NBA Finals 2015

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Welcome Letter

A Letter

From the Commissioner June 4, 2015

Dear Fans, Welcome to the 2015 NBA Finals, the premier showcase of the world’s most talented basketball players and the culmination of another exciting season. We’ve been building towards this moment since opening night.

Over the last seven months we’ve witnessed compelling storylines, extraordinary efforts, and edge-of-your-seat competition. Now it’s time for the Finals, where two elite teams vie for the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the title of NBA Champion.

While there can only be one champion, every team played a role in making this a successful season. Together, we celebrated this great game and helped teach its core values. Through our season-long All-Star efforts in New York City, we engaged one million boys and girls in handson basketball activities. We continued to grow the game globally, holding camps and clinics in Africa, India, Europe and Asia. And thanks to our dedicated and passionate fans, we broke the league’s all-time regular season attendance record.

It’s been a very exciting year for the NBA, and we are thrilled that you could join us for our most electrifying event. On behalf of the entire NBA family, thank you for your continued support.

Enjoy the games!

Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

Sincerely,

Adam Silver

The Finals 2015

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Contents The Finals 2015 Commemorative Program Features

89

Rewind 2014-15

The NBA’s 69th season started off with preseason games in Brazil, China, Germany and Turkey before the action came back stateside. The Golden State Warriors, led by MVP Stephen Curry, were the golden team, winning an NBA-best 67 games in the West, while in the East, the team-oriented Atlanta Hawks raced off to a franchise-best 60 victories. LeBron James picked up where he left off in Cleveland, leading the Cavaliers back to Central Division supremacy. Houston’s James Harden took another step toward superstardom while his former teammate in Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook, ran off a streak of triple-doubles while winning the All-Star MVP. All the while 2014’s No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins proved he was worth his draft status. We recap that and more in our annual pictorial season review.

38

NBA Draft Preview

With the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft…the Minnesota Timberwolves, barring any trades, will make history by becoming the first team to have the last three No. 1 selections on their roster. Whether the first named called is Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke’s Jahlil Okafor— or even another name altogether—remains a mystery, but we go through all the possibilities.

44

National Pride

The Syracuse Nationals prevailed in the 1955 NBA Finals, one of the League’s most competitive championship series and a fitting end to a season that ushered in the modern NBA.

50

Dynastic Peak

The Boston Celtics were in the midst of their decade of domination—they were coming off six straight championship banners while winning seven of the last eight Finals—and 1965 would end on familiar terms: The Celtics would defeat the Lakers as Red Auerbach fired off another victory cigar.

56

Stunner at the Bay

If you asked 1975 Finals MVP Rick Barry, he would tell you there was no greater upset than what his Golden State Warriors did to the Washington Bullets in that series. Don’t dare call it luck either; the plucky Warriors didn’t just eke past the heavily-favorited Bullets, they dispatched them in a shocking sweep.

62

Show Time

In many ways, the long-running rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers didn’t begin until 1985 since a true rivalry dictates that both sides have traded blows. In their eight prior Finals meetings, the Lakers had never beaten the Celtics on the NBA’s grandest stage, making it a very one-sided affair. That, of course, all changed in 1985.

68

Rocked ’N Rolled

Entering the 1995 Finals, most thought the season would culminate with the coronation of the Orlando Magic, a team that featured two of the League’s youngest and brightest stars in Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway.

Orlando’s counterpart was a Houston Rockets team that had two proud 30-something stars in Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler and had struggled to even get a chance to defend their title. Youth would not be served in 1995.

74

Design Director Kengyong Shao Associate Editors Phil D’Apolito, Adam Kaufman Copy Editor Trevor Kearney Contributing Writers Michael Bradley, Jon Cooper, Lois Elfman, Darryl Howerton, Andy Jasner, Brett Mauser, Jeramie McPeek

Blood, Sweat & Cheers

The 2005 Finals was like a heavyweight battle between two well-coached (San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Detroit’s Larry Brown), battle-tested (the Spurs and Pistons had taken turns winning the past two championships) and defensive-oriented teams. As expected it went the full distance before the Spurs landed the decisive blow in Game 7.

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Editor-in-Chief Ming Wong

Winds of Change

The 2015 WNBA season will tip off for another summer of exciting play from the premier women’s league in the world. Last season saw the emergence of the league’s next generation of stars with Minnesota’s Maya Moore leading the way as the MVP, Elena Delle Donne giving Sky-high hopes in Chicago and Skylar Diggins paving the way for Tulsa, but proud vets such as Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles and Sue Bird are not ceding any ground.

Departments

3

A Letter From The Commissioner

7

2014-15 Award Winners

132 NBA Cares 134 D-Velopments 136 NBA Digital 138 Finals Gear 140 All-Time Finals Leaders 144 All-Time Finals Results

The Finals Teams

14

Expected Surprise

26

Box Office Gold

20

Heavy Lies the Crown

32

Little Big Shot

22

Cavaliers Roster

34

Warriors Roster

24

Cavaliers Statistics

36

Warriors Statistics

Professional Sports Publications 519 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 Tel: (212) 697-1460 Fax: (646) 753-9480 Executive VP Operations Jeff Botwinick Executive VP, Business Development Martin Lewis Executive VP, Sales Steve Farkas Executive VP, Sales Mitch Gibbs Executive VP, Team Relations Dave Gerschwer Executive Vice President Julie Wong Manager, Marketing Services Aron Sawyer Production Manager Jaime Ziegler

NBA Publishing/NBA Photos President and Executive Producer, Content Danny Meiseles Senior VP, Multimedia Production Paul Hirschheimer Senior VP, Entertainment & Player Marketing Charlie Rosenzweig Executive Vice President, Communications Mike Bass Vice President, Editorial and Daily Content John Hareas President, Global Operations and Merchandising Sal LaRocca Vice President, Global Merchandising Group Matt Holt Senior Coordinator, Global Merchandising Group Brandon Eddy Senior Coordinator, Global Merchandising Group Greg Brownstein Coordinator, Global Merchandising Group Wonnie Song Vice President, NBA Photos Joe Amati Director, Photos Imaging David Bonilla Senior Specialist, NBA Photos Brian Choi Photo Coordinator Kevin Wright

All NBA photos appearing in The Finals 2015 Commemorative Program, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of NBA Entertainment. All WNBA photos appearing in this magazine, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of WNBA Enterprises. All NBADL photos appearing in this magazine, unless otherwise indicated, are copyright of NBADL Enterprises. The Finals 2015 Commemorative Program is published annually by PSP. © 2015 Professional Sports Publications. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of publisher is prohibited.

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The Finals 2015

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Award Winners

KIA NBA Most Valuable Player

stephen curry Golden State Warriors G

MP

FGM

FGA

FG%

FTM

FTA

80

2613

653

1341

.487

308

337

FT%

RPG

APG

SPG

BPG

PTS

PPG

.914

4.3

7.7

2.0

0.2

1900

23.8

KIA NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

KIA NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

andrew wiggins

kawhi leonard

Minnesota Timberwolves

Noah Graham; David Sherman; D. Clarke Evans; Gary Dineen; Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images

G 82 FT% .760

MP 2969 RPG 4.6

FGM 497 APG 2.1

FGA 1137 SPG 1.0

FG% .437 BPG 0.6

FTM 354 PTS 1387

FTA 466 PPG 16.9

KIA NBA Most Improved player

San Antonio Spurs G 64 FT% .802

MP 2033 RPG 7.2

FGM 394 APG 2.5

FGM 421 APG 3.3

FGA 912 SPG 1.8

FG% .462 BPG 0.6

FTM 386 PTS 1301

FTM 202 PTS 1057

FTA 252 PPG 16.5

lou williams

Chicago Bulls MP 2513 RPG 5.8

FG% .479 BPG 0.8

KIA NBA SIXTH MAN

Jimmy butler

G 65 FT% .834

FGA 822 SPG 2.3

Toronto Raptors FTA 463 PPG 20.0

G 80 FT% .861

MP 2016 RPG 1.9

FGM 375 APG 2.1

FGA 928 SPG 1.1

FG% .404 BPG 0.1

FTM 340 PTS 1242

FTA 395 PPG 15.5

The Finals 2015

7

Award Winners NBA Executive of the Year

NBA Coach of the Year

mike budenholzer Atlanta Hawks

bob myers

Golden State Warriors

NBA Sportsmanship Award

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award

kyle korver

joakim noah

Atlanta Hawks

Chicago Bulls

ALL-NBA ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM LeBron James Anthony Davis Marc Gasol Stephen Curry James Harden

Forward Forward-Center Center Guard Guard

NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM Cleveland Cavaliers New Orleans Pelicans Memphis Grizzlies Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets

ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM LaMarcus Aldridge DeMarcus Cousins Pau Gasol Russell Westbrook Chris Paul

Forward-Center Center-Forward Center Guard Guard

Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Chicago Bulls Oklahoma City Thunder Los Angeles Clippers

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The Finals 2015

Forward Forward Guard Center Guard

Andrew Wiggins Nikola Mirotic Nerlens Noel Elfrid Payton Jordan Clarkson

Guard Forward Center-Forward Guard Guard

Minnesota Timberwolves Chicago Bulls Philadelphia 76ers Orlando Magic Los Angeles Lakers

NBA ALL-ROOKIE SECOND TEAM Los Angeles Clippers San Antonio Spurs Los Angeles Clippers Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers

NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM Kawhi Leonard Draymond Green Tony Allen DeAndre Jordan Chris Paul

New Orleans Pelicans Chicago Bulls Golden State Warriors Washington Wizards San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio Spurs Golden State Warriors Memphis Grizzlies Loa Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Clippers

Marcus Smart Zach LaVine Bojan Bogdanovic Jusuf Nurkic Langston Galloway

Guard Guard Guard-Forward Center Guard

Boston Celtics Minnesota Timberwolves Brooklyn Nets Denver Nuggets New York Knicks

Scott Cunningham (2); Rocky Widner; Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

Forward Forward-Center Center Guard Guard

Forward Guard Center Guard Forward

NBA ALL-ROOKIE FIRST TEAM

ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM Blake Griffin Tim Duncan DeAndre Jordan Klay Thompson Kyrie Irving

Anthony Davis Jimmy Butler Andrew Bogut John Wall Tim Duncan

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Award Winners

NOVEMBER

KIA NBA Players of the Month Eastern Conference Jimmy Butler Chicago Bulls Western Conference Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors KIA NBA ROOKIES OF THE MONTH Jabari Parker Milwaukee Bucks Andrew Wiggins Minnesota Timberwolves

COACHES OF THE MONTH Dwane Casey Toronto Raptors David Joerger Memphis Grizzlies

Nov. 3—Nov. 9 Deron Williams Brooklyn Nets Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors

Nov. 17—Nov. 23 Lou Williams Toronto Raptors DeMarcus Cousins Sacramento Kings

KIA NBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Oct. 28—Nov. 2 Chris Bosh Miami Heat Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors

Nov. 10—Nov. 16 LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers

Nov. 24—Nov. 30 LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Blake Griffin Los Angeles Clippers

COACHES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Mike Budenholzer Atlanta Hawks Western Conference Terry Stotts Portland Trail Blazers

Dec. 8—Dec. 14 Eastern Conference John Wall Washington Wizards Western Conference James Harden Houston Rockets

Dec. 22—Dec. 28 Eastern Conference Jimmy Butler Chicago Bulls Western Conference James Harden Houston Rockets

KIA NBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Dec. 1—Dec. 7 Eastern Conference Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors Western Conference LaMarcus Aldridge Portland Trail Blazers

Dec. 15—Dec. 21 Eastern Conference Al Horford Atlanta Hawks Western Conference LaMarcus Aldridge Portland Trail Blazers

COACHES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Mike Budenholzer Atlanta Hawks Western Conference Steve Kerr Golden State Warriors

Jan. 5—Jan. 11 Eastern Conference Kemba Walker Charlotte Hornets Western Conference Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors

KIA NBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Dec. 29—Jan. 4 Eastern Conference Jeff Teague Atlanta Hawks Western Conference Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder

Jan. 12—Jan. 18 Eastern Conference Al Horford Atlanta Hawks Western Conference Mo Williams Minnesota Timberwolves

Jabari Parker

DECEMBER

KIA NBA Players of the Month Eastern Conference Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors Western Conference James Harden Houston Rockets KIA NBA ROOKIES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Nikola Mirotic Chicago Bulls Western Conference Andrew Wiggins Minnesota Timberwolves

James Harden

JANUARY

10

The Finals 2015

KIA NBA ROOKIES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Elfrid Payton Orlando Magic Western Conference Andrew Wiggins Minnesota Timberwolves

Jan. 19—Jan. 25 Eastern Conference LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Western Conference Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors

Layne Murdoch Jr.; Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images; Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Steve Kerr

KIA NBA Players of the Month Eastern Conference DeMarre Carroll (tie) Al Horford (tie) Kyle Korver (tie) Paul Millsap (tie) Jeff Teague (tie) Atlanta Hawks Western Conference James Harden Houston Rockets

Award Winners

february

KIA NBA Players of the Month Eastern Conference LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Western Conference Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder KIA NBA ROOKIES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Marcus Smart Boston Celtics Western Conference Andrew Wiggins Minnesota Timberwolves

COACHES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Frank Vogel Indiana Pacers Western Conference Scott Brooks Oklahoma City Thunder

Feb. 2—Feb. 8 Eastern Conference Giannis Antetokounmpo Milwaukee Bucks Western Conference Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder

KIA NBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Jan. 26—Feb. 1 Eastern Conference Kyrie Irving Cleveland Cavaliers Western Conference Zach Randolph Memphis Grizzlies

Russell Westbrook

march

KIA NBA Players of the Month Eastern Conference LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers Western Conference Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder KIA NBA ROOKIES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Nikola Mirotic Chicago Bulls Western Conference Jordan Clarkson Los Angeles Lakers

COACHES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference David Blatt Cleveland Cavaliers Western Conference Steve Kerr Golden State Warriors

Mar. 2—Mar. 8 Eastern Conference Mo Williams Charlotte Hornets Western Conference Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder

Mar. 16—Mar. 22 Eastern Conference Dwyane Wade Miami Heat Western Conference Chris Paul Los Angeles Clippers

KIA NBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Feb. 23—Mar. 1 Eastern Conference Isaiah Thomas Boston Celtics Western Conference Damian Lillard Portland Trail Blazers

Mar. 9—Mar. 15 Eastern Conference Kyrie Irving Cleveland Cavaliers Western Conference Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans

Mar. 23—Mar. 29 Eastern Conference Brook Lopez Brooklyn Nets Western Conference Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors

COACHES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Brad Stevens Boston Celtics Western Conference Doc Rivers Los Angeles Clippers

Apr. 6—Apr. 12 Eastern Conference Isaiah Thomas Boston Celtics Western Conference Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs

Anthony Davis

Layne Murdoch; Layne Murdoch Jr.; Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

april

KIA NBA Players of the Month Eastern Conference DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors Western Conference Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder KIA NBA ROOKIES OF THE MONTH Eastern Conference Bojan Bogdanovic Brooklyn Nets Western Conference Rodney Hood Utah Jazz

KIA NBA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Mar. 30—Apr. 5 Eastern Conference Brook Lopez Brooklyn Nets Western Conference Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors

Tim Duncan The Finals 2015

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Eastern Conference Champions

14

The Finals 2015

By Michael Bradley

Expected Surprise That the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing in the Finals is not astounding. It’s how they got here that is the revelation.

T

he plan sounded perfect back in October, when the Cavs gathered at their suburban practice facility, held forth for the media and smiled for the cameras. GM David Griffin was being heralded as a genius for somehow holding on to Kyrie Irving, convincing LeBron James to come home and then executing a trade that brought Kevin Love to town. In a League where talented trios are key components in championship teams, Cleveland had its triumvirate.

James, of course, would lead the way. He was the champion, the one who would show the others how to do it and make a town that hadn’t had a championship parade since 1964 deliriously happy.

As so often happens in life, the triptych didn’t turn out to be the actual path to happiness. The Cavaliers have reached the Finals, but they do so without Love, who was injured in the deciding game against Boston, and with Irving nursing a sore knee and foot that have hampered him over the past couple weeks. The narrative has changed. There are new faces. Some of the characters are playing different roles. It hasn’t been easy, but winning big in the NBA never is, even if everybody is healthy and following the script. The Cavs’ results, however, are as expected.

“This one has been a little tougher,” James said. “Obviously with the injuries. The hill we have to climb.

We’re playing basketball with one of our best players not even playing in Kevin Love. One of our best players is playing on one foot. We have no room for error. I’ve had some error. But I try to clean it up in other ways.

This is just a different challenge.”

James and Love weren’t the only new faces in town. The Cavs imported a variety of newcomers to town for the run at a title. Shawn Marion, James Jones, Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller were there at the beginning. J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov joined mid-stream. Not only was Cleveland trying to adjust to the fanfare and mania of James’ arrival; it was also attempting to blend together a roster of new faces. That is never easy, especially when the expectations are so high.

“These guys work their tails off every single day,” James said. “Yes. I’m a little bit surprised. Because of how we’ve handled the postseason so far. These are first-timers. As well as Kyrie and Kev before the injury. They want to be great. Every single day they prepare the right way. They go out and play with their instincts. Good things happen to guys who are true to the game. That’s what we have right now.”

The Cavs had new players, so it only made sense that they would have a new coach, too. David Blatt took over the team before James signed on, and while some would say that made him about the luckiest man in the basketball world, it also presented a sizable challenge. If the Cavs can win it all, it’s all because of James. If The Finals 2015

15

Eastern Conference Champions

Mike Miller

Anderson Varejao

Shawn Marion

J.R. Smith

Kyrie Irving

they don’t, it must be Blatt’s fault, because he would have messed things up.

Of course, that’s completely unfair. But that’s the reality of the situation. Give Blatt credit for holding it all together through the injuries, personnel moves and media hysteria that characterized the season. For a first-time NBA head coach, this was advanced-level work. It’s one thing to take over a young team and try to build a culture. It’s quite another to step into a situation with the planet’s greatest player and learn how to run things in a way that gives him the room he needs to shine.

“He doesn’t like to say he’s a rookie coach, but in this League he is,” Love said in April. “He just doesn’t hold himself like one. He did a great job of holding us together in Game 1 [against Boston]. We got down [trailing 37-29] and kept our calm, called timeout, got together and we were able to withstand and come out on top.”

Blatt took some criticism for being too much of a players’ coach, ceding play-calling to James, and his inability to reach the team during the beginning stretch of the season and a few losing stretches during the regular season. Many will point to those as significant, but it’s hard to ignore what Blatt has done this season, taking a team that made three significant midseason changes (adding Smith, Shumpert and Mozgov) to the cusp of the NBA title—all while having the pressure to do so. That can’t be ignored.

16

The Finals 2015

“Almost every team in the NBA at one point in the season gets sideways for a while,” Blatt said. “We got sideways and backwards for a little while but there were real objective reasons for that. We had a period of time where we struggled mightily, but those [trades] and LeBron coming back and getting healthy really turned the season around.”

The first “sideways” period for the Cavs came early, when a four-game November losing streak left them with a 5-7 record and had people wondering whether this experiment was going to work. Things were even worse during a two-week span from late December to early January, when the Cavs lost 10 of 12 and fell to 19-20 on the year. The season was half over, Atlanta was rolling in the East, and Cleveland didn’t look anything like a championship team. In fact, the idea that the Cavs would advance much further than the first round of the playoffs was somewhat unreasonable.

So, what happened? Cleveland went on an 18-2 binge that featured a 12-game winning streak. Concern and criticism were replaced by elation and expectation.

The Cavs had found a working rotation that allowed them to maximize their talent and climb near the top of the East.

Cleveland finished 53-29, which meant it was 34-9 after the two-week slump. Not bad.

James (25.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.4 apg), of course, led the way. But his efforts were

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Eastern Conference Champions

Tristan Thompson

Iman Shumpert

Matthew Dellavedova

LeBron James

Kevin Love

Joe Harris

James Jones

Timofey Mozgov

18

The Finals 2015

Smith and Mozgov surprised people with their contributions. After struggling to find a comfortable fit with the Knicks, Smith averaged 12.7 ppg with the Cavs and shot 39 percent from three-point range. Mozgov (10.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg) played a huge role for Cleveland, providing interior heft that was lacking after veteran Anderson Varejao tore his Achilles tendon on Dec. 23. Mozgov also was a huge factor off the court, providing levity in the locker room.

Kendrick Perkins “It does seem like he has been here longer than just since January,” Irving said. “He is a guy who makes things fun off the court, but you know on the court he is going to have your back. He is tough. That is big for us.”

Whenever Tristan Thompson took the court, the energy level for Cleveland went way up. His impact far exeeded his numbers (8.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg), thanks to his defense, hustle, and constant motion. And back at the beginning, when the Big Three were being introduced, and the veterans were joining the fold, few people talked about guard Matthew Dellavedova. But after providing a spark during the regular season, he became a more significant factor during the playoffs, to the point where “Delly” was sitting at the podium, answering questions next to James.

It was a bit odd and certainly not part of the original script. But little goes as planned during an NBA season, and that was certainly the case for the Cavs.

Except for reaching the Finals. Everybody expected that.

Jesse D. Garrabrant (2); Fernando Medina; David Liam Kyle; Gregory Shamus; Brian Babineau (2); Nathaniel S. Butler (2)/NBAE/Getty Images

supplemented by Irving’s excellence. The point man scored 21.7 a night and handed out 5.2 apg. They formed a potent tandem that forced rivals to devote considerable energy to controlling them. And even when those resources were deployed against them, James and Irving found ways to take control when necessary. Even when Irving was limited by his knee and foot injuries in the playoffs, he continued to provide a strong counter to James, preventing rivals from concentrating solely on the Cavs’ most celebrated player. His efforts on behalf of his team and in pursuit of a title weren’t missed by his teammates.

“Man you’re flat out truly special kid!!! Continue the success and you know I’m right here with you!” echoed James on his Instagram account after Irving’s spectacular 57-point outburst (an NBA high this season) on March 12.

Not bad for a player who questioned his own leadership at the start of the season.

Irving told RealGM: “I haven’t been a leader—not at all. Everybody asks me if this is my year to be a leader...I haven’t been so far though, not at all. I’ve just been a kid trying to figure it out. There’s no perfect way to be a leader, and coming in as a 19-year-old kid and having everything bearing on your shoulders, there are a lot of ups and downs.”

James’ presence certainly rubbed off on Irving, but it was also his belief in the fourth-year guard and former No. 1 overall pick that played a part in Irving’s growth on both ends of the floor. “[Our defense] starts with the head of the snake, and that’s Kyrie. He’s our general and it starts with him,” said James after a Nov. 26 game.

The other kingsman, despite some well-documented stories otherwise, proved his worth. Before he was hurt, Love provided great support from the outside and on the backboards. He averaged 16.4 ppg, shot 36.7 percent from three and led the team with 9.7 rpg. By the time the regular season had ended, he had found a comfortable spot in the Cavs’ world and was making valuable contributions.

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Eastern Conference Champions

Heavy Lies the Crown I He might not have been the MVP, but in many respects, there’s no one more valuable than LeBron James.

By Michael Bradley 20

The Finals 2015

f anyone needs further proof that LeBron James has become the undisputed, most important player in the NBA, look to the way people regard the Cavaliers these days. With Kevin Love out for the postseason with a dislocated shoulder and Kyrie Irving battling knee and foot injuries, James has become the entire focus for Cleveland. People no longer ask whether the Cavs can win. It’s now a matter of whether James has the ability to lift his team to victory four times in a seven-game series.

Instead of a “Big Three,” Cleveland’s star power has been reduced to a “Big One-and-a-Half.” That’s no shot at Irving, rather an indication that his injuries have limited his play. If the Cavaliers are going to win, 66.7 percent of that combination must be mammoth, at least on four occasions.

It’s an unprecedented situation. Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen. Shaquille O’Neal had Kobe Bryant. The Spurs had Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. And that Kawhi Leonard character was pretty good last year. James has a compromised Irving and a solid supporting cast that relies heavily on his ability to lead the way. Without James, one gets the impression the rest of the Cavs would fade quickly from view. That’s how big James’ burden is.

“I just try to bring that leadership to these guys, that energy to make these guys even believe that they’re even supernatural sometimes,” said James.

Is that all? So, James must score at least 30 most nights, fill up the sheet with assists, rebounds and blocks and make his teammates feel “supernatural”? While he’s at it, James might want to try reversing the nation’s polarized political state and find a way to explain that last episode of Mad Men. When James returned to Cleveland, he did so not just as a star coming home. The sense in northeast Ohio—and other NBA outposts—was that he was to transform the franchise. His first seven years there built excitement, and his departure broke a lot of hearts. But his homecoming brought the promise of championships, since that is what James had

Gregory Shamus (2); Jeff Haynes; Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images

accomplished in Miami. Those who rushed to the season ticket windows did not do so just to see some great NBA excitement. They did so to secure tickets for the Finals, when the city would be delivered from its 51-year title drought. What sports fan wouldn’t want to experience that?

James understands that winning a championship without Love and with a limited Irving will be extremely difficult. When the Heat captured their two titles, Dwyane Wade may have been somewhat compromised, thanks to his cranky knees, but he was not hampered by new injuries. And having Chris Bosh made things much easier, thanks to his inside-outside abilities.

The Cavaliers in their current state cannot match that firepower. But that doesn’t mean James is making any excuses.

“We’ve come a long way, man,” James told ESPN.com when asked about the Cavs’ transformation. “We’ve come a long way as a team. And I knew we had to get better at some point either through trades or whatever the case may be. I just felt like we needed to get better, but my opening-night mindset wasn’t that at the time. It was, ‘OK, this is the unit that we have. I got to be very patient. I got to be very patient with this group. But if we can continue to grow, we can be good.’

I’m not quite sure if I knew we could be this good right now.”

James was indeed patient throughout this season. He began the year almost as if he were a coach, measuring his teammates and trying to figure out what they could do. As the season progressed, and new faces joined the fray—and others left—James continued to play the role of facilitator, in an attempt to find out who could do what. He understood that while earning homecourt advantage in the playoffs is quite helpful, having a strong unit capable of winning anywhere, anytime in the postseason was more important. So, he waited. And worked with the rest of the Cavaliers. As they enter the Finals, they do so clearly under his influence. He knows what they can do and what he can do with him.

That’s important.

It’s also the sign of a player’s achieving the absolute essence of team sports leadership. James could score 40 a night and tell everyone to come along.

Instead, he has fit his game around what the other Cavs bring and still created a team on the cusp of a championship. If Cleveland wins it all, it must be considered a remarkable accomplishment, because James will have done it as player, leader, orchestrator, personnel man, assistant coach and psychologist.

There have been many tremendous individual efforts throughout NBA’s rich playoff history, but no one has ever put together a performance like James will have. Even if Irving were 100 percent or Love were playing, neither of them had ever been in the playoffs before. That would have been impressive. This?

This is historic.

The stage has been built. It’s time to see if James can complete the task he came home to do. It was a big job back in October. Now, it’s almost a Herculean challenge.

If one man is capable of accomplishing it, it is James.

