Leon Powe is Roaring

Posted by: Avinash on Friday, June 6th, 2008

The NBA, where 4 points 4 rebounds in nine minutes happens.

They might be talking about Paul Pierce’s fake knee injury and KG’s thunder dunking and Kobe making nine of the most amazing shots ever (and missing seventeen of the most amazing shots ever). But on the Best Coast, this day belongs to Leon Powe, the man of humble origins, a hero to mankind. His 4 point 4 rebound performance was the difference in the game, because they lengthened Boston’s lead late and kept Black Mamba from working his voodoo. Never underestimate a California Golden Bear.

In case you didn’t know the Leon Powe story, start here.

The Man of the Hour: “We told ourselves at halftime that we gotta pick it up a little bit better,” said Leon Powe after the Boston Celtics claimed a Game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

“When he went down, I was like man, please don’t let this happen,” said Powe in reference to teammate Paul Pierce’s third quarter injury. “Knowing him (Pierce), he’s strong willing…he came back out…we had hope.”

On Sam Cassell: “Sam and the ball? You know how it is when you get married like three, four times? He won’t let that ball go. I’m telling you the truth. That’s very true…Sam, he’s going to score. He’s going to post you up. If you don’t like it, hey, you’ve got to deal with it. But Sam is going to score. He’s going to try to get everybody involved a little bit, but most likely, he’s going to try to score.”

From TrueHoop’s NBA Finals Liveblog:
MIKE MOREAU: Powe is instant energy and activity on the glass.
DR. JACK RAMSAY: Two possessions, and Leon Powe has gotten offensive rebounds on both. Significant, also, that Sam Cassell is playing instead of Eddie House.

(Praise from Dr. Jack. That’s two levels below praise from God.)

Freakonomics with the New York Times: When Levitt and I were up in Boston a couple months ago to write about the Celtics’ reliance on statistical analysis to make strategic and personnel decisions, one goal was to figure out strengths and weaknesses the Celtics knew about their own players and other teams’ players that weren’t obvious. Danny Ainge and Mike Zarren were understandably not very forthcoming — trade secrets and all that — but Zarren was willing to admit that:

Ray Allen’s worth goes far beyond his perimeter shooting, that Rajon Rondo’s rebounding was an undervalued asset, that Leon Powe’s surprisingly strong play was not so surprising to the Celtics …

Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe: Something good always happens offensively and on the boards when Leon Powe is in the game. The reason he doesn’t play more, I’m told, is that he doesn’t always grasp the particular defensive scheme du jour. And now, with Ol’ Man River available, Doc is opting for experience. But I can’t believe Leon won’t see some additional time in this series. He made the most of his opportunity Thursday, I’d say.

Leon Powe’s Memoirs Fansite: My prediction is the defining will be a Leon Powe jumper to win the Championship. Some of you may disagree, but time will tell if I’m right. Since we’re on the subject of Leon Powe, lets talk about Leon’s first championship game. Powe scored 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 9 minutes of play. Not bad for a guy that people were saying shouldn’t touch the floor because of his lack of experience. I’ll say it again… Leon will ALWAYS prove doubters wrong! He’ll continue to show everyone he deserves playing time as long as he gets it. During the 9 minutes Leon played the Celtics actually increased their lead. That’s impressive considering that Leon is coming in for Kevin Garnett. It just shows the Celtics don’t lose much when KG steps off the floor because of Leon.

And finally, the totally unoffical yet awesome slogan from Yardbarker.

Go Powe!

Note: Will be out until at least Tuesday, maybe Wednesday. The Vegas trip is in 7 hours. Enjoy your weekend.



Topics: Alumni, Blogs, Cal Basketball, Media, NBA

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