Damion Lee Heading to 2022 NBA Finals
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Former Louisville men’s basketball standout Damion Lee is now just one series win away from becoming an NBA champion.
Facing Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, his Golden State Warriors came out with a 120-110 win on Thursday night, clinching the best-of-seven series in five games to reach the 2022 NBA Finals.
This will be Lee's second trip to the NBA Finals, also making it in 2019 during his first year with the Warriors. It's also the second year in a row that a former Card will be battling for a championship, after Jordan Nwora and the Milwaukee Bucks did it last season.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound shooting guard played in 11 games during the Western Conference Playoffs, but had a limited role. He averaged only 10.4 minutes per game, putting up 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists in the process, though he did set a playoff-high 10 points in game five of the Western Conference semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Lee saw a lot more action during the 2021-22 regular season. He averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game over 63 appearances and five starts. He also shot 44.1 percent from the field and 33.7 percent on threes.
Out of the five former Cardinals to make it to the 2022 NBA Playoffs, Lee is the only one remaining. Donovan Mitchell's Utah Jazz, Gorgui Dieng's Atlanta Hawks and David Johnson's Toronto Raptors were all eliminated in the first round, while Jordan Nwora's Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals.
Golden State will face either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat in the best-of-seven series for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday, June 2 at 9:00 p.m. EST on ABC.
(Photo of Damion Lee: Stephen Lew - USA TODAY Sports)
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