 35 feet away in a half-assed attempt to hang a 50-spot on the Celtics.
Kyrie didn’t appreciate the move, chucking the ball into the stands as a minor scrum ensued around Murray.
Watch below for Kyrie’s potty-mouthed postgame reaction. He mostly chalked his ball-throw up to frustration getting the best of him, but still made it clear that he was not a fan of Murray going for 50 points.
“I mean, what kind of competitor wouldn’t it bother?” Irving said. “I understand if we fouled him, going to the free-throw line. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Obviously, I was pissed at the game, but it’s time to decompress and move on. Congratulations to him having 48 points. He did it in a great fashion against us.
“Our defense has to be better especially against a player like that in the pick-and-roll. He was the primary concern tonight and he made us pay in certain instances of making some tough shots and some tough layups. But the ball deserves to go in the crowd after a bull-[expletive] move like that. So I threw it in the crowd.”
Murray told reporters after the game that he meant no disrespect, but that “everybody knew” he was trying to score 50 points. He also admitted he lost focus of the moment and threw up the shot without realizing the implications of such a decision.
It was certainly a bit of a weasel move for Murray to basically act like he’s going to run the clock out, then throw up a needless shot at the buzzer just to pad his stats. But at the same time, if you don’t want Murray to go for 50 points, maybe – just maybe – don’t let him score 48 points in the first place?
The Celtics will make a note of that and take it into account next time they face Murray and the Nuggets. Hopefully they play a little better defense next time and they won’t have this problem.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
