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Rockets

Growing up, Jamal Murray would dream of making clutch plays on basketball&rsquo;s biggest stage. Many kids do this, imagining themselves hitting big shots with the game or season on the line.
But unlike most kids, Murray gets to turn his fantasy into reality. And just as he envisioned it, he's playing his best basketball in the postseason and consistently putting the Denver Nuggets on his back when the team needs him most.
In Denver's Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Murray finished with 37 points, 10 rebounds, 6 threes, 5 assists and 4 steals. But it was his fourth-quarter contributions that stood out. In the final period, Murray erupted for 23 points and drained four threes, while shooting 86% from the field, 80% from deep and 87.5% from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;When I was little, I used to count down the seconds off the shot clock and make the shot and talk like Marv Albert and talk like Mike Breen, just the imagination running [wild] as a kid. When you get in that moment and you see your fam in the crowd, see your little brother, see Mike Breen there, all these little reminders, they all pay dividends and make that moment a little more special, and just kind of lock you back in. You don't want to miss that opportunity&hellip;
&ldquo;Playing in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers and LeBron James, it's an amazing opportunity, and it's something you're going to look back [on] in history and remember for the rest of your life. I just tried to make the most of it, and it's fun when you've got it going like that in the fourth.&rdquo;
To say that Murray "got it going in the fourth" would be a massive understatement. Murray put together one of the most dominant fourth-quarter performances in recent NBA history.&nbsp;
Throughout Murray&rsquo;s playoff career, he&rsquo;s dropped 20+ points in the fourth quarter on four different occasions, which is the most of any NBA player over the last 25 years. The only other players with multiple 20-point playoff fourth quarters over that span are Michael Jordan (two) and Allen Iverson (two).
What makes Murray&rsquo;s play down the stretch even crazier is the fact that he was having a relatively quiet game through the first three quarters, with only 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the field.&nbsp;
Then, he caught fire and couldn&rsquo;t miss.
&ldquo;He's had a few games like that this year where he struggles in the first half and then just goes crazy in the second half,&rdquo; Nuggets wing Michael Porter Jr. said. &ldquo;I think that just takes maturity as a player. And I feel like all the best players in the league do that, because it only takes a couple shots going in to get a rhythm. He knows we need him to make shots down the stretch to win games, so I was proud of him for sticking with it.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He was special. He won us the game,&rdquo; Nuggets center Nikola Jokic added. &ldquo;I think he was amazing. Yes, maybe in the first half he struggled to make shots, but when it mattered the most, he made shots and he won us the game basically.&rdquo;
Murray explained his mindset entering the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;For those who have seen me play before, after a shooting half like that, I normally like to reset, come back down, reset my mind, quick little meditation in my head and just come back out focused,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I missed my first couple coming out and had some really good looks. The game would've been a lot easier if I made them the first half. Just come out focused and knock them down, don't lose any confidence or anything like that. Just play my game and know they're going to fall if I keep shooting them&hellip; Once you see a couple go in, it can get it rolling. I was able to just find a little separation and just rise up over the top and make some shots.
&ldquo;Sometimes I need to settle the hell down, and sometimes I need to rile myself up. It just depends on what's needed in the game. Tonight, I just had to just reset completely. The first half, the second-half three that I had, the wide-open one, I alligator-armed it. It shows me that I'm overthinking it, and there's no reason for me to overthink an open shot. Once I missed that one and I came up short in the mid-range, [I knew] I've got to settle down even more. I'm overthinking about the shot too much. It's all mental practice. I've been having bad halves and crazy second halves the rest of my life. I know how to change it, I know what to adjust. I want to put together a good four quarters.&rdquo;
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone pointed out that it doesn&rsquo;t take much for Murray to get hot.
&ldquo;We all know one thing about Jamal, man: he just has to see one go in,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;He got a little mid-range pull-up to go in and kind of looked up to the heavens. That's all he needs, and after that, he's shooting into a hula hoop.&rdquo;
Murray agreed with this sentiment, and explained why he&rsquo;s able to catch fire so quickly.
&ldquo;It just becomes a practice shot, whatever shot you take. I practice all the shots that you see me make and take,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;You could be shooting in a spot in practice and you miss four or five, six in a row, and then all of a sudden, you just lock in and you take a step back, you reset, you refocus and you go back and make 10 in a row like it's nothing. It's just about resetting your mind. It's all mental, in my opinion. I was able to do that again tonight.&rdquo;
LeBron James didn&rsquo;t have any issues with how the Lakers defended Murray in the fourth quarter. Instead, he gave the 26-year-old credit for hitting some difficult shots.
&ldquo;He made shots. He made shots at the end of the clock when we guarded for 24 seconds, and he made two big-time shots, one over AD and one over myself,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;[He] had his mid-range game going. But he had his three-point shot going in the fourth. It's no surprise to anybody, he's done it before. Hate to be on the other side of it.
&ldquo;But I don't feel like we had many breakdowns when he was doing what he was doing. He made shots, and sometimes it's a make-or-miss league. I feel like defensively, we were really good. They shot 43% [which we&rsquo;ll take] for the No. 1 offense in the league, and so it just sucks that those five threes in the fourth definitely killed us.&rdquo;
This postseason, Murray is averaging 27.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 threes and 1.6 steals per game on efficient 47.1/40.8/.91.7 shooting splits.&nbsp;
Murray missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL, and he had to watch from the sidelines as the Nuggets lost to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of last year's playoffs. He would ultimately be sidelined for 18 months, and Coach Malone is proud of how Murray battled adversity and came back better than ever.
&ldquo;It's so rewarding. This is not just coach-and-player [relationship]. I love Jamal Murray. This is not just like I'm coaching him,&rdquo; Malone explained. &ldquo;We've been together seven years and been through a lot of ups and downs, and to see him back playing at the level he's playing at, the first thought for me is just tremendous pride and just so happy for him. Because I saw the dark days coming back from that ACL.&nbsp; For him to be here playing at the level that he's playing at is just... I'm just so happy for the young man. He needs to continue to do that. Obviously, our goal is not done. We have to win this series. Our goal is to win a championship, and he's going to be a big part of that.&rdquo;
The Nuggets are now two wins away from making their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. While much of the conversation about this series has centered around the Lakers, Murray and his teammates aren&rsquo;t surprised.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The outside noise is the outside noise. We're the Denver Nuggets; we're used to that,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Even when we win, they talk about the other team&hellip; Same old, same old. It fuels us a little more and will be sweeter when we win the chip.&rdquo;

Jamal Murray is playing his best basketball in the postseason and consistently putting the Denver Nuggets on his back.

