The NBA Finals, between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, are in full swing.
Here are 10 Louisville connections to this year's Finals. Unfortunately none involve LeBron James or Steph Curry.
#1. Former University of Louisville standout Bud Olsen played two seasons (1965-67) for the Warriors when they were still located in San Francisco. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in the ‘65-66 season and 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in ‘66-67.
#2. As we recently mentioned, former UofL star Butch Beard was a solid contributor for Golden State’s first, and only (so far), NBA championship team in 1974-75. The 6-3 guard averaged 12.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.9 rebounds for the Warriors, who swept the Washington Bullets (led by former UofL star Wes Unseld) in the ‘75 Finals. Three seasons before that, though, Beard had the best season of his NBA career with the Cavs. Beard, who missed the 1970-71 season due to military service, averaged 15.4 points, 6.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 68 games for Cleveland.
#3. Former UofL All-American Wesley Cox was a first-round pick (18th overall) by the Warriors in the 1977 NBA Draft. The 6-6 small forward scored 342 points (4.6 ppg) and grabbed 206 rebounds (2.8 rpg) in two seasons with Golden State.
#4. Former UofL standout Scooter McCray played his final NBA season (1986-87) with the Cavs. The 6-9 forward, who played two seasons in Seattle and one in France prior to that, averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 24 games for Cleveland that season.
#5. Former UofL standout Dwayne Morton was the 45th overall pick by the Warriors in the 1994 NBA Draft and played his only NBA season with the team. The 6-7 wing averaged 4.1 points in 41 games (four of which he started) for Golden State.
#6. Former UofL All-American Clifford Rozier was a first-round pick (16th overall) by the Warriors in the 1994 NBA Draft. The 6-11 center played two seasons (1994-96) in Golden State. As a rookie he averaged 6.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 66 games (34 of which he started) for the Warriors. Rozier’s production dropped considerably his second season, when he averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 59 games (only one of which he started). He was traded (along with Rony Seikaly) after one game the following season to the Orlando Magic in exchange for three players, including Felton Spencer.
#7. Spencer, who came into his own during his senior season at UofL, would play the next 2 and a 1/2 seasons for the Warriors. In his first season (1996-97) in Golden State the 7-0 center averaged 8.6 points and 9.6 rebounds in 72 games (including 64 starts). Spencer averaged 7.2 points and 10 rebounds in 68 games off the bench the following season. He played 26 games for the Warriors in the ‘98-99 season, averaging 9.5 points and 10.4 rebounds.
#8. Samardo Samuels, who went undrafted after making the bad decision to turn pro after his sophomore season at UofL, was signed as a free agent by the Cavs in 2010. The 6-9 forward/center played 109 games for Cleveland over three seasons, averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 37 games (including 10 starts) for the Cavs in the 2010-11 season (scoring a career-high 23 points against San Antonio in March of 2011). He averaged 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 54 games the following season and 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 18 games (including one start) in ‘12-13.
#9. Former Cardinal Earl Clark played for the Cavs during the 2013-14 season. The 6-10 forward averaged 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 45 games (including 17 starts) for Cleveland before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, who subsequently released him.
#10. Current Cavs mercurial shooter J.R. Smith (pictured above) is the older brother of former University of Louisville player Chris Smith. The 6-6 wing, who occasionally came to see his younger brother in the Ville, was a key midseason acquisition for Cleveland, averaging 12.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 46 regular-season games (45 of which he started). In the playoffs Smith is averaging 12.4 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Cavs, who are tied 2-2 in the best-of-seven series against the Warriors with Game 5 coming up Sunday night in Oakland.
Photo courtesy Cleveland Cavaliers Facebook Page
