Top 5 most memorable NBA playoff moments featuring ex-Arizona Wildcats

There are still plenty of former Arizona Wildcats remaining in the NBA playoffs. However, that number will be reduced in the conference finals.

Golden State’s contingent of ex-Wildcats — featuring head coach Steve Kerr, assistant coach Bruce Fraser and reserve veteran forward Andre Iguodala — battle the Los Angeles Lakers in another postseason chapter with LeBron James.

The winner of that series will face either Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns or the top-seeded Denver Nuggets, who have high-flying defensive specialist Aaron Gordon and backup power forward Zeke Nnaji, in the Western Conference Finals. So far? Advantage, Nuggets.

Since the Suns-Nuggets series has former Wildcats involved on both sides, it got us thinking: What are some of the most memorable NBA playoff series that included at least one ex-Cat? We did our best to narrow it down to five, although it wasn’t easy.

Without further ado, here are five notable NBA playoff matchups that had a UA tie:

‘Jet’ helps Dallas capture 1st title

What: NBA Finals

When: 2011

What went down: En route to an NBA championship, the Dallas Mavericks dethroned and swept the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Lakers and took down the then-newly formed Miami Heat team led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — also known as “The Heatles.” Two seasons after former Arizona guard Jason Terry was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, he came off the bench and averaged 18 points in 32.5 minutes per game. Terry had 21 points and six assists in Game 5 against Miami, becoming the first bench player in the NBA Finals since Michael Cooper in 1987 to record at least 20 points and five assists as a reserve. In the series-clinching game, Terry had a game-high 27 points in a 105-95 win over the Heat in Miami.

Spurs win 2nd title of dynasty

What: NBA Finals

When: 2003

What went down: It was the perfect time for Steve Kerr to ride off into the sunset of his playing career. With four championships already under his belt, Kerr, whose clutch second-half 3-pointers against Dallas lifted the San Antonio Spurs into the NBA Finals, was pushing for his fifth. But the New Jersey Nets — and their star core of Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and ex-Wildcat Richard Jefferson — stood in the way. After falling to the Lakers in the NBA Finals the previous season, the hungry Nets fell to the Spurs 4-2. Jefferson averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in the six-game series, while Kerr played just under nine minutes each in Games 5 and 6. Kerr announced his retirement shortly after San Antonio won its second NBA championship.

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Simon says (bubble) championship

What: NBA Finals

When: 2020

What went down: The COVID-19 pandemic shuttered all of sports in the U.S. for several months in 2020, but the NBA concluded the rest of its season in a “bubble” at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In front of digital fans watching the games from their homes, the 100-plus-day bubble experiment ended with the Lakers battling the Heat, the franchise that Lakers star James took to the NBA Finals for four straight seasons. Besides star wing Jimmy Butler and All-Star big man Bam Adebayo, Miami also had ex-Wildcats Solomon Hill and Iguodala, who went to the championship six straight years between his run with Golden State and his lone season with the Heat. But the Lakers prevailed in six games, delivering the only championship of the James-Anthony Davis era. The title also brought a ring to former UA walk-on Quinton Crawford, who played at Arizona under Sean Miller, and Miles Simon, who led the Wildcats to a national championship in 1997; both were assistant coaches on Frank Vogel’s staff in L.A.

Iggy on wrong end of ‘The Block’

What: NBA Finals

When: 2016

What went down: No team in NBA Finals history had frittered away a 3-1 series lead ... until the Golden State Warriors, who had set the regular-season record (73-9) for wins, did it in the 2015-16 season — one year after winning the title with Iguodala earning Finals MVP honors for shouldering the responsibilities of guarding James. One year later, the NBA title came down to one game between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers at rowdy Oracle Arena in Oakland. With the game tied 89-89 late in the fourth quarter, Iguodala caught a fastbreak pass from Warriors star Stephen Curry for a routine transition basket until James soared in and pinned Iguodala’s layup attempt on the backboard. On the following possession, Cavs guard Kyrie Irving canned a go-ahead 3-pointer to lift Cleveland over Golden State in stunning fashion. Former Arizona forwards Jefferson and Channing Frye, along with assistant coach Bret Brielmaier, won their first championship in the NBA.

‘Guess I gotta bail Michael out again’

What: NBA Finals

When: 1997

What went down: In Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, the Chicago Bulls were down to one possession with 28 seconds left. Win, and the series is over; lose, it’s going to a Game 7 in Salt Lake City. Guarded by Byron Russell, Bulls legend Michael Jordan passed the ball to Kerr at the top of the key for a game-winning mid-range shot. Kerr’s shot propelled the Bulls to their fifth championship and continued the Jordan-led dynasty in Chicago. It also led to one of the most memorable speeches at an NBA championship parade. Said Kerr, to thousands of Bulls fans in Chicago: “When we called timeout with 25 seconds to go, we went into the huddle and Phil (Jackson) told Michael, ‘Michael, I want you to take the last shot.’ Michael told Phil, ‘You know, Phil, I don’t really feel comfortable in these situations, so maybe we ought to go in another direction. Why don’t we go to Steve?’ So I thought to myself, ‘Well, I guess I gotta bail Michael out again.’ The shot went in, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

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