Highly flammable: Nuggets' Jamal Murray can catch fire in an instant

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Willis Reed, who dramatically&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49vo1JvT8Ss&amp;list=PLTFeiOvo3A8YnG7byZppaX5GOw1Mi7hTV&amp;index=4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals</a>&nbsp;to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of sports&rsquo; most enduring examples of playing through pain, died Tuesday. He was 80.
Reed&rsquo;s death was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NBAalumni/status/1638253401988296726?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced by the National Basketball Retired Players Association</a>, which confirmed it through his family. The cause was not released, but Reed had been in poor health recently and was unable to travel to New York when the Knicks honored the 50th anniversary of their 1973 NBA championship team during their game against New Orleans on Feb. 25.
The Knicks tweeted a photograph&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/NY_KnicksPR/status/1638265697380737027?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">picturing Reed from behind</a>&nbsp;walking onto the floor as his teammates were warming up for the 1970 finale, one of the most memorable moments in NBA and Madison Square Garden history.
&ldquo;As we mourn, we will always strive to uphold the standards he left behind &mdash; the unmatched leadership, sacrifice and work ethic that personified him as a champion among champions,&rdquo; the team said. &ldquo;His is a legacy that will live forever.&rdquo;
Nicknamed &ldquo;The Captain,&rdquo; Reed was the undersized center and emotional leader on the Knicks&rsquo; two NBA championship teams, with a soft shooting touch from the outside and a toughness to tussle with the era&rsquo;s superstar big men on the inside.
His accomplishments &mdash; seven All-Star selections, two NBA Finals MVP awards among them &mdash; would have warranted Hall of Fame induction by themselves. During the 1969-70 season, he became the first player to sweep the MVP awards for the regular season, All-Star Game and NBA Finals.
But his spot in history was secured simply by walking onto the floor on the final night of that season.
Reed had injured a thigh muscle in Game 5 of the series between the Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, tumbling to the court in pain. He sat out Game 6 as counterpart Wilt Chamberlain had 45 points and 27 rebounds in a Lakers romp that forced a deciding game at Madison Square Garden.
Reed&rsquo;s status was unknown even to his Knicks teammates as he continued getting treatment until shortly before Game 7. Both teams were warming up when Reed came out of the tunnel, fans rising and roaring when they saw him emerge from the tunnel leading to the locker room.
&ldquo;And here comes Willis and the crowd is going wild,&rdquo; radio announcer Marv Albert said.
The Lakers stopped to watch Reed, who then made two quick jump shots in the early minutes of the game, running back down the court after both with a noticeable limp. He wouldn&rsquo;t score again but the Knicks didn&rsquo;t need it, with their captain&rsquo;s return and Walt Frazier&rsquo;s 36 points and 19 assists energizing them to a 113-99 romp and their&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHzxM69qm50" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first NBA title</a>.
Frazier&rsquo;s performance was one of the finest ever in a deciding game, but it was forever a footnote to Reed&rsquo;s return. In 2006, to coincide with the NBA&rsquo;s 60th anniversary, it finished third in voting of the league&rsquo;s 60 greatest playoff moments, behind Michael Jordan&rsquo;s championship-winning jumper for his sixth title in 1998 and Magic Johnson ending his rookie season by filling in for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center in Game 6 of the 1980 finals to lead the Lakers to a championship.
Long afterward, a player&rsquo;s return from injury has sometimes compared to Reed, such as when Boston&rsquo;s Paul Pierce was carried off the floor with a knee injury in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals against Los Angeles before quickly returning. But Phil Jackson, a teammate of Reed&rsquo;s and then Lakers coach, dismissed that because of how serious Reed&rsquo;s injury was.
&ldquo;If I&rsquo;m not mistaken, I think Willis Reed missed a whole half and three-quarters almost of a game and literally had to have a shot &mdash; a horse shot, three or four of them &mdash; in his thigh to come back out and play,&rdquo; Jackson said.
Reed wouldn&rsquo;t be able to recover so quickly from injuries in the coming years. He was limited to just 11 games in 1971-72 but came back strong the next season to spark the Knicks to a second title in what was his last full season.
Though his return always made the &rsquo;70 title the more celebrated one, it was the &rsquo;72-73 squad, having been fortified by Hall of Famers Earl Monroe and Jerry Lucas, that stood out to Reed.
&ldquo;That, to me, in my mind was the best team,&rdquo; he said during its 40th anniversary celebration.
Reed would play only 19 games in 1973-74 before retiring because of a knee injury after just 10 seasons.
That was long enough to collect more than 12,000 points and 8,400 rebounds, both of which still rank in the top three on the Knicks&rsquo; career lists.
Willis Reed was born June 25, 1942, in Hico, Louisiana. He stayed in his home state for his college career, leading Grambling State to the 1961 NAIA championship and a third-place finish in 1963. The school retired his number and named its court after Reed in 2022.
A second-round pick in 1964, he quickly proved that standing only 6-foot-9 wouldn&rsquo;t keep him from becoming one of the league&rsquo;s top centers. He was voted Rookie of the Year and earned the first of his seven straight All-Star selections.
Reed was the anchor as the Knicks became one of the best teams in the NBA, with Hall of Famers such as Frazier, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere.
Reed provided them with 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds for his career, along with plenty of toughness. An ESPN documentary in 2014 on those Knicks showed footage of a 1966 fight in a game against the Lakers in which Reed appeared to throw punches at multiple opponents, with Jackson noting that it appeared Reed &ldquo;decimated this team.&rdquo;
His No. 19 was the first number retired by the Knicks and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1982.
Reed went on to coach the Knicks to a playoff berth in 1977-78 but coached them only 14 more games the following season. He also was a head coach at Creighton and the New Jersey Nets, but his greatest success after his playing career came in the front office.
He was their senior vice president of basketball operations when they drafted Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson, who became All-Stars and led the Nets to the playoffs.

NBA legend and Hall-of-Famer Willis Reed, who helped the Knicks win their two championships, died on Tuesday at 80 years old.