The Finals 2015

21

Eastern Conference Champions

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

david blatt

matthew dellavedova

joe harris

brendan haywood

Head Coach Born: 05/22/1959 College: Princeton NBA Coaching Experience: 1 year

No.: 8 Position: G Height: 6-4 Weight: 200 Born: 09/08/1990 College: St. Mary’s (CA) NBA Experience: 2 years

No.: 12 Position: G Height: 6-6 Weight: 225 Born: 09/07/1991 College: Virginia NBA Experience: 1 year

No.: 33 Position: C Height: 7-0 Weight: 263 Born: 11/27/1979 College: North Carolina NBA Experience: 13 years

Lebron james

james jones

kevin love

shawn marion

mike miller

No.: 2 Position: G Height: 6-3 Weight: 193 Born: 03/23/1992 College: Duke NBA Experience: 4 years

No.: 23 Position: F Height: 6-8 Weight: 250 Born: 12/30/1984 High School: St. Vincent-St. Mary (OH) NBA Experience: 12 years

No.: 1 Position: F Height: 6-8 Weight: 215 Born: 10/04/1980 College: Miami NBA Experience: 12 years

No.: 0 Position: F Height: 6-10 Weight: 243 Born: 09/07/1988 College: UCLA NBA Experience: 7 years

No.: 31 Position: F Height: 6-7 Weight: 228 Born: 05/07/1978 College: UNLV NBA Experience: 16 years

No.: 18 Position: G-F Height: 6-8 Weight: 218 Born: 02/19/1980 College: Florida NBA Experience: 15 years

timofey mozgov

kendrick perkins

iman shumpert

j.R. smith

tristan thompson

anderson varejao

No.: 20 Position: C Height: 7-1 Weight: 250 Born: 07/16/1986 Country: Russia NBA Experience: 5 years

No.: 3 Position: C Height: 6-10 Weight: 270 Born: 11/10/1984 High School: Clifton J. Ozen (TX) NBA Experience: 12 years

No.: 4 Position: G Height: 6-5 Weight: 220 Born: 06/26/1990 College: Georgia Tech NBA Experience: 4 years

No.: 5 Position: G-F Height: 6-6 Weight: 225 Born: 09/09/1985 High School: St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ) NBA Experience: 11 years

No.: 13 Position: F-C Height: 6-10 Weight: 238 Born: 03/13/1991 College: Texas NBA Experience: 4 years

No.: 17 Position: C Height: 6-11 Weight: 267 Born: 09/28/1982 Country: Brazil NBA Experience: 11 years

Coaching Staff Associate Head Coach: Tyronn Lue Assistant Coaches: Jim Boylan, Bret Brielmaier, Larry Drew, James Posey, Phil Handy Athletic Trainer: Stephen Spiro 22

The Finals 2015

David Liam Kykle (12); Bart Young; Jennifer Pottheiser (2); Layne Murdoch/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

kyrie irving

Eastern Conference Champions

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Head Coach: David Blatt Associate Head Coach: Tyronn Lue Assistant Coaches: Jim Boylan, Bret Brielmaier, Larry Drew, James Posey, Phil Handy Athletic Trainer: Stephen Spiro

NO. 23 2 0 5 20

PLAYER LeBron James Kyrie Irving Kevin Love J.R. Smith Timofey Mozgov

G 69 75 75 46 46

MIN 2493 2730 2532 1461 1149

FG 624 578 413 214 197

3 17 13 4 8 31 1 12 3 18 21 5 33 89 53

Dion Waiters Anderson Varejao Tristan Thompson Iman Shumpert Matthew Dellavedova Shawn Marion James Jones Joe Harris Kendrick Perkins Mike Miller A.J. Price Will Cherry Brendan Haywood Lou Amundson Alex Kirk CAVALIERS OPPONENTS

33 26 82 38 67 57 57 51 17 52 11 8 22 12 5 82 82

786 636 2194 920 1380 1101 669 493 167 701 87 69 119 79 14 19780 19780

138 111 267 105 111 119 74 48 20 37 9 5 14 4 1 3089 3121

FIELD GOALS FGA PCT 1279 .488 1235 .468 952 .434 504 .425 334 .590

24

The Finals 2015

.404 .555 .547 .410 .362 .446 .368 .400 .488 .325 .265 .263 .467 .333 .250 .458 .456

22 0 0 44 68 12 63 31 0 32 0 2 0 0 0 826 634

3-POINT FG FGA PCT 339 .354 378 .415 392 .367 336 .390 0 86 2 0 130 167 46 175 84 0 98 11 9 0 0 0 2253 1848

.256 .000 .338 .407 .261 .360 .369 .327 .000 .222 .367 .343

FT 375 315 258 27 92

FREE THROWS FTA PCT 528 .710 365 .863 321 .804 33 .818 130 .708

47 33 159 18 29 26 39 9 4 3 4 3 7 3 2 1453 1214

60 45 248 27 38 34 46 15 8 4 6 6 13 5 2 1934 1629

.783 .733 .641 .667 .763 .765 .848 .600 .500 .750 .667 .500 .538 .600 1.000 .751 .745

Kyrie Irving set career highs in minutes played (2,730), steals (114) and points (1,628).

OFF 51 55 142 26 112 12 57 274 33 37 64 9 7 11 4 4 1 6 5 1 911 885

REBOUNDS DEF TOT 365 416 182 237 589 731 134 160 319 207 45 113 383 110 89 138 53 34 30 87 11 4 23 15 0 2612 2487

57 170 657 143 126 202 62 41 41 91 15 5 29 20 1 3523 3372

AST 511 389 168 114 39

MISC. STL 109 114 51 64 18

BLK 49 20 39 18 56

POINTS PTS AVG 1743 25.3 1628 21.7 1228 16.4 586 12.7 486 10.6

74 35 39 57 204 51 24 26 8 46 13 8 2 5 1 1814 1974

44 19 34 51 24 27 13 7 2 14 3 6 2 1 0 603 642

10 16 61 13 2 27 8 2 4 4 0 1 10 0 0 340 368

345 255 693 272 319 276 250 136 44 109 22 15 35 11 4 8457 8090

10.5 9.8 8.5 7.2 4.8 4.8 4.4 2.7 2.6 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.6 0.9 0.8 103.1 98.7

In his first season with the team, Kevin Love led the Cavs with 731 rebounds.

Issac Baldizon; Nathaniel S. Butler; David Liam Kyle/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

LeBron James led the Cavs in field goals made (624), free throws made (375), assists (511) and points (1743, 25.3 ppg).

342 200 488 256 307 267 201 120 41 114 34 19 30 12 4 6739 6850

FG 120 157 144 131 0

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Western Conference Champions

Box Off i Like any great production, the Golden State Warriors took some time developing and percolating before becoming a smash hit.

By Darryl Howerton 26

The Finals 2015

W

hen Boston Celtics minority partner Joe Lacob and Mandalay Entertainment CEO Peter Guber bought the Golden State Warriors for a then-record $450 million in July 2010, they said all the right things about turning the franchise around.

Lacob told ESPN.com at the time, “It is our passion to return the Warriors to greatness and build nothing short of a championship organization that will make all of us in the Bay Area proud.”

Today, the Warriors are playing in the 2015 Finals because the venture capitalist Lacob, Hollywood showman Guber and their Warriors did all the right things, practically at every turn and fork in the road.

From the players to the coaches to the execs to everyone else hired or kept within the organization, Golden State has emerged as a new gold standard of what a 21st century franchise looks like.

And nothing validates their hard work more than the organization’s third straight winning season combined with the franchise’s first trip to the Finals in 40 years.

Jerry West was the Warriors’ first smart hire.

As the architect of many L.A. Lakers’ championship teams, not to mention the Memphis Grizzlies’ first playoff teams, West had the perfect résumé for what new ownership was looking for.

That said, the Hall of Famer did not want full-time job responsibilities, yet did agree to come on the team’s

ice Gold executive board in an advisory role.

That set the table for Golden State to hire young player agent Bob Myers as its assistant general manager to GM Larry Riley. Together, West and Riley would groom Myers for the general manager position that would one day be his. That time would come in April 2012.

Intermixed between all the front-office moves, the Warriors also brought in a new coaching staff in June 2011, led by head coach Mark Jackson, who mentored Golden State’s players from the 2011-12 season through the Warriors’ winning turnaround years in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Stephen Curry, who was coming off his 22-year-old rookie season, was the lone original Warrior present during the transition in ownership.

The rest of the team came together rather fluidly, thanks to smart drafting, advantageous trading and key free-agent signings.

Just before Lacob purchased the team, the Warriors acquired All-Star forward-center David Lee from the Knicks as part of a sign-and-trade package.

A a year later, Klay Thompson’s was Golden State’s first-round selection in

the 2011 NBA Draft, chosen with the 11th overall pick.

In March 2012, the Warriors essentially traded Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut, and the seven-footer became the team’s underrated defensive anchor (2015 All-Defensive Second Team).

In the subsequent NBA Draft, the Warriors really struck gold, tabbing Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green with the seventh, 30th and 35th picks. This productive trio would become an athletic wing player (Barnes), a reserve big man (Ezeli) and a defensive stopper (2015 All-Defensive First Team) and essential glue guy (Green).

It was no surprise this abundance of talent enjoyed a 47-35 campaign in Coach Jackson’s second season with the club, beating Denver in advancing to the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals, where the Warriors lost to eventual NBA Finalist San Antonio in six games.

A year later—following the July 2013 free-agent sign-and-trade acquisition of former All-Star Andre Iguodala (Golden State had to trade two first-round picks to Utah so the Jazz would accept the contracts of Richard Jefferson and Andris The Finals 2015

27

Western Conference Champions

Ognjen Kuzmic

Brandon Rush

Festus Ezeli

Leandro Barbosa

Andrew Bogut

David Lee

Justin Holiday

Shaun Livingston

28

The Finals 2015

shooting guard Kevin Martin.

Except the Timberwolves wanted Klay Thompson and David Lee in exchange.

Wisely, the Warriors’ front office heeded Kerr’s value of maintaining core continuity and team chemistry, declining to pull the trigger on the rosterchanging move, according to CSNBayArea.com.

By June 2014, all the Warrior suits—from Lacob to Myers to West to Kerr— were unified in keeping Thompson on board.

It was then that management went back to the drawing board, continuing its roster tweaks in July 2014, by signing Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa to back up their valued Splash Brothers, not to mention, eventually retaining summer-league prospects Justin Holiday and James Michael McAdoo.

In order to fully appreciate the Warriors’ historic 67-15 season of 2014-15, one must retrace these five-year transactions just to see how far they have come.

Without all the aforementioned moves, Myers does not land the players that would later help him win the 2014-15 NBA Executive of the Year award.

Without one controversial leadership change, Kerr does not get the dream job that makes him the winningest rookie NBA head coach ever, not to mention, becoming the No. 2 vote-getter in NBA Coach of the Year balloting.

Likewise, Curry does not get the freedom and support that all great champions have had—talented first-, second- and third-string teammates that enabled the sixth-year NBA point guard to win the 2014-15 NBA Most Valuable Player award at age 27.

And none of this squad’s mighty success happens without management’s teamwork making ownership’s dream work.

As Curry told USA Today, “Obviously the reason my man, Bob Myers, has an Executive of the Year trophy from this season, is because he has made all the right decisions and gotten us to a great place.”

Previous spread: Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images; This Page: Juan Ocampo; Noah Graham (4); Joe Murphy; Jack Arent; Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Biedrins, freeing up the salary-cap space for the Warriors to sign Iguodala), not to mention the key addition of fellow free agent Marreese Speights—Jackson’s Warriors improved on their mark once again, going 51-31.

Again, they made the postseason, losing this time to the L.A. Clippers in a seven-game, first-round series in the 2014 NBA Playoffs.

“Clearly, the players have proven our front office right more than we did anything,” the 40-year-old Myers told ESPN.com.

Everybody knew the Warriors were thisclose from an even bigger breakthrough season in 2014-15.

And break through, they did, surpassing HOOP magazine’s preseason prediction of 61 wins.

After all, nine top-notch players were already logging significant time together as Warriors teammates.

Still, management had more major decisions to make—on whether or not to replace its head coach, and also, on whether or not to trade one of its top players.

The Warriors’ front office went with the coaching change despite being happy with the results that Jackson produced, by going in a different direction with the hiring of former Suns general manager and TV analyst Steve Kerr, who earned five NBA Championship rings as a player, under the tutelage of coaching legends Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson.

Kerr, they thought, would bring in a more team-friendly, less isolationoriented offense, based on principles he learned from the Spurs’ and Bulls’ equal-opportunity offenses.

By also bringing in highly-respected assistants Alvin Gentry to coordinate the O, and defensive genius Ron Adams to master the D, Kerr would empower his new staff to make his job—and his team’s job—that much easier and better.

Once Golden State executed the coaching change, management mulled trade offers with Minnesota involving All-Star power forward Kevin Love and

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Western Conference Champions

James Michael McAdoo

Marreese Speights

30

The Finals 2015

Stephen Curry

Andre Iguodala

Harrison Barnes

With so much depth, Warriors starters were able to cut back on their minutes-per-game averages, saving gas in the tank for the postseason run.

Likewise, practice became a shooter’s heaven.

Not only were the historic Splash Brothers bringing everybody’s three-point shooting game up, but now the team was coached by the man who currently holds the NBA’s all-time record for three-point percentage at .454.

That is a career mark that even Curry (.441, 3rd all-time) and Thompson (.418, 13th) have to respect.

It is no wonder converted marksmen like Green, Barnes, Iguodala, Barbosa and Holiday all enjoy long-range success here, which in turn helps the Warriors become the only team in the NBA making 40 percent of its threes this season.

“We’re all hungry and want to learn how to get better,” says Green, who has more than doubled his three-pointers made in each of his three seasons, and now makes 34 percent of his threes after making only 21 percent as a rookie “There are so many people here that I learn from that I’m like a sponge when I show up for practice.”

“When you play here,” says Barnes, “you discover the game is about finding others, creating shots for other people.”

Combine that offensive tenacity with the Warriors’ lockdown defense, and you realize you don’t need 3D glasses to see the reason for this 3-and-D team’s success.

After all, you can retrace the steps back to the venture capitalist and the Hollywood showman, and you’ll quickly realize this Bay Area show was five years in the making before enjoying its overnight blockbuster success.

What’s next? The Oscar—or in this case, the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Noah Graham (4); Joe Muphy/NBAE/Getty Images; Andy Lyons; Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The play on the court was just a mere reflection of all the work done off it.

After the first week of November, the Warriors were off to a 5-0 start, beating the Trail Blazers, Clippers and Rockets in consecutive games.

By mid-December, Golden State was 20-2, winning 15 games in a row and gaining command of a Western Conference lead it would not relinquish, They were 37-8 by the end of January, 45-11 after February and Klay Thompson 61-13 after the finish of March.

It was a wire-to-wire domination by a team that had a style unlike any other squad in NBA history.

The Warriors were the League’s fastest-paced squad, yet ranked first in defensive efficiency, while also maintaining the NBA’s second-most efficient offense.

They played fast, beat you down on D and then spun your head with mindnumbing effectiveness with the ball.

Curry and Thompson have become greater than any other sharp-shooting duo in NBA history, making an NBA-record 525 three-pointers between them at an unfair .441 rate.

Essentially, these two men took 1,191 long-distance shots at an effective rate of 66 percent, meaning a team had to shoot more than an extra thousand twofooters or free throws just to maintain pace.

Of course, that was not happening in games played against Golden State, not with defensive dynamos Bogut protecting the rim, Green protecting the paint and Iguodala protecting the perimeter.

Indeed, this was not the Warriors of a few years ago when Golden State consistently rated as the League’s worst rebounding squad and a bottom five defensive unit.

Culture change was universal, where every Warriors starter—from Curry to Thompson to Barnes—was now viewed a good team defender, while past defensive weaknesses (say, Lee and Speights) were no longer liabilities, with team depth at the center position enabling both to play more of their natural power forward positions.

It was the best of both worlds—for the guards, too, as Livingston, Barbosa and Holiday gave Golden State the greatest depth it has seen in recent memory.

With so many live, 6-7-type, athletic bodies, the Warriors could switch assignments on pick-and-rolls with remarkable effectiveness on the defensive end.

Draymond Green

Western Conference Champions

Little Big Shot H The range of Stephen Curry’s jumper is only surpassed by his belief in himself.

By Darryl Howerton 32

The Finals 2015

is slingshot was his three-point shot and his Goliaths were the Pelicans, Grizzlies and Clippers, just to name a few.

His name was Stephen Curry, and by the look of him, he was but a boy sent out to conquer in a man’s world.

His fans called him the baby-faced assassin, because his boyish looks belied his

27-year-old age.

Yes, he was a great shooter—probably the best shooter in all the land—but a 6-3, 190-pound shooter can only take a team so far, or so we thought, in the Land of Duncans, Durants and LeBrons.

Surely, there was no way the effervescent Curry and his band of mighty Warriors would survive the political and physical geoscape in this complex Game of Thrones.

But Curry would not be denied—from start to finish—having himself an MVP-type season that would stretch from October through April, only to be confirmed with the May announcement that indeed the Golden State point guard was the 2014-15 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player.

It was historic in so many ways.

Curry set an NBA record for three-pointers (286), breaking his own record (272) set two seasons ago, making threes at an incredible rate of 44.3 percent, which ranked third in the NBA, despite the high volume.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images; Joe Murphy; Sam Forencich; Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

He led the NBA in free throw percentage, making 91.4 percent of his freebies.

Even viewed through advanced analytics, Curry was the MVP. He led the League in Real Plus-Minus, the most-prized metric measuring top team players, scoring an NBA-best +9.20 RPM, indicating that he made the Warriors more than nine points better per 48 minutes when he was on the floor.

Curry was a giant-slayer on the box-score sheet, too, finishing second in the NBA in points, fourth in assists and first in steals.

His averages read like career-bests from the all-time great playmakers, tallying 24 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks in only 33 minutes per game for 80 contests.

Only the pretty-good company of Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Gary Payton, Michael Adams, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Tiny Archibald ever did the same—and they all needed more playing time to do it.

And here’s the sneak about Steph—he put up those stats while resting in 20 fourth-quarters, simply because he did not return to games after his team mounted insurmountable leads.

He poured on such statistics despite his head coach Steve Kerr wisely limiting Curry’s playing time, saving the point guard’s best for the postseason.

Winning was always the main goal here at Golden State.

And win Curry’s Warriors did, with the Dubs putting up more Ws than any team in Golden State history, not to mention ranking amongst the top 10 NBA teams of all-time with a 67-15 record.

Curry knew all too well what losing felt like, with his team languishing as a lottery-bound Western Conference also-ran his first three seasons in the NBA. But as the young point guard grew in stature, so did the status of everyone around him—from new owners to new GMs to new coaches to new teammates.

“I didn’t know much about the organization when I was drafted in 2009,” Curry told USA Today. “I didn’t know the players or the kind of direction we were headed. I was just happy to be drafted. That’s a dream come true for anybody. As you get established in the League, you get comfortable and understand what the situation is. It was a little rough my first few years, but I

loved playing at Oracle, so that was always—you go around the League and you see different arenas—Oracle is somewhere you want to play…every night.”

In 2012-13, Curry finally experienced his first winning season and taste of playoff basketball. In 2013-14, it was his first 50-win season and back to the postseason again.

Then in 2014-15, history was made.

His team won in streaks at Oracle Arena, going 39-2 to equal the sixth-best home winning percentage in NBA history, while also posting a League-best 28-13 road record, where the Warriors became the League’s newest darlings because of their fun style of play.

Curry got a signature shoe deal with Under Armour. He was the leading votegetter for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, out-balloting LeBron, Kobe, you name it.

His jersey sold, second only to LeBron. His team’s jersey sold too, third only to the Bulls and Cavs.

And with the May announcement that he had just become the NBA’s MVP, Curry indeed had felled Goliath.

“I was always the smallest kid on my team,” Curry told the media assembled at his awards press conference. “I had a terrible, ugly, catapult shot from the time I was 14 because I wasn’t strong enough to shoot over my head, and I had to reconstruct that over the summer and it was the worst three months of my life.

You’d think there are no hurdles or obstacles that I had to overcome, but even when I got to high school I wasn’t ranked. I wasn’t highly touted as a high-school prospect. I had nobody really knocking on my door saying, ‘Please, please, please.

Come play for our school,’ until Davidson Coach Bob McKillop called.

“Everything happens for a reason, and there is a story to everything. If you take time to realize what your dream is and what you really want in life, no matter what it is, whether it’s sports or in other fields, you have to realize that there is always work to do ... That’s what’s carried me to this point.”

In a sense, Curry indeed has become basketball’s King David. With a sling and five stones from a brook, young Curry has already taken out most of the League’s giants.

In accurate fashion, of course.

The Finals 2015

33

Western Conference Champions

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

steve kerr

leandro barbosa

harrison barnes

andrew bogut

Head Coach Born: 09/27/1965 College: Arizona NBA Coaching Experience: 1 year

No.: 19 Position: G Height: 6-3 Weight: 194 Born: 11/28/1982 Country: Brazil NBA Experience: 12 years

No.: 40 Position: F Height: 6-8 Weight: 225 Born: 05/30/1992 College: North Carolina NBA Experience: 3 years

No.: 12 Position: C Height: 7-0 Weight: 260 Born: 11/28/1984 College: Utah NBA Experience: 10 years

Festus Ezeli

draymond green

justin holiday

andre iguodala

ognjen kuzmic

No.: 30 Position: G Height: 6-3 Weight: 190 Born: 03/14/1988 College: Davidson NBA Experience: 6 years

No.: 31 Position: C Height: 6-11 Weight: 265 Born: 10/21/1989 College: Vanderbilt NBA Experience: 3 years

No.: 23 Position: F Height: 6-7 Weight: 230 Born: 03/04/1990 College: Michigan State NBA Experience: 3 years

No.: 7 Position: G Height: 6-6 Weight: 185 Born: 04/05/1989 College: Washington NBA Experience: 2 years

No.: 9 Position: G-F Height: 6-6 Weight: 215 Born: 01/28/1984 College: Arizona NBA Experience: 11 years

No.: 1 Position: C Height: 7-0 Weight: 260 Born: 05/16/1990 Country: Bosnia & Herzegovina NBA Experience: 2 years

david lee

shaun livingston

james michael mcadoo

brandon rush

marreese speights

klay thompson

No.: 10 Position: F-C Height: 6-9 Weight: 245 Born: 04/29/1983 College: Florida NBA Experience: 10 years

No.: 34 Position:G Height: 6-7 Weight: 192 Born: 09/11/1985 High School: Peoria Central (IL) NBA Experience: 10 years

No.: 20 Position: F Height: 6-9 Weight: 230 Born: 01/04/1993 College: North Carolina NBA Experience: 1 year

No.: 4 Position: G-F Height: 6-6 Weight: 220 Born: 07/07/1985 College: Kansas NBA Experience: 7 years

No.: 5 Position: C-F Height: 6-10 Weight: 255 Born: 08/04/1987 College: Florida NBA Experience: 7 years

No.: 11 Position: G Height: 6-7 Weight: 215 Born: 02/08/1990 College: Washington State NBA Experience: 4 years

Coaching Staff Associate Head Coach: Alvin Gentry Assistant Coaches: Ron Adams, Luke Walton, Jarron Collins, Bruce Fraser, Keke Lyles Athletic Trainer: JoHan Wang 34

The Finals 2015

Jack Arent (16)/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

stephen curry

WELCOME TO THE NBA FINALS 2015

Western Conference Champions

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Head Coach: Steve Kerr Associate Head Coach: Alvin Gentry Assistant Coaches: Ron Adams, Luke Walton, Jarron Collins, Bruce Fraser, Keke Lyles Athletic Trainer: JoHan Wang

NO. 30 11 23 5 40

PLAYER Stephen Curry Klay Thompson Draymond Green Marreese Speights Harrison Barnes

G 80 77 79 76 82

MIN 2613 2455 2490 1207 2318

FG 653 602 339 318 316

10 9 19 12 34 31 7 20 1 4

David Lee Andre Iguodala Leandro Barbosa Andrew Bogut Shaun Livingston Festus Ezeli Justin Holiday James Michael McAdoo Ognjen Kuzmic Brandon Rush TEAM OPPONENTS

49 77 66 67 78 46 59 15 16 33 82 82

904 2069 982 1583 1468 504 657 137 72 271 19730 19730

160 231 183 200 198 76 91 24 8 11 3410 3031

FIELD GOALS FGA PCT 1341 .487 1299 .463 765 .443 646 .492 656 .482 313 496 386 355 396 139 235 44 12 54 7137 7084

36

The Finals 2015

0 74 43 0 0 0 35 0 0 3 883 592

3-POINT FG FGA PCT 646 .443 545 .439 329 .337 18 .278 215 .405 2 212 112 0 2 0 109 0 0 27 2217 1757

.000 .349 .384 .000 .321 .111 .398 .337

FT 308 225 132 150 108

FREE THROWS FTA PCT 337 .914 256 .879 200 .660 178 .843 150 .720

68 68 58 22 65 49 37 14 4 5 1313 1534

104 114 74 42 91 78 45 25 4 11 1709 2011

.654 .596 .784 .524 .714 .628 .822 .560 1.000 .455 .768 .763

Behind Curry, fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson was second on the team in three point field goal percentage (.439) and points (1668).

OFF 56 27 114 109 117 81 44 23 141 43 60 12 15 7 4 853 963

REBOUNDS DEF TOT 285 341 220 247 533 647 216 325 453 336 176 213 68 402 140 95 61 22 10 37 2814 2690

257 257 91 543 183 155 73 37 17 41 3667 3653

AST 619 222 291 72 116

MISC. STL 163 87 123 20 61

BLK 16 60 99 34 19

POINTS PTS AVG 1900 23.8 1668 21.7 921 11.7 791 10.4 827 10.1

85 228 99 180 259 9 48 2 6 12 2248 1718

31 89 41 39 49 7 40 5 2 5 762 680

26 25 8 113 20 42 12 9 1 12 496 293

388 604 467 422 461 201 254 62 20 30 9016 8188

7.9 7.8 7.1 6.3 5.9 4.4 4.3 4.1 1.3 0.9 110.0 99.9

The Warriors were in the top five in the League in both steals and blocks. Draymond Green finished second on the team in both (123, 99).

ROnald Martinez/Getty Images; ROn Hoskins; Noah Graham/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

In his MVP campaign, Stephen Curry led the League in three pointers made (286), free throw percentage (.914) and steals (163).

.511 .466 .474 .563 .500 .547 .387 .545 .667 .204 .478 .428

FG 286 239 111 5 87

ongest 4G LTE signal.

AT&T’s network has the nation’s str

1.866.MOBILITY | ATT.COM/network | Visit a Store Claim based ONLY on avg. 4G LTE signal strength for national carriers. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. 4G LTE not avail. everywhere. ©2015 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo, and Mobilizing Your World are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property.

2015 NBA

DRAFT PREVIEW

By Michael Bradley

I

f the 2013 NBA Draft was one of the weakest in a long time and last year’s among the strongest—at least according to League executives and various analysts—then consider the 2015 version somewhere in the middle. There is strength at the very top, a viable second tier and some value to be had later in the first round. There may not be a collection of franchisechanging performers, but teams looking to reinforce their rosters will likely be satisfied.

Last year, wings Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker defined the top of the Draft. This time, big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor are the prizes for those with the earliest picks. In fact, as many as five pivots could go in the first round. And there is talent at the other positions, too.

“There is less uncertainty,” a Western Conference executive says.

“Even if you don’t get one of the top players, you’re likely not going to miss. Even the top European players are safer, because they have a body of work.”

As usual, a few constants apply. There is a strong possibility that no player who spent four years on campus will be picked in the Lottery, although Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky could sneak into the top 14.

Teams will again have to determine whether to draft for need or pure talent. And someone picked in the top 10 is going to disappoint, while a player chosen later will surprise. The overall potential of the Draft, however, is promising.

“I think there is pure talent throughout the Lottery,” the Western exec says. “Two years ago, Cleveland had the No. 1 pick and was racking its [collective] brain about who it would pick until it was literally on the clock. That was because of the uncertainty. Nobody knew who [in that Draft] could play.”

Here is a look at the 15 players most likely to demonstrate they can indeed play NBA basketball.

