player of this postseason. When
Gregg Popovich compared Curry to
Michael Jordan, the Spurs coach
wasn’t far off the mark — in Game 1
of the conference semifinals at San
Antonio, Curry’s double-double of 44
points and 11 assists was the best by
any player in the playoffs since
Jordan in 1990.
What is sensational about Curry is
that he’s establishing himself as a
star during the playoffs. Curry was
respected this season — he made an
NBA-record 272 three-pointers while
driving the Warriors to their second
postseason appearance in 19 years.
But he has never made an All-Star
team, and it’s unusual to watch
someone make a name for himself
nationally when the competition
grows more difficult.
Curry is averaging 26.5 points, 8.9
assists and 2 steals in the heat of the
playoffs. During the season he was
good for 22.9 points, 6.9 assists and
1.6 steals while shooting a lower
percentage from the field overall
than he has managed this
postseason.
Here are a dozen active players who
set the example for Curry by
becoming stars in the postseason:
? Tony Parker, 2003 NBA Finals.
Parker was finishing his second year
when he helped push the Spurs past
the Suns, Lakers and Mavericks.
Coach Gregg Popovich always
seemed to be yelling at him, and
Parker accepted the harsh advice
while helping the Spurs reach the
NBA Finals. After being outplayed by
Jason Kidd in a Game 2 loss in San
Antonio, Parker scored 26 in Game 3
to lead the Spurs in a Game 3 win on
their way to winning the
championship in six games. “I
probably wasn’t as good as Tony,”
recalled Kidd of his own play when he
was 21. “Tony can do scoring and
find the open guy, and he runs the
team. They would not have won 60-
something games if he wasn’t as
talented as he is.”
Parker wouldn’t make an All-Star
team until 2005-06. By then he had
already won two championships. His
reputation was established in the
playoffs long before he built up the
stats of a regular-season star.
? Chauncey Billups, 2004 NBA Finals.
Billups was 27, he was playing for his
sixth franchise and he had never
averaged more than 17 points or 6
assists in the regular season. His
Pistons were swept in the 2003
conference finals by Kidd’s Nets, but
in the following postseason — his
second year with Detroit — Billups
spearheaded their shocking victory
over the Lakers in five games as he
averaged 21 points, 5.2 assists and
shot 47.1 percent from the three-
point line. A season later, Billups
would lead the Pistons within
minutes of winning Game 7 of the
2005 NBA Finals. He would make his
first All-Star team the following
season, but he was already known as
“Mr. Big Shot” long before then.
? Tyson Chandler, 2011 NBA Finals.
Injuries had threatened to prevent
Chandler from fulfilling his potential
as the No. 2 pick of the 2001 draft.
He had moved from Chicago to New
Orleans to Oklahoma City, which
rescinded the acquisition for medical
reasons; in 2010 Chandler arrived in
Dallas as the result of a salary dump
by the Bobcats. He provided the
Mavericks with the defensive
leadership they’d never had, and his
presence enabled them to overcome
the firepower of LeBron James,
Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the
Finals. Chandler’s effectiveness in
the postseason turned his career
around, setting him up to win the
Defensive Player award last year on
his way to becoming an All-Star this
season.
? Rajon Rondo, 2009 playoffs. In his
second season, Rondo was viewed as
a weak link of the 2007-08 Celtics
championship team — until he helped
clinch the Game 6 win over the
Lakers with 21 points, 8 assists, 7
rebounds and 6 steals. His breakout
came one year later during the 2009
postseason in the absence of the
injured Kevin Garnett. Rondo
averaged 16.9 points, 9.8 assists
and 9.7 rebounds through two rounds
while dueling with Bulls rookie
Derrick Rose in a sensational opening
series that went seven games.
Rondo averaged 24.2 points over the
first five games against Chicago, and
15 assists over the final two games.
The postseason of ’09 showcased
Rondo and set him up to make his
All-Star debut the following season.
? Manu Ginobili, 2003 NBA Finals.
Ginobili was a 25-year-old rookie
from the Italian league who
contributed in all areas off the bench.
His impact was greater than his
individual stats, and his aggressive
style of play on the way to his first
championship defined him. He would
become an All-Star in 2004-05.
? Deron Williams, 2007 playoffs.
Williams, 22, was finishing his
second year with the Jazz when the
top-seeded Mavericks were knocked
out in the opening round by Golden
State. That upset opened a path for
Utah to reach the conference finals,
thereby showcasing Williams (who
averaged a breakthrough 19.2 points
and 8.6 assists) as a future All-Star.
He would become second team All-
NBA the following season.
? Dwyane Wade, 2004 playoffs. He
trailed LeBron James and Carmelo
Anthony in the Rookie of the Year
race while averaging 16.2 points and
4.5 assists for Miami in the regular
season. While James missed the
playoffs and Anthony was knocked
out in five games, Wade averaged
18 points and 5.6 assists throughout
the postseason, leading the team in
both categories while the young Heat
survived a Game 7 against New
Orleans and then went six games
against the Pacers. That postseason
would introduce Wade as a big-timer
who would become All-NBA the
following year and then lead Miami
to the championship in ’06.
