Michael Malone, the former Denver Nuggets head coach, had major praise for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. However, after the OKC Thunder's Game 2 win, Malone seemed to be a lot more critical of the MVP Gilgeous-Alexander and also seemed to backtrack on his betrayal of his former star player, Nikola Jokic.
After Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points in Game 2, Malone seemed to sarcastically praise the MVP. When Scott Van Pelt asked him about his opinion on the whistles Gilgeous-Alexander gets, Malone had a succinct response.
He said, “Favorable, I think that's an easy way to put it. Obviously, you watched the last series against Denver.”
Then Scott Van Pelt interjected and asked Malone how one team can guard SGA.
He responded, “Well, I tell you what, you've got to be ultra disciplined. It's almost impossible, so you think about trying to guard the best offensive players in the league nowadays. It becomes almost impossible any contact… a lot of times, offensive players like Shai will initiate the contact or hook his arm, looking to draw that contact. He is a foul artist, as I mentioned earlier today, so discipline, and you're hoping that the referees read how the game is being whistled. If they're allowing you to be a little bit more aggressive, you can do that. But once again, he's been living at the foul line, 14 free throw attempts in Game 1 and 15 tonight, that's not going to get it done.”
Michael Malone Backtracks On Nikola Jokic After Facing Heat Back Home
Before the Michael Jordan MVP Award was finalized for the 2024-25 season, Michael Malone appeared on live TV and claimed that Gilgeous-Alexander proved in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals why he's the MVP.
These comments reportedly did not sit well with the Nuggets' fans as Michael Malone formerly coached Nikola Jokic, the runner-up in this year's MVP race, who had an equal chance of winning the award at the time he made this statement.
Malone later appeared on ESPN and clarified that while he praised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for being the frontrunner, if he still had a vote, it would be for Nikola Jokic only.
He said, "I did vote for him [Jokic] again this year, if I had a vote." He further added, "Want to make sure the people in Denver know that because right now, I'm getting a lot of heat back home."
Therefore, after reinforcing his opinion of Jokic, Malone went on to subtly criticize Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA averaged 8.8 free throws per game in the regular season this year. He is also currently averaging 8.1 attempts per game on a 79% efficiency in the Playoffs this season. Should the league crack down on SGA's 'foul-baiting' tactics? Or is this a skill that the NBA should not intervene in? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
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