DENVER — Nuggets coach Michael Malone and Jamal Murray share a unique bond.
Malone’s playing days are long gone by now, but when he was lacing up sneakers instead of dress shoes, he played point guard, the same position Murray does. Both men also possess a fiery competitive spirit, which, when it bubbles over, can manifest itself as cutting off a referee after a bad call or trolling an opponent by dribbling the basketball around him during garbage time.
The two aren’t shy about the fact that they’re close. Murray told BSN Denver in January he hopes Malone is “always his coach.”
“He is an extension of me,” Malone said.
Malone meant it figuratively at the time. But in Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, Malone’s words could’ve been interpreted literally.
With 4:28 left in the game, Altitude TV cameras caught Malone and Murray mimicking the same command perfectly in sync with one another. The score was knotted at 99 apiece, and the Nuggets had possession on the sideline after Gary Harris deflected the ball off Stephen Curry’s leg. The reason Malone and Murray motioned in identical fashion was to make sure Harris was on the same page as them, Murray said.
“We were calling the play to Gary,” Murray said. “Gary was about to go through. We both pointed for him to stay there. We both called the play.”
Denver ended up taking the lead on that possession. Will Barton drilled a three from the top of the key, and the Nuggets went on to win 115-108.
In the hours after Denver’s big win, the clip of Malone and Murray miming the same right-handed motion went viral. Reddit user Maculate uploaded it to the Nuggets’ Reddit page. It received 147 upvotes and 17 comments. The clip also made the rounds on Twitter, where user @nikodaboin first shared it. With the help of NBA Twitter personality @World_Wide_Wob, the six-second video earned 359 retweets and 1,474 likes.
“I’m not a big viral guy,” Malone said. “I don’t follow all that.”
The Malone-Murray clip was the latest in a series of videos that feature NBA players and coaches inadvertently moving in sync with each other. In October, Rob Perez (aka @World_Wide_Wob) helped popularize the weird genre of highlight by blasting out a clip of all five Phoenix Suns players running toward their opponent’s basket at the exact same moment following a turnover.
Ensuing synchronization clips featured Lakers players trotting back on defense together after a putback, the beginning of a Thunder fast break following a steal and two Kings players indicating they believed the officials should count a Sacramento basket by motioning with their left hands in identical ways.
“I enjoy looking at those to be honest,” Murray said. “It’s a cool thing to look at. You don’t get to see that often. Everybody’s on the same page basically.”
Murray first noticed the clip of him and Malone synching up the same night he scored 15 points in the win over the Warriors. He liked it so much, he tweeted back at @nikodaboin, who identifies himself as a Texas A&M student and LeBron fan in his bio, with a message of approval.
Malone, who’s not on Twitter, didn’t see the clip until he answered questions prior to Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets. To some degree, Malone said he was happy he and Murray were on the same page.
“I think every coach wants that with their point guard,” he said. “That’s why I love my relationship with Jamal because off the court it’s there, but on the court during the games there’s a constant back and forth.”
Malone joked he doesn’t want his budding star of a point guard thinking too much like him, though.
“Obviously, if he’s thinking exactly like I am,” he said, “I feel bad for him.”