? Dirk Nowitzki, 2001 playoffs. He
made his playoff debut by helping
the Mavs overcome three elimination
games, including a winner-take-all
Game 5 at Utah. Nowitzki averaged
23.4 points during that postseason
and made his first All-Star game the
following year.
? Steve Nash, 2001 playoffs. That
was his first postseason as a starting
point guard. He overcame John
Stockton, and Nowitzki survived Karl
Malone. Nash was a first-time All-
Star the following year as well.
? James Harden, 2011 playoffs.
Harden had averaged 12.2 points off
the bench during the regular season.
But the second-year guard turned up
his game as the young Thunder
reached the conference finals, where
he generated a couple of 23-point
games against the eventual
champion Mavericks. Harden would
win the Sixth Man award the next
year on his way to becoming a star
for the Rockets this season.
? Derrick Rose, 2009 first round. He
became a star by dueling against
Rondo. Rose averaged 19.6 points,
6.4 assists and 6.3 rebounds over
those seven games. He became an
All-Star in 2010 and league MVP in
2011.
? Russell Westbrook, 2010 first
round. He elevated his production to
20.5 points in the Thunder’s six-
game loss to the eventual champion
Lakers. Westbrook would earn All-
Star and All-NBA honors one season
later.
? Ray Allen, 1999 first round. He
had never averaged 20 points in the
regular season, but Allen made his
playoff debut with 22.3 points over a
three-game sweep by the Pacers.
The first of 10 All-Star invitations
would arrive the next season.
The Playoffs
Eight teams left and approaching the
final month …
? Warriors vs. Spurs, 1-1 heading to
Oakland for two games. An
unfortunate postseason trend has
been building around the Spurs in
recent years: they just haven’t been
able to keep up. When they were in
their championship era, an opponent
would steal an early game and the
Spurs would heighten their level of
play to win the series. Since their last
title in 2007, whether because of
injuries or the age of Manu Ginobili
and Tim Duncan, the Spurs haven’t
been able to find that next gear
against the hot Thunder (last year),
Grizzlies (2011), Suns (’10) and so
on. Now it’s the emerging star
Stephen Curry and his young
teammates who appear to be more
stubborn, aggressive and inspired,
knowing that they deserve to be up
2-0. What makes this series
interesting is the lingering question of
whether the Spurs might yet find a
way to elevate their game and
become the team they were in their
previous life.
? Grizzlies vs. Thunder, 1-1 heading
to Memphis for two games. This
promises to be the most competitive
series thanks to the misfortune of
Russell Westbrook. To Mike Conley’s
credit he is taking advantage of
Westbrook’s absence; if Westbrook
was creating defensive havoc for 38
minutes then Memphis may not have
a perimeter threat to provide balance
to their bigs. There is tremendous
theatre to the series around Kevin
Durant, who is trying to galvanize his
teammates to win a series they
should probably lose. In the
meantime, Zach Randolph and Marc
Gasol are playing hungry: They can
see the NBA Finals within their reach
and are envisioning the mismatches
they might create against Miami.
? Pacers vs. Knicks, 1-1 heading to
Indianapolis for two games. Each
team has been humiliated once
already. Most of the variables involve
the Knicks. Will J.R. Smith ever
recover from the ridiculous elbow he
threw in the previous round against
Jason Terry? (Smith has shot 15-
of-57 from the floor since.) Will the
anticipated return of Amar’e
Stoudemire in Game 3 hurt the
Knicks? (I think it will help because
in a limited role off the bench he’ll
provide additional size and a threat
to score against the bigger Pacers.)
The Pacers as a team must liberate
Paul George, David West and others,
while Carmelo Anthony and Iman
Shumpert have shown an ability to
make plays to lead the Knicks. In the
end, Anthony figures to be the
difference-maker.
? Bulls vs. Heat, 1-1 heading to
Chicago for two games. If Derrick
Rose and Kirk Hinrich aren’t able to
come back then it’s asking too much
of the Bulls to win four games
against the league’s best team. The
Bulls will try harder than any team in
the league to win three more, but
their loss in Game 2 (and other
blowout losses this season) showed
how difficult it is for them to uphold
the highest standards amid the
absence of so much talent. Miami is
going to have to rise to that higher
gear in order to survive this series. If
the Heat go onto win another title,
they’ll thank the Bulls for waking
them up and preparing them after a
season that has been altogether too
easy for the defending champs.
Quote Of The Week
“We welcome his championship
pedigree to our organization.”
– Lon Babby on the Suns new GM.
The Suns president was revealing
that the team had hired Ryan
McDonough as its new GM.
McDonough played an important role
as assistant GM during the Celtics’
six-year run of contention. From Red
Auerbach, Danny Ainge and others
he learned to identify and judge
talent, which enabled McDonough to
push the Celtics to draft their
starting backcourt of Rajon Rondo
and Avery Bradley with first-round
picks. It will be interesting to see
how he pulls together his staff of
scouts and coaches in order to
resurrect what has traditionally been
one of the league’s most successful
franchises in Phoenix. This was an
inspired hire.