38

The Finals 2015

Karl-Anthony Towns 7-0 250 C Kentucky

If fans are looking for immediate stardom from the Wildcat pivot, they will be disappointed. But, oh, that upside. “One of the best things about him is that he has a chance to get stronger,” the Western exec says. Towns demonstrated the ability to block shots while guarding the shooter and from the weak side. He is a capable rebounder at both ends of the floor, but he isn’t yet powerful enough to handle regular work in the middle. He has to build strength, and that will take a couple years, something that should prevent him from being an impact player right away.

But Towns can shoot the hook shot, is a reliable free throw shooter and can make mid-range jumpers.

Once he solidifies his frame, he’ll be dangerous.

“I like him a lot,” the Eastern personnel man says.

“Physically, the game might be tough for him at first, because he had a lot of NBA-ready bodies around him at Kentucky to help him. But he has great instincts.”

Jahlil Okafor

D’Angelo Russell

Emmanuel Mudiay

Mario Hezonja

If a team is looking for a player who will produce immediately on the interior, Okafor is its man. The Blue Devil pivot averaged 17.3 ppg and 8.5 rpg during his one season in Durham, and there is reason to believe he will replicate those numbers as a rookie. “I think he has the equipment to compete on an NBA floor immediately,” an Eastern Conference personnel man says.

The question with Okafor is not whether he will produce. It’s if he will improve. He is a polished scorer and reliable rebounder who passes well out of the post and can hit the midrange jumper. He is not a particularly effective defender, and there is a fear among some that he is not going to be more than what he is now. “The question with him is whether this is his ceiling, or is it just that the game came so easily to him in college,” the Western exec says. “He’s so fundamentally sound that at times it looked like he didn’t even have to try.”

By the end of last season, Russell was the focal point of the OSU attack, and his highlight reel was filled with great passes and step-back threes. Some considered the lefty a man without a position, but at a time when James Harden is scoring and creating in Houston, there isn’t anything wrong with a combo man as the main part of the offense.

“He’s the best passer to come out of the draft since Chris Paul,” the Western exec says. “He is so elite passing the ball.

You have to let him create. Put him in a million pick-and-rolls and isos and let the offense be created by him. He has great creativity, flow and shot creation.”

Russell has good shooting range, a fine handle and superior court vision.

He isn’t a pure anything, although he can help a team win many ways. But he will have to improve his ability to drive to the hoop to become elite.

“He can defend, shoot and has a great feel for the game,” the Eastern personnel man says.

Last year this time, Mudiay was ticketed for SMU, where he would apprentice under noted point guard instructor Larry Brown. But the desire to go pro drew him to China, where for a few weeks he tore through overmatched CBA defenders.

A sprained ankle ended Mudiay’s season early, and he enters the Draft without a full resume with which to sell himself.

“Mudiay has fallen into the Dante Exum category,” the Western exec says, referring to last year’s fifth overall pick.

“There’s a mystique there.”

Possessing a solid frame, a teamfirst ethic and good leadership skills, Mudiay is an aggressive point who is better driving to the basket than shooting from the outside. His lack of post-secondary play makes him something of a risk, although it’s possible to be certain of a few things.

“He has unbelievable mental toughness and leadership,” the Western exec says.

“He has the intangibles and will own the locker room.” That said, there are questions. The Eastern personnel man calls him a “wild card,” and he might lack elite skill. “Talent-wise, he’s in the next tier after the first three,” the Western exec says. “I had questions about him after [last summer’s] Hoop Summit. I haven’t had the chance to get those answered.”

Some people have cooled a bit on Hezonja because he feuded with his Barcelona coaches this past season and had his minutes cut considerably.

But there is no denying his athletic ability and scoring pop. He has also played three years of professional ball and was on Croatia’s World Cup team last summer. “He’s not a rookie by any stretch,” the Eastern personnel man says.

Hezonja is a three man with a good shot, although he hasn’t demonstrated NBA range yet. He can score in a variety of different ways and has the potential to make a quick impact. “He has good size and will come in with an attitude that will translate right away,” the Western exec says. “He can put it on the floor for one or two dribbles, works well off a ball screen and can catch and shoot.”

Pool; Streeter Lecka; Jamie Sabau; Regina Hoffmann/Getty Images; Sam FOrencich/NBAE/Getty Images

6-11 270 C Duke

6-5 180 PG/SG Ohio State

6-5 190 PG Guangdong Southern Tigers

6-8 215 SF Croatia

The Finals 2015

39

Stanley Johnson

Justise Winslow

Trey Lyles

Willie Cauley-Stein

There is no denying that Johnson has an NBA-ready frame. “He’s a manchild,” a Western personnel man says.

“What a body.” Johnson is athletic, improved his shooting throughout his one season with the Wildcats and has the tools to be a successful two-way NBA player. The question with him is whether he will commit to being the type of defensive stopper he could be.

“Is he willing to be what teams want him to be, which is a Ron Artest type,” the Western exec says. “Will he be tough as [heck]?” Johnson isn’t a particularly nimble player; his success comes in more of a straight-line form.

But he could be a perimeter force, if he commits to an all-around game.

There is no denying Winslow’s high motor or desire to excel. He demonstrated that during his time at Duke and helped the Blue Devils win a national title. But… “I don’t know if he has an NBA skill,” the Eastern personnel man says. “I don’t trust his shot at all. He’s not great with the ball yet.”

Winslow can hit the mid-range shot and will compete hard against anyone. He’ll slash to the basket and defend willingly. The Western exec calls him “a safe NBA player.” That’s not such a bad thing.

Lyles is one of three Kentucky big men likely to be chosen in the Lottery, and while he lacks Towns’ potential, he could be a productive starter in the League. “A lot of people like him,” the Western personnel man says. “He can score in different ways. It’s just hard to figure out Kentucky guys, because they didn’t get a lot of minutes.”

Lyles can step away from the basket to hit a jumper, will score close to the hoop and can rebound. He runs well and is lively at both ends. Lyles will likely be a rotational player during his first couple years, but whether he moves into the starting lineup depends on what team picks him. “He could be like Taj Gibson or Carlos Boozer, and a lot of teams would be glad to have him,” the Western exec says. “But he’s not good at any one thing, so if he goes to a playoff team, he’ll be a rotation player.”

If Lyles isn’t especially good at one thing, Cauley-Stein absolutely is, and that is defense. “He can create major issues on defense,” the Western personnel man says. “He has a niche in the League.” Cauley-Stein will protect the rim, block shots and can rebound defensively. His issues are at the other end, where he has little polish, and many wonder whether he will ever develop the ability to produce offensively.

There is also a question of whether Cauley-Stein “loves the game,” according to the Western exec. Will he enter the League and work hard enough to become at least a marginal threat offensively? “If he gets to the NBA and doesn’t love the game, you’re [in trouble],” he says.

6-7 245 SF/SG Arizona

6-6 229 SG/SF Duke

6-10 250 PF Kentucky

7-0 240 C Kentucky

Jonathan Ferrey; Bob Leverone; Andy Lyons; Joe Robbins/Getty Images

40

The Finals 2015

Myles Turner

Kelly Oubre

Kevon Looney

Cameron Payne

Every good thing that can be said about Turner—ridiculous wing span, midrange shooting ability, shotblocking skill, athleticism—is accompanied by a resounding, “yeah, but…”

That’s because the big man has a strange gait that some believe could lead to injury. “His gait makes him prone to ACL injuries,” the Eastern personnel man says. “Nobody wants to hear that.” Turner’s people have already presented evidence that he is healthy, but his odd stride makes many wonder whether trouble is looming. It’s too bad, because Turner can protect the rim, has great hands and has range from inside the foul line. “He knows how to play, shoots the crap out of the ball and is like [Wisconsin center] Frank Kaminsky, only three years younger and with a higher ceiling.”

According to the Western exec, if Oubre had been able to enter the draft last year, right out of high school, he would have been a “top four pick.”

He couldn’t, of course, and spent the 2014-15 season learning some of the realities of college basketball. At times, he looked lost. On other occasions, he shined. Oubre has long arms, a wiry frame and the ability to score. But he needs to mature.

“The ideal place for him is an uptempo game,” the Eastern personnel man says. “He is a transition player who can defend and has good ball skills.

But he’s young and fragile. It’s going to take some time.”

Looney could end up at the bottom of the Lottery. He could be out of the Lottery. Earlier this spring, some people had him in the top five. So… place your bets!

“He’s going to look good in workouts,” the Western exec says. “He will measure well. He brings a lot of skills and has better ball skills than some of the other perimeter guys in the Draft, and he’s 6-9. People are going to like that.”

Looney had an erratic year in Westwood, looking strong at times and fading at others. “You’re betting on the come-up with him,” the Western personnel man says. “We have seen glimpses of good stuff. It’s a question of whether he can put it all together.”

A lot of people thought Payne was going to stay with the Racers for another season, but he didn’t make a mistake coming out now. He’s the consensus second best pure point in the Draft, and he has the ability to pass, possesses a high basketball IQ, will create for others and can run a team. Payne will hit big shots and will see time right away as a reserve, with a potential starting role down the road.

“He’s intriguing, but I wish we had more of a body of work on him [than two seasons],” the Western personnel man says. “He’s got ‘it.’ He makes people better. He sees the floor, passes it ahead and has a very good handle. With the game on the line, and even if he’s been awful before, he can knock down a shot.”

Justin K. Aller; Ed Zurga; David Banks/Getty Images; Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images

6-11 245 PF/C Texas

6-7 200 SF Kansas

6-9 220 SF/PF UCLA

6-2 185 PG Murray State

The Finals 2015

41

Kristaps Porzingis 7-1 220 PF Latvia

Sam Dekker 6-9 230 SF Wisconsin

The idea that Dekker would work his way into Lottery consideration isn’t so far-fetched. After all, Dekker was projected as a mid-first-round pick before the season started. He blossomed during the offseason and was a key cog in the Badgers’ run to the NCAA tourney final. Against Kentucky in the national semis, he was particularly impressive. Dekker knows how to play the game, can slash to the basket and will pass the ball. What he isn’t right now is a longrange bomber, despite the big shots he hit versus the Wildcats.

“The biggest concern is whether he can tighten his shot,” the Western personnel man says. “He’s a streaky shooter. But he’s a decent athlete who can put the ball on the floor and knows the game.”

History would suggest that Porzingis won’t be a star in the NBA, just like his countryman, Andris Biedrins.

Like Biedrins (career 6.3 ppg 7.0 rpg and 1.1 bpg), Porzingis has a great chance at a solid career, much like Biedrins’ 10 seasons. Unlike Beidrins, Porzingis has plenty of talent and ability to impact the game right away at the offensive end.

“He is as skilled as anybody in the draft,” the Eastern personnel man says. “He has been getting discounted, because he is in Europe, and people don’t see him. But he can step out and shoot and has really unique offensive abilities for someone his age. [He turns 20 in August.] With the right player development, he can be the best in the Draft.”

Expect Porzingis to add some weight to his frame and handle the offensive chores of a stretch four very well. He will struggle defensively, but he has a lot to offer.

POSITION RANKINGS

2015 NBA DRAFT ORDER

1. Emmanuel Mudiay, Guangdong Southern Tigers 2. Cameron Payne, Murray State 3. Jerian Grant, Notre Dame 4. Tyus Jones, Duke 5. Terry Rozier, Louisville 6. Andrew Harrison, Kentucky 7. Delon Wright, Utah 8. Quinn Cook, Duke 9. Cedi Osman, Macedonia 10. Briante Weber, Virginia Commonwealth

1. Minnesota Timberwolves 2. Los Angeles Lakers 3. Philadelphia 76ers 4. New York Knicks 5. Orlando Magic 6. Sacramento Kings 7. Denver Nuggets 8. Detroit Pistons 9. Charlotte Hornets 10. Miami Heat 11. Indiana Pacers 12. Utah Jazz 13. Phoenix Suns 14. Oklahoma City Thunder 15. Atlanta Hawks (From Brooklyn) 16. Boston Celtics 17. Milwaukee Bucks 18. Houston Rockets (From New Orleans) 19. Washington Wizards 20. Toronto Raptors 21. Dallas Mavericks 22. Chicago Bulls 23. Portland Trail Blazers 24. Cleveland Cavaliers 25. Memphis Grizzlies 26. San Antonio Spurs 27. Los Angeles Lakers (From Houston) 28. Boston Celtics (From L.A. Clippers) 29. Brooklyn Nets (From Atlanta) 30. Golden State Warriors

Point Guard

Shooting Guards

1. D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State 2. Justise Winslow, Duke 3. Devin Booker, Kentucky 4. R.J. Hunter, Georgia State 5. Norman Powell, UCLA 6. Joseph Young, Oregon 7. Rashad Vaughn, UNLV 8. Tyler Harvey, Eastern Washington 9. Michael Qualls, Arkansas 10. Anthony Brown, Stanford

Small Forwards

1. Mario Hezonja, Croatia 2. Stanley Johnson, Arizona 3. Kelly Oubre, Kansas 4. Kevon Looney, UCLA 5. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin 6. Justin Anderson, Virginia 7. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona 8. Nedim Buza, Bosnia 9. Vince Hunter, UTEP 10. J.P. Tokoto, North Carolina

Power Forwards

1. Kristaps Porzingis, Latvia 2. Trey Lyles, Kentucky 3. Myles Turner, Texas 4. Bobby Portis, Arkansas 5. Christian Wood, UNLV 6. Montrezl Harrell, Louisville 7. Cliff Alexander, Kansas 8. Jarell Martin, LSU 9. Chris McCullough, Syracuse 10. Jordan Mickey, LSU

Centers

1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky 2. Jahlil Okafor, Duke 3. Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky 4. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin 5. Dakari Johnson, Kentucky

The Finals 2015

Second Round

31. Minnesota Timberwolves 32. Houston Rockets (From New York) 33. Boston Celtics (From Philadelphia via Miami) 34. Los Angeles Lakers 35. Philadelphia 76ers (From Orlando) 36. M innesota Timberwolves (From Sacramento via Houston) 37. Philadelphia 76ers (From Denver via Houston, Portland and Minnesota) 38. Detroit Pistons 39. Charlotte Hornets 40. Miami Heat 41. Brooklyn Nets 42. Utah Jazz 43. Indiana Pacers 44. Phoenix Suns 45. Boston Celtics 46. Milwaukee Bucks 47. Philadelphia 76ers (From New Orleans via Washington and L.A. Clippers) 48. Oklahoma City Thunder 49. Washington Wizards 50. Atlanta Hawks (From Toronto) 51. Orlando Magic (From Chicago) 52. Dallas Mavericks 53. Cleveland Cavaliers (From Portland via Chicago and Denver) 54. Utah Jazz (From Cleveland) 55. San Antonio Spurs 56. New Orleans Pelicans (From Memphis) 57. Denver Nuggets (From L.A. Clippers) 58. Philadelphia 76ers (From Houston) 59. Atlanta Hawks 60. Philadelphia 76ers (From Golden State via Indiana)

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

42

First Round

Summer Tips Off July 4th on NBA TV

98 Games • 17 Days • July 4-20 TM & © 2015 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. © 2015 NBA Properties, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In a battle of blue-collar teams, the Syracuse Nationals bested the Fort Wayne Pistons for the NBA’s top prize in 1955.

By Jeramie McPeek

44

The Finals 2015

photo

The Finals 2015

45

1955 Syracuse Nationals

T

46

The Finals 2015

state rivals. Syracuse (twice) and New York (three times) represented the East in the next five Finals, though neither won any titles. Each team lost twice to the Minneapolis Lakers, and Knicks also lost to another in-state rival, the Rochester Royals.

Though the dominance of George Mikan had made him a national star and made the Lakers the NBA’s first dynasty, the League as a whole was struggling to survive. Eight teams had folded in the previous five seasons, as the game’s slow pace and repeated fouling turned off fans.

The following year, the NBA introduced a new innovation to the sport, one that would affect the outcome of the 1955 Finals and make a lasting impact on the game. The new element was a 24-second shot clock, which Nationals owner Danny Biasone had been pitching for some time, and his fellow owners finally relented. The ideawas that it would speed up the pace of the game, increase scoring and prevent teams with large leads from playing keep-away instead of basketball.

The Nationals enjoyed playing basketball, though, and they had a coach in “The Digger” Al Cervi, who let them play.

“He kind of said, ‘Xs & Os, forget it! We’re just going to play good, hard, Eastern-style basketball,’” recalls Schayes. “Move the ball. Hit the open man.

Be tough on your opponents and get every loose ball. That kind of attitude pervaded the team.”

That attitude was embraced by the local fan base, as well. The industrial town located in central New York had a population of approximately 220,000 in 1955, many of whom were blue-collar factory workers who appreciated the shared work ethic of their hometown team.

One of the first arenas built following World War II, the War Memorial was smaller than most NBA venues, but the capacity crowds of close to 8,000 were every bit as intense, and gave opposing teams an earful.

“We had very rabid fans,” says Schayes. “They weren’t frothing at the mouth

PREVIOUS PAGE AND THIS PAGE: The Stevenson Collection (2)/NBAE/Getty Images

he surroundings were both familiar and comfortable for Dolph Schayes.

The faces in the stands at the War Memorial, however, were different on the night of April 10. The hardwood that he once ran inside the small arena was long gone, too, and replaced by ice.

The 86-year-old Hall-of-Famer stepped out cautiously onto the cold, wet surface, careful not to slip, but proud to be re-introduced to Syracuse sports fans, alongside his former teammates Billy Kenville and Jim Tucker, members of the city’s only NBA Championship team.

“Now I’m a big shot for a few days again,” jokes Schayes, following the special ceremony held prior to a Syracuse Crunch minor league hockey game, 60 years to the day after Game 7 of the 1955 Finals.

“A very classy affair,” adds Kenville of the night, which included an autograph session for fans, many of whom never knew their city was once home to an NBA club.

For those of you who don’t know, today’s Philadelphia 76ers started out as the Syracuse Nationals in 1945 as a semipro team before joining the National Basketball League in 1946. It was in its fourth season—and the NBL’s last campaign—that the fledgling franchise landed its first bona fide star in Adolph “Dolph” Schayes out of New York University.

The 6-8 forward/center, who was born in the Bronx, had been drafted by both the New York Knickerbockers of the Basketball Association of America, and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks of the NBL. The Nationals promptly acquired his NBL rights from the Blackhawks and offered Schayes $7,500. The Knicks offered him $5,000, plus an unspecified offseason job. Schayes took the Nationals’ offer, planning to play only one season and then return home (he lasted 16 years in Syracuse).

The NBL and BAA would soon merge, of course, to become the National Basketball Association in 1949, and the Nats and Knicks would become in-

Dolph Schayes

Red Rocha

George Yardley

The Stevenson Collection (2); NBA Photos; Charles T. Higgins/NBAE/Getty Images

“We had the champagne on ice. Of course, I’m sure Fort Wayne had their champagne on ice on their plane, as well, but we spoiled their party and our party went on until daylight.”

—Dolph Schayes or anything like that, but they really pictured themselves as David vs. Goliath, the little town that was playing the New Yorks and the Bostons. And we beat those big cities many more times than they beat us, so the fans took great pride in that.”

With their All-Star in Schayes (18.5 ppg, 12.3 rpg) leading the way, and a wellrounded team including guard Phil Seymour (14.6 ppg, 6.7 apg), small forward Earl “Big Cat” Lloyd (10.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and centers Red Rocha (11.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Johnny “Red” Kerr (10.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg), the Nationals led the Eastern Division with 43 wins in the 72-game season. Syracuse earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs and then sdefeated the Celtics 3 games to 1 to earn a return trip to the Finals.

Out West, the Fort Wayne Pistons also won 43 games, a bye and a trip to the Finals after knocking off the defending champion Lakers, who had lost Mikan to retirement. Led by center Larry Foust (17 ppg, 10 rpg) and small forward George Yardley (17.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg), the Pistons were up to the challenge when the championship series opened in Syracuse on March 31, 1955.

“We had a lot of respect for them,” says Tucker, the Nats’ 6-7 power forward out of Duquesne University. “They played hard, they played smart. They had little men that played big and big men than played small.”

“Fort Wayne had given us a tough time over the years,” says Kenville. “But we very seldom lost in the War Memorial in Syracuse. We’d only lose a couple games there a year.”

Those couple losses were not to the Pistons, either. Fort Wayne never won in Syracuse and the first two games of the best-of-seven series were no different.

Faust scored 26 points for the visitors in the opening game, but the Nats relied on a balanced attack to take the 86-82 win. Game 2 had a similar outcome, as Syracuse secured an 87-84 win behind Schayes’ 24 points and a 25-foot jumper

by Rocha in the closing seconds.

Fort Wayne would not have the same home-court advantage for the middle three games of the series, however, as their arena had previously been booked for a bowling tournament at the same time as the Finals. The club’s owner, Fred Zollner, a manufacturer of automobile pistons, was so angry that he reportedly told the Nats’ owner that he was going to move the team to Detroit, which he did a year later.

Mel Hutchins (left) and Larry Foust (#16)

But the Pistons found success outside of Syracuse anyways, despite only 3,200 fans attending Game 3 on the Indianapolis fairgrounds. Forward Mel Hutchins scored a game-high 23 points to lead Fort Wayne to a 96-89 win.

Schayes bounced back with 28 points in Game 4, but the team struggled as a whole, shooting just 32-of-103 from the field. Fort Wayne, meanwhile, got double-digit scoring from seven of the nine players that checked into the game,winning 109-102 to even up the series, 2-2.

Game 5 was the wildest of the series, although it had some competition. The Pistons ran out to an early 15-point lead in Indianapolis, but the Nats fought back to the dismay of the Fort Wayne fans in attendance, and one in particular, who decided to throw his chair over the heads of the Syracuse bench and The Finals 2015

47

Johnny “Red” Kerr

Earl Lloyd

Schayes

“We had very rabid fans…they really pictured themselves as David vs. Goliath, the little town that was playing the New Yorks and the Bostons. And we beat those big cities many more times than they beat us, so the fans took great pride in that.”—Schayes

48

The Finals 2015

game was knotted up at 74 entering the final period.

The fourth quarter belonged to “Handsome” George King, who was one of the Nationals’ best ballhandlers, but one of the team’s worst free-throw shooters. With the game tied at 91 and just 12 seconds to play, the 60-percent shooter missed the first free throw but made the second to give Syracuse a one-point lead.

If that wasn’t enough, he turned around and stole the ball from the Pistons’ Andy Phillip with four ticks on the clock to secure the Syracuse victory.

As Borgia blew the final whistle, the Nationals lifted their unsung hero up into the air, while the crowd rushed onto the hardwood. But the cheers and joy continued long after the court had been cleared by police, and the championship trophy had been presented by NBA President Maurice Podoloff.

“The rest of the day became a blur,” remembers Schayes, recalling the postgame reception at the owner’s bowling alley. “We had the champagne on ice. Of course, I’m sure Fort Wayne had their champagne on ice on their plane, as well, but we spoiled their party and our party went on until day light.”

Sixty years later, the victory celebration continued, as Schayes, Kenville and Tuner returned to the War Memorial, which the Nationals called home until relocating to Philly in 1963. As a thank you for their contribution to the community, the last three living members of that historic team were each presented with a championship ring, a tradition that hadn’t yet begun in 1955.

“It’s sad when you know that there are guys who will never wear that ring,” says Tucker of all the coaches and teammates who have since passed away.

“But the good thing is they gave rings to their survivors, the family. So you can live with that.”

For Schayes, it was his second championship ring. The 12-time All-Star had actually bought his own in the early ’90s.

“I thought, I want my grandchildren to know that I played on a championship team, so I’ll get one made myself and I did,” he says proudly. “But never in a million years did I expect anyone to come up with the idea to present us with another ring.

“I wear it all the time. People notice it and say, ‘Wow, you were on an NBA Championship team? You must have been something else!’”

The Stevenson Collection (3)/NBAE/Getty Images

onto the court.

“I guess someone got a little bit upset,” laughs Tucker. “All that did was give the papers something to write about.”

The papers did write about the incident, which saw the angry fan escorted out by police. They also wrote about the fans crowding the court after the Pistons won their third straight, 74-71, and about the Nationals’ coach ripping the shirt right off a rowdy fan who got in his way.

The chaos carried over into Game 6, as the series returned to Syracuse.

A national television audience watched as players from each team got into “fisticuffs” during the second quarter, which then led to a number of fans rushing the floor to join the fight, and even referee Sid Borgia trading punches with a couple of them.

The knockout punch, though, came in the form of a late-game hook shot by Kerr and a tap-in by rookie Dick Farley, his only field goal of the night, giving the Nationals a 109-104 win to force a deciding Game 7.

The final game of the Finals tipped off the next day (Games 2 and 3 also were on back-to-back days) at 3:30 p.m. on Easter Sunday. With the Nationals at home once again, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Or so Syracuse fans might have thought.

“I didn’t have a very good game,” admits Schayes, thinking back to that historic afternoon. “I was hyperventilating. It was the seventh game of a long season and it all came down to one game, so there was a lot of pressure.”

Schayes wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure early on. The Pistons came out firing, as though their basketball lives depended on it, and took command with a 41-24 lead early in the second quarter.

Thankfully for Syracuse fans, the clock was on their side. The shot clock, that is.

“In the old days, if you had a lead of 17 points, you were looking to coast in the third quarter,” says Kenville, noting that the series would have been over without the clock. “You would just play a slower game and hold the ball.”

As if the basketball gods were repaying the Nationals’ owner for his big idea, the Fort Wayne lead was not enough to hold off his team. Kenville scored 11 points in the second quarter to cut the margin to six (53-47) at halftime, and the

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tic Peak The Boston Celtics decade of dominance hit its high note in 1965.

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Jerry West

Red Auerbach

“I know one thing. I’ll never live to see a team play better for a stretch than that group did. It was really sensational.”—Jerry West

Tom Sanders (#16) and Bill Russell

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hey moved the ball well and they moved well without it. The dependable big man in the middle snared carom after carom and they were off and running like a quintet of thoroughbreds. The Boston Celtics did it time after time, and year after year, for the better part of the decade.

In the 1960s, they didn’t just have great players; they had great players who played together like a symphony orchestra—none of them played exactly the same role, but in playing together, their work was unparalleled. Of all the legendary squads in the franchise’s rich history—the ones with single-name luminaries like Russell, Havlicek, Cowens, Bird, McHale, Pierce—perhaps none was better than the 1965 team, which boasted five Hall of Famers and three players named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, which celebrated the League’s first 50 years.

“I never compare any of those teams because I thought every team was great,” says Sam Jones, who won 10 titles in 13 seasons with the Celtics. “The reason why was because everybody got to make a contribution—some scored points, some rebounded, some played defense, and some did all of them.”

Winners of six straight NBA titles and coming off an at-the-time NBA record 62-win season, the Celtics were in prime position for No. 7. They had all the motivation they needed, too. The team’s founder and owner Walter A. Brown had died suddenly at his Cape Cod home in the September of 1964, inspiring the Celtic nucleus to put all their efforts into another title run.

“When he died, the guys got together and said ‘we have to win this for Walter,’” remembers Jones. “That’s how much respect we had for him.”

At full strength, with their best effort, with every bounce of the ball going their way, maybe the Western Division champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, could stop the Boston run in its tracks—maybe. However, when Elgin Baylor, a cornerstone in the Lakers’ own success during the ’60s, fractured a kneecap in the conference finals against Baltimore, not much was expected of the underdogs.

“With Baylor missing, the Lakers, in the opinion of most experts, will be lucky to win a game,” Dan Hafner wrote in the Los Angeles Times prior to the series. “It takes more than undying spirit and fantastic Jerry West to beat Red Auerbach’s latest group of wonders.”

