It Wasn't An Option
I've been a Golden State Warriors fan longer than I care to remember. In '75 with a regular season record of 48-34, they swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets featuring Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld 4-0 to win it all. Rick Barry was the series MVP, supported by Keith Wilkes, (he would become Jamaal later) Clifford Ray, and Phill Smith. The reason I wax nostalgic about this point in time, is because Warrior fans have been waiting for a repeat performance for 33 years now. Imagine my feelings of good fortune when they acquired one of my favorite players in Baron Davis. They also brought in Don Nelson, who tailored the offense to Davis' uptempo style. This was it. The difference maker. All we needed now was a force in the low post. Last years playoffs was just a sample of what was to come. The dunk over Kirilenko was a mission statement.
Raymond Lewis is regarded by many to be one of the greatest basketball players that ever lived. Certainly without exception, the best to ever come out of Los Angeles. Lewis, a 6-foot-1-inch guard with unlimited shooting range, led his high school team to an 84-4 record and 3 straight CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) titles in '69, 70, and '71. Now back in the day there was no developmental league, but NBA coaches routinely sent players to LA to play in the "Summer League." Everybody who was anybody would play in that league every year. Lewis dropped 52 on a group of Los Angeles Lakers, while still in high school. He was offered 250 scholarships nationwide before deciding to attend Cal State LA. As a freshman he set all kinds of scoring records, and led the nation in scoring averaging 39 points a game, while shooting 60% from the floor-- an incredible feat for a guard who rarely shoots anything but jumpshots. Once scored 73 against UC Santa Barbara, hitting 30 of 40 from the floor. As a sophmore, the Lewis led Cal State team defeated number 3 ranked Long Beach State coached by Jerry Tarkanian. Lewis scored 53 in the double-overtime game. Four of the five players from that Long Beach State team would go to the NBA. He was the NCAA's second leading scorer averaging 32.9 points a game.
Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo Days