Willis Reed, leader on New York Knicks’ two title teams, dies at 80

Jim Boylen has not spent any time thinking about what the World Cup qualifying standings might look like after USA Basketball&rsquo;s game against Brazil on Friday.
He just keeps thinking how the Americans have four qualifying games left.
&ldquo;And in my brain, I&rsquo;m acting like we&rsquo;ve got to win four to get in,&rdquo; Boylen said.
He knows differently. The U.S. (7-1 in qualifying) can clinch a berth in next year&rsquo;s World Cup with a win Friday, when it hosts Brazil (5-3) in Washington. The national team will be wearing the nation&rsquo;s colors in the nation&rsquo;s capital on Veterans Day, with a chance to lock up one of the 32 spots for the tournament to be played next summer in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
For the U.S., qualifying started nearly a full year ago in late November. For some teams in the FIBA Americas region, it started in April 2021.
It&rsquo;s been a long road, but Boylen and the Americans are finally in position to clinch.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s never easy,&rdquo; said Boylen, who has coached the eight previous U.S. qualifying games &mdash; all held in two-game windows, often with a different roster each time. &ldquo;Expect the unexpected. Expect to make adjustments. You just roll with it, keep it simple. I believe we have to be superior at the defensive end of the floor. You hope shots go in, but we have to defend and rebound. That&rsquo;s what we can control.&rdquo;
The World Cup provides the most direct path for teams to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Americans have used primarily G League players in qualifying games; those players know top NBA players will take their roster spots in the World Cup and the Olympics.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very humbling when we have repeat guys and they said, &lsquo;Yeah, Coach, I loved it and I want to be part of it,&rsquo;&rdquo; Boylen said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really hard. It&rsquo;s almost a thankless job. If we win, nobody talks about it and if we lose, it&rsquo;s on the ticker. But I don&rsquo;t sell it like that. I sell it as, in the last 30 years, there are 293 guys who have worn the senior men&rsquo;s national jersey. They&rsquo;re part of the most elite group of guys in the history of the game. People don&rsquo;t realize that.&rdquo;
The Americans have used 37 different players so far in the qualifying cycle. That number will rise Friday; only five players on the roster for both the Brazil game and Monday&rsquo;s game against Colombia have appeared in 2023 qualifying.
Langston Galloway, DaQuan Jeffries, David Stockton, Will Davis II and Michael Frazier II all have played with the U.S. previously in this qualifying cycle; Galloway has the most appearances with six. The rest of the roster is Charlie Brown Jr., Chris Chiozza, Rodney Hood, Alize Johnson, Elijah Pemberton, Henry Sims and Craig Sword.
There are 12 teams remaining &mdash; two groups of six &mdash; from the Americas region, all vying for seven World Cup spots.
The U.S. leads its qualifying group (Group F) by two games with four remaining on the qualifying schedule; the last two-game window of qualifiers is in February. Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay are all 5-3; Puerto Rico is 4-4 and Colombia is 3-5.
Canada leads Group E at 8-0, followed by Venezuela (7-1), Argentina (6-2), the Dominican Republic (5-3), Panama (2-6) and the Bahamas (2-6).
The top three teams in each group, along with the best fourth-place team, will receive World Cup berths. The World Cup draw takes place in Manila in March and the tournament runs from late August through mid-September.

The U.S. (7-1 in qualifying) can clinch a berth in next year’s World Cup with a win Friday, when it hosts Brazil (5-3) in Washington.

USA on brink of clinching spot in 2023 Basketball World Cup

In 75 years of NBA Finals history, there have been only seven 50-point games. In those seven games, the team with the 50-point scorer went 6-1. Further, there have been just 19 30-rebound games, only one of which was done by someone other than Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain (Nate Thurmond), and only 15 15-assist games, 10 of which belong to Magic Johnson.
There have been some truly great Finals performances over the years, so let&rsquo;s identify the five best single-game showings in NBA Finals history:
5. Michael Jordan &ndash; Game 4, 1993 NBA Finals: 55 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists 
Let&rsquo;s kick things off with the GOAT. Jordan&rsquo;s 55-point performance in Game 4 of the 1993 NBA Finals is still tied for the second-highest point total in Finals history. Jordan&rsquo;s NBA Finals dominance is noteworthy, as he is undefeated in the championship series with a career scoring average of 33.6 points per game in his six appearances. But this is easily the most impressive of the bunch. He shot 21-for-37 from the field, failing to connect on just one three-pointer. That didn&rsquo;t slow him down though. In addition to 55 points, Jordan also tallied 8 rebounds and 4 assists in this win.
4. LeBron James &ndash; Game 1, 2018 NBA Finals: 51 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists
James&rsquo; 51-point, 8-rebound, 8-assist game is the most controversial on this list, but it absolutely belongs. Yes, James&rsquo; Cavaliers lost the game in overtime, which makes this the lone loss among 50-point NBA Finals performances. The thing is, the odds were stacked against James in this series. First, former teammate Kyrie Irving requested a trade prior to the season, leaving James with less firepower to combat the star-studded Golden State Warriors. Furthermore, this game was the first one back for Kevin Love, who had suffered a concussion late in the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, James willed the Cavaliers into a prime position to go up 1-0 on Golden State shooting 19-for-32 from the floor, dishing out 8 assists and grabbing 8 rebounds. Had it not been for a meme-worthy blunder by JR Smith at the end of regulation, Cleveland would have gotten the win too. The Warriors outscored the Cavaliers by 10 in overtime. Still, win or lose, this was one hell of a performance.
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3. Walt "Clyde" Frazier &ndash; Game 7, 1970 NBA Finals: 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds
Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals is better known as "The Willis Reed Game" because Reed limped to the court during warm-ups and scored the first two baskets of the game. The fact of the matter is that Reed ended the game with only those four points, but someone else really did put the Knicks on their shoulders: Walt Frazier. Frazier&rsquo;s Game 7 performance was the stuff of legends, as he recorded 36 points, 19 assists and 7 rebounds. 1970 pre-dates recorded steals, but Frazier recorded a number of those as well. In total, Frazier scored or assisted on 31 of the Knicks&rsquo; 46 baskets, a preposterous number for a championship-deciding game. Best of all, this game resulted in one of only two Knicks championships, making this one of the most legendary performances ever.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo &ndash; Game 7, 2021 NBA Finals: 50 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks
If you like what James did in 2018, you&rsquo;re going to love this. Antetokounmpo put Milwaukee on his back in the decisive game of the 2021 NBA Finals. He did a little bit of everything, beginning with scoring the basketball. He shot 16-for-25 from the field and 17-for-19 from the free-throw line. He racked up loads of rebounds and blocks too, and he impacted the game in a way I literally haven&rsquo;t seen in my adult life. Say what you will about Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s inability to stretch the floor, but when it clicks for him, he is easily the most dangerous player in the game today.
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1. Earvin "Magic" Johnson &ndash; Game 6, 1980 NBA Finals: 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists 
This one is more famous than Frazier&rsquo;s legendary performance, thanks in part to the work of HBO&rsquo;s Winning Time. Regardless of fame, Johnson&rsquo;s performance in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals is wildly impressive. Johnson, the Lakers&rsquo; point guard, was the team&rsquo;s second-tallest starter for this game. With his teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out due to injury, Johnson played power forward and center for much of the game, even taking a page out of Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s book in connecting on a championship-securing sky hook. In total, Johnson scored 42 points on 14-for-23 shooting. He also made up for Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s absence by recording 15 rebounds and 7 assists in this all-around show of dominance. Johnson really did a bit of everything in this game, proving that he was an absolute force to be reckoned with... as a rookie.
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Honorable Mention: Elgin Baylor - Game 5, 1962 NBA Finals: 61 points, 22 rebounds
Baylor holds the record for most points scored in a finals game (61), and if this were at top-10 list, he'd be on it, but he fails to make this list. Yes, scoring 61 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in a Finals game is notable. The thing is, leading rebounders regularly snagged 20 or more rebounds in a game in the 1960s, cheapening that statistic. Case in point, Bill Russell amassed 29 boards in the same game. So, while this was clearly an all-time great performance, it doesn&rsquo;t quite make the cut as Baylor&rsquo;s overall impact wasn&rsquo;t quite on par with the five players listed above him.
Legacies are made in the NBA Finals. Players can cement themselves among the all-time greats with one overwhelmingly impressive showing. But one game only gets you so far.
Ultimately, careers are judged in terms of championships. So, while an exceptionally impressive performance gets a player remembered, it doesn&rsquo;t garner the same level of respect as an all-time great performance that results in a title.
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Truly dominant NBA Finals performances are rare. But when you witness one, it's breathtaking. Let's review the five best of all-time.