That the Lakers ousted the Bullets to reach the Finals spoke volumes about what West could do, with or without his running mate. West averaged 46.3 points per game in the series, with Dick Barnett and Rudy LaRusso filling Baylor’s shoes the best they could, including Barnett pouring in 31 in the clincher, a 117-115 triumph in Game 6. West’s performance led Lakers head coach Fred Schaus to say it was “the most fantastic series in the history of the League. It just has to go down as the finest exhibition you can expect from a man.”

Of the series triumph, West said, “[Winning] was really a pleasant surprise. I think it’s an honor just to get this far, and I hope we make a good showing [against Boston].”

The Eastern Division Finals were like a heavyweight prizefight, with Boston going blow for blow with the Philadelphia 76ers, who had bolstered their chances with a midseason trade West guarded by Sam Jones. for Wilt Chamberlain, adding him

John Havlicek

Jones

to a lineup that already included Hal Greer and Chet Walker. Centered around longtime rivals Russell and Chamberlain going head to head in the paint, the series was physical, with the Boston Globe’s Clif Keane writing “at times it sounded like freight trains colliding.” The teams traded wins for the first six games, each winning on its home floor.

All eyes were on Boston for Game 7, even the Lakers’. The headline in the Times prior to the Sixers-Celtics Game 7: “The Lakers Will Play Anyone—as Long as it’s the 76ers.” They weren’t so fortunate. The Celtics stamped their ticket to their ninth consecutive Finals series when John Havlicek leapt in front of Greer’s inbounds pass and tapped it to Jones, who dribbled out the

champs without Baylor, a proposition that Keane likened to “being without a leg.” In contrast to the Celtics’ series against Wilt, which was like “getting out of the way of a falling timber,” Keane later wrote that guarding West was more like “trying to reach out and grab a handful of wind. Off comes the armor and on with the racing shoes.”

Prior to the series, Schaus suggested that they would run with the Celtics. After all, these Lakers were young, with everyone in their 20s with the exception of Baylor, who had just turned 30 and was merely a spectator anyway.

“We’ve got younger legs than the Celtics have,” Schaus said. “Don’t they have four guys 31 years old? We should be able to run with them.”

Looking back, Jones said that only played into the Celtics’ hands. They finished the year averaging nearly 113 points per game, third best in the League. Between dominating the glass, forcing turnovers and pushing the pace, Auerbach urged his teams to take 100 shots per game, with only 80 for the opposition. In his mind, a sizable margin in shot attempts had to translate to more points and thus more wins. Boston practiced at a breakneck pace with that in mind, even as its core players aged. Havlicek’s emergence gave them even more firepower.

“Even though we were older, running the floor was something that we had dedicated ourselves to,” says Jones. “We might have been a step slower, but we’d been running the fast break year in and year out every game and practice. They could not run with us. That just wasn’t going to be done.”

That much was clear in the series opener. With Chamberlain on the sidelines as a TV commentator, the Celtics had their way in racking up a playoff record 142 points. Schaus threw everyone he had at Russell—Ellis, Gene Wiley, Darrall Imhoff, Bill “The Hill” McGill—but the Celtics’ big man still finished with 18 points and 28 rebounds. K.C. Jones locked in on West— “nose to nose” as Globe writer Will McDonough put it—denying him the ball and limiting the Lakers star to just six first-half points (to Jones’ 11). By that point, the Celtics were well on their way, having built a 15-point lead. When the final buzzer sounded, they had won by 32.

Boston didn’t expect many off nights from West, who had one in Game 1, having been “limited” to 26.

“We weren’t going to stop a shooter like West; it was just impossible,” says Sam Jones. “We knew that he was a great scorer and that he was going to get his points. We really wanted to hold down the others and prevent them from scoring 15 or 20.”

After taking their lumps in Game 1, the Lakers had to brush themselves off quickly—the next game was the next night. They were hopeful, having beaten the C’s twice at Boston Garden during the regular season, and were neck and neck with the champs into the third—a feat considering the one-sided nature of the opener. The teams were knotted at 66 two minutes past halftime, with West on his way to a 45-point night.

However, the Celtics’ balanced lineup flexed its muscles over the next four minutes, burying L.A. with a 24-10 run that put them up 90-76 midway through the third. The difference made by a late Lakers run was only cosmetic, with Boston prevailing 129-123 to head west with a two-game edge.

The Celtics’ backcourt had carried them during the semifinal grind with

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“They could not run with us. That just wasn’t going to be done.”— — Sam Jones clock to preserve Boston’s 110-109 win and cueing announcer Johnny Most to famously utter in his gravelly voice, “Havlicek stole the ball!”

“If you gave every player on the floor one basketball, Philadelphia would have kicked the crap out of us,” says Jones. “But since there was only one ball, and only one man could shoot it, we felt we had the better team.”

Boston had been a fixture in the Finals for nearly a decade and made a ritual out of hanging championship banners. It won its first title in 1957 with Russell making a big splash as a rookie alongside mainstays Bill Sharman and Bob Cousy. In 1959, the Celtics began a stretch of six consecutive titles heading into the 1964-65 campaign.

“We lost good people on the way to those championships, but we gained good people, too,” says Jones. “I can remember losing Cousy and everybody thought that was it for us. We lost Frank Ramsey, we lost Tom Heinsohn (who retired after the 1965 Finals), but in the meantime, we picked up guys like John Havlicek and Larry Siegfried, who all came along and did a great job.”

The Lakers had plenty of playoff pedigree also. West and Baylor lifted the sub-.500 1961 team to the Western Division Finals where they lost to Bob Pettit and St. Louis. They fell to Boston in the Finals in the following two years, including in Game 7 of 1962 Finals despite a combined 76 points from Baylor (41) and West (35). This time though, they were charged with ousting the

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return to Boston with the series tied. They erased an eight-point first-half deficit by outscoring the Celtics 37-23 in the second quarter, seizing a 61-55 lead at intermission. However, the momentum was short-lived. As they did for much of the series, Boston rode Sam Jones into the victory column. Jones, who at 31 had the highest scoring regular season of his career, continued his onslaught in the playoffs. In Game 4, with West mustering a mere 22, Jones was the high scorer with 37.

Boston grabbed an 88-82 lead after three quarters, and led by as many as 16 in what eventually was a 112-99 Celtic win.

Back at the Garden for Game 5, the Celtics punctuated their eighth title with what McDonough called “one of the most glittering displays of basketball the game has ever seen in the fourth quarter.” Up by Elgin Baylor (#22) was a crucial missing piece of the Lakers during the 1965 Finals. In Baylor’s absence, players such as Rudy LaRusso (#35) did their best to fill in the 27.1 ppg and 12.8 rpg that Baylor produced during the 16 heading into the final quarter of regular season.

Game 5, Boston bolted out of the gates as if the outcome was still Philly, but it was the frontcourt that gave the Lakers fits, not only Russell, in doubt. It ran off 20 consecutive points in less than five minutes to turn its who had 25 and 23 in Game 2, but also Heinsohn and Tom “Satch” Sanders lead into an unthinkable 107-71 advantage. Boston went on to win 129-96, the combining for 45, nearly double their regular-season output.

33-point margin registering as the largest margin of victory in a series-clincher “If this series goes more than five, it will be a mistake,” wrote McDonough. (a record eclipsed by the 2008 Celtics). It took 128 shots to the Lakers’ 95, and “That’s how obvious the Celtic supremacy is over this Lakers club, which isn’t a won the rebound battle 77-51—the perfect Auerbach formula. match for Red Auerbach’s champions without Elgin Baylor in the lineup.”

“I know one thing. I’ll never live to see a team play better for a stretch than Where there was West, there was a way though. He had carried the Lakers that group did,” West said after the game. “It was really sensational. And I take past Baltimore and made a believer out of Boston, including the Celtic with my hat off to them.” whom he had become most familiar.

When Schaus called timeout to try to thwart the spurt, Auerbach leapt from “Now I’m positive: You only stop Jerry when he’s having an off night,” his chair and kissed Mrs. Walter Brown, the widow of the late Celtics owner.

K.C. Jones, who marked West all series, told the Times before Game 3. “Oscar The team later celebrated yet another Finals conquest with Brown’s retired [Robertson] is just as tough, but the problems are different. The thing that number, 1, signifying his role as the team’s founder and first owner, hanging makes it rough against Jerry is that he can move so well without the ball. He from the rafters. scores a lot of his points because he moves so well when he doesn’t control it.”

“We loved Walter Brown,” says Sam Jones. “He loved his basketball team Added Auerbach: “I don’t know any way to stop him.” and did as much for us as he possibly could.”

Prior to the series and during the first two games, Auerbach felt that his Boston went on to win three more championships in the ’60s, all against team was too loose, perhaps too confident about going up against the Lakers, L.A. It wasn’t until former Celtics star Bill Sharman took the reins as head particularly without Baylor. Los Angeles reminded the Celtics that there was coach that the Lakers broke through in 1972, winning their first title since a series to be played with a resounding 126-105 triumph in Game 3 at the L.A. leaving Minneapolis, riding West, Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich to a recordSports Arena. The Lakers used a 16-0 run in the first quarter to open up a 27-10 setting 69 regular-season wins and a 4-1 Finals series win over the New York lead, and had it up to 41-20 early in the second. In sharp contrast to the teams’ Knicks. And it wasn’t until 1985 that the Lakers finally exacted their revenge first two tussles, L.A. kept Boston off the glass and minimized the Heinsohnon Boston in the Finals.

Sanders duo up front, holding them to 10.

In 1965, though, the Celtics were alone at the top. In 1996, the League’s 50West was his usual self, pouring in 29 of his game-high 43 in the first half, year anniversary, the ’65 squad was voted one of the top 10 teams in history his eighth 40-point effort in nine playoff games to that point. Ellis, a third-year by a panel of media members. They polished off their outstanding run to a veteran who averaged just 10 points a night during the regular season, poured seventh straight title with a five-game triumph over the Lakers. When the in 29. It was a theme throughout the series—others stepping into larger roles in C’s returned to the locker room after their Game 5 triumph to celebrate yet Baylor’s stead. Among them was Wiley, who Russell said was “developing into another championship, with a celebratory beverage streaming down his face, the best defensive center I have seen.”

Auerbach smiled and repeatedly yelled “You were magnificent, baby!” He then With one win under their belts, the Lakers came out in Game 4 poised to rhetorically asked a Globe reporter, “Weren’t they magnificent?”

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Stunner O at the Bay The 1975 Golden State Warriors shocked the Washington Bullets and the world with their Finals sweep.

n paper, the 1975 Finals appeared a complete mismatch.

Representing the Eastern Conference was the Central Division champion Washington Bullets, a 60-win powerhouse featuring future Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld and coached by a third Hall of Famer, K.C. Jones.

Representing the Western Conference was the Pacific Division champ, the Golden State Warriors, a 48-win squad—one of four teams in the West to finish .500 or better—which had a future Hall of Famer of its own in Rick Barry and an eclectic collection of talent that also included that season’s Rookie of the Year, Keith Wilkes (later Jamaal).

It was David vs. Goliath, in the truest sense, as the Warriors, were considered little challenge for the Bullets, who had dethroned the defending champion Boston. But this clash actually ended the same way the original battle did, with little David mastering the behemoth Goliath.

The Warriors’ sweep of the Bullets is still the stuff of legend, even 40 years later.

“It’s the biggest upset in the history of the League. Have anyone tell me a bigger upset in the Finals,” says Barry, an eight-time NBA All-Star (and four-time ABA All-Star) who at 31 was in his ninth pro season (five with the Warriors and four in the ABA), and his first year as captain of the team. “A team that wasn’t even supposed to be in the playoffs that when they finally get to the Finals, everybody’s saying that it’s such a mismatch that it’s going to be a sweep and then we end up sweeping the team that’s supposed to sweep us. It doesn’t get any more dramatic than that, does it?”

Golden State’s drama began only six weeks prior to the start of the season, when they traded beloved center and future Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond to conference-rival Chicago, in return for fourth-year center Clifford Ray. “Clifford Ray turned out to be, probably, the best addition that could have been brought to the team,” says Barry. “To be honest, if Nate had stayed I don’t think we would have won. I don’t take anything away from Nate, who is a dear friend and, obviously, a great player, but Clifford brought a personality and something to this team that was integral to our success.”

Ray fit in with a group that brought back point guard Butch Beard, and key role-players such as center George Johnson, guards Charles Johnson and Charles Dudley, veteran shooting guard Jeff Mullins and forward Derrek Dickey from a team that had gone 44-38 the season before. The Warriors also helped themselves in the NBA Draft, selecting Wilkes out of UCLA with the 11th overall pick, then shooting guard Phil Smith, who’d played collegiately at nearby University of San Francisco, 18 picks later. (Later in the year, they would sign veteran power forward Bill Bridges, who’d been waived by the 30-52 Lakers).

The roster hardly struck fear into anyone, and even with fiery head coach Al Attles at the helm, expectations outside the Bay Area understandably weren’t set very high.

“You traded away a Hall of Fame center and then we had a bunch of people nobody had ever heard of so nobody thought we would do a thing,” says Barry. “We knew we had something better.

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The 1974-75 Golden State Warriors took home the franchise’s lone title.

tough and showed a penchant for playing with great urgency even if sometimes it took some time for them to feel the need to do so.

In the playoffs, they dispatched division rival Seattle in six games to advance to the Western Conference Finals. That set up a showdown with Thurmond and the Bulls. In a nip-and-tuck series, the Warriors faced elimination heading into Game 6 in Chicago.

In that crucial game, Barry felt more urgency than usual. Looking to redeem himself from his lategame miscue that cost Golden State a game earlier in the series—he misunderstood Attles’ orders from the bench and, unable to find the shot clock (at the time, it was set up in different places in different arenas), he shot instead of waiting to get fouled, and his miss set up Chicago’s game-winner—he scored a game-high 36. The Warriors’ defense, led by Bridges, throttled the Bulls in an 86-72 victory.

In Game 7, Chicago led by five after one quarter, 10 at the half and by as much as 13, before the Warriors roared back, outscoring the Bulls, 24-14, in the fourth quarter to win, 83-79, and headed to the Finals.

“This is why you talk about a great team. Star players don’t always play well,” says Barry. “I stunk in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. I was 2-for-14 with three minutes to go in the third quarter and we’re trailing and Al Attles took me out of the game, put me on the bench. I sat the last three minutes of the third quarter and six minutes of the start of the fourth quarter, but our team held Chicago scoreless for seven-and-a-half minutes. If my team doesn’t play the way that they played during that stretch it’s over. When he put me back in, fortunately, I played well, I made a bunch of shots and made the pass to George Johnson for a basket and we wound up winning the game.”

With the goal in sight, the Warriors came face to face with Washington in the first major American sports championship in which the opposing teams were each led by an African-American coach. The Bullets shared the NBA’s best record with Boston and had won three of four against the Warriors during the season. Barry felt they were confident, bordering on arrogant—something most obvious in their choosing a 1-2-2-1-1 format starting at home vs. a 1-3-1-1-1 starting away. The adjustment was needed to accommodate the Warriors, who had a scheduling issue with their arena.

“This is the Miracle of the Bay Area. Nobody even thought we’d make the playoffs. It was a very special team and a very special time. We were destiny’s child.

So many things that should never have happened happened. It was destiny.”—Rick Barry

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we went to training camp but I said, ‘You know what? People are going to be surprised because we’re going to be a pretty good basketball team.’ As the season went on, I started realizing, ‘We’re more than just a good basketball team. We’re going to be able to do something special with this team.’ Then when we wound up winning our division and having homecourt advantage in the playoffs I said, ‘People better watch out. We can win this thing.’ We believed that.”

Wilkes, a two-time consensus All-America pick with John Wooden’s Bruins, where he won a pair of NCAA titles and lost only four games in three years (all in his final season), came to the Bay Area saddled with high expectations and had some trepidation of his own.

“The Warriors had not had much success with their previous first-round picks. I think their five before me didn’t work out,” recalls Wilkes. “Then, a lot of people questioned whether I would get along with Rick Barry, the reigning superstar. I knew Rick was a great scorer. I didn’t know just how good of an all-around basketball player he was. I knew people said he was a crybaby, this and that. I was a little concerned but I just decided that I would have an open mind and not pre-judge Rick or anyone else for that matter. The team was not expected to do much. We were picked fourth or fifth in our division.

In fact, even after we won it all it was like people couldn’t believe it.”

They began to make believers with an early streak of nine wins in 10 games, a run that created separation in the division and filled them with confidence.

“The quick start was very important to our team because it set a tone and it began to set an expectation early on,” says Wilkes.

“That team mirrored Al Attles’ personality. He played 11 years in the NBA. He was not a great scorer but a great defender and a great teammate and a great leader. We knew that we did not have a dominating center. We had two very good centers in Clifford Ray and George Johnson but not a dominant low-post scorer. So we knew we had to play fast, play smart and play defense and that’s what we did.”

It resulted in posting the best record in the West and winning the Pacific Division by five games over Seattle (they would have Rick Barry led all scorers in the Finals with finished fourth in the East), while going nine and 10 deep kept his 29.5 ppg average during the series. the starters fresh and the bench involved. They were mentally

Jamaal Wilkes (#41) was just a rookie in 1975, but he held his own against veteran Elvin Hayes (#11).

“They had homecourt but they were willing, because they were so cocky and thought they were going to win, they were willing to play the first game there and then go back to our place, and go play two at our place,” he recalls. “It backfired on them, especially when we beat them in the first game.”

If Washington didn’t expect Golden State to be in the Finals, it wasn’t alone.

The people that booked events for the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena (now Oracle Arena), the Warriors’ homecourt, obviously didn’t either, as they had already booked the arena for another event. So when the Finals came back to the West Coast for Games 2 and 3, the games were moved to the Cow Palace, about 20 miles away on the San Francisco side of the San Francisco Bay. Any court would have been fine, as the Warriors had all the answers to thwart the Bullets. Their method was especially frustrating to the East champs— spot them double-digit leads in the first half, then roar past them in the second.

Attles used almost his entire roster, constantly bringing in fresh legs to pressure Washington at both ends of the floor.

In Game 1, Washington used its size to to early advantage, leading by 10 after the first quarter, by 14 at the break and by as much as 16 before the Warriors

Finals MVP Barry was known for his scoring, but he also averaged 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3.5 steals during the Finals.

dominated the third quarter, then outlasted the Bullets down the stretch, winning 101-95. Barry had 24, and Phil Smith came off the bench to score 20, to help fuel the comeback.

The coasts changed for Game 2 but the pattern of play remained the same.

The Bullets jumped out to a 9-point lead after one, and got heroics from guard Phil Chenier, who netted a team-high 30, and forward Mike Riordan, who added 21, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Warriors, who got a game-high 36 from Barry, 14 from Wilkes and 13 from Charles Johnson in pulling out a 92-91 victory. It should not have been that close, but the Warriors’ offense stagnated in the fourth quarter as they tried to run off clock. A last-second stand by Golden State’s defense preserved the victory.

No deficit was too big to overcome for these Warriors, who earned the nickname “The Cardiac Kids.”

“We believed in ourselves and we always thought that we could come back and win,” says Barry. “We were a good defensive team, so we didn’t panic. We just kept going about our business, doing what we had to do. We played nine guys and not many teams do that. So we were able to go deep. Whoever got in

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“It’s the biggest upset in the history of the League. Have anyone tell me a bigger upset in the Finals.”—Barry

Hayes averaged 20.8 ppg and 10.8 rpg .

Role players such as Charles Johnson epitomized the Warriors.

Kevin Porter put up 15.8 ppg and 6.8 apg.

Clifford Ray led the Warriors in rebounds with 10 a game.

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Barry

Wilkes

Wilkes was central to playing Hayes, who averaged 20.8 ppg, but had to work for everything he got.

“I was scared out of my mind because of what had happened during the regular season,” he says, recalling a game in which Hayes went off. “I knew this guy could just tear me apart so my sense of urgency was heightened. But I knew he would have to defend me and I got a lot of help. We rotated guys on him—myself, Bill Bridges and Derrek Dickey—so he got different looks. On offense, I knew I had to make him work. I couldn’t allow him to just focus on his offensive game, otherwise he would take me apart. So I had to be aggressive on offense, so he couldn’t use all his energy on offense.”

Barry, who was on the 1967 San Francisco Warriors with Attles that lost in the Finals to Philadelphia, was named MVP of the Finals, after averaging 29.5 ppg—Wilkes was next at 11.5 ppg—on .444 shooting (44-for-99, both series highs), while also leading the team in assists (20), steals (14), and minutes played (43.0 per game).

The Warriors got a hero’s welcome when they returned home.

“The fans were going nuts,” remembers Barry. “They climbed on top of a cab that I was in and the roof crashed in. It was insane. Then we had a great reception over at the old arena.

“They talk about the ‘Miracle on Ice,’ well, this is the ‘Miracle of the Bay Area.’

Nobody even thought we’d make the playoffs,” he adds. “It was a very special team and a very special time. We were destiny’s child. So many things that should never have happened happened. It was destiny.”

Barry, who wrote a column for the San Francisco Examiner during the 201415 Warriors’ playoff run, thought destiny might be on the side of this year’s Warriors, who unlike his team, had the best record in the League.

“There are great similarities,” says Barry. “It’s exciting to see that. I’m happy for the fans. I’m happy for [Warriors majority owner] Joe Lacob. It’s nice to have him vindicated for all the criticism that he took from fans, writers and everybody else. He’s kind of proven them wrong.”

It’s taken 40 years, but proving people wrong is back in style in the Bay Area.

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the game did the job they had to do to get the job done.”

“It was just a light switch went off, a sense of urgency,” says Wilkes. “Once we did it once, when we fell behind by 20, we were really kind of blasé about it because we knew the second half was coming. We played fast and were very unselfish and we were smart. Our defense was really big. It could turn the game around in an instant with a few turnovers and good shots on offense.”

The Warriors didn’t need to come back in Game 3, as they led almost the entire way in a 109-101 win to take a 3-0 series lead. Barry poured in a gamehigh 38, one of six different Warriors to score in double figures. Hayes led the Bullets with 24 and guard Kevin Porter added 21.

As the teams headed back to Maryland for Game 4, the frustrated Bullets, who had their fill of Barry, tried a different approach to take him out of the game.

They tried to literally do so, as Riordan physically went after him.

“I knew from the opening tap that Mike was trying to get me into a fight to get me thrown out of the game, so I knew that they were desperate,” remembers Barry. “He hit me with an elbow on the jump ball. I said, ‘Oh, okay, so that’s what it’s going to be.’ So I was totally prepared for it. I just backed off. I wasn’t about to get involved. There’s no way I was going to get roped into doing something stupid and get thrown out of the game. When you have to try to get somebody to start a fight with the other team’s star player to get him out of the game so you can try to win, you’ve got a problem. That’s what happened.”

The emotions quickly came to a head less than four minutes into the game when Riordan jumped Barry as he drove to the basket.

Riordan became the one with the problem, as instead of Barry, he had to deal with Attles, who raced onto the court looking for a piece of him.

“We knew Coach Attles was like that,” says Wilkes. “If anyone started riling any of our guys up, he would take matters into his own hands. He’s a very nice man but you get on his bad side or you mess with his guys he’s going to have something to say about it.”

Attles was ejected (Riordan remained in the game) but the Warriors still had to deal with Barry. They managed to keep him to 20 points, but the Warriors got a balanced attack, including 16 from Beard, and 12 from Wilkes and Ray to again overcame a doubledigit deficit to complete the sweep with a 96-95 victory.

“I don’t think they realized how fast, how smart we were and the Members of the 1975 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors geathered in defense we played,” says Wilkes. “We would come at them in waves March to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the title. so fast, they wouldn’t know what hit them.”

Show

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The Finals 2015

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The Los Angeles Lakers were the League’s most glitzy team in 1985, but they still had plenty to prove against their longtime nemesis Boston Celtics.

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By Michael Bradley

T

he 34-point Game 1 humiliation was bad enough, but what followed was even worse. The Lakers had two days off before they played the Celtics again, so coach Pat Riley put his team through a series of grueling practices better suited for training camp than for the Finals.

Riley loved it. The gigantic defeat may have triggered a cascade of criticism for 38-year-old center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had seemed helpless against Boston’s physical front line. And it may have renewed the “Fakers” slurs against the L.A. players, who had coughed up a 2-1 margin in the 1984 Finals, a bitter seven-game loss. For Riley, it had given him a chance to “yell at everybody and break TVs,” and what coach doesn’t like to do that?

Before Wednesday’s practice, Lakers guard Magic Johnson asked Riley if he planned to give Abdul-Jabbar the day off, the better to keep his weary bones fresh for the next night’s game. Abdul-Jabbar heard the question and gave a quick answer. “Nope,” he said. A day earlier, it had been Abdul-Jabbar who arrived first in the meeting room to view the carnage from Game 1. Instead of sitting in his customary seat in the back of the room, the Big Fella was in row one, ready for an upclose look at the tough moments to come.

“He was telling me with his body language, ‘I want to see it. Show it to me,’” Riley says. “He got killed after that first game. Everybody said he was too old.”

Abdul-Jabbar watched. He practiced. And then he laid waste to the Celtics in the second game with a 30-point (on 15-of-26 shooting), 17-rebound, 3-block performance that keyed a 109-102 victory and changed the series’ personality.

Instead of letting the “Memorial Day Massacre” define the meeting between the two historic rivals, the Lakers wrote a different script.

“People were calling him over the hill, and he took that personally,” L.A. guard Michael Cooper says. “He started approaching games differently. Usually, he was a little light-hearted, but he became more focused and started showing greater leadership.”

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Magic Johnson (#32) guarded by Dennis Johnson (#3)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

James Worthy

“We had to beat them, not just for us, but for what had happened in the ‘60s.

We were carrying somebody else’s albatross.”—Pat Riley

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The Finals 2015

compelling competition.

“There was a lot of animosity between the Celtics and the Lakers,” Cooper says. “The Bird and Magic rivalry added fuel to the fire. It was a grudge thing.

I hated them so much. I’m from Los Angeles, and I saw all the losses by West and Baylor, and West and Chamberlain. The Lakers weren’t able to get over the hump all of those years, and that escalated things.

“I didn’t like M.L. Carr and his mouth and Cornbread [Maxwell’s nickname] and his mouth. I got caught up in the talk, but we hadn’t achieved anything against them yet.”

Unlike Cooper, who had grown up in the middle of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, third-year Los Angeles forward James Worthy wasn’t too familiar with the teams’ history, even though he had actually been a Celtics fan when he was growing up in North Carolina. He loved former Boston forward Paul Silas and guard Jo Jo White and was a fan of guard Sam Jones, who had graduated from North Carolina Central, a black college in the segregation-era South.

“My rookie year, we played four preseason games against [the Celtics],” Worthy says. “I thought, ‘That’s strange.’ After playing those four games, each of which was like Game 7 of the Finals, I learned the history between the teams.”

Abdul-Jabbar’s explosion in Game 2 may have surprised some who thought the center was squarely in the twilight of his legendary career. Nobody on the Lakers’ roster was shocked by the performance. Although his season’s average of 22.0 ppg was a far cry from the 34.8 ppg he averaged in 1971-72, when he was the NBA’s most overwhelming offensive weapon, Abdul-Jabbar still had the unstoppable sky hook and plenty of passion.

