Cal Basketball: Leon Powe Revisits a Special Night in his NBA Career
Leon Powe still regards Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals as one of the absolute high points of his basketball career.
The 36-year-old former Cal star delivered a near out-of-body performance for the Boston Celtics that night 12 years ago Monday, scoring a playoff career-high 21 points in less than 15 minutes off the bench.
The Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 108-102 for a 2-0 lead on the way to a 4-2 series victory, ending a 22-year championship drought for Boston.
“I can’t even put it into words, but that game meant a whole lot to me,” Powe said. “Ever since I was younger, you always see all the greats, all the great teams and you see the storied franchises, like Boston on TV, winning championships.
“And everybody can’t get get that feeling. There’s only one way to get that feeling, and that’s winning a championship. I didn’t know if I was going to get that feeling.
“We made some magic happen.”
The 2007-08 Celtics, featuring Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, assembled a 66-26 regular-season record. It came just one year after the Celtics were 24-58, their worst record of any season in the 21st century.
“I’d been preparing for that moment, just in case we made the championship one year,” Powe said. “But it was hard to believe because we lost about 25 games in a row (actually 18) the year before.”
Powe was a second-year NBA player in 2007-08, a reserve power forward and center who often played well when given the chance. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds and shot 57% from the field during the season.
But more often, he watched from the bench. During one 13-game stretch in the regular season, Powe played a total of 68 seconds.
But in Game 2 of The Finals, he got the call. Powe recalled what went through his mind as he waited to check in at the scorer’s table.
“I started looking around and I was like, `Man, this is it. It don’t get no bigger than this.’
“You got yourself here. Now, can you finish it?”
Powe’s pep talk to himself worked. He shot 6-for-7 from the field and used his strength inside to draw repeated fouls, converting 9-of-13 free throws.
He scored the final six points of a 15-2 run that ended the third quarter and pushed the Celtics into a 22-point lead. At one point in the fourth quarter, Boston fans exchanged their usual chants of "Beat L.A." for cries of "Le-on Powe!”
The Associated Press game story suggested Powe’s performance “may make him a Celtics fan-favorite for life.”
And it sort of has — Powe now works in the Celtics community relations department.
Leon Powe during his Cal career.
Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
After the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson questioned how Powe managed to attempt more free throws than the entire Los Angeles team.
The Celtics’ locker room had a different take on things.
"He was terrific," Celtics coach Doc Rivers praised.
"He was huge for us," Pierce agreed. "He was aggressive; we got him the ball. We feel like we can go to the guy. He's proven during the course of the year, once he posts up, get him the ball. And we've developed confidence that he can get the job done.”
Bob Ryan, the acclaimed basketball writer and columnist at the time for the Boston Globe, called Powe the X-factor in the series.
"Powe was Exhibit A of what effort, plus strong inside moves, can do for someone. There are times you look at him and say, "If only he were 6-11, he would be a monster," but it doesn't always work out that way.
“In all likelihood, he plays harder at 6-8 than he would at 6-11 or 7 feet. He has developed a game that suits Leon Powe.”
And on one special night, Powe put that game to use on basketball's biggest stage.
.
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Cal Sports Report on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.