Ranking the 5 best NBA Finals performances of all-time

I still remember back when the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History were named in 1996. And at the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland, 47 of the 50 players got together, in my hometown at that.
From Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan to Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson, seeing all of those greats in one place was truly inspiring. As a freshman at Xavier, it made me think about the future possibilities.
It&rsquo;s hard to believe that was 25 years ago, and in those years, obviously, a lot has happened for me &mdash; both personally and professionally. I think back about where I was then and where I am now, and am truly humbled.
For more reason than one.
When it was all said and done, all 50 of the Top 50 players were selected in the Top 75 that was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/there-were-major-snubs-from-nba-75-just-like-we-knew-there-would-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced at the beginning of the season</a>, and when I saw that list, I realized something incredible: I played with seven of those guys, and coached an eighth (LeBron James).
But winning at the highest level, for me, started in Miami. There, I had the honor of playing with Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal, Dwyane Wade and Gary Payton.&nbsp;
So I can&rsquo;t really think about the Top 75, the Top 50 or my own career without remembering where it all came together for me. And every one of my teammates there will have at least a story or two about Shaq.
What I remember most about Diesel was how motivated he was to win. Winning three championships in a row is borderline impossible, and there&rsquo;s a reason why nobody&rsquo;s been able to do it since Shaq and Kobe. Most people overlook the fact that the Lakers actually made it back to the Finals in 2004, but they lost to Detroit. Four Finals in five years? Incredible.
Anyway, whatever happened in L.A. happened, but what we all knew was that Shaq saw something special in D-Wade, and wanted to team up with him.
The front office in Miami did what it had to do and traded for Shaq, but the Heat sacrificed their depth to do so, and they ended up falling short in their first year. They couldn&rsquo;t get past Detroit; they lost to them in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2005.
That summer, Pat Riley and the front office down there got real busy. They brought in a bunch of new pieces, including myself, Gary Payton, Antoine Walker and Jason &ldquo;White Chocolate&rdquo; Williams.
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At this point, we all knew that D-Wade had a chance to be a really good player, but Shaq and GP were already legends. There were lessons every single day, but I think the biggest one I took from Shaq was what it meant to be on a mission.
Regardless of what anyone wanted to say about him, Shaq was always a winner, and he was so motivated to prove to everyone that he was capable of winning without the late, great Kobe Bryant. At that time, he was the only player on our squad who already won a championship, so when he spoke, we listened. He wasn&rsquo;t only our leader, he was like everyone&rsquo;s big brother. You looked up to him and didn&rsquo;t want to disappoint him.
Along with Pat Riley (who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/basketball-news-james-posey-as-long-as-pat-riley-is-in-the-picture-the-miami-heat-have-a-shot-nba-championship" target="_blank" rel="noopener">eventually became our coach</a>), we had two great leaders who not only encouraged us to be great or expected us to be great. They demanded that we be great, and they both led by great example.
From the mindset to the preparation, the two of them gave us great confidence to go out there and get the job done, even though we faced some trials and tribulations.
To put it simply, Shaq was our team&rsquo;s leader, and we all trusted him to show us the path because we knew that he&rsquo;d gotten to where we were trying to go. Even in our team&rsquo;s greatest moment of desperation &mdash; when we were down 0-2 to Dallas in the 2006 Finals &mdash; he preached accountability, but more importantly, he encouraged us to stick with the game plan and made us all confident that we would come out on the right side of history. And we eventually did.
Today, he often talks about guy panicking and being confident, and I can tell you: Diesel never lost his cool.
But yeah, Shaq... he was on a mission in Miami. In each our own way, we all were, I guess. But his motivation was different, and it impacted our team in a positive way.
I only spent two years as his teammate in Miami, but Shaq showed me what being a champion looked like. I carried that with me to Boston and for the rest of my career.
Now, one thing about most NBA locker rooms is that cliques form. That&rsquo;s not to say that there&rsquo;s any division within the team or anything like that, it&rsquo;s just natural that guys who have things in common might end up spending more time together than others. Some guys are really into fashion, some are into video games, some guys end up getting close because they have kids that are the same age, whatever.
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In Miami, Udonis Haslem, Antoine Walker and GP were the guys I got close with, and playing with GP was awesome as hell.&nbsp;
At that point in my career, I was mostly regarded as a &ldquo;3-and-D&rdquo; guy, and even though he was at the tail-end of his career, GP had so much knowledge and wisdom that he shared with me.
From the start, GP knew that I wasn&rsquo;t afraid to play defense and that I wanted to guard the guy in front of me. And you know he was known for the gift of gab. I still remember GP teasing me in our very first conversation as teammates.
&ldquo;Here go this long-sock-wearing, harassing, defensive ass dude,&rdquo; he said. 
&ldquo;I like you, because you be all up in a dude face.&rdquo;
Obviously, for GP, being &ldquo;all up in a dude face&rdquo; was a compliment, and I was honestly flattered because I was surprised he even knew that I wore long socks, felt that way about me or knew me like that!
From that first convo, the rest was history. Most of the time we were on the court, we worked hand-and-hand. As a tandem, we were usually trying to stop the other team&rsquo;s perimeter players, and we spent so much time together off the court that working together on the court was actually pretty easy. Riles coached us, of course, but once we were done with practice, GP was always in my ears giving me little nuggets of info. And of course, talking smack.
The truth is I understood why they called him &ldquo;The Glove.&rdquo; He had instincts, know-how and the ability to read and defend actions. Best of all, he had the will and want to pass along his knowledge to a younger player because he saw something in me and trusted me. I think the best lesson I learned from working with him is what it really meant to have faith and trust in another person on the court. And also, what it means to actually make your teammates better and smarter.
In a way, a lot of us on the 2006 Miami team felt like it was GP&rsquo;s last good shot to win a championship. He got to the Finals twice, once in Seattle and &mdash; a lot of people forgot &mdash; he was with Shaq and Kobe on the 2004 Lakers team that lost in the Finals. So he was 0-2, and we wanted to change that.
Together, we did.
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And what can I say about D-Wade?
I think we all remember his first playoff run in Miami and how he was able to put the team on his back in some big moments as a rookie. Shaq saw it, which is the main reason he wanted to go to Miami in the first place. And by the time I got there, they&rsquo;d already gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals. So even though D-Wade was only entering his third year by the time I got to Miami, I knew I had to give him his respect.
He ended up earning it from me, anyway, though.
If there&rsquo;s one word that comes to mind for me when describing him, it would be &ldquo;competitor.&rdquo; I honestly felt like everything he did on the court, he did with such pride. He wanted to be great and it was just inspiring to witness. Despite having all that talent, his work ethic was even crazier. He was literally the first to get to the gym and the last to leave.
D-Wade was actually in the TNT studio when they announced that he made the NBA 75. He said it felt &ldquo;surreal&rdquo; for him to make the cut. He mentioned that he only got three scholarship offers coming out of high school, and thanked Shaq (who was sitting five feet to his right) for coming to Miami and telling him that he had the potential to be great. He thanked the other greats that he had around him and said he made the cut because he was surrounded by greatness.
I can relate to that feeling.
But D-Wade also made the cut because he dedicated every minute of every day to maximizing his ability and striving to become great. It was no accident.
As I advance in my coaching career and even teach my children about perseverance, D-Wade is someone who will always be top of mind, because it&rsquo;s not easy for a 6-foot-4 guard to end up becoming one of the Top 75 players of all-time.
Like GP and Shaq, we can all learn something valuable from D-Wade. I know I certainly have.
As I looked back on my career, I remember the night I was drafted, and even before then, I remember the Top 50 players standing together at the 1997 All-Star Game.
And now, I can proudly say I can look back on my time in Miami and know that I played with three of the greatest ever.
I&rsquo;m better for it.

James Posey recalls when he won an NBA championship with Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and Gary Payton on the Heat.

