Michael Malone: 'Never underestimate the heart of a champion' / News - Basketnews.com

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone gave an impassioned speech after the Game 4 victory for his team against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Credit: AP/Scanpix Credit AP/Scanpix

Denver Nuggets and team coach Michael Malone have successfully bounced back from being 2-0 down in the Western Conference semifinal series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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After the victory in Game 4, Malone gave passionate remarks in the post-game presser about his team, reminiscing about the famous quote by former Houston Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich.

"What I found is Rudy T. is right, man. Never underestimate the heart of a champion," Malone began. "They were quick to write us off, but these guys, we won a championship a year ago. You know what I mean?"

"We went to Miami, won two games in a row," he recalled from last year when the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 4-1 to claim the championship. "This team has been tested time and time again, and we found a way to solve whatever has been thrown at us."

"This series is a long way from being over. We are not celebrating; it's 2-2. Now, you have to find a way to win Game 5," he concurred.

"But what I found about our group is that they do believe in themselves, and more importantly, they believe in the man next to them," Malone said. "We have a group that is acting as you would hope a championship team would act."

"They had a bad game; we owned it, and we moved past it, and we played better," Malone concluded.

Game 5 of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series will take place on May 15.

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