Ex-Nuggets coach Michael Malone refers to Oklahoma City’s as ‘the best fans in the NBA’
It didn’t take long for Michael Malone to leave his mark on television.
The former Nuggets coach looked comfortable and clean in a blue suit during his broadcasting debut during ESPN’s coverage of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Prior to Oklahoma City’s Game 1 victory Malone called the Paycom Center crowd “the best fans in the NBA,” which got the attention of Nuggets fans.
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Malone also complimented his former assistant, David Adelman, who coached the Nuggets to a Game 7 in their second-round series against the Thunder after Malone was fired with three games left in the regular season.
“David Adelman did a hell of a job for Denver, utilizing a zone defense,” Malone said. “It gave the OKC Thunder a lot of trouble at times.”
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During a postgame hit on “SportsCenter,” Malone sounded like a television veteran when talking about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after his 31-point performance in Game 1.
“He showed why he’s the MVP,” Malone said. “He took over in the second half and did so in a very efficient manner.”
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Malone’s prediction proved on Wednesday to be correct. But it was a swift change in tone from Malone, who campaigned for most of the season for Nikola Jokic to win the MVP award.
“If you didn’t know that Nikola won three MVPs and I put ‘Player A’ and ‘Player B’ on paper … the guy that was averaging a triple-double, the guy that is top three in the three major statistical categories and does things that no one has ever done, he wins the MVP 10 times out of 10. If you don’t think so, I think you guys are all bull (crapping),” Malone said during the season.
Malone will continue to be a part of ESPN’s coverage of the Western Conference finals, which continues with Thursday’s Game 2 in Oklahoma City.