“He was one of the best competitors I have ever seen,” Worthy says. “Magic was vocal, but Kareem was the silent assassin. He didn’t have a lot to say, but when he did speak, he was powerful and empowering. The last thing you wanted to do was piss him off. That statement about his being over the hill was

Previous spread: Andrew D. Bernstein; This page: Ron Koch; Dick Raphael (2)/NBAE/Getty Images

The ’84 series had marked the eighth time Boston had subdued the Lakers in the Finals, a dominance that dated back to 1959, when the franchise was still in Minneapolis. Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson joined Hall of Fame standouts Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain in what seemed like a Laker rite of passage. It was nice to beat Philadelphia for the title, as L.A. did in 1980 and ’82, and taking care of New York to cap the magical 1971-72 season that included a 33-game winning streak was great, but losing to the Celtics so many times— and on four occasions in seven games—had begun to define the franchise’s personality. Any Lakers fan could recall the huge disappointments, such as the Game 7 overtime loss in ’62, the “balloon game” at the Forum in ’69, and the galling loss the previous season, when M.L. Carr’s mouth wouldn’t stop running, and Cedric Maxwell had famously told his teammates prior to the seventh game, “climb on my back, guys, and I’ll take you home” before scoring a team-high 24 points to help clinch the title.

The first-game rout had pushed all of that back to the forefront. Boston owned the Lakers, and there couldn’t have been anybody in New England who thought that 1985 would be any different than all the other Celtic triumphs. Los Angeles would never be a true NBA champion until it had beaten its nemesis, which seemed to run on an unstoppable combination of tradition, arrogance and Red Auerbach’s cigar smoke.

“We had to beat them, not just for us, but for what had happened in the ‘60s,” Riley says. “We were carrying somebody else’s albatross.”

The 1980s were a time of rebirth for the NBA, which had struggled financially during the 1970s and had lacked champions with great identities. Even the Celtic teams that won titles in ’74 and ’76 weren’t as imposing as their predecessors and lacked the star power of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy and the Jones (Sam and K.C.) “brothers.” The arrivals of Johnson and Larry Bird had created an avalanche of attention for the League, which also benefited from the 1976 merger with the ABA that brought stars such as Julius Erving into the fold. When Erving’s Sixers

would play Boston or L.A. during the regular season, TV sets across the country lit up. When the Lakers and Sixers tangled in the 1982 Finals, the ratings hit 13.0, nearly double the previous year’s ratings.

But the biggie was Boston and L.A. The teams were great rivals, filled with big-name players, representing both coasts and bringing with them the kind of confidence and bravado that made for

all he needed to get going.”

The Celtics may have made an emphatic first statement, but by winning the second game, Los Angeles had accomplished what every road team wanted to do in the first two games of a seven-game series: steal one on the road. The Lakers would be heading home for three straight at the Fabulous Forum in great shape.

This was the first year of a new 2-3-2 Finals model, which had been instituted to ease the cross-country travel burden on the teams and CBS, which broadcast the Finals. There was some pressure on the Lakers to pull off an unlikely sweep at home, lest they return to Boston, where they would find a cramped, hot locker room, cold showers and fans who seemed to know each player’s hotel room number and the perfect time—late—to call.

The sweep appeared more probable after the Lakers coasted to victory in Game 3. Abdul-Jabbar was magnificent again, scoring 26 and grabbing 14 of the Lakers’ 49 rebounds. L.A. shot 54.2 percent from the field and held the Celtics to 43 percent success in a 136-111 win. Johnson had 17 points, 16 assists and 9

Worthy, like his teammates, was pushed relentlessly by Riley, who was a hard-driving coach with little tolerance for mistakes or a break from his way of doing things.

“I wasn’t an easy guy to play for,” Riley says, in one of the sporting world’s great understatements. “Years later, [the Lakers from that era] had a get-together, and James got up and told a story. He said that they were going to call the Child Welfare Society one time and accuse me of abuse.”

After the crushing defeat in the 1984 Finals, Riley and his team had the same single-minded approach to beating the Celtics this time. But the Celtics were rather proud and motivated, too. Boston, which was trying to become the first NBA champion to repeat since 1969, had posted the League’s best regular-season record (63-19). Bird had won the League’s MVP Award, the second of three straight he would earn.

Embarrassed by their Game 3 performance, the Celtics rallied to win Game 4 behind 28 points and 12 rebounds by Kevin McHale and 26 and 11 from Bird.

Dennis Johnson, who had 27 points and 12 assists, hit a 20-footer at the buzzer to give Boston a 107-105 victory.

For the Lakers, the defeat evoked memories of the 1984 Finals, when the more physical Celtics found a way to win the close ones. This time, Los Angeles was outrebounded 44-31 while squandering a seven-point

“We knew we were going to win. On the plane ride over to Boston, we were full of confidence.”—James Worthy

Dick Raphael (3)/NBAE/Getty Images

Michael Cooper

boards, but it was Worthy who led the team with 29 points. Still the youngster on a team with so many weapons, the 6-9 forward wasn’t yet “Big Game James,” but the ’85 series against Boston began that legacy. With his rare ability to run the floor for his size and ability to score from the post and the wing in the halfcourt, Worthy was an extremely potent offensive machine.

“James was born of special stuff,” Riley says. “He had a great countenance about him and was a truly gifted player. If you ever watched him fill the lane on the break, he looked like Usain Bolt striding out. He had great speed and the power to close out.”

Worthy had learned well from legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith, who had preached a team concept above everything else. The old joke was that the only man ever to hold Michael Jordan under 20 points a game was Smith, who wasn’t looking for individual stars. (MJ averaged 17.7 ppg during his three years as a Tar Heel.) Smith wanted people who would contribute to victory within the group. That training was why the No. 1 overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft didn’t complain about being a complementary piece for the Lakers. He could have scored much more on another team, but he might not have won three rings.

Johnson

Abdul-Jabbar

fourth-quarter lead in a game many fans viewed as must-win.

With the series tied at two games apiece, the Lakers knew they had to win Game 5 to avoid having to take a pair in Boston Garden, where the Celtics had never lost a deciding Finals game. L.A. raced to a 64-51 halftime advantage and held off a Celtic rally to win, 120-111. Once again, Abdul-Jabbar was outstanding, leading all scorers with 36 points. He was aided by Worthy, who scored 33 points on 13-of-17 shooting, and Johnson’s 26 points and 17 assists. Now it was the Celtics complaining about physical play, as Boston Coach K.C. Jones was ejected for arguing with the referees.

Though they led the series 3-2, the Lakers were hardly overwhelming favorites. True, they only had to win one game, but they had to do it in that house of horrors for visiting teams, a.k.a. as Boston Garden.

“We had to win it in Game 6,” Riley says. “I didn’t want to talk to the players about that, but I didn’t want to tell them we had two games to win one, either. I have always felt that when you had a chance to win it, you win that game. If you don’t, you won’t win the championship.”

Riley certainly knows about that. When he was coaching the Knicks in 1994, The Finals 2015

65

At 38, Abdul-Jabbar became the oldest player to be named Finals MVP.

Abdul-Jabbar

“People were calling [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] over the hill, and he took that personally.”— Michael Cooper

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The Finals 2015

Dick Raphael; Andrew D. Bernstein (2)/NBAE/Getty Images

Pat Riley

New York took a 3-2 Finals series lead on Houston but headed back to Texas and dropped the next two, including a heartbreaking, 86-84 Game 6 decision.

He didn’t want to make too much out of Game 6 with the Celtics, but nobody in the Los Angeles camp wanted to see a seventh game in Boston Garden. One person who couldn’t even bear the thought of the sixth game in Massachusetts was West, the Laker legend and general manager, who refused to accompany the team, fearing that his presence would jinx the proceedings. The players, however, felt no such specter of doom.

“We did have a sense of urgency,” Worthy says. “We had been in a sevengame series the year before, and we had lost on their floor. It’s not a good place to be. We knew we were going to win. On the plane ride over to Boston, we were full of confidence.”

It may have been a new season, but Worthy says the team remained angry from the previous year. During Game 6, all he could think about was the second game of the 1984 Finals, when Gerald Henderson intercepted his errant pass and scored a layup with 13 seconds left that led to overtime in a game the Celtics ultimately won, 124-121. Although Worthy had scored a game-high 29, and although Riley had taken responsibility for calling a timeout after McHale had missed a pair of free throws, giving Boston a chance to set its defense, Worthy remembered.

“In Game 6, I was still pissed off from the year before,” he says. “All I could think about was Game 2 in ’84. You can’t change that, and you can’t get it back, but I remembered everything, the choke signs, the hot locker room, the 3 a.m. fire alarms in our hotel. I put it all together, and I wanted to kill somebody.”

The teams were tied at halftime, 55-55, but an 8-0 third-quarter run gave Los Angeles a lead it didn’t relinquish. McHale was outstanding, scoring 32 points and pulling down 16 boards, but he fouled out with more than five minutes remaining. Bird was held to 12-of-29 shooting, and Johnson and Ainge combined to miss 25 of 31 attempts. The Lakers won, 111-100 and celebrated their first-ever series win over Boston in a quiet Garden that had emptied as Finals MVP AbdulJabbar (29 points) and Johnson (14 points, 10 boards, 14 assists) hit key shots down the stretch to preserve the championship.

“We weren’t worried about the Boston mystique at that point,” Cooper says.

“We were over that. We weren’t worried about the little leprechaun sitting on the basket. We were just knocking down shots.”

And erasing plenty of bad memories.

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5/21/15 3:31 P

Rocked ’n Rolled An oral history of the 1994-95 Houston Rockets, who went from being a one-hit wonder to backto-back No. 1 status.

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By Andy Jasner

T

photo

he 1995 Finals were expected to be a battle.

They were, though not the six or seven-game series it could have been.

That’s because the sixth-seeded Houston Rockets swept the up-and-coming Orlando Magic in four games.

The Rockets added All-Star Clyde Drexler and captured their second straight NBA title by defeating two 60-win teams (Utah Jazz, 60-22, and San Antonio Spurs, 62-20) and a 59-win team (Phoenix Suns, 59-23).

Then the Rockets upended the Magic, who won 57 games.

These four teams held the top four records in the regular season.

When the games mattered most in the playoffs, the Rockets elevated their level of play to amazing heights.

They won seven consecutive road playoff games during one stretch and nine road games overall.

This was a remarkable run in every way— especially with the sweep of the Magic to culminate in another championship.

Twenty years later, the memories are still quite vivid.

The Finals 2015

69

Statistically, Hakeem Olajuwon (32.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.0 bpg and 2.0 spg) didn’t dominate Shaquille O’Neal (28.0 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 6.3 apg, 2.5 bpg) but O’Neal appeared overmatched at times against Olajuwon, who went on to win his second Finals MVP.

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The Finals 2015

free throws. He was so great that whole season and in the playoffs. Even now, he’ll talk about what happened with such class. He represents our organization with the highest level of class. Our team came together during the regular season. We built a strong team which was set to win a title. We had a great chance and it just didn’t materialize. I can’t believe it’s been 20 years. Guys got hurt, Shaq left and it just wasn’t meant to be.

In 1995, I really thought we had a terrific chance of winning that series and getting that championship. Hakeem and Drexler and the whole Rockets team earned the title. They deserved it. But if we win the first game, I think the whole series is different. Maybe we come out on top. It never finished that way but you can’t help but wonder how it might have been different.”

ORLANDO GUARD PENNY HARDAWAY: 2 “I feel like we let the entire Eastern Conference down and let ourselves down by not winning a game.

If we had to play the series over again, I don’t think they’d be four games better than us. But they were in this series.”

ROCKETS FORWARD ROBERT HORRY: “I remember that the Magic were talking a little trash that they were going to take the series. That bothered me. I didn’t like that. We were a proud, veteran team who defeated great team after great team in the playoffs with so many clutch road wins.

When we got to the Finals, I didn’t appreciate the talk. So we let our play do the talking on the court. When you beat all those great teams, your confidence rises. When we took Game 1, we felt really good about winning the series.”

DREXLER: “Shaq was so dominating in the post and we had Dream. He won the MVP in the Finals for the second straight year though I wasn’t with the Rockets in ’94. Playing with Dream … he was an MVP all season.

He could do it all—shoot, handle, pass, screen, run the court, play defense.

He gave Shaq all he could handle and then some. Shaq got his points but Dream did his thing the whole season and through the Finals. He was the deciding factor with that presence down low. Dream was dominant in the fourth game with 35 points and 15 rebounds. I was so happy for Dream

Previous Spread: Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images This Page: Nathaniel S. Butler (2)/NBAE/Getty Images

ROCKETS CENTER HAKEEM OLAJUWON: “It wasn’t easy at all. We had so much respect for Orlando. They were a young, athletic team that had everything to win. We knew it was going to be a tough battle against them because they had athletic players at every position. They had all the ingredients to be the next young team to win. We took the first two games and took the momentum. It worked out for us, but that was a team which looked to be ready for a lot of great things.”

ROCKETS GUARD-FORWARD CLYDE DREXLER: “First of all, Orlando was poised to be a dynasty. They were young and gifted and led by Shaq, an unbelievable young center. They had Dennis Scott and Penny Hardaway and Nick Anderson. They had incredible players at each position. They were poised to dominate. Sometimes, crazy things happen.

Nick Anderson missed those free throws and we took the first couple of games and got it going. We were down big in the first game and rallied to win. That was a huge game for us. We were completely confident but that made things even better for us. When you win on the road in the playoffs and the Finals, it gives you an extra push. We expected to win and we gained more confidence with each series. Being able to sweep the Magic was something special I’ll never forget because that was a great team that we defeated.”

ROCKETS HEAD COACH RUDY TOMJANOVICH: 1 “Never underestimate the heart of a champion. I don’t have a vocabulary to describe how I feel about this team, about their character, about their guts. No one in the history of the League has done what this team has done. We won more road games than anybody. I don’t know if a player has ever played as great as Hakeem Olajuwon did all through this playoff series. I don’t know if a team has made a major trade during the course of a year and kept their chemistry together. This is a special team. Everybody we beat during the playoffs could have been a championship team. The lack of respect for this team has to stop. I’m the proudest guy in the world.”

MAGIC SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT PAT WILLIAMS: “My heart still aches for Nick Anderson in that first game of the Finals with the four missed

Penny Hardaway (#1) passing to O’Neal (#32)

Andrew D. BerNstein; Noren Trotman/NBAE/Getty Images

Clyde Drexler

because he was the one who led us every night with his MVP skills and professionalism.”

OLAJUWON: “I took pride in being a team player. If they needed me to score, I did. If they needed me to rebound, I did. If I needed to pass out of the double team, I did. We played great team basketball in the Finals. I felt like we played together, got some breaks and went from there. Without my teammates, I don’t think the results would have ended with a sweep.

Clyde, Horry … the whole team … we rallied around each other like we had all season. We stepped up to every challenge.”

HORRY: “Being the sixth seed, we never had homecourt advantage.

Maybe that gave us more of an edge. We could never be comfortable.

Getting through each series in the playoffs was like a Finals to us. The road we took to get to the Finals was as tough as anyone ever had. By the time we won the first three series, we weren’t intimidated by anyone. We said, ‘OK, let’s do it again.’ And we did. We kept playing our game and I think we made our mark by the end with that sweep.”

MAGIC GUARD DENNIS SCOTT: “We felt really good before the Finals began. We felt like we were young but also talented across the board.

Having advanced through the playoffs, we gained confidence, too. It wasn’t as if this was the first series. We had already defeated three teams including the Chicago Bulls. I regret that we didn’t win but it wasn’t for lack of effort or anything like that. We got beat by a Rockets team that

wasn’t going to be denied. They deserved to win, but looking back, I don’t think they were four games to none better than us. Some things went against us and the Rockets made all the plays they needed.”

WILLIAMS: “Hakeem played Shaq tougher than any other center I can remember. I mean, Hakeem did it all so well. He gave Shaq trouble that other centers didn’t. In the Finals, Hakeem carried the Rockets. He made some moves look so easy when they weren’t. You have to tip your hat to him for how he performed.”

DREXLER: “Something I’ll take from that series and the whole season is how our bench played. We were a true team. In the Finals, a reserve like Charles Jones gave us a huge lift. We had guys like Sam Cassell and Chucky Brown who provided great moments off the bench. Up and down the bench, the whole team supported each other. We had every guy’s back on that team. A 12-minute stretch, for instance, from a reserve like Charles Jones gave Dream a rest and we came together and just rallied around each other. I thought it was special to see that all season and I’m convinced the strong team unity took us all the way to a title.”

MAGIC GUARD BRIAN SHAW: 3 “But the thing I remember the most: After Game 4, going from the arena back to the hotel, it took us almost three hours to get back on the bus, there was so much traffic. It was stopand-go traffic. And everybody had brooms. So people were getting out of cars on the freeway and they were hitting their brooms up against our window because they swept us. So that’s, unfortunately, my memory of the ’95 Finals.”

DREXLER: “I was hoping to win a championship but you never know. I had gotten close. Coming to the Rockets, I knew it was a great chance. To come back and get it done in Houston, where I played in college with “Phi Slama Jama.” I was so happy for the city of Houston when we clinched the series and won the title. I was so overwhelmed with joy. The city of Houston was so excited with another title, but this was my first and I’ll treasure it forever. The fans were so supportive all the way through. They The Finals 2015

71

Hardaway

O’Neal and Olajuwon

celebrated with us and you could see the true happiness in the fans’ eyes. To this day, fans thank me for winning that title. That’s what it’s all about. As players, we wanted it for the fans. They had our backs the whole way through.”

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The Finals 2015

Robert Horry

Olajuwon

Sam Cassell

Mario Elie

Fernando Medina; Nathaniel S. Butler (4); ANdrew D. Bernstein

OLAJUWON: “Rudy T was a players’ coach. He was a player so he understood what we went through as players. If we had a tough night or a bad game, he knew exactly how to support us and guide us. He gave us the freedom to be creative on the court. He was the leader of our team and he was the perfect coach for us.

He had passion and fire and all the things necessary to lead us. I was so honored to have him as my coach.

It’s important to have that bond and we had that with Rudy. He knew what to say and what not to say. He knew when to step in and when to step back. He pushed all the right buttons.”

HORRY: People talked about the fact that I hit big shots. Dream was double-teamed a lot and he passed it out to me. I had great open looks. I was always willing to take the shot. I never worried about missing. I just got the ball and fired. I enjoyed being in the moment. Sure, when you hit some, your confidence does improve. I was already confident so I think it made me stronger mentally in the Finals.

WILLIAMS: “If we win the Finals, maybe things are different. Maybe Shaq stays. We’ll never find out. I thought our organization put together a group more than capable of winning it all. Our starting five was as good as anyone in the League. We had bench guys capable of contributing in a big way. We had excellent coaches. We had a team which could have won it all. The Rockets took it to us and came up with all the plays to win the four games they needed. It doesn’t feel like 20 years. It kind of feels like yesterday in many ways. I’ll always have that place in my heart where I wish it was different and we were the ones who were celebrating. We just had a great group of players on that Magic team.”

OLAJUWON: “Getting Clyde on that team was special to me. Playing alongside him every day was something else. When you saw him up close, he was incredible. He could do everything. He loved to play and he could score 40 or 50 points if he needed to. He wanted that championship and was willing to do anything to help the team win. He complemented everyone on that team. We wouldn’t have won without Clyde. He contributed in so many ways that didn’t show up in the boxscore.”

HORRY: “We trailed the Jazz in the first round and lost two in a row to the Suns in the next round. We came back and kept coming back through the Spurs and then the Magic. I think the leadership we had on our team helped us stay focused. Even when we were down, we were never out. We didn’t always make things easy, but we kept fighting. We fought through injuries all season and then 1. Q uote via The New kept winning on the road. It didn’t matter where we were playing. We knew we York Times. could win on any given night. I believe those other series paid off big when we 2. Q uote via the Orlando Sentinel. advanced to the Finals. We conquered every challenge.”

3. Q uote via The

Denver Post.

4 4. Q uote via the TOMJANOVICH: “It’s hard for me to put into words how I feel about this team. The Houston Chronicle. character, the guts—no team in the history of the League did what this team did.”

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Blood,

Sweat

The San Antonio Spurs were put through the wringer by the Detroit Pistons on the way to the 2005 NBA Championship.

By Darryl Howerton

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The Finals 2015

&

&Cheers Tom Pidgeon; Brian Bahr/Getty Images; Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

T

hey say you cannot find true love until your heart has been broken.

Look no further than the 2014 Finals to see basketball prove such a hypothesis true: Spurs spurned by defending champion Heat in classic seven-game 2013 Finals; Spurs burn from the yearn all summer long; Spurs return with No. 1 seed in heart by thumping all in 2013-14 season throughout; Spurs learn lesson, find true love again, win 2014 NBA Championship.

It was a tale all too familiar 10 years ago with several of these same San Antonio Spurs when they were getting set to face the defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons in the 2005 Finals.

The Spurs of a decade ago—led by Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker—were coming off perhaps their greatest heartbreak at that time, still burning from a 2004 Western Conference Semifinals loss when the Spurs suffered defeat to the Lakers on a buzzer-beating shot by Derek Fisher.

Fisher, you’ll remember, caught the inbounds pass with 0.4 seconds remaining and made the improbable 18-foot fade-away lefty jumper that gave L.A. a 3-2 series lead and all the advantage the Lakers would need to advance to the Western Conference Finals, and eventually, to the 2004 Finals.

There, the Lakers would face the mighty Detroit Pistons’ D, one of the greatest defenses of all-time, and see The Lake Show’s ultimate demise, drowned out by the Motor City bad boys.

All the while, all the Spurs could do was watch.

From a distance.

With heartbreak.

Indeed, it was a long road back for these Spurs the following 2004-05 season.

Sure, they still had a loaded squad, with two-time NBA MVP Duncan, burgeoning All-Star Ginobili, rapidly-improving point guard Parker, annual All-Defense wing Bruce Bowen and perennial playoff superstar Robert Horry already on board from the previous postseason team.

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Chauncey Billups (#1) and Rip Hamilton (#32)

Game 7 tip-off

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Jesse D. Garrabrant; Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; Brian Bahr; Stephen Dunn/NBAE/Getty Images

But the Spurs head coach/team president Gregg Popovich and his general with San Antonio taking a 17-point fourth-quarter lead and ultimately the series’ manager R.C. Buford added size, in the form of center Nazr Mohammed, and skill, first game, 84-69. in the form of supersub Brent Barry, to improve San Antonio’s squad, not only in If Game 1 was a feeling-out process between the former and current champs, season wins, from 57 to 59, but also in postseason depth.

Game 2 was about an ex-champ marking territory on his home court, leading from It would be necessary—mandatory, even—for the foe they were to face in June. start to finish.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Pistons were the NBA’s second-ranked The Spurs methodical offense really had its way, toying with the Pistons’ defensive squad in 2004-05, led by Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace defenders, as Ginobili orchestrated the entire affair once again. at center, All-Defense second teamers Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince “Pop and TD taught me to just keep adding things to your game, keep bonding at point guard and small forward, not to mention fellow stars, power forward and playing together, and you’re going to see the results when it counts,” Ginobili Rasheed Wallace, shooting guard Richard Hamilton and power forward-center told HOOP magazine.

Antonio McDyess, a standout sixth man.

And he was spot on.

In this regard, the Spurs were at least the Pistons’ equal, with San Antonio Whether scoring (27 points, making 4-of-5 3s, 2-of-3 2s and 11-for-13 free boasting a League-leading defense and the NBA’s 18th-rated offense (Detroit was throws) or dishing (7 assists), Ginobili brought a new style to the, shall we say, 24th in 2004-05). robotic Spurs, while Duncan, who tallied 24 points and 17 rebounds in Game 1, In some ways, these Western and Eastern Conference champions were mirror provided the rock-steady foundation for Ginobili to operate on both O and D, with versions of each other, which wasn’t surprising considering Pistons head coach TD going for 18 points and 11 rebounds in the Spurs’ 97-76 Game 2 victory.

Larry Brown was the man who gave Popovich and Buford their NBA starts, San Antonio’s defensive domination at home was a story best told by Detroit’s hiring them as assistant coaches to his Spurs staff in 1988, when Brown was San dismal two-game shooting stats: 145 points on 61-for-147 (.415) shooting on twos Antonio’s head coach for a four-year stint. and 1-for-12 (.083) shooting on threes.

Thus, the scene for a coaches’ reunion was now set.

For Detroit, a three-game series at home was just what the doctor ordered, in In Game 1 at San Antonio, both squads brought their A games on D in one of the order for the Pistons to remember what it was like, in the words of Brown, “to play lowest scoring Finals contests ever. the game the right way.”

The Pistons drew first blood in the first quarter, forcing several turnovers en Share the ball on offense. Share the help on defense. route to taking a 17-4 lead seven minutes into the game.

These were two simple mantras the Pistons used to win the 2004 NBA “They’re physically kicking our [expletive],” Pop told his troops.

Championship against the L.A. Lakers, and in Game 3 of the 2005 Finals, Brown The Spurs, in response, answered with a 13-3 run, setting the tone for the next two quarters, with both teams demonstrating up close how one squad’s punch would be met and surpassed with the opponents’ counterpunch.

The biggest wallop of the game came during the fourth quarter, from the hand of Manu, as in Ginobili, who scored 15 of his game-high 26 points during the final period, going 9-for-10 shooting in the second half.

However, it was Ginobili’s bowlingball takeout of Ben Wallace, who was positioning for a charge call that never came, which resulted in a Wallace technical foul, that truly ignited Manu Ginobili (#20) was all over the place and did a bit of everything during the seven-game series, averaging 18.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4 apg and 1.3 spg.

Ginobili and the Spurs on a 19-4 run,

Nathaniel S. Butler (3)/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES; Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The tandem of Wallaces in Ben (#3) and Rasheed (#36) were a handful for the Spurs.

reminded his team of such. game-high 34 points.

Detroit got the message.

Ginobili’s spark had also returned, running off 15 points, 9 assists The Pistons D was physical—Ginobili got hurt in the game’s first minute. and 6 rebounds.

The Pistons D was stifling—Duncan was only 5-for-15, while DPOY Wallace Duncan was dominant once again, tallying 26 points and 19 rebounds. had his own block party in the game’s first quarter, blocking shots by Duncan, And the Wallace duo hosted yet another block party, with both Ben and Rasho Nesterovic, Parker, Barry and Bowen.

Rasheed blocking four shots apiece.

The Pistons D was disruptive—the Spurs had 16 assists and 18 turnovers.

Yet it was Horry—a.k.a. Big Shot Rob—who not only fueled the Spurs’ offense, The Pistons O was functional—Detroit had 22 assists and only 11 turnovers. but also made Game 5 one of the most memorable Finals games with clutch shot Besides Detroit’s leading scorer Hamilton, who scored 24 points on 23 shots, the after clutch shot after clutch shot. ball was evenly distributed amongst the other starters with everyone else taking There was a two-and-a-half minute stretch late in the fourth quarter where between 10-13 shots in Detroit’s 96-79 seamless Game 3 win.

Horry almost-singlehandedly kept the Spurs in the game, scoring 10 of San It was the formula Detroit would use again in Game 4 to similar success.

Antonio’s 12 points, from the 3:47 to 1:16 mark, by making a 25-foot three-pointer Again, they shared the ball, with all five Pistons starters taking between (set up by Ginobili), two free throws, a putback and another 25-foot trey (set up by 10-16 shots, as Billups and his backup Lindsey Hunter were the game-high Parker), which helped San Antonio tie Detroit in regulation, 89-89. scorers at 17 points.

“Game 5 was the first close contest,” says Horry, who finished with 21 points Again, they played the stifling D—Duncan had 16 points on only 5-of-17 on 5-of-6 three-point shooting, along with 7 rebounds. “So that’s when the clutch shooting, facing an assortment of sizes-and-styles, from Ben Wallace to Rasheed players step forward.”

Wallace to McDyess.

Indeed, San Antonio dialed long distance and Horry delivered big-time again.

Again, Ginobili was held in check at 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, while the Spurs team struggled offensively, going 21-for-55 on twos and 5-for-15 on threes.

