This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Gooood morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you taking the time.
“Jamal Murray hit a shot.” Do you remember that? That’s what Anthony Davis said after Murray, who I should more aptly call the Lakers’ boogeyman at this point, hit a game-winning jumper over his outstretched arms in Game 3.
I don’t know what it was about that shot, man. It just felt like it had a lot of weight to it, you know?
Maybe it was because it put the final exclamation point on that epic 20-point comeback the Nuggets somehow pulled off to take that 3-0 lead. Or maybe it was the years of torment the Lakers inflicted upon the Nuggets franchise over the last, well, forever. That 2009 Western Conference Finals will never go away for Nuggets fans. And stop me if you’ve heard this before, but did you know Kobe Byrant never lost a playoff series to the Nuggets? I’m almost certain you heard that before.
Anyway, I digress. That was last week. When Murray hit that shot, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime deal. That’s one of those shots that, in 30 years, we’ll look back on as one of the most impressive displays of shotmaking in the clutch we’ve ever seen. No way he can do that again, right?
Wrong. Jamal Murray hit a shot. Again.
Jamal Murray calls game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1MzHezIpkq
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 30, 2024
With 6.2 seconds left on the clock, Murray gets downhill in the pick-and-roll with Nikola Jokic. Again, it’s him and Anthony Davis face-to-face. Austin Reaves is trailing the play, but he gets back in it. By the time he does, though? It’s too late. Murray has risen. He pulls up and shoots a floater over Reaves’ outstretched arm. That’s game. That’s the series. It’s over.
That shot bounced the Lakers out of the playoffs. That shot is about to send the Lakers spiraling. It’s going to break this team up. News has already surfaced about Darvin Ham reportedly being on the hot seat. It has LeBron James answering questions about his future again.
There’s that weight again.
This is the good stuff. This is why we love playoff basketball. It’s the pinnacle of basketball — the top of the mountain, so to speak. The best athletes compete against one another to see who might come out on top.
Despite never being an All-Star or selected for an All-NBA team, Murray somehow finds himself staring down at some of the best names in the game when the lights are at their brightest. It’s uncanny, honestly, but it’s perfect.
I don’t know when we’ll see these teams play against one another in the playoffs again. Maybe it’s next year. It could also never happen again — which, let’s be honest, Lakers fans would probably be thrilled.
But I know this: If we do see this again, Murray will show up to play, and he’ll do it with ice in his veins.
Wanna feel old? You know you do.
Hey, guys. I don’t want to alarm you or anything, but for the first time in 20 years, we won’t see LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or Steph Curry in the second round of the playoffs.
Yup. That’s right. You’re that old. We haven’t lived like this since 2004. Here’s what else happened back then:
- Facebook was officially co-launched by one Mark Zuckerberg and his kind-of-sort-of homies.
- Shrek 2 was the biggest movie in the world. Take that, MCU.
- The Motorola Razr just dropped. A measly $499 could get you one of the coolest phones ever. The iPhone didn’t exist yet.
- The iPod Mini did though. I’d still rather listen to music on this than my phone, honestly.
Your knees creaking yet? I think I’ve aged myself enough here.
What were you doing back in 2004? Let us know here with this survey. I’ll share some of the best (read: FUNNIEST) answers in a newsletter later this week.
Elimination night in the NHL
There’s a lot at stake on the ice tonight, folks. We’ve got four elimination games coming up in the NHL. A handful of teams are going to be playing for their playoff lives.
- The Canucks lead the Predators 3-1 and have a chance to close out the series at home. The Preds are a solid road team but are 6-15 overall in elimination games. If Vancouver wins it’d be the first time the Canucks made it to the second round since 2020.
- The Hurricanes lead the Islanders 3-1 in their series with Carolina getting a chance to close things out at home in Game 5. Most of this series has felt extremely competitive, but the Hurricanes are just the better team. As expected.
- The Avalanche lead the Jets 3-1 but Colorado will have to close out Winnepeg on the road. The Jets’ defense has struggled all series. Connor Hellebuyck hasn’t quite looked like himself in the net this series, but his line in front of him hasn’t been great either. They’ll have to figure it out if they want a shot tonight.
- The Bruins have a 3-1 lead over the Maple Leafs. This series has had a bit of a damper put on it because of health. Auston Matthews (69 goals) has been battling an illness for the Leafs. It’s unclear if he’ll play in Game 5, which would be a devastating blow for Toronto’s comeback attempt.
Here’s how you can catch all the action on the ice tonight. Should be some exciting stuff.
Quick hits: Can Michael Penix work in Atlanta? … … and more
— Here’s Cory Woodroof on why the Falcons taking Michael Penix Jr. may have actually been a good idea
— Patrick Mahomes is thrilled to see Travis Kelce sticking around for a few more years in Kansas City. Andrew Joseph has more.
— Bradley Beal’s reaction to being swept by the Timberwolves is incredible.
— Diana Taurasi is calling us soft. That’s SUCH a Diana Taurasi thing. Love her.
— Cory Woodroof has the best free agents available after the NFL Draft for you here.
— Nike is changing the MLB uniforms again — this time for the better. Here’s more on that.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for reading TMW today. We appreciate you. We’ll be right back at it again tomorrow. Until then, folks! Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