The Breakdown
A longtime NBA assistant coach
breaks down the league-wide
searches for new head coaches:
“If Scott Skiles was your previous
coach, then your next guy is probably
going to be more of a players’ coach.
The same goes with Lawrence Frank.
If it was Larry Brown, then the next
guy won’t be a yeller. If the previous
guy was somebody they think was a
little bit lax, then you’ll see them
going from Mike D’Antoni as an
offensive guy to Terry Porter as a
defensive guy. In the NBA it’s about
the personalities and the style of
play. That’s why you see Portland
going from Nate McMillan to Terry
Stotts — it’s a change.
“Myself, I don’t like assistant
coaches that are self-promoters.
When you turn on the TV, you
shouldn’t notice the assistant
coaches. There are a number of
assistant coaches that are famous
for knowing the TV camera angles
and knowing who the reporters are
so they get a chance to be seen
doing the little things. As an assistant
coach, I don’t think you should be
noticed; you can be noticed by the
players and by the team and by your
head coach, but your job is not to be
the first guy out there hugging the
best player on your team. Some of
us laugh at assistant coaches who
are always standing up when their
teams are ahead and making sure
everybody knows they’re coaching,
but when their teams are behind,
they’re sitting down and being quiet.
There are a number of guys like that
in the league. It’s noticeable.
“That being said, it’s hard to know
who the most qualified guys are.
You’re always taking a chance on an
assistant coach becoming a head
coach because there are so many
variables that go with it. I’d like to
think a guy like Kelvin Sampson could
do the job, because he’s been an
assistant coach in the league, but
he’s also been a successful head
coach in college. It’s a big job moving
over those 18 inches from assistant
coach to head coach and having all
that pressure on you. A guy like
Sampson may have a better chance
of success just because he’s done
that already.
“You also have to think about
whether a GM is comfortable enough
that he is able to take a chance on a
guy. Danny Ferry is going to be
making his first coaching hire in
Atlanta, and he has years on his
contract, so he can take a chance on
who he hires.
“Then you look for guys who have
been around a winning program. If
you need to change the culture then I
think that is a big thing to have a guy
like Mike Budenholzer, who has been
around a winning program and knows
what it takes. The counter to that is
they’ve also never been around a
losing program, so it’s a little bit
different — you can’t go in and say
everything’s wrong, because some
changes have to be gradual.”
“I would think a guy like Melvin Hunt
would get an opportunity down the
road soon. His situation is similar to
Mike Malone’s — he was with the
Rockets with Rudy T and with
Cleveland. He has a good reputation
as a guy the players respect and like,
and now that he’s in Denver, he’s
been in three pretty good situations.
He has got some intangibles that
guys look for.
“In a couple years Kaleb Canales will
get another chance to be a head
coach. Mo Cheeks will be a
candidate: He didn’t have a bad
career as a head coach or a player.
He’s not a yeller or screamer but
he’s been a player, and players
respect him.
“And that’s a big deal right now in
the league. At the end of the day
when things get tough I don’t think
NBA players respect the title of
coach the way they used to, and
definitely not the way they do in
college. At the end of the day their
excuses are, ‘You never played in the
league, you don’t understand.’ That’s
one of the common excuses I’ve
heard of over the years. That’s why
a lot of organizations try to make
sure the guys they hire have played
in the league.
“I think Sam Cassell is a really good
coach. You can see watching games
that he’s grown a lot on the bench.
He used to be really vocal and
demonstrative. His passion is great,
but you’ve got to level it off at some
point, and he’s definitely done that.
He’s going to have an opportunity
pretty soon. He’ll be a guy that will
be able to challenge the players, and
the players will respect him; he’ll still
have enough credibility with them
that they won’t dismiss what he
says.
“Point guard seems to be a pretty
good indicator that you have the
ability to think like a coach on the
floor. Not a lot of big men get to be
head coaches.
“I’m surprised Paul Pressey hasn’t
had a chance to get a head coaching
job. I think Robert Pack is going to
be a great head coach when he gets
a chance. But Robert is really
intense. If he dials it back again, he’ll
be even better. He’s got that
tenacity and he understands the right
way to play and he holds guys
accountable.
“Armond Hill doesn’t get much
publicity. I think Hill and Kevin
Eastman are two great assistant
coaches, but you don’t see or hear
them. They get locked out of the
notoriety.
“Steve Clifford is another guy like
that. He’s been with the Van Gundys,
Jeff and Stan, and now he’s in L.A.
[with the Lakers]. He’s a soldier, a
good assistant coach. Tom Thibodeau
was a great assistant coach who
didn’t start getting much notoriety
until Jeff Van Gundy went on TV and
started doing a great job of
promoting him, and then, in Boston,
Thibodeau began to get some
notoriety for the same work he’d
been doing for some time.
“Brett Brown is as qualified as any
guy. Not too many people know
about him. He’s a good assistant
coach who does his stuff. He’s
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