Again, the Pistons won decisively, 102-71, tying the series up at 2-2.

“When you have defenders in the paint like Ben and Sheed,” says Prince, “you can become much more aggressive on the perimeter. We got back to that in the games in Detroit.”

It was only fitting that these two teams who had each won two games by blowouts would now face off in a pivotal Game 5, which would turn out to be the closest and most exciting contest of the 2005 Finals.

Robert Horry’s masterful Game 5 was punctuated by this dunk.

Billups was on fire, scoring a

“Game 5 was the first close contest, so that’s when the clutch players step forward.”—Robert Horry

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Everybody was tight in the final game’s beginning, with the Spurs taking an 18-16 first-quarter lead in the pressure-filled first period, while the Pistons edged out the halftime margin, 39-38, in a battle of slow-paced, mosh-pit basketball.

All the while, each squad was Tim Duncan averaged 20.6 ppg, 14.1 rpg and 2.1 bpg in the throwing everything and the Duncan earned the third Finals MVP of his career. series. kitchen sink at each other, to stop the other from scoring.

The Pistons bigs and smalls would foul Duncan time and time again to keep him off his rhythm, knowing the refs couldn’t call every foul.

The Spurs, meanwhile, were spread all over the floor, with their wings But the eventual seven-time NBA champion saved his two biggest and most and bigs blocking shots (seven swats from five players), as the guards and wings memorable baskets for overtime, with his Spurs trailing both times. disrupted every Pistons three-point shooter (2-for-14 on the game).

Down 95-91 with a minute-and-a-half left in OT, Horry was open for a threeThe Pistons clawed their way to a 48-39 lead in the third quarter, but their game pointer, but Bowen’s pass was low, forcing Horry to dribble off the three-point line of attrition hit a tipping point when Detroit’s bigs—Rasheed Wallace, McDyess past a fly-by Prince. Horry then took off for the rim, flying through the air as far as and Ben Wallace—picked up their fourth, fourth and third fouls, respectively, near his 34-year-old legs could take him, stretching forth his lefty, Plasticman-like arm the halfway point. for a dunk over Hamilton that saw the ball just barely get over the rim, narrowing Until then, Duncan missed his first six shots of the quarter.

San Antonio’s deficit, 95-93, with 1:25 left in overtime.

From that point on, however, Duncan went on a tear, scoring 12 points in “Me and Bruce talk about this all the time,” says Horry. “He says, ‘The way I see the third quarter’s final 6 minutes and 18 seconds, making 4-of-7 field goals and it, I gave you your best dunk of all-time.’ I say, ‘If you gave me a better pass, I’d have 4-of-4 free throws. another three.’ He threw the ball at my ankles so I had to put it back on the floor, “It was like the floodgates had opened,” said Duncan. and then take off from too far out, which aggravated a shoulder injury I’d had for Horry concurred, saying, “Tim got his bank on because the Pistons’ bigs couldn’t three years. But, thankfully, I got to the rim and finished the dunk.” be as aggressive on him like they were earlier in the game.”

Then when neither team scored in following possessions, the Spurs had an TD and the Spurs knew they could now feed the post with impunity, knowing inbounds play with nine seconds left and Detroit leading, 95-93. the Pistons couldn’t afford to foul anymore.

The Pistons placed Rasheed Wallace on the inbounds passer Horry, who Next thing you know at quarter’s end, Spurs are tied at 57-57, and have a new bounced the ball to a cutting Ginobili in the left corner. game plan the rest of the way.

Ginobili—seeing that Wallace had left Horry to double-team him in the corner Feed Duncan in the post almost every single time, with the San Antonio along with his man Prince—bounced the ball right back to Horry, who drained the faithful roaring louder with each made basket.

26-foot three-pointer with 5.8 seconds left, ultimately winning Game 5, 96-95, as The Spurs’ big man would start the fourth quarter in similar fashion, sending the Spurs took a 3-2 series lead with the Finals headed back to San Antonio. home a dunk on a Barry feed, giving San Antonio a lead it would never lose the “Everybody was surprised Rasheed left me to double Manu, but I wasn’t,” says rest of the way.

Horry, who made a Finals-high 15 three-pointers on 31 attempts in the series. “You With Detroit scrambling and in foul trouble (the Wallaces, Billups and McDyess have to realize, certain guys think a certain way, and there was a lot of time left finished with a combined 18 fouls), the Pistons were forced to double-team on the clock. I may have been a little surprised he left me, but then again, the way Duncan, who in turn became the point center, initiating passes that either led to a I passed the ball into the corner, baited them to want to trap. I knew Manu could dunk or layup (Ginobili, twice) or three-pointers (Horry, Bowen and Ginobili) as the swat up to kick it out, so I made sure I was ready for the pass.”

Spurs ultimately took a 75-68 lead with 35 seconds remaining in the game, giving It was the game—and series of plays—that will live in San Antonio lore forever. them a chance to put this game away.

That’s not to say it was this series’ final chapter because these Pistons now had From that point on, the showdown became a free-throw contest for the Spurs, new resolve for Game 6 after letting a home win get away. with Ginobili, Horry then Ginobili again knocking down pairs of free throws on Detroit now needed to regain its championship swag on the road in Game 6 just three straight possessions. to force a Game 7 in San Antonio.

San Antonio would win Game 7 by an 81-74 final score, in turn, taking its third Thanks to stellar shooting from guards Billups and Hamilton, who combined NBA championship in seven seasons. for 44 points on 6 of 10 three-pointers, the Pistons were able to mount a consistent Indeed, both teams played hard in one of the most hard-fought seven-game attack in Game 6 that enabled Detroit to score enough in each quarter (23-23series of all-time.

25-24) to fend off Duncan (21 points and 15 rebounds), Ginobili (21 points and 10 “That one was special because, at that time, we had never been so challenged rebounds), Parker (15 points and 5 assists) and the Spurs, 95-86, to tie the series at to win an NBA championship,” says Duncan, who averaged 21 points and 14 three games apiece. rebounds en route to winning his third NBA Finals MVP trophy.

One battle remained.

It was a momentous game in Spurs history that is even more relevant today Game 7 would be a culmination of battle plans and battle zones, with warriors when you consider several of those 2005 NBA champions are still winning titles clashing one last time. nearly 10 years later.

“[The 2005 Finals] was special because, at that time, we had never been so challenged to win an NBA championship.”—Tim Duncan

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Winds of Change The cast of characters shifts for the WNBA season ahead.

By Lois Elfman

T

he WNBA showcases the best of the women’s game from all over the world and action will be fierce. It’s reasonable to predict that between now and September, someone will exceed expectations, somebody will fall short, respected teams will fight to remain in the hunt and teams yearning for recognition will step up their games.

You can expect young stars like Minnesota’s Maya Moore, the 2014 WNBA MVP, to further cement herself as a budding star in the league. Moore has plenty of company in Elena Delle Donne in Chicago and Tulsa’s Skylar Diggins, two third-year players with star potential.

While youth is, in this case, queen, battle-tested veterans such as Indiana’s Tamika Catchings (2011 WNBA MVP), New York’s Tina Charles (WNBA MVP 2012) and Seattle’s Sue Bird (two-time WNBA Champion) will keep their teams vying for the throne.

While this WNBA season will be a bit longer than 2014, it’s a pretty fast and furious pace. Those teams that can establish chemistry from the onset and play with the most confidence will be the ones in the final hunt.

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Eastern Conference

Chicago Sky 2014 Record: 15-19

Connecticut Sun 2014 Record: 13-21

The Atlanta Dream is a good team and Angel McCoughtry is a franchise player. Okay, now that we’ve stated the obvious, let’s say this team had some brilliant moments in 2014 and some disappointing lows. Unquestionably, this year everyone is dreaming of more perfect days.

Last year proved to be a boffo rookie season for Shoni Schimmel. Although chosen in the first round of the draft, pundits were certainly not expecting her to wind up the MVP of the All-Star Game, but she did. Look for her to bring even more snap, crackle and pop to go with her showtime moves.

For veteran presence, look for Erika de Souza and Sancho Lyttle, who are among the league’s least known bright lights. Also, DeLisha Milton-Jones is aiming to be the league’s oldest player at age 40.

With the heart of a lion, a craving for one more championship and roots in Georgia, nothing would be a better finale for her WNBA career than another title to go with the two she won in Los Angeles.

Draft day brought point guard Samantha Logic, an outstanding passer who recorded six tripledoubles in her college career at Iowa.

In 2014, the Dream brought in one of the preeminent coaches in WNBA history, Michael Cooper, but a health crisis (a diagnosis of early stage tongue cancer) took him out of action for several weeks. He’s back in fine form and eager to take this team to glory. As a player, Cooper played the part of defensive stopper for the Los Angeles Lakers Showtime era and as a head coach, he was the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2000 and took the Los Angeles Sparks to consecutive championships in ’01 and ’02. Time for him to conjure up some sweet dreams in Atlanta.

Pretty much everything that could go wrong for the Chicago Sky in 2014 went wrong. Most notably 2013’s WNBA Rookie of the Year and the team’s star attraction, Elena Delle Donne, was laid up by the effects of Lyme disease and missed more than half the regular season. But this is no ordinary player and Chicago is no ordinary team. Upon Delle Donne’s return, the team got busy and rode the wave all the way to the WNBA Finals.

For a team that didn’t even qualify for postseason play until the franchise’s eighth year, there is no limit on the Sky. It aims high, and although the team takes unconventional paths, it seems to arrive at its desired destination.

In the offseason, Chicago executed a huge trade—bringing Cappie Pondexter, who played for legendary coach Dorothy Gaters at John Marshall Metropolitan High School, home to Chicago, and sent Epiphanny Prince home to New York City.

While on paper, Pondexter and Prince are similar players—versatile guards with extraordinary scoring prowess—they are very different personalities.

How Pondexter meshes with Delle Donne, 2014 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Allie Quigley and All-Star guard Courtney Vandersloot will be interesting to see.

Heading into the season, Delle Donne is healthy.

She spent the offseason at home in Delaware working with her longtime trainer. Center Sylvia Fowles, who was injured at the start of last season, is also healthy, but at press time remains an unsigned free agent. She played a little less this offseason, giving her body a chance to rest.

Draft day brought a bit of a surprise with the Sky’s first-round pick, Cheyenne Parker, a gifted 6-4 forward, whose on-court talent is undeniable, but who had some off-court issues during her college career.

As coach Pokey Chatman says, she doesn’t have to change a heck of a lot. She just needs for everyone to steer clear of injury and play well together.

It’s been a rough go for coach Anne Donovan since she seized the reins of the Connecticut Sun in 2013.

While she gave up 2012 league MVP Tina Charles in a dramatic trade just before the 2014 Draft, what she got in return could have made the team a force to be reckoned with.

Last season the Sun had a nice blend of veteran talent (Katie Douglas and Allison Hightower) and exciting young players (2014 WNBA Rookie of the Year Chiney Ogwumike and post player Kelsey Bone), but injuries and missteps kept Connecticut out of the playoffs.

The 2014 season will be a transition one for the Sun. Douglas retired in May after an outstanding 14-year WNBA run, finishing in eighth place in all-time scoring with 5,560 points. The hope is that the Sun’s first-round pick (No. 4 overall) forward/ center Elizabeth Williams from Duke, a four-time ACC Defensive Player of the year will ease things with her interior D. The Sun traded UConn alum Renee Montgomery and a first round draft pick to the Seattle Storm in exchange for forwards Camille Little and Shekinna Stricklen, who bring much needed presence in the four and five spots. Little, a humble, quiet leader who received little fanfare during seven seasons with the Seattle Storm, gave that team consistency, which Donovan hopes will be replicated.

Injuries are an issue before the season even begins, so the new names on the roster are greeted with high expectations. Ogwumike is still recovering from knee surgery and at best will be ready to play sometime in July. Hightower, who tried to fight through an injury last year before finally accepting the inevitable, is on track to be ready for opening day.

Alex Bentley, a deft combo guard, is returning.

The goal is for her to share point guard duties with Chelsea Gray, who was drafted last year but unable to play due to injury.

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Scott Cunningham; Barry Gossage; David Dow/NBAE/Getty Images

Atlanta Dream 2014 Record: 19-15

Ron Hoskins (2); Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

Eastern Conference

Indiana Fever 2014 Record: 16-18

New York Liberty 2014 Record: 15-19

Washington Mystics 2014 Record: 16-18

The 2014 WNBA season was coach Lin Dunn’s final season at the helm of the Indiana Fever. While she didn’t go out with the second WNBA Championship she and her players wished for, she capped her career with a scrappy season in which there were some new faces who made a solid playoff run.

Indiana is now in the hands of hometown hero Stephanie White, who wants to again make her mark on the state to go along with an NCAA title as a player at Purdue and a WNBA title as an assistant coach of the Fever. There are two superb assistant coaches, Gail Goestenkors and Gary Kloppenburg, to help give the Fever just the right burn.

The Fever’s central and pivotal figure, Tamika Catchings, has announced she will retire after the 2016 season. That means she’s got this year and next to make an even more indelible mark on league history, because one WNBA Championship, an MVP trophy and nine selections to the All-Star Game aren’t nearly enough for such an intensely competitive person.

To stay injury free, Catchings can no longer play 35-plus minutes a game, so White has plans in place to manage time in practice and games so Catchings can have maximum impact as a player and mentor.

With no first-round picks in this year’s draft, the Fever will have to look for improvement from last season’s holdovers. Natalie Achonwa should provide help as she returns from a torn ACL but she’s expected to miss some time due to a commitment to the Canadian national team. The same goes for guard Shavonte Zellous who will miss some games while playing for the Croatian national team. Expect guard Briann January to not only show improved on-court skills, but increased leadership. Other returning players, such as forwards Natasha Howard, Lynetta Kizer and Erlana Larkins and guard Jeanette Pohlen bring a greater skill set honed in the offseason as well as greater ease in playing together.

As the 2014 WNBA Draft began, the New York Liberty announced a stunning and significant trade with the Connecticut Sun. The Liberty gave the Sun young post player Kelsey Bone and its first-round draft picks in 2014 and 2015. In exchange, the Liberty received center Tina Charles, 2012 WNBA MVP, Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion who is a native of Queens, New York.

Charles is a star, but despite some stellar leadership, she couldn’t quite salvage the Liberty’s season.

This year, coach Bill Laimbeer, who returns after a hiatus following last season, didn’t wait until draft day to drop a bombshell. In February, New York pulled off a brilliant hometown/hometown trade—sending Cappie Pondexter to the Chicago Sky and bringing Brooklyn native Epiphanny Prince, who made her Madison Square Garden debut at age 12 (playing a halftime exhibition during a New York Knicks game), home to New York. Prince and Charles are both explosive players who should mesh well together.

Joining them are two free agents with WNBA titles on their resumes, Tanisha Wright, who also has NYC ties, and Stanford alum Candice Wiggins, who won a WNBA title with the Minnesota Lynx in 2011. Veteran forward Swin Cash, a leader who, having been part of Laimbeer’s worst-to-first Detroit Shock, knows how to communicate his vision to the team and turn it into reality.

Heading into this year’s draft, the Liberty had no first-round picks, but then trades unfolded that brought two exceptional rookies to the Big Apple.

Look for Brittany Boyd to be that savvy point guard New York has desperately needed. Center Kiah Stokes comes armed with UConn championship mentality and ready to learn the pro moves from fellow Husky Charles.

It’s time for New York to liberate its winning potential and set sail.

Since head coach Mike Thibault came to the nation’s capital, the Washington Mystics have been on everyone’s radar. The young team has played with tremendous energy, but also made youthful mistakes. The Mystics ended the 2014 season with the satisfaction of making the playoffs, but the hunger to go further.

Heading into this season, the team’s nucleus has a greater degree of familiarity and ease with each other, which should bring greater maturity. Thibault anticipates there will be less of a learning curve at the season’s onset, especially since he gave the players specific things to work on either overseas or at home during the offseason.

Two-time All-Star point guard Ivory Latta, one of the shortest players in the league, continues to be a commanding presence on the court as the team’s leading scorer and distributor. Now an assistant coach at her alma mater, UNC, she’s become even more astute and aware of the dynamics of the game.

Latta’s game has blossomed as has that of center Kia Vaughn, who comes in stronger each WNBA season.

The Mystics will look for growth from its two rookies from last season, first-round picks Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson. Hartley was an AllRookie Team selection and could conceivably play a bigger role. Third-year player Emma Meesseman was the team’s leading rebounder (6.4 rpg) and could grow as a scorer (10.1 ppg in 2014). Hometown favorite and scoring mainstay Monique Currie is gone, but Tierra Ruffin-Pratt and newly signed Armintie Herrington will hopefully fill the offensive void. Also, look for first-round draft pick Ally Mallot, to contribute perimeter shooting.

Veteran guard Kara Lawson, who shines as a broadcaster, is coming to the end of her playing days, but hopes are high she still has that spark and passion that has been her trademark. She provides three-point shooting and helps space the floor. She’s also a valuable teacher to the young players.

When the votes are counted, the nation’s capital might be ready to begin its championship term.

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Western Conference

Minnesota Lynx 2014 Record: 25-9

Phoenix Mercury 2014 Record: 29-5

New coach Brian Agler, the 2010 WNBA Coach of the Year, has been brought on board to take the Los Angeles Sparks back to their glory days.

Despite the absence of two-time WNBA MVP and All-WNBA First Team Candace Parker this season (she might be back in the second half of the season), the Sparks still have plenty of talent in All-WNBA Second Team Nneka Ogwumike, Alana Beard and Kristi Toliver.

Last year, the Sparks franchise was purchased by a group including Magic Johnson. The goal is for the City of Angels to sprout some wings in celebration of another championship, and eyes are on Agler to make that happen.

In Parker’s absence, all eyes will be on Ogwumike to provide scoring and rebounding, two things she excelled in last season. Helping Ogwumike will be free-agent signee Erin Phillips who can certainly stroke it from deep (she made 45 percent of her three-point attempts in 2014) while providing championship pedigree (she is one of only a handful of players who’ve won WNBA titles with two different teams, Indiana and Phoenix). Running the show will be veteran point guard Temeka Johnson who returns to the Sparks. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in court vision. Beard, an AllDefensive Team pick a year ago, hasn’t scored like she did as a member of the Mystics since she joined the Sparks in 2012, but the hope is she can find her scoring touch again.

Draft day brought Crystal Bradford, a tough guard with a scorer’s mentality. Bradford comes from Detroit, so hopefully she’ll bring a new engine that sparks Los Angeles to high speed. The second round brought Cierra Burdick, a forward from Tennessee, who should have Lady Vols chemistry with Parker.

For most teams a trip to the conference finals would be a great season, but for a team that made three straight trips to the WNBA Finals, winning twice, being out of contention before the final buzzer is deeply disappointing. So needless to say, coach Cheryl Reeve is hoping every player on the Minnesota Lynx arrives ready to play and stays healthy all season long.

The central figure of the Lynx is the magnificent Maya Moore, 2014’s WNBA MVP, who brings so many great things on and off the court it could inspire poetry. Alongside Moore is guard Lindsay Whalen, a fearless hometown hero who brings a 12.4 ppg and 5.2 apg over 11 WNBA seasons.

After missing games in 2014 due to injury, All-Star forward and 2011 Finals MVP Seimone Augustus is primed and ready. Her ability to create her own shots is an element few other possess.

When healthy, there’s no better shot-maker in the league, which makes her absolutely vital to any championship run.

Although often overlooked, veteran forward Rebekkah Brunson is also part of the team’s leadership. Focused, unrelenting in her work ethic and dynamic, she is the player Reeve calls upon to lead by example, set a pace and fuel a sense of urgency about the way young players should conduct themselves. Long known for her defense and rebounding prowess, she can also score when needed.

Guard Monica Wright is on the mend after two surgeries, so it remains to be seen if her perimeter strength will be what it was during Minnesota’s 2011 and ’13 championship seasons.

In the frontcourt, Minnesota added former AllStar Asjha Jones to the mix in place of center Janel McCarville who will miss the 2015 season.

Minnesota needed a good back-up point guard, and traded away its first-round pick to New York to acquire Anna Cruz. In the second round, the Lynx drafted Reshanda Gray, another young talent who will hopefully add depth.

Defending champions have a target on their backs, especially when they pretty much annihilated every opponent in 2014 and posted the best record in league history. The warriors need their toughest armor, but unfortunately for the Phoenix Mercury the leading officer will be missing in action in 2015 as All-WNBA First Team and former league MVP Diana Taurasi is sitting this season out.

While it’s nearly impossible to fill the void of Taurasi’s larger than life personality, there are some extraordinary players on the Mercury and they’re going to do their best to scorch their opponents.

After battling injury and struggling a bit her rookie season, Brittney Griner found her pro groove in 2014, earning All-WNBA First team and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Right after hoisting the WNBA trophy, Griner played with the U.S. National Team for the first time and brought home gold from the World Championships. She then played international ball in China, which has a shorter season than Europe, giving her a bit of time to rest before arriving in Phoenix.

Returning to Phoenix is tough, tenacious and intense forward Candice Dupree and largely unheralded guard/forward DeWanna Bonner, who gets better with each season. Heading west for the first time, offensive powerhouse Monique Currie will make up for some of Taurasi’s lost points.

Draft day brought Isabelle Harrison, a respected center from the revered Tennessee Lady Vols, who won’t see action until 2016 as she recovers from a torn ACL. There were also some strategic free agent signings: point guard Leilani Mitchell and forward Shameka Christon, who is healthy and ready to go.

Sandy Brondello, 2014’s WNBA Coach of the Year, is hitting her stride as a visionary, leader, taskmaster and developer of talent. She won’t let the Mercury drop from the radar.

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Christian Petersen/Getty Images; Barry Gossage; Juan Ocampo/NBAE/Getty Images

Los Angeles Sparks 2014 Record: 16-18

Western Conference

Seattle Storm 2014 Record: 12-22

Tulsa Shock 2014 Record: 12-22

San Antonio comes into 2015 without its longtime fearless leader, Becky Hammon, who is now a history-making assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs. While she didn’t wear the biggest shoes in the WNBA, they’re still enormous to fill, but thankfully the San Antonio Stars have some great talent poised to make an impact.

Look no further than All-WNBA Second Team guard Danielle Robinson, who made her distinctive mark in 2014. She will now be the undisputed floor general, marshalling her troops to unity and victory.

It’s a natural progression for Robinson, MVP in this year’s EuroLeague final four, who’s used to having the ball in her hands and making big decisions.

Coach Dan Hughes also welcomes back center Jayne Appel, who is quietly an impactful leader that understands the pro game. While she’s not going to put up huge numbers, her stellar defense and rebounding will keep the Stars in games against the likes of Brittney Griner and Tina Charles.

Much will be expected of 2014 All-Rookie Team guard Kayla McBride, who led San Antonio in scoring her debut season and could conceivably better that 13 ppg output in 2015. Starting all 34 games, McBride’s 442 points bested Sophia YoungMalcolm’s previous record of 408. Speaking of Young-Malcom, she is intent on regaining the form that helped San Antonio to the 2008 WNBA Finals and her All-WNBA Second Team selection in 2012 before a torn ACL derailed her 2013 season. She’ll call upon veteran experience to achieve her goals.

Draft day brought Dearica Hamby, an athletic forward who runs the floor well and has multiple moves in the post. The Stars traded their second first-round pick to the New York Liberty for guard/forward Alex Montgomery, who brings size and athleticism at the three spot, something Hughes sought.

It’s a new era for the Seattle Storm, a team with two WNBA Championships that struggled through a rough 2014. Sue Bird, one of the most iconic point guards in league history, returns, but it appears the window may be closing on three-time league MVP Lauren Jackson, who will miss yet another season due to injury.

In the offseason, the Storm executed a dramatic trade, sending veteran forward Camille Little, one of Seattle’s most underrated but crucial players, and Shekinna Stricklen to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for point guard Renee Montgomery and a first-round draft pick.

For the third time in franchise history, Seattle had the top pick in the draft, and in a surprise got to use that pick to select Jewell Loyd, a deft and dominating guard who is poised to be a worthy successor to Bird. Loyd’s presence in the draft— giving up her final year of eligibility at Notre Dame—changed this pick from good to great, and it’s entirely possible she will have the same long-term impact as Jackson and Bird.

The Storm’s other first-round pick, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, is an exquisite three-point shooter from the indomitable University of Connecticut, who puts points on the scoreboard every time she steps on the court.

In addition to a new look, Seattle has a new coach, with Jenny Boucek taking the helm after Brian Agler moved down the Pacific coast to the Los Angeles Sparks. Boucek is in rebuilding mode— bringing in new faces and laying a foundation for the future. She wanted to maximize this draft, and the extent to which she did exceeded her expectations. Boucek likes hungry players, and she’s got a group with rabid appetites.

Competition to wear the emerald green will be fierce, and given the team’s rich history hopes are high.

While the Tulsa Shock’s progression hasn’t been electric, it has been steady. With veteran coach Fred Williams at the helm, there’s a sense of unity and purpose pushing the team forward. Center Amanda Zahui B’s decision to enter the draft after only her sophomore season at Minnesota brought the Shock an impact player with the second pick. A strong, dominant presence, the 22-year-old adds a new aura of power to the team.

With a sense of consistency now in play, it’s reasonable to expect this season the roster will not be in flux. The WNBA season is unforgiving in that it doesn’t give teams a lot of time to gel, so having a considerable amount of returnees combined with some good acquisitions should allow the Shock to take that next step—the playoffs.

Skylar Diggins, the WNBA’s Most Improved Player of 2014, when she was second in the league in scoring (20.1 ppg) behind only MVP Maya Moore, returns for season three with an eye on being more aggressive right from game one. She is determined to take Tulsa to the next level.

Helping Diggins out will be two-time All-Star Glory Johnson who averaged nearly a doubledouble (14.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg) in 2014 and Courtney Paris who rejuvenated her career by leading the Shock in rebounding at 10.2 per game.

Last year’s top draft pick Odyssey Sims gained valuable experience in the offseason while playing with the U.S. National Team that won gold in the FIBA World Cup. Sims can be an impactful scorer.

During her rookie run, she put up an impressive 16.7 ppg, earning her a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

The Shock signed post player Plenette Pierson, whose Twitter handle is @DaEnforcer33, which gives a not too subtle clue about what role she’s expected to play. Pierson was a member of the revered Detroit Shock during its championship runs, and no doubt she’d love to see this Shock revive that sense of winning purpose.

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D. Clarke Evans; TerrEnce Vaccaro; Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

San Antonio Stars 2014 Record: 16-18

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Rewind 2014-15

It wasn’t merely his accuracy (44 percent) or volume (an NBArecord 286 three-pointers) that made Stephen Curry’s MVP season so magical. As tough as it is to ignore his magical stroke, it was Curry’s steady hand leading the Warriors to an NBA-best 67 wins that made him this season’s most pivotal player.

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

The Nets and Kings squared off in a preseason game at the MasterCard Center in Beijing, China, as part of the 2014 NBA Global Games.

The NBA also touched down in Germany, Turkey and Brazil during the global tour.

Randy Belice/NBAE/Getty Images

Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were left to carry the load in Miami after the offseason departure of LeBron James and, perhaps predictably, saw their individual scoring numbers increase from 35.2 combined points per game in 2013-14 to 42.6 this season, although it came with a price in the win column. Injuries to both All-Stars had a large role in derailing the Heat in their quest for a playoff spot, but, on the bright side, the prognosis is good for Bosh, whose season ended in February after a blood clot was discovered in his lung.

Danny Bollinger/NBAE/Getty Images

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Grizzlies’ bigs Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph vie for the carom, which, together they combined for a robust 18.3 rebounds per game. Gasol, with his 17.4 points and 7.8 boards, and Randolph, with his 16.1 points and 10.5 boards, formed one of the most formidable frontcourts in the entire NBA. Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

Rewind 2014-15

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, pose with LeBron James holding honorary Cavaliers jerseys, including even a tiny one for the couple’s son, Prince George of Cambridge.

