The Phoenix Suns have seen an ascendancy to the top of the NBA Western Conference in remarkable fashion this season behind the MVP-level play of PG Chris Paul and the scoring of All-Star Devin Booker.
Playing behind Paul, a future Hall-of-Famer, Jevon Carter has offered a steady hand in the Phoenix backcourt. The team can rely on Carter to come in and spell relief for Paul, while bringing his signature hard-nosed defense with him.
The Suns recently swept the Denver Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
Carter hasn’t played much, as the Suns have tightened their rotation. In the Playoffs, Carter averages 3.6 minutes per game where he averaged 12.0 during the regular season.
Don’t let that strike you as a slight against the beloved Mountaineer. Carter will get his shot. Remember, he’s spent this season learning from one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game in Paul. Carter is like a sponge, soaking up everything.
The Suns win over the Nuggets got me to thinking about something. When was the last time a West Virginia Mountaineer basketball player played in an NBA Conference Finals?
From what I can tell, you have to go all the way back to 1973 and the Los Angeles Lakers, who eventually advanced to the NBA Finals before losing to the New York Knicks behind none other than Jerry West.
*Correction thanks to John Antonik*
Jerome Anderson was the last player from WVU to play in a Conference Finals back in 1976 with the Boston Celtics. That team went on to defeat, coincidentally, the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
Now, that’s one more thing that moves Jevon Carter up has that in the pantheon of WVU players in the NBA.
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