The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets lost 107-105 in heartbreaking fashion to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday afternoon. After falling behind by 13 points in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets made a trademark heroic comeback only to fall just short after Kyrie Irving nailed a left-handed skyhook from the free throw line at the buzzer.
It probably never gets to that point if the Nuggets rebound even slightly better. Not only did Dallas outrebound Denver 60 to 37, but it also grabbed 21 offensive rebounds (!) to Denver’s six. Dallas was 10-of-22 on second-chance points in a two-point win. It’s the largest disparity in rebounding for the Nuggets in 11 years, and a 17-point hole in second-chance points, as well as a 24-point disadvantage in paint points, were the worst of Denver’s season.
Naturally, given the Nuggets’ consistent struggles to corral defensive rebounds on Sunday, especially the bench unit, head coach Mike Malone had enough. As he took a timeout, he yelled an NSFW message that surely everyone at home in Denver was already thinking:
(Warning: NSFW language present for lip-readers.)
Honestly, that’s absolute gold. Eventually, if you’re a great championship-caliber coach in Malone’s position, you’re at your wit’s end. Sometimes, you’re not calling a timeout to scheme up a play or discuss defensive strategy. Sometimes, it’s just about, hey, let’s put in a better effort while absolutely (and understandably) enraged.