Pool/Getty Images

No longer is Blake Griffin just a dunk machine. Well, he’s still that.

But he’s much more, in large part because of an ever-expanding midrange jumpshot that deters defenders from sagging off him.

Also this season he evolved into more of a playmaker, getting teammates involved to the tune of a career-high 5.3 assists.

Watching the 6-10 power forward lead the break like a guard can be every bit as spectacular as some of those monster throwdowns.

As part of NBA Cares Season of Giving, members of the Pelicans visited a toy store in Metairie, Louisiana, to hand out gift cards and assist kids in picking out gifts during the Christmas season, but it doesn’t appear as if Anthony Davis wanted to share this stuffed teddy bear he found.

Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE/Getty Images

History was made on April 7 when 7-5 Sim Bhullar (#32) became the first player of Indian descent to play in an NBA game.

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

Three reasons why the Bucks went from worst in the East to the No. 6 seed in just a year: Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

MCW brings length and playmaking ability to the point guard position, where he can blossom under the sage tutelage of head coach Jason Kidd. Middleton continues to improve after entering the League in 2012 as a second-round pick, contributing across the board with his ability to play three positions. And worry not about pronouncing The Greek Freak’s last name, just sit back and watch the 6-11 (and possibly growing) 20-year-old do things on the basketball court that make physicists scratch their heads and recheck their theories regarding the fundamental laws of nature.

Gary Dineen(3)/NBAE/Getty Images

Carlos Boozer is one arm away from being Superman. And a cape. And blue spandex. And a secret identity, and the ability to deflect bullets. Okay, he’s closer to Clark Kent, but if he extends his left arm forward in sync with his right, it’ll look like he’s flying, channeling his inner Man of Steel.

Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15 DeMarcus Cousins was swallowing rebounds all year long in Sacramento, putting forth another season of eye-popping numbers at the center position.

His career-high averages of 24.1 points, 12.7 boards and 3.6 assists paved the way for the 24-yearold’s first All-Star Game.

Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

Although we know it wasn’t, Stephen Curry made things look easy all year. When he wasn’t smoothly sinking pull-up jumpers, launching from deep or flashing his nasty crossover to dizzy defenders, Curry was handing out effortless dimes.

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

Washington’s dynamic young backcourt catapulted the team into the playoffs for the second straight season, and while they haven’t received the accolades of the Splash Brothers in Golden State, they are younger and it could be argued the raw talent level isn’t far off.

John Wall copped his second consecutive All-Star appearance this year and Bradley Beal continues to grow as a perfect off-the-ball complement to Wall and his elite point play. Don’t be surprised if the leap into superstar territory (with catchy nickname in tow) happens as early as 2015-16.

After seven-plus years in Boston and Brooklyn, the best player in Timberwolves’ franchise history, Kevin Garnett, returned to ‘Sota following a trade-deadline deal with the Nets.

Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images

Jordan Johnson/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15 Although the clock is cut off, you’ll have to take our word time was running short when Monta Ellis chucked a wild shot after spinning and fading away. Amazingly, it went in as the buzzer sounded and the lights around the backboard illuminated, securing the win for Dallas in a December 3 tilt against Milwaukee.

Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images

Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry has had a lot to do with the team’s back-to-back Atlantic Division titles and this year he was rewarded with the first All-Star Game of his career, as a starter no less. Lou Williams, looking recovered from a torn ACL suffered in January 2013, brought home the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award averaging a career-high 15.5 points in 25.2 minutes off the bench.

Harry How/Getty Images

The League introduced new jerseys for the Christmas Day games, which featured the players’ first names listed on the back.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

2014-15 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard harassed even the best ball handlers, like Chris Paul, into turning over the rock. Leonard’s dogged pursuit led to 2.3 steals a night, which led the League, and on the offensive side he shouldered increased responsibility, going from 12.8 ppg in 2013-14 to 16.5 this year.

Stephen Dunn (2)/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

Never missing an opportunity to teach, Chris Paul assists here by pointing DeAndre Jordan in the right direction—one dime that didn’t show up in the box score for the NBA’s assist leader. And there’s no doubt DeAndre is all ears, as his game continues to improve every year, this season leading the League in field goal percentage at 71 and rebounds with 15 per game.

Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty Images

No matter how off balance, Mo Williams was draining everything in sight when he dropped a career-best and Timberwolves’ franchise-record 52 points in a win against Indiana on January 13. It was one of the most improbable 50-point performances in memory when the 32-year-old caught the basketball world off guard with his 19 of 33 shooting, 17 of 29 from outside the paint, including 6 three-pointers.

Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images

The San Antonio Spurs hired former WNBA star Becky Hammon, making history, as she became the first full-time female assistant coach in any of the four major U.S. pro sports leagues—NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB. Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

Gaining the apt reputation as a lockdown defender the past two years, Jimmy Butler’s offensive game caught up to his ferocious defense in 2014-15 to vault him into an All-Star caliber swingman. AllStar caliber swingmen don’t always get the All-Star Game nod, but this year Butler did, capturing his first. Jimmy Buckets’ statistical output increased across the board, most notably his scoring, which jumped from 13.1 in 2013-14 to 20 this season, while his shooting percentage rose from 39.7 to 46.2.

Because his game has so few holes, head coach Tom Thibodeau hates taking him off the floor, as Butler led the NBA in minutes per game with 38.7.

David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

When the San Antonio Spurs visited President Barack Obama and the White House in January to celebrate their 2013-14 NBA title, the POTUS managed to do something that few are able to do: make Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich crack a smile.

Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer can get pretty enthused about his team, often playing the part of super fan during home games at Staples Center.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

Limited to just six games in 2013-14, Kobe Bryant was all-systems-go to open 2014-15 and initially it appeared as if the 36-year-old had found the Fountain of Youth, averaging 22.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds in 35 games, but he was forced to shut it down in January with a torn rotator cuff. Along the way, on December 14, Kobe passed Michael Jordan for third place on the all-time scoring list.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

This season (his last, as he announced his retirment following the season) Shawn Marion became the first player in NBA history to accumulate at least 15,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,500 steals, 1,000 blocks and 500 three-pointers. Amazing numbers (even for a guy whose nickname is the Matrix) that reflect Marion’s amazing versatility over his 16-year career.

Issac Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images

Stephen Curry’s about to get real friendly with fans in the first row as he tries to save the loose ball from going out of bounds. Knowing how Curry’s season went, that ball he flung back onto the court probably went into the hoop.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

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Paid for by the Jeffrey M. Carlton Trust

Rewind 2014-15

As part of the NBA’s All-Star commitment to engage a million youth in New York City, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr passes with a student during the NBA All-Star FIT Celebration for NBA Cares/FIT Day of Service at West Prep Academy in New York City.

NBA Photos/NBAE/Getty Images

The binary duo of Detroit powered its engine. Down low, Andre Drummond (#0) led the League in offensive rebounds for the second year in a row, averaging 13.5 total boards with 13.8 points and 1.9 blocks. Acquired in a midseason trade, Reggie Jackson (#1) gave Detroit a spark with his 17.6 points and 9.2 dimes per game highlighted by a 23-point, 20-assist effort in March.

Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images

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Despite the fact that he looks a bit miffed in this portrait, it’s safe to say Pau Gasol enjoyed his first season in the Eastern Conference quite well. He helped the Bulls to a 50-win season, rebounded at a career-high rate (11.8 per game), brought stability to the frontcourt by starting 78 games amidst injuries to Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, and he secured his first All-Star berth since 2011.

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15 With 60 wins, the Atlanta Hawks finished with the second-best record in the entire NBA, tops in the East, and deservedly had four of their own called All-Stars: Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap. Embodying team basketball, this quartet, along with DeMarre Carroll—the Hawks’ entire starting lineup—won Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January, when they were the first team in NBA history to go 17-0 in one month. The win streak eventually ended at 19 games.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

During an overtime win in San Antonio, nothing was stopping Kyrie Irving from dropping an NBA season-high 57 points on 20 of 32 from the field, including 7 for 7 from downtown. Along with a 55-point bonanza, Kyrie had the two highest-scoring games in the League this season and became the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2006-07 to score at least 55 multiple times in the same campaign.

D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images

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James Harden “stirs the pot” in one of the more creative shot celebrations the League has to offer.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Rewind 2014-15

Russell Westbrook took home the 2015 NBA All-Star Game MVP, dropping 41 points in the Western Conference’s 163-158 victory over the East at Madison Square Garden. Russ’ 27 firsthalf points set an All-Star record for most points in a half.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15 Draymond Green epitomizes the new breed of NBA power forward—he might even be ahead of his time. The 6-7 Michigan State product can get buckets from anywhere on the floor, from posting in the paint to spotting up behind the arc. He dishes (3.7 assists per game), he boards (8.2) and hounds the opposition on D (1.3 blocks, 1.6 steals) coming up only a few votes shy of Defensive Player of the Year.

One of the more overlooked point men in the League, Mike Conley quietly goes about his business, this season orchestrating Memphis to its thirdstraight campaign of at least 50 wins.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images

It wasn’t all smiles and hand waves for Carmelo Anthony this season: The 12-year pro was limited to 40 games and was shut down in February due to a knee ailment, but he was able to cop his sixth consecutive All-Star appearance—a particularly special one for Melo since it was in front of his home fans in New York.

Elsa/Getty Images

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Damian Lillard is becoming an ironman of sorts, appearing in 246 of a possible 246 regular-season games for the Trail Blazers during his three years in the League. Notching his second straight All-Star Game, the 24-year-old point guard finished 2014-15 with averages of 21 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds to help guide Portland to the fourth seed in the West.

Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty Images

Rewind 2014-15

Gordon Hayward’s stepback buzzer-beater vs. Cleveland was nothing but net, which led to nothing but confetti filling up EnergySolutions Arena. Hayward had another fine season for the Jazz, averaging a career-best 19.3 points to go along with 4.9 boards and 4.1 dimes.

Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

Rudy Gobert’s emphatic swat made Tyler Zeller dunk nothing but his fingers into the hoop. It’s an impressive feat to be certain, one which the majority of the public can’t pull off, but NBA rules state that without the ball going through the rim it’s not worth any points.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan passed Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish of the Celtics for most games played by a trio in NBA history. The Spurs have won at least 50 games in every season since the group’s first in 2002-03.

Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

The trade-deadline acquisition of Isaiah Thomas proved to pair well with head coach Brad Stevens, as the duo led the Celtics to the playoffs in spite of limited expectations, especially following the trade of Rajon Rondo in December. In 21 games as a Celtic, the 5-9 point guard put up 19 points and 5.4 assists in just 26 minutes a night.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

After missing the 2013-14 season due to a torn ACL, Nerlens Noel was a bright spot for the 76ers during his delayed NBA debut. The campaign that started off a bit rocky, with Noel certainly shaking off some rust, but post-All-Star break he was downright scary with his 13 points, 10 boards, 2.2 blocks and 2.1 steals. Watching him—and his flat top—grow in the near future will be a treat.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

At the start of 2014-15, the Phoenix Suns became the first team to have two different sets of brothers playing on the same team in Goran and Zoran Dragic and Marcus and Markieff Morris. All four were on the floor at the same time late in the fourth during a win against the Sixers on January 2. Hopefully Eric Bledsoe, the fifth Sun on the court, didn’t feel too alone.

Christian Petersen ; Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

Anthony Davis made only one three-pointer all season but he got his money’s worth. With 1.2 seconds remaining, Davis caught an inbound pass, clutched in the air to avoid the outstretched arm of Kevin Durant and launched the game-winner as time ticked off the clock to give the Pelicans the victory. As if AD’s teammates needed another excuse to hug him, the budding superstar and his 24.4 points per game were the impetus behind New Orleans’ first postseason appearance since 2011.

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

Minnesota rookie Zach LaVine whipped out the TuneSquad Michael Jordan jersey from the film Space Jam and was doing some cartoon-like things in the air all night en route to winning this year’s Sprite Slam Dunk.

Andrew D. Bernstein; Noah Graham(2)/NBAE/Getty Images

In March, the Atlanta Hawks unveiled a statue to honor franchise great and Hall-of-Famer Dominique Wilkins. It’s no surprise the Human Highlight Film is remembered in a pose that looks like he’s ascending for one of his flashy dunks.

Gregory Shamus/NBAE/Getty Images

Andrew Wiggins, the 2014-15 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, was everything Minnesota could have hoped for when it acquired the Kansas product from Cleveland as soon as he was eligible to be traded. The No. 1 overall pick was leaned on heavily, averaging 16.9 points in 36.2 minutes and starting all 82 games.

Al Bello/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

No one gets to the line better than James Harden, who attempted a whopping 170 more free throws than his nearest competitor, netting them at an 86.8% clip.

His propensity to slice into the lane and draw contact makes him a chore to guard when you consider he can also light it up from deep (2.6 three-pointers per game)—or just about anywhere else from the floor, save behind midcourt. It was a career-year for the 25-year-old southpaw who put up 27.4 points, 7 assists and 5.7 rebounds.

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

Bismack Biyombo stands 6-9 and when you combine his vertical leap plus his upward-extended arms he’s got some enviable length to be sure, but Derrick Williams still threw it down over every last inch of the big man in what was one of the most powerful dunks of the year.

Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

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King James’ homecoming was as good as advertised with Cleveland returning to the East’s elite and reaching postseason play for the first time since 2010—of course, the year James left for South Beach. Still the planet’s most gifted player at age 30, the basketball world was simply offered a casual reminder of what we already knew: Any team with LeBron becomes a title contender. Perhaps the most un-LeBron-like aspect of 2014-15? For the first time since his rookie year in 2003, James played sans headband.

Jason Miller/NBAE/Getty Images

Rewind 2014-15

Steve Nash called it quits in March after battling a litany of injuries, suiting up in just 65 games for the Lakers since the start of 2012. In 18 years in the League, Nash was a two-time NBA MVP and finished his career third all-time in assists.

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

Hassan Whiteside had every reason to flex his muscles this season after averaging a stunning 11.8 points on 62.8 percent shooting with 10 boards and 2.6 blocks in just 23.8 minutes per game. Out of the NBA since 2012, the seven-footer bounced around the NBA D-League, Lebanon and China before landing mid-November in Miami, where he was an absolute beast in the paint since January, highlighted by a 14-point, 13-rebound, 12-block effort in just 24 minutes in a win against Chicago.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Brook Lopez was back in healthy Brook Lopez form for the Nets after missing all but 17 games in 2013-14, and his numbers were on par with his career averages: 17 points, 7 boards, just under 2 blocks. The seven-foot pivot was especially valuable down the stretch, helping Brooklyn lock up the final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference with averages of 20 points and 9 boards across March and April.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

Although Kyle Korver’s record three-point streak ended at 127 games in March of 2014, he’s still been draining treys with relative ease and textbook stroke since. This year he led the League in three-point field goal percentage (49.2) for the second straight season and was third in total threes made behind only Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The 12-year man was awarded the first All-Star nod of his career at age 33.

Robin Lopez playfully applies the coup de grâce to Wizards’ mascot G-Wiz, who’s clearly down for the count.

Rob Carr/Getty Images

Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

Foot troubles limited Kevin Durant to just 27 games and the impact it had on the Thunder was devastating. OKC failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2008-09, Durant’s second year in the League.

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

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Nikola Vucevic is hardly brought up when discussing the NBA’s best centers, but perhaps that should be addressed, as this year the seven-footer dropped 19.3 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting along with 10.9 rebounds. At only 24 years old though, there’s still time for Vucevic to get his due.

Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

What was supposed to be an innocent intrasquad display for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team last summer turned into a season-long nightmare for Indiana Pacers’ star Paul George when he landed awkwardly under the basket and broke his leg. Roughly eight months later, on April 5, he stepped onto the court for the first time all year much to the delight of his home fans.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

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The Finals 2015

Rewind 2014-15 Steph Curry, the 2015 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest champion, scored an event-record 27 of a max 34 in the final round against a stacked field that included former winners Marco Belinelli and Kyrie Irving, as well as Splashsibling Klay Thompson.

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

In 2014-15 Dirk Nowitzki climbed to seventh all-time in scoring and surpassed Hakeem Olajuwon as the highest-scoring player born outside the U.S. The 36-year-old German has Shaquille O’Neal, who stands sixth all-time in points, well within his sights.

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

It’s possible Roy Hibbert and C.J. Miles are about to land after free falling from the rafters, but odds say the Pacers teammates are simply celebrating by jumping up from the floor and playfully smashing their bodies together.

Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty Images

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The Finals 2015

Kenneth “Manimal” Faried truly lives up to his nickname every time he steps onto the floor, playing with beastly abandon for both his body and his dreads. The 6-8 power forward averaged 12.6 points and 8.9 boards in 27.8 rabid, sweat-drenched, hard-logged minutes for Denver.

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

The knock on Eric Bledsoe used to be his inability to stay healthy.

This season, Bledsoe logged 81 games relatively unscathed. A unique physical specimen at 6-1 and 195 pounds, the Suns’ starting point guard flashed his stuff for six months with averages of 17 points, 6.1 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

Canada-grown Andrew Wiggins rises for a bucket against U.S.-born Victor Oladipo in the 2015 BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, the first year in which the contest did not pit rookies versus sophomores but rather it consisted of Team World vs. Team USA. Team USA would not be a world-beater though, as it fell, 121-112.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

The Magic’s young backcourt of 21-yearold Elfrid Payton (#4) and 23-year-old Victor Oladipo (#5) has a bright future ahead of it and that’s not even taking into account the sunny skies of Orlando.

Oladipo ended his sophomore campaign with 17.9 points, 4.1 assists and 4.2 boards, while Payton put up averages of 8.9 points and 6.5 assists, resulting in a fourth place finish for NBA Rookie of the Year. Fernando Medina/ NBAE/Getty Images

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Rewind 2014-15

Hustle in the NBA is a good thing. It leads to transition breaks, great defense and picturesque photos of the aftermath, like DeMarre Carroll here chilling on the scorer’s table Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

A breakthrough performer in 2014-15, 22-year-old Rudy Gobert utilized his seven-foot-one frame to frequently devour rebounds like this—9.5 per night to be exact. The Frenchman was a boon for Utah, averaging 8.4 points on 60.4 percent from the field to go along with 2.3 blocks, good for third in the NBA despite only averaging 26.3 minutes per game.

Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

For the second consecutive season Anthony Davis led the NBA in swats. This year the 22-year-old rejected 2.9 per game, which included this Stretch Armstrong-inspired block here against 7-footer Donatas Motiejunas.

Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images

DeAndre Jordan might be known for his shotblocking, but he wasn’t denying any highfives at the Los Angeles Clippers’ 15th annual Charity BasketBowl Challenge presented by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE/Getty Images

The Finals 2015

123

Rewind 2014-15

John Wall’s game soared this season, especially his playmaking, with his careerbest 10 dimes per game average. Wall is known for his finishes at the rim, but here he shows he can use his vertical ability to find opportunities for teammates.

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

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WITH

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ET N O O N S Y A D SATUR TM & © 2015 Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. © 2015 NBA Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

Rewind 2014-15 By most measures, 37 points in a game is a great night. Scoring 37 points in a half is jaw-dropping. But 37 points in a quarter is‌ wait, what? There are no words for what happened on January 23 at Oracle Arena when Klay Thompson erupted for an NBArecord 37 points in the third quarter. He finished the game with 52 and his nine threes in the third were an also an NBA record, and‌Oh. Right. No words. Just have a peek at the picture, then, which sums up the evening quite nicely.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

John Wall and Russell Westbrook, two of the most explosive and athletically gifted point men in the NBA, put their acrobatics on full display during the 2015 All-Star Game.

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

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The Finals 2015

Rewind 2014-15

Charlotte was buzzing with the return of the Hornets moniker in 2014-15 but the end results stung a bit, as they failed to reach the postseason following an up-and-coming 43-win campaign in 2013-14. A core group of players remains intact, including Kemba Walker, who led the team in scoring and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who made great strides in his offensive game, particularly with reinventing his jumper.

Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty Images

LaMarcus Aldridge continued his rock-solid consistency. The 29-year-old power forward cashed in on his second consecutive season of at least 23 and 10, and tallied his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance.

Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

Lakers guards Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin comprised the first starting Asian-American backcourt in NBA history on March 24. Clarkson comes from Filipino heritage while Lin has Taiwanese roots.

Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

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The Finals 2015

Rewind 2014-15 “Mine!” is a common catch phrase of babies everywhere the world over. We’re not going as far as saying that’s definitely what Glen “Big Baby” Davis is wailing here, but it does make you think.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Dwight Howard and Josh Smith relived their AAU days from Atlanta when the Rockets signed J-Smoove in December. The chemistry was working here, with Howard about to catch the Smith pass, and all season long as the Rockets snagged the Western Conference’s second seed.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Finals 2015

129

Rewind 2014-15 With Grit ’N Grind the team’s mantra, it really wasn’t much dirt and work for Grizzlies Jon Leuer and Kosta Koufos, who rolled up their sleeves to help plant seedling trees at Shelby Farms Tree Planting presented

by Wolf River Conservancy, as part of NBA Green Week, presented by Sprint.

Joe Murphy/NBAE/Getty Images

With teammate Kevin Durant sidelined a large portion of the year, it was Russell Westbrook’s time to shine in Oklahoma City and the tenacious point guard had his most impressive season to date, highlighted by winning the NBA’s scoring title with a career-high 28.1 points per game. Westbrook also had the League’s most triple-doubles (11), including a stretch of five in six games from February 24-March 8 despite the protective mask to shield a broken cheekbone.

Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images

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All eyes were on Derrick Rose as he embarked on another valiant endeavor to return to the court after playing in just 49 games since the end of 2011 due to various injuries. It wasn’t a full season in 2014-15—and Chicago fans held their breath every time he hit the deck—but D-Rose did manage to start and play in 51 games, averaging 17.7 points, and was healthy heading into the playoffs. It’s one of hopefully many more steps in the right direction for the former MVP, who’s still a ripe 26 years of age.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

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NBA Cares

#LeanInTogether Through #LeanInTogether, the NBA and WNBA have teamed up with LeanIn.org to emphasize how men can provide leadership for equality at home and at work. Join us on social media by posting with the hashtag #LeanInTogether and visit LeanIn.org/Together to learn more about what we can all do to make a difference.

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DVelopments

By Jon Cooper

Keep ’em Coming The 2014-15 season saw more NBA D-League call-ups than ever before.

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The Finals 2015

Hassan Whiteside

“The Heinemans [the owners of the Sioux Falls Skyforce] and [Skyforce] coach [Phil] Weber helped me tremendously as far as being accountable, trying to be a leader, trying to think more positive,” says Walker. “They stuck by me, they believed in me.

There’s something that you go to work every day you don’t want to let those people down because they invested so much of their own time, and it’s sincere. They care about their players.”

It’s a familiar story in Utah, where the Jazz and head coach Quin Snyder—former head coach with the Austin Toros, where he went 94-46 between 2007 and 2010—got contributions from no fewer than seven NBA D-League alumni, with four of them, guard/forward Elijah Millsap, forward Jack Cooley, point guard Bryce Cotton and forward Chris Johnson, finishing the season with the team.

“It’s wonderful,” says Cotton, who was the Big East’s leading scorer as a junior and the Conference Tournament MVP as a senior at Providence. “So many guys share the same dream and a lot of times we end up in the same place but we have different paths to get there. Everybody has different paths on how they got to this point, on this team, but we accept each other and we all have one goal.”

In addition, the NBA D-League can lead to some interesting reunions.

Cotton and Cooley played each other four times in college, where Cooley, a Notre Dame grad who spent a year in Turkey before coming back to the U.S., had a 3-1 edge—although Cotton got even in NBA D-League play. But now they’re on the same page of the same playbook.

“We talk about is how Bryce always killed our D-League team,” says Cooley with a laugh. “He got

Henry Walker

back at me, but I didn’t know at the time back in college that I’d see Bryce. He’s one of the nicest people that I know. It’s good to be able to have people that you’ve played against before and be able to have a friendship now.”

Getting a chance to learn the playbook was a big part of what allowed New York Knicks point guard Langston Galloway, a four-year starter at St. Joe’s, to make the jump from Westchester to Manhattan, as he became the first NBA call-up from the Westchester Knicks on Jan. 7 and signed for the rest of the season on Jan. 27.

“It was an opportunity for me to get better and prove that I belonged in the NBA,” says Galloway, who cracked the Knicks’ starting five for good on Jan. 19. “The coaches around me tried to instill that in me and tried to push me to get better each day and I held that to my own standard to try to do that.

In this offense, you have to be able to control the offense, have that floor control and be a leader. That was one of the biggest things I needed to learn and that’s what got in the D-League.”

There are so many other stories of NBA dreams fulfilled that began to take shape in 2014-15 thanks to the NBA D-League. Elisburg believes the gusher of talent headed from the NBA D-League to the NBA this season is a trend that won’t be reversing anytime soon.

“I think the growth will continue,” he says. “The more you see NBA teams putting their resources into the D-League, the more they’re scouting and staying active with it, it just creates more opportunities for players to go there, to really get connected to NBA teams and then lead to opportunities to get into the League.”

Issac Baldizon; Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images

When better than three out of four people agree on something, you kind of get the feeling that the something in question is a good idea.

The NBA Development League is one such good idea.

The NBA D-League’s importance was as widereaching as ever during the 2014-15 season, as 23 of 30 NBA teams brought up at least one player from the league, including both regular season conference winners, the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors, five of the six division winners and 11 of the 16 playoff participants.

Those 23 teams burned up the wires calling on the NBA D-League 63 times during the 2014-15 season, with 47 different players moving up. Both are records, topping 2011-12, when NBA franchises made the call 60 times with 43 players.

“We tried to sort of mirror the organizational philosophy in Sioux Falls with the Miami Heat,” says Miami senior vice president, basketball operations/ general manager Andy Elisburg. “You have an opportunity to look at players as they develop and continue to watch them as they grow…see an opportunity where the roster opens up you have the ability to make a move. Players that have the kind of skill that you look for, if you have a specific need, you are able to go to the D-League and see where it can lead.”

One such move by the Heat led to giving an opportunity to center Hassan Whiteside. Waived

by Memphis before the season and again on Nov. 20, Whiteside came to South Beach and has become one of the brightest young stars on the NBA horizon. The Heat gave a similar opportunity to veteran forward Henry Walker (formerly Bill) and were rewarded by seeing his renaissance season, and got a good look at a good, young point in undrafted Tyler Johnson.

“It’s three different guys with different stories of how they got to where they got to, but that’s where the beauty of the D-League is,” says Elisburg.

“It gives players, who for whatever reason, haven’t made the NBA in their first go-round or even their second, an opportunity to stay relevant with the League and stay close. You have the opportunity to perform at a level and hopefully get an opportunity.”

The 27-year-old Walker, who played with Boston and New York between 2008 and 2010 after being drafted 47th overall by Washington in 2008 out of Kansas State, found the missing piece of his game with Sioux Falls, his fourth NBA D-League team.

NBA Digital

By Jeramie McPeek

Stage Hands The Finals is the ultimate stage for the League’s two best teams and NBA TV’s NBA GameTime has made sure it has the best covering every moment of it.

NBA TV’s NBA GameTime crew of (L-R): Shaquille O’Neal, Matt Winer, Steve Smith and Charles Barkley.

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The Finals 2015

superhero capes for suits, ties and microphones.

