Nowitzki is the greatest star of the Mavericks. He led the team to win the championship. So who is the greatest point guard of the Mavericks? The answer is Derek Harper. Harper ranks first in the Mavericks team's regular season assists list, with 5,111 assists, 587 more than second place Brad Davis. The Mavericks' regular season steals list is also the first in the history. Harper occupied.
Harper played for the Mavericks for 10 and a half seasons and helped the Mavericks reach the Western Conference finals. This was the best result of the Mavericks in the 1980s. After being sent to the Knicks, ha Pere assisted Ewing to help the team reach the finals. In 1999, Harper announced his retirement. In 18 years, the Mavericks retired his No. 12 jersey to show their respect. Harper has been in the league for decades, and there are also many wonderful moments.
Starting from the bench, Harper is gradually moving towards glory
In the 83rd draft, the Mavericks selected Harper with the 11th pick in the first round. Harper is 1.93 meters tall and plays a point guard. In college, he scored The ability is good, the assist ability is also very strong, the defense is also very good, and he is a very good point guard. In his rookie season, Harper was placed on the bench. As a backup point guard, Harper, who just came to the NBA, has no chance of performance. Many, the performance is quite satisfactory. After the season, Harper averaged 5.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
In the 84-85 season, Harper was still a backup point guard, but his chances increased. His performance was much better than last season. The season averaged 9.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals. This performance is for a backup point guard. That said, it’s a very good stat. Within the Mavericks, Harper has the sixth most scoring, second most assists, and first steals.
Outstanding performance allowed Harper to start at the end of the 85-86 season. In the first game this season, Harper scored 26 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 steal. Blocks, in the last game of the season, Harper contributed 15 points, 1 rebound, 12 assists and 1 steal, helping the team beat the Lakers and ending the season with a victory. At the end of the season, Harper averaged 12.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. This is an improvement over last season. He has improved in each of the three seasons.This shows that Harper is a malleable material that can take on great responsibilities.
In the 86-87 season, the Mavericks old point guard Brad Davis officially retired to the second line. Harper became the starting point guard. After starting, Harper played vigorously. Against the Rockets, Harper played 26 minutes. Contributed 31 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists and 3 blocks to help the team win a victory. Facing the Trail Blazers led by "Glider" Drexler, Harper contributed 20 points, 15 assists and 6 steals. Help the team narrowly beat the opponent by one point.
At the end of the season, Harper averaged 16 points, 2.6 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game. He performed very well. At the same time, Harper’s defense was recognized by people and he was selected as the All-Defensive Second Team. .
After getting into the starting lineup, Harper, like a man who had unchained his shackles, began to climb step by step. In the 87-88 season, Harper averaged 17 points, 3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2 assists per game, helping the Mavericks win the Western Conference. The fourth record, qualified for the playoffs.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Mavericks eliminated their opponent Rockets without any risk, and entered the second round of the playoffs against the Nuggets, who are second in the Western Conference. In terms of overall strength, the Mavericks are the Nuggets. Slightly stronger, in the first game of the series, the Nuggets undertook the Mavericks. In the second game, the Mavericks quickly adjusted and pulled back one round. In the third game, the Nuggets won again. The two sides held a deadlock. , Harper's offensive performance was qualified and contributed 12 points, in addition to 10 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block, helping the team win over the opponent and equalize the big score.
This victory seems to have refined the Mavericks and opened up the Mavericks' second line of supervision. In the fifth game, the Mavericks narrowly won, and in the sixth game, Harper contributed 19 points, 9 assists, 1 rebound and 3 steals. A block, helped the team win another game, defeated the opponent by a big score of 4-2, completed the gram up, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
To tell the truth, the Mavericks' opponents in the Western Conference Finals are too strong. They are the Lakers at their peak. In the first two games, the Lakers won the Mavericks by dividing by two by two. Returning to the home court, the Mavericks finally eased. Thanks to God, Harper contributed 11 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 block.The Mavericks won the game. In the fourth game, Harper broke out on the offensive end. He contributed 35 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 1 steal. Harper tore the Lakers' defense and helped the team win a hard-won victory. In the battle of Tianwangshan, the Lakers overtook the Mavericks.
Although suppressed by the Lakers again, the Mavericks and Harper did not give up. In the sixth game, Harper contributed 17 points, 10 assists, 2 steals and 6 rebounds. 5 of the 6 rebounds were offensive rebounds, in order to win , Harper tried his best, and finally, with the efforts of all the Mavericks, won the game and dragged the series into the tie-break. In the tie-break, Harper contributed 15 points, 11 assists, and 3 rebounds. Two steals, the overall performance is good, the only weakness is the low shooting percentage, only 38.5%, the Mavericks and Harper worked hard to the end, but unfortunately failed to make this step, or was eliminated by the Lakers.
