The Denver Nuggets faced criticism after players were spotted warming up in flip-flops during Game 4 of their playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Head coach Michael Malone addressed the situation in his postgame press conference, attributing it to a mix-up with insoles in shoes.
When the Denver Nuggets took the court for Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, fans and analysts alike were taken aback by the sight of several Nuggets players warming up in flip-flops and socks.
With the Nuggets holding a commanding 3-0 series lead, the casual attire raised eyebrows, with some suggesting it was a sign of complacency from the Denver team. However, a Nuggets spokesperson quickly dismissed such notions, revealing that there had been a mix-up with the players' insoles in shoes on the bus to the arena.
"The bus that the shoes got loaded onto was the last bus," explained Nuggets starting forward Michael Porter Jr. to ESPN. "There was some confusion. So, all I had was slides. They said we could either skip our warm-up or go out there in slides. I kind of knew then that people would probably make a big deal out of it, but it was just because somebody forgot to put the shoes on the right bus."
While Porter Jr. acknowledged the disruption to pregame preparation, he refrained from blaming the incident for the team's subsequent 119-108 loss. "Pregame routine is very important, but everyone makes mistakes," he said. "Everybody's human, I'm not too mad."
Head coach Michael Malone expressed frustration at the situation but refused to use it as an excuse for the team's lackluster performance. "Is it ideal? No," he said. "But I'm not an excuse guy. And I'm not going to point to the reason we got our butts kicked in the paint because shoes weren't here."
The Nuggets have an opportunity to close out the series in Game 5 on Monday night at home in Denver. While Malone acknowledged the importance of addressing the equipment mishap, he emphasized the team's need to focus on execution.
"Hopefully we can figure that out and make sure it never happens again," he said. "But I think our guys will be focused on the right things, and hopefully our equipment staff will do the same."
Despite the unfortunate incident, the Nuggets have demonstrated resilience throughout the series, overcoming slow starts to secure victories. With a chance to advance to the second round on the horizon, Denver will undoubtedly strive to leave the flip-flop fiasco behind them and finish the job.