“It’s the next best thing to being a part of a team, or on the coaching staff, in the Finals,” says Hill, an 18-year NBA veteran, seven-time All-Star and second-year journalist. “You have the access. You get a chance to be in the locker room. You see the coaches and talk to them in the hallways. We get an all-access vantage point of the Finals experience, and we also get a chance to describe that and share that feeling and emotion with people all over the world. When you think about it, it’s a little overwhelming, but it’s also very, very cool.”

Being on location for the Finals is exciting for the entire broadcast crew, from those in front of the camera to those behind it, and even those holding the cameras themselves. But it’s very cool because it gives them an opportunity to give fans something different from the familiar NBA GameTime program produced out of Atlanta.

“I don’t want to take away from all the hard work that everybody does throughout the year and during the playoffs in studio, but I think being on site really adds something,” Vertino says. “There is something about the atmosphere here at the Finals, the buzz in the arena, the energy in the city, that you don’t necessarily get from afar.”

NBA GameTime host Matt Winer couldn’t agree more.

“There’s nothing like being on the floor before and after the NBA Finals,” he says of the intensity seen both in the fans and players, which carries over to the broadcasts. “Also, between the participants, NBA legends, celebrities and fans, the peoplewatching is spectacular!”

For those watching at home, the exclusive interviews with the game’s greats and famous fans add a unique perspective to the broadcasts. But the biggest benefit to being on-site for the Finals is that NBA GameTime is there to capture the real-time reactions from players, immediately after games.

While NBA TV has always gotten long-distance interviews with players, and even broadcasts the postgame press conferences throughout the playoffs, there is something special about having the heroes of the game walk off the court and onto the set of NBA GameTime, especially after a series-clinching, championship-securing victory.

“We feel like the fans know that we’re the destination,” says Vertino, “but we also feel as though the players and the principles involved know that we are the destination as well when it comes to all things Finals.”

Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images

The Finals features some of the greatest athletes in the world today.

The two teams that stand on opposite sides of the court, shoulder to shoulder during the national anthem, are made up of dangerous scorers, lockdown defenders, All-Stars and future Hall-of-Famers.

But there is another team in the building tonight.

One with an equally gifted group of competitors, who boast resumes that some out on the hardwood can only hope to write over their careers.

NBA TV’s signature program, NBA GameTime, is back for the championship series with its lineup of NBA legends, including the likes of Sir Charles and Shaq, Chris Webber and Grant Hill, Isiah Thomas and Kenny Smith, Brent Barry and Dennis Scott, to name just a few.

“It’s really our time to roll out our roster of talent, which we feel is second to none,” says Scooter Vertino, general manager of NBA Digital. “With so much playoff experience and so many titles behind them, that just ratchets up what we have to offer to another level.”

For those players-turned-broadcasters themselves, the Finals gets their competitive juices flowing once again, after trading in their kicks and

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Finals Gear

adidas 2015 NBA Finals Champions Locker Room T-Shirt Show your pride with the adidas 2015 Finals Champions Locker Room T-Shirt. Crafted with comfy cotton, this short-sleeve tee displays screen-printed team and championship graphics (final product will feature images and team logos of the 2015 NBA Champion) and will be the official T-shirt worn on court and in the locker room by the champs. Available in men’s, women’s and youth sizing.

$25.95 (men) $27.95 (women) $15.95-19.95 (youth)

adidas 2015 NBA Finals Champions Locker room Hat Tip your hat to this year’s champion with the adidas 2015 Finals Champions Locker Room Hat (final product will feature images and team logos of the 2015 NBA Champion) that will be worn on court during the championship celebration. (Adjustable snapback)

$29.95

Wincraft 2015 NBA Finals Champions Locker Room TOwel Bask in your team’s glory while you dry off after an action-packed game. The vibrantly-decorated Wincraft 2014 Finals Champions Locker Room Towel (final product will feature images and team logos of the 2015 NBA Champion) will be used on court and in the locker room to wipe off the victory champagne.

$19.95

2015 NBA Finals Champions Hightlights DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack The 2015 Finals Champions DVD/Blu-ray combo pack is loaded with sensational regular season and postseason highlights from this year’s Championship team (final product will feature images and team logos of the 2015 NBA Champion).

$24.95

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Individual, series 4-game series Most points 145 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2002 131 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 1995 Most minutes played 187 Robert Horry, Houston 1995 186 (tied) Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Boston 1959 Highest field-goal percentage (minimum 4 made per game) .739 Derrek Dickey, Golden State 1975 .649 Mario Elie, Houston 1995 Most field goals 56 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 1995 50 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2002 Most three-point field goals made 11 Anfernee Hardaway, Orlando 1995 + Robert Horry, Houston 1995 10 Nick Anderson, Orlando 1995 + Brian Shaw, Orlando 1995 + Manu Ginobili, San Antonio 2007 Highest free-throw percentage (minimum 2 made per game) 1.000 Dennis Scott, Orlando 1995 .944 Phil Chenier, Washington 1975

5-game series

Most defensive rebounds 53 Wes Unseld, Washington 1975 45 Moses Malone, Philadelphia 1983 Most assists 51 Bob Cousy, Boston 1959 50 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1983 Most steals 14 Rick Barry, Golden State 1975 12 Robert Horry, Houston 1995

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 2001 Jerry West, L.A. Lakers 1965

246 245

Michael Jordan, Chicago 1993 Rick Barry, San Francisco 1967

284 265

Elgin Baylor, L.A. Lakers 1962 Jerry West, L.A. Lakers 1969

240 237

Wilt Chamberlain, L.A. Lakers 1973 Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 2001

292 291

Bill Russell, Boston 1968 John Havlicek, Boston 1968

345 338

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee 1974 Bill Russell, Boston 1962

.702 .653

Bill Russell, Boston 1965 John Paxson, Chicago 1991

.667 .611

Bob Gross, Portland 1977 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2000

.638 .625

James Worthy, L.A. Lakers 1984 Wilt Chamberlain, L.A. Lakers 1970

66 63

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 2001 Michael Jordan, Chicago 1991 + Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2001

101 96

Michael Jordan, Chicago 1993 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2000

101 97

Elgin Baylor, L.A. Lakers 1962 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee 1974

16 11

Rashard Lewis, Orlando 2009 Shane Battier, Miami 2012

22 17

Ray Allen, Boston 2008 Dan Majerle , Phoenix 1993

27 17

Danny Green, San Antonio 2013 Derek Harper, New York 1994

1.000 .978

James Posey, Boston 2008 Reggie Miller, Indiana 2000 + Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 2011

.960 .959

1.000

Bill Laimbeer, Detroit 1990 + Vlade Divac, L.A. Lakers 1991 Jim McMillian, L.A. Lakers 1972

140 The Finals 2015

Ray Allen, Boston 2010 Bill Sharman, Boston 1957

51 48

Jerry West, L.A. Lakers 1965 Bob Pettit, St. Louis 1961

75 67

Dwyane Wade, Miami 2006 George Mikan, Minneapolis 1950

82 75

Elgin Baylor, L.A. Lakers 1962 Jerry West, L.A. Lakers 1970

144 138

Bill Russell, Boston 1961 Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco 1964

171 160

Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia 1967 Nate Thurmond, San Francisco 1967

189 175

Bill Russell, Boston 1962 Wilt Chamberlain, L.A. Lakers 1969

31 21

Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2001 Elvin Hayes, Washington 1979

46 41

Moses Malone, Houston 1981 Dennis Rodman, Chicago 1996

35 33

Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers 2010 Elvin Hayes, Washington 1978 + Marvin Webster, Seattle 1978 + Tim Duncan, San Antonio 2005

62 58

Jack Sikma, Seattle 1979 Dwight Howard, 2009

91 79

Bill Walton, Portland 1977 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 2003

72 66

Larry Bird, Boston 1984 Tim Duncan, San Antonio 2005

62 57

Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1991 Michael Jordan, Chicago 1991

84 78

Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1985 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1987

95 91

Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1984 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1988

14 13

Michael Jordan, Chicago 1991 Charlie Ward, New York 1999

16

Julius Erving, Philadelphia 1977 + Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1980 + Larry Bird, Boston 1986 + Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 2008 Maurice Cheeks, Philadelphia 1980 + Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers 1982 + Byron Scott, L.A. Lakers 1985 + Danny Ainge, Boston 1986

20 17

Isiah Thomas, Detroit 1988 Derek Harper, New York 1994

Tim Duncan, San Antonio 2003 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers 1980

30 27

Patrick Ewing, New York 1994 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston 1994

15

Most blocked shots 11 Elvin Hayes, Washington 1975 + George Johnson, Golden State 1975 + Julius Erving, Philadelphia 1983 + John Salley, Detroit 1989 + Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2002

7-game series

178 169

.957 Most free throws made 45 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2002 34 Phil Chenier, Washington 1975 Most rebounds 118 Bill Russell, Boston 1959 76 Wes Unseld, Baltimore 1971 Most offensive rebounds 27 Moses Malone, Philadelphia 1983 19 Horace Grant, Orlando 1995

6-game series

17 16

Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers 2001 Jack Sikma, Seattle 1979

32 23

Team, Series 4-GAME SERIES

5-GAME SERIES

6-GAME SERIES

7-GAME SERIES

Most points 487 Boston vs. Minneapolis 1959 456 Houston vs. Orlando 1995

617 605

Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1965 Boston vs. St. Louis 1961

747 707

Philadelphia vs. San Francisco 1967 San Francisco vs. Philadelphia 1967

827 824

Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1966 Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1962

Fewest points 322 Cleveland vs. San Antonio 2007 346 San Antonio vs. Cleveland 2007

399 409

New York vs. San Antonio 1999 L.A. Lakers vs. Detroit 2004

481 492

Utah vs. Chicago 1998 New Jersey vs. San Antonio 2003

594 603

San Antonio vs. Detroit 2005 Houston vs. New York 1994

Most field goals 188 Boston vs. Minneapolis 1959 180 Minneapolis vs. Boston 1959

243 238

Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1965 Boston vs. St. Louis 1961

287

332 327

New York vs. L.A. Lakers 1970 L.A. Lakers vs. Boston 1984

280

Philadelphia vs. San Francisco 1967 + San Francisco vs. Philadelphia 1967 L.A. Lakers vs. Boston 1987

Most three-point field goals made 41 Orlando vs. Houston 1995 37 Houston vs. Orlando 1995

55 46

San Antonio vs. Miami 2014 Miami vs. San Antonio 2014

52 51

Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 2008 Dallas vs. Miami 2011

64 61

Miami vs. San Antonio 2013 San Antonio vs. Miami 2013

Highest free-throw percentage .785 L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia 1983 .776 Detroit vs. L.A. Lakers 1989

.826 .824

Chicago vs. L.A. Lakers 1991 Miami vs. Oklahoma City 2012

.852 .851

Indiana vs. L.A. Lakers 2000 Seattle vs. Chicago 1996

.827 .805

Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1966 L.A. Lakers vs. Boston 1962

Most rebounds 295 Boston vs. Minneapolis 1959 268 Minneapolis vs. Boston 1959

369 316

Boston vs. St. Louis 1961 Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1965

435 425

San Francisco vs. Philadelphia 1967 Philadelphia vs. San Francisco 1967

487 448

Boston vs. St. Louis 1957 Boston vs. St. Louis 1960

Most offensive rebounds 72 Golden State vs. Washington 1975 + Philadelphia vs. L.A. Lakers 1983

82 72

Washington vs. Seattle 1979 Detroit vs. Portland 1990 + Detroit vs. L.A. Lakers 2004

112 111

Houston vs. Boston 1981 Houston vs. Boston 1986

131 127

Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1984 Seattle vs. Washington 1978

Most defensive rebounds 143 Golden State vs. Washington 1975 136 Orlando vs. Houston 1995

162 161

Seattle vs. Washington 1979 San Antonio vs. New York 1999

240 228

Boston vs. Phoenix 1976 Portland vs. Philadelphia 1977

223 220

Seattle vs. Washington 1978 Milwaukee vs. Boston 1974 + Washington vs. Seattle 1978

Most assists 114 Boston vs. Minneapolis 1959 110 Orlando vs. Houston 1995

139 130

Chicago vs. L.A. Lakers 1991 Boston vs. St. Louis 1961

192 188

L.A. Lakers vs. Boston 1985 L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia 1982

198 192

L.A. Lakers vs. Boston 1984 New York vs. L.A. Lakers 1970

Most steals 55 Golden State vs. Washington 1975 45 Washington vs. Golden State 1975

49 41

Chicago vs. L.A. Lakers 1991 L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia 2001

71 64

Philadelphia vs. Portland 1977 Portland vs. Philadelphia 1977 + L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia 1982

65 63

Boston vs. L.A. Lakers 1984 Detroit vs. San Antonio 2005

44 39

L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia 2001 Seattle vs. Washington 1979

60 59

Philadelphia vs. L..A. Lakers 1980 San Antonio vs. New Jersey 2003

53 49

Detroit vs. San Antonio 2005 Seattle vs. Washington 1978

Most blocked shots 32 Golden State vs. Washington 1975 + Philadelphia vs. L.A. Lakers 1983 29 L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia 1983

142 The Finals 2015

Individual, series Minutes Most minutes, game 62 Kevin Johnson, Phoenix vs. Chicago, June 13, 1993 (3 OT) 61 Garfield Heard, Phoenix vs. Boston, June 4, 1976 (3 OT) 60 Jo Jo White, Boston vs. Phoenix, June 4, 1976 (3 OT) Most minutes per game, one championship series 49.3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee vs. Boston, 1974 (345/7) 48.7 Bill Russell, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, 1968 (292/6) 48.5 John Havlicek, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, 1968 (291/6) Scoring Most points, game 61 Elgin Baylor, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, April 14, 1962 55 Rick Barry, San Francisco vs. Philadelphia, April 18, 1967 + Michael Jordan, Chicago vs. Phoenix, June 16, 1993 53 Jerry West, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, April 23, 1969 Highest scoring average, one championship series 41.0 Michael Jordan, Chicago vs. Phoenix, 1993 (246/6) 40.8 Rick Barry, San Francisco vs. Philadelphia, 1967 (245/6) 40.6 Elgin Baylor, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, 1962 (284/7) Most points, rookie, game 42 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia, May 16, 1980 37 Joe Fulks, Philadelphia vs. Chicago, April 16, 1947 + Tom Heinsohn, Boston vs. St. Louis, April 13, 1957 (2 OT) 34 Joe Fulks, Philadelphia vs. Chicago, April 22, 1947 + Elgin Baylor, Minneapolis vs. Boston, April 4, 1959 Field goals Highest field-goal percentage, game (minimum 8 made) 1.000 Scott Wedman, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, May 27, 1985 (11/11) + John Paxson, Chicago vs. L.A. Lakers, June 5, 1991 (8/8) .917 Bill Bradley, New York vs. L.A. Lakers, April 26, 1972 (11/12) + James Worthy, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, May 31, 1984 (11/12) (OT) Most field goals, game 22 Elgin Baylor, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, April 14, 1962 + Rick Barry, San Francisco vs. Philadelphia, April 18, 1967 21 Jerry West, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, April 23, 1969 + Michael Jordan, Chicago vs. Phoenix, June 16, 1993 + Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. Indiana, June 7, 2000 Three-point field goals Most three-point field goals, game 8 Ray Allen, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, June 6, 2010 7 Kenny Smith, Houston vs. Orlando, June 7, 1995 (OT) + Scottie Pippen, Chicago vs. Utah, June 6, 1997; Ray Allen, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, June 17, 2008; Mike Miller, Miami vs.

Oklahoma City, June 21, 2012; Danny Green, San Antonio vs. Miami, June 11, 2013 Most three-point field-goal attempts, game 12 Nick Anderson, Orlando vs. Houston, June 11, 1995 + Rashard Lewis, Orlando vs. L.A. Lakers, June 7, 2009 (OT) + Rashard Lewis, Orlando vs. L.A. Lakers, June 14, 2009 11 John Starks, New York vs. Houston, June 22, 1994 + Kenny Smith, Houston vs. Orlando, June 7, 1995 (OT) + Brian Shaw, Orlando vs. Houston, June 14, 1995 + Scottie Pippen, Chicago vs. Utah, June 6, 1997 + Allen Iverson, Philadelphia vs. L.A. Lakers, June 15, 2001 + Jason Terry, Dallas vs. Miami, June 20, 2006 + Ray Allen, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, June 6, 2010 Most three-point field-goal attempts, one half 10 John Starks, New York vs. Houston, June 22, 1994 Free throws Most free throws made, none missed, game 15 Terry Porter, Portland vs. Detroit, June 7, 1990 (OT) 14 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia, May 16, 1980 Most free throws made, game 21 Dwyane Wade, Miami vs. Dallas, June 18, 2006 (OT) 19 Bob Pettit, St. Louis vs. Boston, April 9, 1958

Most free throws made, one half 13 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. Indiana, June 9, 2000 Most free throws made, one quarter 10 Paul Pierce, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, June 15, 2008 9 Frank Ramsey, Boston vs. Minneapolis, April 4, 1959 + Michael Jordan, Chicago vs. Utah, June 11, 1997 + Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. Indiana, June 9, 2000 + Austin Croshere, Indiana vs. L.A. Lakers, June 16, 2000 + Allen Iverson, Philadelphia vs. L.A. Lakers, June 10, 2001 Most free-throw attempts, game 39 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. Indiana, June 9, 2000 25 Dwyane Wade, Miami vs. Dallas, June 16, 2006 (OT) Most free-throw attempts, one half 22 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. Indiana, June 9, 2000 Most free-throw attempts, one quarter 16 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. New Jersey, June 5, 2002 16 Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. Indiana, June 9, 2000 Rebounds Most rebounds, game 40 Bill Russell, Boston vs. St. Louis, March 29, 1960 + Bill Russell, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, April 18, 1962 (OT) 38 Bill Russell, Boston vs. St. Louis, April 11, 1961 + Bill Russell, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, April 16, 1963 + Wilt Chamberlain, San Francisco vs. Boston, April 24, 1964 + Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia vs. San Francisco, April 16, 1967 Assists Most assists, game 21 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, June 3, 1984 20 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, June 4, 1987 + Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Chicago, June 12, 1991 Highest average, assists per game, one championship series 14.0 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, 1985 (84/6) 13.6 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, 1984 (95/7) 13.0 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Boston, 1987 (78/6) + Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Detroit, 1988 (91/7) Steals Most steals, game 7 Robert Horry, Houston vs. Orlando, June 9, 1995 6 John Havlicek, Boston vs. Milwaukee, May 3, 1974 + Steve Mix, Philadelphia vs. Portland, May 22, 1977 + Maurice Cheeks, Philadelphia vs. L.A. Lakers, May 7, 1980 + Isiah Thomas, Detroit vs. L.A. Lakers, June 19, 1988 + Rajon Rondo, Boston vs. L.A. Lakers, June 17, 2008 +Dwyane Wade, Miami vs. San Antonio, June 13, 2013 Blocked shots Most blocked shots, game 9 Dwight Howard, Orlando vs. L.A. Lakers, June 11, 2009 (OT) 8 Bill Walton, Portland vs. Philadelphia, June 5, 1977 + Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston vs. Boston, June 5, 1986 + Patrick Ewing, New York vs. Houston, June 17, 1994 + Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia, June 8, 2001 + Tim Duncan, San Antonio vs. New Jersey, June 15, 2003 Turnovers Most turnovers, game 10 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia, May 14, 1980 9 Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers vs. Philadelphia, May 31, 1983 Most minutes played, no turnovers, game 59 Dan Majerle, Phoenix vs. Chicago, June 13, 1993 (3 OT) 50 Wes Unseld, Washington vs. Seattle, May 29, 1979 (OT) 48 Rodney McCray, Houston vs. Boston, June 5, 1986

The Finals 2015

143

THE FINALS RESULTS Year

Dates

Winning Team (Coach)

Losing Team (Coach) Games

MVP

Year

Dates

Winning Team (Coach)

Losing Team (Coach) Games

MVP

2014

June 5 - June 15

San Antonio (Popovich)

Miami (Spoelstra)

4-1

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio

1980

May 4 - May 16

L.A. Lakers (Westhead)

Philadelphia (Cunningham)

4-2

Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

2013

June 6 - June 20

Miami (Spoelstra)

San Antonio (Popovich)

4-3

LeBron James, Miami

1979

May 20 - June 1

Seattle (Wilkens)

Washington (Motta)

4-1

Dennis Johnson, Seattle

2012

June 12 - June 21

Miami (Spoelstra)

Oklahoma City (Brooks)

4-1

LeBron James, Miami

1978

May 21 - June 7

Washington (Motta)

Seattle (Wilkens)

4-3

Wes Unseld, Washington

2011

May 31 - June 12

Dallas (Carlisle)

Miami (Spoelstra)

4-2

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas

1977

May 22 - June 5

Portland (Ramsay)

Philadelphia (Shue)

4-2

Bill Walton, Portland

2010

June 3 - June 17

L.A. Lakers (Jackson)

Boston (Rivers)

4-3

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers

1976

May 23 - June 6

Boston (Heinsohn)

Phoenix (MacLeod)

4-2

Jo Jo White, Boston

2009

June 4 - June 14

L.A. Lakers (Jackson)

Orlando (Van Gundy)

4-1

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers

1975

May 18 - May 25

Golden State (Attles)

Washington (Jones)

4-0

Rick Barry, Golden State

2008

June 5 - June 17

Boston (Rivers)

Los Angeles (Jackson)

4-2

Paul Pierce, Boston

1974

April 28 - May 12

Boston (Heinsohn)

Milwaukee (Costello)

4-3

John Havlicek, Boston

2007

June 7 - June 14

San Antonio (Popovich)

Cleveland (M. Brown)

4-0

Tony Parker, San Antonio

1973

May 1 - May 10

New York (Holzman)

L.A. Lakers (Sharman)

4-1

Willis Reed, New York

2006

June 8 - June 20

Miami (Riley)

Dallas (Johnson)

4-2

Dwyane Wade, Miami

1972

April 26 - May 7

L.A. Lakers (Sharman)

New York (Holzman)

4-1

Wilt Chamberlain, L.A. Lakers

2005

June 9 - June 23

San Antonio (Popovich)

Detroit (L. Brown)

4-3

Tim Duncan, San Antonio

1971

April 21 - April 30

Milwaukee (Costello)

Baltimore (Shue)

4-0

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee

2004

June 6 - June 15

Detroit (L. Brown)

L.A. Lakers (Jackson)

4-1

Chauncey Billups, Detroit

1970

April 24 - May 8

New York (Holzman)

L.A. Lakers (Mullaney)

4-3

Willis Reed, New York

2003

June 4 - June 15

San Antonio (Popovich)

New Jersey (Scott)

4-2

Tim Duncan, San Antonio

1969

April 23 - May 5

Boston (Russell)

L.A. Lakers (van Breda Kolff)

4-3

Jerry West, L.A. Lakers

2002

June 6 - June 12

L.A. Lakers (Jackson)

New Jersey (Scott)

4-0

Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers

1968

April 21 - May 2

Boston (Russell)

L.A. Lakers (van Breda Kolff)

4-2

*

2001

June 6 - June 15

L.A. Lakers (Jackson)

Philadelphia (L. Brown)

4-1

Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers

1967

April 14 - April 24

Philadelphia (Hannum)

San Francisco (Sharman)

4-2

*

2000

June 7 - June 19

L.A. Lakers (Jackson)

Indiana (Bird)

4-2

Shaquille O’Neal, L.A. Lakers

1966

April 17 - April 28

Boston (Auerbach)

L.A. Lakers (Schaus)

4-3

*

1999

June 16 - June 25

San Antonio (Popovich)

New York (Van Gundy)

4-1

Tim Duncan, San Antonio

1965

April 18 - April 25

Boston (Auerbach)

L.A. Lakers (Schaus)

4-1

*

1998

June 3 - June 14

Chicago (Jackson)

Utah (Sloan)

4-2

Michael Jordan, Chicago

1964

April 18 - April 26

Boston (Auerbach)

San Francisco (Hannum)

4-1

*

1997

June 1 - June 13

Chicago (Jackson)

Utah (Sloan)

4-2

Michael Jordan, Chicago

1963

April 14 - April 24

Boston (Auerbach)

L.A. Lakers (Schaus)

4-2

*

1996

June 5 - June 16

Chicago (Jackson)

Seattle (Karl)

4-2

Michael Jordan, Chicago

1962

April 7 - April 18

Boston (Auerbach)

L.A. Lakers (Schaus)

4-3

*

1995

June 7 - June 14

Houston (Tomjanovich)

Orlando (Hill)

4-0

Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston

1961

April 2 - April 11

Boston (Auerbach)

St. Louis (Seymour)

4-1

*

1994

June 8 - June 22

Houston (Tomjanovich)

New York (Riley)

4-3

Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston

1960

March 27 - April 9

Boston (Auerbach)

St. Louis (Macauley)

4-3

*

1993

June 9 - June 20

Chicago (Jackson)

Phoenix (Westphal)

4-2

Michael Jordan, Chicago

1959

April 4 - April 9

Boston (Auerbach)

Minneapolis (Kundla)

4-0

*

1992

June 3 - June 14

Chicago (Jackson)

Portland (Adelman)

4-2

Michael Jordan, Chicago

1958

March 29 - April 12

St. Louis (Hannum)

Boston (Auerbach)

4-2

*

1991

June 2 - June 12

Chicago (Jackson)

L.A. Lakers (Dunleavy)

4-1

Michael Jordan, Chicago

1957

March 30 - April 13

Boston (Auerbach)

St. Louis (Hannum)

4-3

*

1990

June 5 - June 14

Detroit (Daly)

Portland (Adelman)

4-1

Isiah Thomas, Detroit

1956

March 31 - April 7

Philadelphia (Senesky)

Ft. Wayne (Eckman)

4-1

*

1989

June 6 - June 13

Detroit (Daly)

L.A. Lakers (Riley)

4-0

Joe Dumars, Detroit

1955

March 31 - April 10

Syracuse (Cervi)

Ft. Wayne (Eckman)

4-3

*

1988

June 7 - June 21

L.A. Lakers (Riley)

Detroit (Daly)

4-3

James Worthy, L.A. Lakers

1954

March 31 - April 12

Minneapolis (Kundla)

Syracuse (Cervi)

4-3

*

1987

June 2 - June 14

L.A. Lakers (Riley)

Boston (Jones)

4-2

Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1953

April 4 - April 10

Minneapolis (Kundla)

New York (Lapchick)

4-1

*

1986

May 26 - June 8

Boston (Jones)

Houston (Fitch)

4-2

Larry Bird, Boston

1952

April 12 - April 25

Minneapolis (Kundla)

New York (Lapchick)

4-3

*

1985

May 27 - June 9

L.A. Lakers (Riley)

Boston (Jones)

4-2

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers

1951

April 7 - April 21

Rochester (Harrison)

New York (Lapchick)

4-3

*

1984

May 27 - June 12

Boston (Jones)

L.A. Lakers (Riley)

4-3

Larry Bird, Boston

1950

April 8 - April 23

Minneapolis (Kundla)

Syracuse (Cervi)

4-2

*

1983

May 22 - May 31

Philadelphia (Cunningham)

L.A. Lakers (Riley)

4-0

Moses Malone, Philadelphia

1949

April 4 - April 13

Minneapolis (Kundla)

Washington (Auerbach)

4-2

*

1982

May 27 - June 8

L.A. Lakers (Riley)

Philadelphia (Cunningham)

4-2

Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers

1948

April 10 - April 21

Baltimore (Jeannette)

Philadelphia (Gottlieb)

4-2

*

1981

May 5 - May 14

Boston (Fitch)

Houston (Harris)

4-2

Cedric Maxwell, Boston

1947

April 16 - April 22

Philadelphia (Gottlieb)

Chicago (Olsen)

4-1

*

Team with best record (or tied for best record) during regular season in italics *Finals MVP not named before 1969 144 The Finals 2015

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