NBA Finals 2023: Legendary New Jersey coach watched the Denver Nuggets victory with ‘tears in my eyes’

While his former point guard was leading the Denver Nuggets to the franchise’s first NBA championship in 47 years, a legendary New Jersey basketball coach couldn’t hold back his emotions.

“Exhilarating!” former Seton Hall Prep coach Bob Farrell said early Tuesday by text. “To see one of your own stand on the pinnacle of the NBA is hard to grasp. I watched the second half at 5 [Tuesday] morning with tears in my eyes. So proud of Michael!”

Michael Malone was Farrell’s point guard for two years in the late 1980s after his father, Brendan Malone, joined Hubie Brown’s staff with the Knicks and the family moved to West Orange, N.J. When Malone later got into coaching, he became the lead assistant at Manhattan under Bobby Gonzalez, who would go on to coach at Seton Hall.

Farrell, 76, was so proud, he watched the second half again early Tuesday after seeing it live Monday night.

“I watched the whole game last night,” he said. “I would have tossed and turned win or lose. Now I can go out for my morning 3-mile walk with a smile on my face and joy in my heart!”

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Malone also had a look of pure joy as the Jokic brothers rocked him in their arms following Denver’s 94-89 victory in Game 5. And after the win, Malone said his team isn’t content with just one NBA title.

“We’re not satisfied with one, we want more,” Malone told the crowd in Denver. “We want more.”

Coming into Game 5 with a 3-1 lead, Malone wanted the Nuggets to remember 2020 when his team twice overcame a 3-1 series deficit in the Orlando bubble, beating the Utah Jazz in the first round and then the Los Angeles Clippers in the conference semifinals. He wanted his team to play with the same level of desperation even though they were on the brink of an NBA championship.

“My biggest concern going into any close-out game is human nature and fighting against that,” Malone said Sunday ahead of Game 5. “Most teams, when you’re up 3-1, they come up for air. They relax and they just kind of take it for granted that, oh, we’re going to win this.

“We know anything is possible [down 3-1]. That’s why my message to our team was our approach has to be we are down 3-1. They are desperate. We have to be more desperate. They are hungry. We have to be hungrier.”

After trailing 51-44 at the half, the Nuggets closed it out by out-scoring Miami 50-38 in the second. Nikola Jokic became the first player drafted outside the Top 15 to be named NBA MVP and Finals MVP after posting 28 points and 16 rebounds.

“Nikola, even tonight, he’s kind of acting like this was just another game,” Malone said. “He’s never changed with all the success, and he never will. It’s just not in his nature. I love Nikola…and just for all of us to stay the course, to challenge ourselves, to all get better collectively, individually. So it’s great to be part of such a historically great player, who’s an even better player, and I mean that sincerely.”

Soon after the win, Jokic’s brothers were rocking Malone in their arms.

How realistic is Malone’s goal of another NBA championship in 2024?

“I definitely think this could be the beginning of something like that because they have top-tier talent at the top of their roster,” ESPN analyst and former NBA player Tim Legler said Tuesday on SportsCenter. “They’ve also got continuity and chemistry.

“Now you’ve got a team like Denver, the unselfishness, enough talent at the top, and then continuity and chemistry to boot, as well as exceptional coaching, this is a team that’s going to be on the short list to win titles going forward….It takes a lot to win a championship, there’s no doubt, no one’s going to be surprised if Denver has more nights like they did [Monday].”

And if they win again next year, Farrell will be right there watching with pride and joy.

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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.