Andre Iguodala loses shoe, drills 3-pointer in 4th quarter of 2015 NBA Finals Game 1
Andre Iguodala has been waiting an awfully long time — 11 seasons, just under 900 games and more than 32,000 NBA minutes — for the chance to make a difference in the NBA Finals. He’s not about to let something as small as losing his shoe in the middle of a possession stop him.
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Nearing the halfway point of the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals, Iguodala’s Golden State Warriors trailed the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, 86-82. With the shot clock winding down, Iguodala — who had stepped out of his left shoe near half-court earlier in the play — curled to the left corner, away from the defense of James. Stephen Curry hit him with the pass, and Iguodala elevated off one shoe and one sock before James could close out, drilling the corner 3 to draw the Dubs within one, giving Oracle Arena a reason to roar. (As if the gold-shirted masses needed one.)
My favorite thing about this: while you’d think losing a shoe in the middle of play might be relatively rare, this is the third time in the last four postseasons that someone has lost a shoe like this in the midst of a big game. Weirder still? The first two both featured another player involved in the 2015 Finals — Cleveland Cavaliers reserve Mike Miller.
We doubt that Iguodala intended his shoeless shotmaking as a tip of the cap to his fellow veteran swingman, but it’s a neat grace note regardless … and a reminder that, in the heat of the moment, you don’t necessary need two shoes to step up.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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