Thanks to 3 legends, in Miami, I learned how to become a winner

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the NBA as a league. As such, the NBA has, over the course of the week, revealed a list of its 75 &mdash; really 76 due to a tie in voting (???) &mdash; greatest players of all time.
These legends represent every era of the league. You'll see names your parents might not have been alive for. Paul Arizin, for example, averaged 23-9-2 and made the All-Star team in each of his 10 seasons spanning from 1951 to 1962. He missed two full seasons &mdash; 1952-53 and 1953-54 &mdash; due to his service in the US Military.
The next decade or so gave us more familiar legends: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, to name just a few.&nbsp;
On and on, more names pop up. Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the artist formerly known as Lew Alcindor in the 1970s &mdash; though Kareem spanned a couple of decades. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1980s. Michael Jordan in the 1990s. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O'Neal and others represent the 2000s.&nbsp;
There are current players, too. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry represent the older new school, if you will. Newcomers, headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, have earned their legendary stripes.
76 names, all representing different parts of the league's rich history. 76 names with varying levels of impact, ranging from consistent All-Stars to the pantheon guys like MJ, Kareem, LeBron and others.&nbsp;
Somehow, 76 names made a list of 75, and Dwight freakin' Howard still wasn't one of them.
I do not want to outright disrespect anyone that made the list. I certainly don't want to undersell <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/there-were-major-snubs-from-nba-75-just-like-we-knew-there-would-be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how difficult it must've been for a voting panel</a> to wittle down thousands of NBA players &mdash; nearly 200 Hall-of-Famers &mdash; to a list of 75. Well, 76. Whatever.
But how in the name of God do you come up with 76 names &mdash; 11 of which are still in the league &mdash; and not have Howard?
It can't be a numbers case. Howard has career averages of 16.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks over his 18-year career. He holds these averages despite not being a full-time starter in four years. If you look at his starter stretch (14 seasons), those numbers rise to 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.&nbsp;
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You don't even have to make an argument for Howard to replace someone from the 1950s. His numbers are better than Robert Parish's (16 &amp; 10 from 1977-1994), and that's a lot more modern.
To be clear, Parish should absolutely be on the list as well; his blend of productivity and longevity &mdash; and his role scalability depending on what the Boston Celtics needed from him, across multiple title teams &mdash; is why he's a worthy Hall-of-Famer. I'm just saying the production is there for both.
It certainly can't be an accolades case. Howard's resume reads:
<ul>
<li>8x All-Star</li>
<li>8x All-NBA (5x 1st, 1x 2nd, 2x 3rd)</li>
<li>5x All-Defense (4x 1st, 1x 2nd)</li>
<li>3x Defensive Player of the Year</li>
<li>1x Olympic Gold Medal (2008)</li>
<li>1x NBA Champion (2020)</li>
</ul>
You're telling me that doesn't get him in the top 75? Heck, for comparison, here's the resume of Anthony Davis &mdash; one of the 11 current players to make the list:
<ul>
<li>8x All-Star</li>
<li>4x All-NBA (4x 1st)</li>
<li>4x All-Defense (2x 1st, 2x 2nd)</li>
<li>1x Olympic Gold Medal (2012)</li>
<li>1x NBA Champion (2020)</li>
</ul>
I love The Brow. He's definitely one of the 75 most talented players to lace them up. If we're projecting forward, he's going to easily have one of the heftiest resumes among big men in NBA history. That said, he has not accomplished more than Howard has at this stage, and it's wild to me that AD got the nod over him.
The individual numbers are one thing. The individual accomplishments are another thing. Are we also forgetting that Howard&nbsp;led a team to the NBA Finals&nbsp;during his peak? Compare that to Brow, who won a singular playoff round as the best player on a team (New Orleans Pelicans before being traded to the Lakers.)
That's not to say he was a failure in New Orleans or anything of the sort. He was freaking phenomenal in the postseason once he finally made it there. But, like... Howard averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds to go with nearly three blocks per contest during a Finals run &mdash; including a 26/13 stretch against the LeBron-led Cavaliers before that to advance to the 2008-09 Finals.
Aside from Howard, there are 33 players to make at least eight All-NBA teams. Every single one of them made the list. This is when I point out that there are a few players that may be near and dear to your heart &mdash; hi Patrick Ewing (7), Steve Nash (7), Paul Pierce (4) and Reggie Miller (3) &mdash; that made the list with fewer.&nbsp;
Among those four examples &mdash; because there are more, buddy &mdash; Ewing is the only one that affected both ends of the floor like peak Howard did.&nbsp;
Howard was, for nearly a decade, the league's most dangerous lob threat and interior defender at the same time. For all the cracks about his limited post game, he had a four-year stretch (2008-2011) where he ranked in the 63rd, 64th, 64th and 71st percentile as a post scorer via Synergy.
I just... come on, y'all. If Howard is annoying or childish to you, who am I to disagree with that? If his exit from Orlando (or Washington, or Atlanta, or Charlotte) rubbed you the wrong way, I absolutely get that.
He can be annoying while also being one of the 60 or so greatest players to lace them up. The numbers back that up. The accolades back that up. His peak years &mdash; 19.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 2.4 blocks from 2008-2014 &mdash; put him up there.
We have to stop disrespecting Dwight, the basketball player, at some point.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan discusses Dwight Howard's absence from the NBA's top-75 list.

Put some respect on Dwight Howard's name

The NBA released the remaining 25 players of the league's 75th anniversary team Thursday night on TNT.
Here is the official release from the NBA, which lists all 75 players that made the team and the people that voted on the NBA's top 75 players of all-time team:
"A total of 158 NBA championships and 730 NBA All-Star selections. &nbsp;A combined 110 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Awards and Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Awards. &nbsp;More than 1.5 million points scored.
Those are just some of the collective accomplishments of the players who comprise the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, which was announced across TNT and ESPN from Oct. 19-21 as the league tipped off its landmark 75th Anniversary Season.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was selected by a blue-ribbon panel of current and former NBA players, coaches, general managers and team and league executives, WNBA legends and sportswriters and broadcasters. &nbsp;Voters were asked to select the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History without regard to position. &nbsp;Panelists did not rank their selections. &nbsp;Current and former players were not allowed to vote for themselves.
As a result of a tie in the voting, the 75th Anniversary Team features 76 players. &nbsp;Team highlights include:
&bull; Eleven active players have been named to the 75th Anniversary Team: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
&bull; All 50 members of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, which was named in 1996, have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team.
&bull; The 75th Anniversary Team includes four players who played in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951 (Paul Arizin, Bob Cousy, George Mikan and Dolph Schayes), the first winner of the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award (Bob Pettit for the 1955-56 season) and the first winner of the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award (Jerry West for the 1969 NBA Finals).
&bull; Bill Russell joins Cousy, Mikan and Pettit as the only four players who have been named to all four NBA Anniversary Teams: the 25th Anniversary Team (10 players named), 35th Anniversary Team (11 players named), 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team. (The 25th Anniversary Team was the only one of the four teams that did not allow for the inclusion of active players at the time.)
&bull; Six international players from six countries and territories have been selected to the 75th Anniversary Team: Antetokounmpo (Greece), Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica), Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria).
&bull; The five NBA legends who are serving as ambassadors for the 75th Anniversary Season are part of the 75th Anniversary Team: Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Nowitzki, Pettit and Oscar Robertson. Representing different eras of the league&rsquo;s history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 2021-22 season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Team is listed below in alphabetical order, followed by the list of voters. &nbsp;The balloting was tabulated by the independent accounting firm Ernst &amp; Young LLP. &nbsp;For player profiles on each member of the 75th Anniversary Team, click here and visit NBA.com/75."
