Thompson did a bit of everything for Louisville in its title-winning year. Louisville Cardinals 1986, Los Angeles Lakers 1987 Wasting no time establishing himself as a crucial starter, Johnson averaged over nine assists in the postseason to help the Lakers overcome the 76ers in six games. Johnson's impact didn't slow in his first season in Los Angeles either. That final performance, combined with his triple-double in the semifinals against Penn, earned him 1979 Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. Leading the way for the Spartans, Johnson's 24 points in the title game helped lead Michigan State over Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores. Widely regarded as one of the best point guards ever, Johnson's title streak was filled with impressive individual accolades. Michigan State Spartans 1979, Los Angeles Lakers 1980 The rookie guard averaged 4.4 points in his first campaign before eventually blossoming into a solid career role-player and later a three-year starter for the Philadelphia 76ers. Drafted in the fourth round by the Knicks, Bibby didn't have an outsized role on New York's 1973 championship team, but he did work his way onto the floor for spot minutes as a reserve. Helping lead a stacked Bruins squad, Bibby started the first 45 games of what would eventually become an 88-game win streak. Louis Hawks in seven games.īibby entered on the back of three consecutive titles with UCLA. Russell averaged a remarkable 24.4 rebounds for the Celtics in the 1957 postseason, as Boston dispatched the St. Drafted by the Celtics as part of a legendary 1956 draft class for Boston, Russell didn't take long establishing himself in the league. Russell was all but unstoppable, averaging over 20 points and 20 rebounds in his two championship seasons with the Dons. Russell entered the league on the back of a dominant run of back-to-back titles with San Francisco (including being named the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 1955 and UPI college basketball Player of the Year in 1956). San Francisco Dons 1956, Boston Celtics 1957 Here's a look at those four players and their resumes: Only four other players have won an NCAA and NBA title in back-to-back years, a feat Braun achieved after winning the 2022 NCAA tournament with the Kansas Jayhawks. With the win, Braun, joined an exclusive club. The rookie gained plaudits for his energetic play off the bench, including a 15-point outburst to help the Nuggets take home Game 4 on the road. Braun's role increased as the Finals went on - his 24 minutes logged in Denver's decisive Game 5 win were the most he played in any postseason game. One of the breakout stars of this season's NBA Finals has been Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun. Nuggets' Christian Braun joins short list of consecutive NCAA and NBA title winnersĭenver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Kansas Jayhawks He received high praise for that performance from Jokic, who said Braun "won us the game" after guys were struggling to put points on the board.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser He was a key figure in breaking Miami's zone defense in that game, making great off-ball cuts to the rim, and attacking on closeouts when the ball swung to him. With 15 points on 7 of 8 from the field, Braun became just the fourth rookie in the last 20 years with a 15-point performance in the Finals. While Braun didn't have quite the same level of impact as guys like Russell and Johnson did on their title teams as rookies, the former Kansas product did have his moment during this championship run in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Braun joins Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Henry Bibby and Billy Thompson as the only players to accomplish that feat. He was then drafted 21st overall by the Nuggets in the 2022 NBA Draft, and after a rookie season that saw him appear in 76 games, he joins a short list of players who have won at the college level and in the NBA in consecutive years. Rookie guard Christian Braun joined an elite group of names after the final buzzer sounded and the Nuggets were crowned champions, becoming just the fifth player in league history to win an NBA title and NCAA championship in back-to-back years.īraun was a starter on the University of Kansas team that won a championship in 2022, overcoming the largest deficit in NCAA title game history to help capture the Jayhawks' fourth men's basketball title. Nikola Jokic was named Finals MVP after putting together a historic playoff run, but he's not the only Nuggets player who made history en route to Denver's championship. It finally happened - the Denver Nuggets have won an NBA championship after beating the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Game 5 Monday night to close out the series.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |