Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Zeglinski

Nuggets coach Mike Malone weirdly interrupted his praise of Christian Braun to rip the Miami press room

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray deservedly got most of the headlines for the Denver Nuggets’ Game 3 win in the NBA Finals, but we shouldn’t forget about rookie sparkplug Christian Braun. In 19 minutes of play, Braun recorded 15 points, four rebounds, an assist, and solid defense in an energetic performance Denver needed off the bench.

He also had this emphatic steal-and-dunk in transition.

Braun’s confident play in such a big spot drew a lot of praise from Nuggets’ leadership after they won 109-94. The most notable might have been head coach Mike Malone starting to give Braun credit … before interrupting his praise to blast the Miami press room.

Uh, okay?

 

Even if Malone’s press room thought was valid (I can’t confirm one way or the other; was the aesthetic of the room poor or what?), I’m not sure why he felt it was necessary to criticize at that moment. And I love how he presents it as a sidebar. “Oh, by the way …”

Let your player have the shine and keep your discomforts to yourself!

Oh well. It’s not as if Malone isn’t pushing the right buttons for a squad two wins away from its first NBA title. Whatever works, I suppose!

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.