Rashard Lewis still has game

Kurt Helin at ProBasketballTalk.com has a nice write up on some of the contributions Rashard Lewis has been making for the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals.

A few clips from the article:

Lewis had 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 3-of-7 from three in the Heat’s Game 2 win. Nobody really saw this coming, but Lewis has taken over the role Mike Miller did for the Heat last year — not in terms of role within in the offense, but in terms of being a trusted fourth scorer and someone who can space the floor with threes.

“Rashard has been huge for us ever since he’s been inserted into our starting lineup, from the Indiana series,”LeBron James said. “He’s been in this position before. He’s been to the Finals with the Orlando Magic. He’s been in huge playoff games, and his experience and ability to knock down shots helps us out a lot. It spreads the floor for us, and every time he catches the ball, we tell him just to shoot it. Don’t think about nothing else besides shooting the ball, and we live with his results.”

As I've mentioned previously, I'm cheering for the Spurs in this series. But I'm really glad to see both Rashard Lewis as well as Ray Allen doing well for the Miami Heat.

Rashard was always one of my favorite players when he was on the Sonics. I was tremendously disappointed when he went to Orlando, but I understood why he took the money and never looked back. If you'd like to read some more on Rashard, our own Mitch Northam had a nice write up on him a while back.

One of the really cool things about Rashard Lewis is that despite his numerous years away from Seattle, he still has great things to say about us and his time here. Lewis had this to say about Seattle in a recent Grantland article:

“It’s such a sports town,” Lewis said. “Not only basketball, but football, baseball. They really support their professional athletes, and playing in KeyArena is something that I will never forget. They most definitely deserve a basketball team if not today, tomorrow. I know a lot of people say New York is the basketball mecca, but to me, it’s Seattle.”

If you haven't already, the Grantland article by Jonathan Abrams on Ray and Rashard is worth the time it takes to read. Long-form nostalgia. Even if you are boycotting the NBA, this article is worth the read. Great insight into the development of the relationship as well as the games of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

I've occasionally found myself wondering the what if proposed in the Grantland article. What if Ray and Rashard were in Seattle with Kevin Durant? Can you imagine? Threes would rain down like Seattle rain. Durant turned out pretty well despite not having had that influence, but wonder what would his game look like now with 3 years under the tutledge of Ray Allen on shooting and life and from Rashard Lewis on how to find your space in the post as an underweight new comer to the NBA.