<table style="width: 95.7926%; height: 464px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 27px;">
<td style="text-align: center; width: 149.879%; height: 27px;" colspan="4" width="691">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Damian Lillard</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Scottie Pippen</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Ray Allen</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Willis Reed</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Karl Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Oscar Robertson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Carmelo Anthony</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Moses Malone</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Archibald</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Pete Maravich</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dennis Rodman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Arizin</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob McAdoo</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin Garnett</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kevin McHale</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dolph Schayes</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">George Mikan</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Sharman</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elgin Baylor</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hal Greer</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Reggie Miller</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Larry Bird</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">John Havlicek</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Nate Thurmond</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kobe Bryant</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wes Unseld</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Wilt Chamberlain</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Allen Iverson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Hakeem Olajuwon</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dwyane Wade</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Cousy</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Russell Westbrook</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Gary Payton</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Anthony Davis</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Jason Kidd</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dominique Wilkins</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 23px;">
<td style="width: 27.0755%; height: 23px;" width="173">Dave DeBusschere</td>
<td style="width: 27.5653%; height: 23px;" width="173">Kawhi Leonard</td>
<td style="width: 19.6609%; height: 23px;" width="173">Paul Pierce</td>
<td style="width: 75.5776%; height: 23px;" width="173">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
&nbsp;
<table style="width: 97.1703%; height: 798px;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center; width: 170.677%;" colspan="4" width="719">NBA 75TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM VOTING PANEL</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Tim Duncan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jack McCallum</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">David Robinson</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Marv Albert</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">David DuPree</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Brian McIntyre</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Russell</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">David Aldridge</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Wayne Embry</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ann Meyers</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bob Ryan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sam Amick</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Julius Erving</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Yoko Miyaji</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Simmons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Giannis Antetokounmpo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Patrick Ewing</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Earl Monroe</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sam Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Aschburner</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Walt Frazier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Steve Nash</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Stephen A. Smith</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Charles Barkley</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">George Gervin</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rachel Nichols</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Marc Spears</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Rick Barry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Russ Granik</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dirk Nowitzki</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Erik Spoelstra</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Howard Beck</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Becky Hammon</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">John Stockton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Bing</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Elvin Hayes</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Robert Parish</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Hannah Storm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Sue Bird</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Ernie Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Candace Parker</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Sheryl Swoopes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Carol Blazejowski</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Magic Johnson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Isiah Thomas</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Mike Breen</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Sam Jones</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Pettit</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rod Thorn</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doris Burke</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Michael Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Scottie Pippen</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rudy Tomjanovich</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Jerry Colangelo</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Steve Kerr</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Gregg Popovich</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Peter Vecsey</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Doug Collins</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Bob Lanier</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Shaun Powell</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Bill Walton</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Cynthia Cooper</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Kara Lawson</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Ahmad Rashad</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Rick Welts</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bob Costas</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Lisa Leslie</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Willis Reed</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jerry West</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Dave Cowens</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Nancy Lieberman</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Tim Reynolds</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Michael Wilbon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Billy Cunningham</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Zach Lowe</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Bill Rhoden</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Lenny Wilkens</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Stephen Curry</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jerry Lucas</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Pat Riley</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">James Worthy</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Clyde Drexler</td>
<td style="width: 24.8663%;" width="180">Jackie MacMullan</td>
<td style="width: 24.5989%;" width="180">Oscar Robertson</td>
<td style="width: 96.613%;" width="180">Jeff Zillgitt</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Some notable snubs include Tracy McGrady, Bernard King, Alex English, Vince Carter, Tony Parker, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Bob McAdoo, and Pau Gasol to just name a few. This list was part of the NBA's marketing campaign for the league's historic 75th season and will surely spark a conversation/debate amongst NBA fans all over the world.

The NBA released the final 25 players of the 75th anniversary team Thursday on TNT.

Final 25 members of NBA's 75th Anniversary Team announced

Much has been made about the New York Knicks&rsquo; lack of success over the past two decades. The Knicks have won just one playoff series this century. They've also had only one player garner consideration for the Most Valuable Player award &mdash; Carmelo Anthony, during the 2012-13 campaign when New York advanced to the Eastern Conference semis.&nbsp;
Knicks fans are hoping that both those ignominious facts change this spring.&nbsp;
To that end, Julius Randle has done his part, and then some. But to this point, he hasn't received much mention of being among the league&rsquo;s most valuable players.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s why his name belongs in the conversation...
Back in December, <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2021-nba-predictions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">multiple</a> <a href="https://www.espn.com/basketball/story/_/id/30427736/2020-21-nba-preview-wins-standings-projected-all-30-nba-teams" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outlets</a> <a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/nba-predictions-2020-21-standings-playoff-projections-picks/xh1qswkji7pm1dnc5qk4a55sz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projected</a> New York to finish with one of the league's worst records. Las Vegas set the Knicks over/under win total at 22. Well, with fewer than a dozen contests remaining in the 2020-21 season, the Knicks have already racked up 34 victories and find themselves in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, meaning this once woebegone franchise would host Game 1 of an opening-round playoffs series if the postseason began today.&nbsp;
And the biggest reason, by far, for New York's shocking success has been the awe-inspiring play of its All-Star power forward.
Randle ranks inside the top-15 in the NBA this season in scoring, rebounding and dishing, averaging a whopping 24.0 points, 10.5 boards, 6.0 assists and 2.2 made three-pointers, while posting a True Shooting percentage of 57.3%. With less than a month left in the regular season, he is on pace to become just the second player in NBA history to average at least 20/10/6 and two made threes per game (joining Russell Westbrook, who matched those numbers during his otherworldly 2016-17 MVP campaign).&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<a href="https://stathead.com/basketball/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&amp;match=single&amp;order_by_asc=0&amp;order_by=ws&amp;type=totals&amp;per_minute_base=36&amp;per_poss_base=100&amp;is_playoffs=N&amp;ccomp%5B2%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B2%5D=5&amp;cstat%5B2%5D=ast_per_g&amp;ccomp%5B3%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B3%5D=.40&amp;cstat%5B3%5D=fg3_pct&amp;ccomp%5B4%5D=gt&amp;cval%5B4%5D=10&amp;cstat%5B4%5D=trb_per_g&amp;lg_id=NBA&amp;birth_country_is=Y&amp;age_min=0&amp;age_max=99&amp;height_min=0&amp;height_max=99&amp;season_start=1&amp;season_end=-1&amp;college_id=0&amp;as_comp=gt&amp;as_val=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Basketball-Reference</a>, Randle is also on track to become the second player ever to average more than 10 rebounds and more than five assists while shooting over 40% from behind the three-point arc and over 80% from the charity stripe. The only other player currently in the exclusive club is Larry Bird (who notched those numbers in 1984-85, winning the MVP award in the process).&nbsp;
To put Randle's superlative statistics in context to his contemporaries this season, consider this:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has scored more points than Kawhi Leonard and Devin Booker in 2020-21.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has grabbed more rebounds than Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has handed out more assists than Stephen Curry and Ben Simmons.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle has made more three-pointers than Trae Young and Bradley Beal.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Randle is shooting a higher percentage from three than Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving.</li>
<li aria-level="1">For the analytics crowd, Randle has a higher VORP than Chris Paul and Rudy Gobert.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
The <a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/valuable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cambridge Dictionary defines</a> the word "valuable" as "very helpful or important." Those adjectives most certainly apply to Randle, whose contributions have been indispensable to the Knicks.&nbsp;
He leads New York in total points, boards, dimes, steals, made three-pointers and made free throws. Randle is the only player in the NBA this season that is his team's outright leader in each of those statistical categories.
Earlier this month, in a victory against the Dallas Mavericks, Randle racked up 44 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. After the game, head coach Tom Thibodeau <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/31273427/new-york-knicks-win-fifth-straight-longest-streak-seven-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> that Randle's "aggressiveness set the tone," adding, "I've said it many times: He's our engine. He makes us go."
In last Wednesday's win over the Atlanta Hawks, Randle became just the fourth player in NBA history (joining James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Westbrook) to tally 40+ points and more than 10 rebounds, 10 made free throws, 5 assists and 5 made triples in a single game. Coming into this season, no Knickerbocker, in the 70-year history of the franchise, had ever recorded a 40/10/5/5 game. Randle's done it twice in the past two weeks.&nbsp;