This is the farthest Harper has gone in with the Mavericks, and it is also the most glorious moment of the Mavericks in the 1980s. They are the team in the Western Conference Finals and the team that will not yield to the strong team. Harper is a brain and an important member, and their players are also unforgettable faces in the hearts of many old Mavericks fans.
In the next few seasons, Harper’s performance began to climb. In the 90-91 season, Harper was able to contribute 19.7 points, 3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.9 steals, shooting 46.7% from the field and 36.2 from the three-point range. %, averaging 1.2 shots per game. This season, Harper has reached the peak of his career and is also the best period of his career. After reaching the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks lacked stamina and failed to make further progress. The team's record is not outstanding, but Harper performed very well. He has always supported the team with his outstanding performance.
went to the Knicks to assist Ewing and set a record in the finals
In the 93-94 season, the Knicks' main point guard, Doug Grievous, was injured. In order to make up for this vacancy, they set their sights on Harper. He immediately discussed the deal with the Mavericks. In the end, Harper was sent to the Knicks and came to the Knicks. Harper focused on defense. His defense was indeed good enough. The defensive efficiency was 99, which is important for the Knicks outside. At the gate, the regular season ended, and the Knicks ranked second in the East and began their championship journey.
Across the Nets and the Bulls, the Knicks stood on the stage of the Eastern Conference Finals and competed with the Pacers for the chance to compete in the finals. This series of games was thrilling. The Knicks First won 2 games, but the Pacers won 3 games in a row and lost the pressure to the Knicks. In the away game, under the pressure of going home after losing, the Knicks played very well and played well overall. As the defensive gate, Harper limited Miller's field goal percentage to 38.1%, and Harper himself also contributed 11 points, 4 rebounds and 5 steals to help the team win the game.
The game was won. Let both sides stand back to the same starting line. The pressure on the Knicks was much less and Harper felt a lot easier. In the tiebreaker, Harper defended Reggie Miller while also organizing the team. Offensive, to score, the pressure is not small, but Harper withstood the pressure and contributed 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. At the same time, Reggie Miller did not hit the explosive data. For Reggie Miller like this The player, let him get 25 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block, which is acceptable, limiting Reggie Miller and the Knicks took the initiative. The winner of the game was also the Knicks. They scored 4 points. The advantage defeated the Pacers and held their heads close to the finals.
This is the first time in Harper's life that he has played in the finals. It is impossible not to be nervous, but Harper performed well. The first game was an adaptive intensity game. Harper made 3 of 10 shots and contributed 8 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. In the second game, Harper adapted to the intensity, making 7 of 11 shots and 4 of 6 3-pointers. , Contributed 18 points, 1 rebound, 7 assists and 3 steals, helping the team win the game. In the fourth game, Harper continued to make 9 of 15 shots, 3 of 7 three-pointers, 21 points and 7 rebounds. 3 assists and 4 steals, but unfortunately, the Knicks did not win the game by 4 points.
In the fourth game, the Knicks, who have lost two games, don’t want a big score to become 3-1. In that case, they will fall into the abyss. In crisis, it is Harper who stands out. He shot 7 of 15 In, 5 of 10 three-pointers, 21 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Harper's fierce artillery made the Rockets panic and lost to the Knicks 82-91. team,The Knicks evened the score.
In the fifth game, Harper contributed 14 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal to help the team go back to the next city and take the lead in achieving the match point, but in the sixth game, Harper played abnormally. The Knicks lost to their opponents by 2 points and were dragged into the tie-break. In the tie-break, Harper contributed 23 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. The performance was very good, but it was also difficult to help the team win. In victory, the Knicks lost the tie-break and missed the championship.
In the seven finals, Harper scored 16.4 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 2.4 steals. He shot 46.7% from the field and made 17 three-pointers. It also set a record for three-pointers in the finals. The record was kept until the 2008 Finals, when Ray Allen broke. In the finals, Harper's performance was good, and he was a bit close to the right time and place to win.
In the 95-96 season, Harper started 82 games and averaged 14 points, 4.3 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. This was Harper’s last peak. After that, Harper’s performance declined. The Magic and the Lakers played for one season each, and the 37-year-old Harper left the league and ended his NBA career.
written at the end
Harper has played for the Mavericks for many years and is also an icon of the Mavericks. It represents a glorious period of the Mavericks. On January 8, 18, the Mavericks will Harper’s jersey was retired to show his respect to Harper. Now, Harper’s jersey is hung over the American Airlines Center Arena, but Derek Harper has never been selected to an All-Star lineup in his career. He is a representative figure whose strength is greater than fame. Harper began to appear in people's vision this season, accepted interviews, expressed opinions and wished Harper a happy life in his later years.
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