Jamal Murray roasted the Celtics, then ignited an unwritten rules controversy

Jamal Murray’s slow start to the season was wiped away in a magical 48-point clinic to beat the Boston Celtics, 115-107. The career-high in points nearly hit the half-century mark, but Murray missed a reverse layup and then a meaningless long three-pointer as time expired, much to the dismay of the Celtics.

After Murray missed his final three at the buzzer, Kyrie Irving launched the ball into the stands.

After the game, Irving called the last-second shot a “bullshit move.”

“I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Obviously I was pissed off at the game. It’s time to decompress and move on. Congratulations to him on having 48 points. He did it great fashion against us. Our defense has to be better, especially against a player like that in mid pick-and-roll. He was a primary concern tonight, and he made us pay in certain instances of making some tough shots and some tough layups. But the ball deserves to go in the crowd after a bullshit move like that, so I threw it in the crowd.”

That sentiment was echoed through Boston’s locker room. Marcus Morris called the shot “unprofessional,” and Jaylen Brown called it disrespectful. Even Murray’s own coach, Mike Malone, said he “has to learn not to take that shot.”

It became the drama that threatened to overshadow a dazzling performance, so let’s not let that happen and remember how we got here.

Murray’s reputation as a poor defender and status as a guard between positions allowed him to fall to No. 7 in the 2016 draft, but the Nuggets didn’t overlook his elite scoring abilities. In Denver, he’s found the perfect fit, surrounded by the best passing big in the league in Nikola Jokic. That means Murray is able to do what he does best: score. And it’s working.

Murray’s 48 points came on just 30 shots — 28 if you don’t count the last-ditch attempts. He sunk 5-of-11 threes, and all five of his free throws. He put every move in his arsenal on display to get the win, and his moves were filth.

The 6’4 guard doesn’t use sheer force to get to the rim. He doesn’t have elite first steps, and he isn’t Kyrie Irving-level quick to blow by defenders. So he uses a ton of trickery to free himself for open shots.

Most notably against Boston, Murray showed a ton of shot fakes to throw off the opposition. With his defender in the air, he’d step through with his body, never lifting his pivot foot, to work an off-balance shot completely uncontested. It speaks to his shiftiness, and his impressive balance on awkward, jerky plays.

It kept working, no matter who defended him.

With his frame, Murray needs to work extra hard to get looks off. He can’t rely on his mere 6’4 size to shoot over defenders, and he doesn’t have a LeBron-esque body to brute his way to the hoop. So Murray’s learned to take monstrous steps backwards off in-and-out dribbles to create separation.

It’s the most effective way to get a shots off in the paint off against skyscrapers like Al Horford.

At just 21 years old, he’s surely going to have his chances to hit the 50-point mark, and maybe beyond. He’s that talented with the ball.

But he better do so before the final buzzer. Otherwise, protectors of the unwritten rules of the game will descend upon him.