Legendary football coach Bill Parcells is <a href="https://excellentsuccessdotorg.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/the-most-important-ability-is-availability/#:~:text=One%20of%20his%20famous%20sayings,the%20field%20playing%20the%20game." target="_blank" rel="noopener">credited</a> with coining the phrase "availability is the best ability," and that's another area where Randle has outpaced his peers (thanks in large part to Coach Thibs' fearlessness when it comes to leaning heavily on his key cogs). Randle has missed just one contest this season and leads the NBA in minutes played, just ahead of Nikola Jokic (RJ Barrett ranks third).
When determining a potential candidate's MVP credentials, team success is also undeniably part of the equation. As noted above, the Knicks have certainly exceeded expectations.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Knicks have won 9 in a row. Julius Randle in that span: 31p | 10r | 1a | 5 3pt 40p | 11r | 6a | 6 3pt 16p | 10r | 7a | 1 3pt 33p | 5r | 10a | 2 3pt 44p | 10r | 7a | 6 3pt 32p | 8r | 5a | 5 3pt 34p | 10r | 4a | 2 3pt 26p | 8r | 5a | 1 3pt 15p | 10r | 11a | 1 3pt <a href="https://t.co/NHEUil7LBd">pic.twitter.com/NHEUil7LBd</a>
&mdash; StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1386043891288199169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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New York enters play on April 26 with a nine-game winning streak. The Utah Jazz, owners of the NBA's best record, are the only other team in the league to record a winning streak longer than eight games in 2020-21. <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/?sort=W&amp;dir=-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to NBA.com</a>, the Knicks are the only team in the NBA to rank in the top five in both Defensive Rating (107.2) and Offensive Rating (116.5) in April. New York leads the league in <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/?sort=W&amp;dir=-1">net rating</a> this month, having outscored their opponents by 119 points in the 13 games they have played.
Most pundits believe Jokic is a lock to win this season's Most Valuable Player Award, and rightfully so. Embiid, Curry and Luka Doncic, in some order, will likely round out the top four. It is very likely that one of those deserving four will end up winning the award.&nbsp;
Still, it can easily be argued that Randle deserves to land somewhere in the top 10, and if the Knicks can hold onto the fourth seed, he could rise as high as fifth.&nbsp;
Surprisingly, in NBA.com&rsquo;s most recent <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/kia-mvp-ladder-april-23-edition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MVP ranking</a>, published late last week, senior writer Michael C. Wright did not have Randle listed among his top 15 players worthy of MVP consideration. When comparing Randle&rsquo;s statistical profile to certain players who are more frequently mentioned as MVP candidates, there appears to be some disconnect.&nbsp;
(For what it&rsquo;s worth, only five players in Knicks franchise history have ever finished in the top five in MVP voting: Willis Reed, Walt "Clyde" Fraizer, Bernard King, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony.)
Aside from having a chance to join that illustrious group, Randle also has a legitimate shot at becoming the first Knick to win Most Improved Player.
Over his first five seasons in the NBA (311 games), Randle made a grand total of 104 three-pointers. Through New York's first 60 games this season, he's knocked down 132 trifectas. He had dished out double-digit assists in a single game six times in his career coming into this season. Randle has seven such games in 2020-21.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🗣 M-V-P Julius Randle started receiving MVP chants from the home crowd in MSG 👏 <a href="https://t.co/KmlEK8h8hT">pic.twitter.com/KmlEK8h8hT</a>
&mdash; ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/1386030093076627458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

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"One of the best one-season turnarounds I have ever seen," Knicks announcer <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-julius-randle-lupica-20210424-fikelmmpe5gfhdk4ukpkzrejj4-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Breen said</a> of Randle's current campaign, noting how the powerful power forward "has improved in every facet of the game."
During a national TV broadcast in mid-April, <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1383607382907883521?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jeff Van Gundy declared</a> Randle is "definitely the most improved player in the league," adding that he deserves MVP consideration too.&nbsp;
However, Randle has made it clear that he'll judge this season not by the number of points or boards he tallies, but rather the number of wins and losses his team compiles. In an <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/reputation-julius-randle-new-york-knicks-basketball-nba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">article he authored</a> for The Players Tribune in early March, Randle explained that his "main goal" was making sure the Knicks scale the standings. Randle wrote that taking a significant step forward in 2020-21 wasn't contingent upon posting impressive individual stats, but rather "about this entire Knicks team finding its best self."&nbsp;
Julius Randle is playing the best basketball of his life. Not coincidentally, the Knicks are on pace to finish a season with a winning percentage north of 55% for only the second time this century.&nbsp;
If you are wondering if New Yorkers are aware and appreciative of the importance of Randle's contributions&mdash;listen to the raucous "M-V-P" chants that rain down from the rafters every time he steps to the free-throw line inside Madison Square Garden.

Julius Randle isn't often mentioned among the NBA's candidates for Most Valuable Player. That should change, writes Tommy Beer.

What more does Julius Randle have to do to get MVP consideration?

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Fran Fraschilla Q&A: 'If someone wants to take a chance on me, I'd consider coaching again'

Michael Frazier opens up to Spencer Davies about how locked in he's been this offseason to continue chasing his NBA dream.