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Haslem, Miller and Brewer give NBA Finals a Gator flavor
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Scott Carter
The Gators have been prominent throughout the 2011 NBA playoffs, highlighted by the head-to-head battle between former teammates and roommates Joakim Noah and Al Horford in the Eastern Conference finals.
Only the names change when the NBA Finals open Tuesday night (9 p.m./ABC) in Miami for Game 1 between the Heat and Mavericks.
Three former UF men's basketball players are on the two teams: Corey Brewer with Dallas and Miami teammates Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. Haslem and Miller also played together at UF from 1998-2000. Miller left after his sophomore year for the NBA, getting drafted by the Magic with the fifth overall pick.
Meanwhile, Haslem stayed at UF for four years and left as the third all-time leading scorer in school history. Haslem went undrafted but has developed into one of the most important players on the Heat's roster.
This is Miller and Haslem's first season as NBA teammates. Click here to read a story from Sunday's Palm Beach Post on the former Gators playing a key role for Miami.
However, Brewer and Miller spent time as teammates in Minnesota during the 2008-09 season.
Haslem is the only one of the trio of Gators already with an NBA title ring, winning the championship with the Heat in 2006 when they beat the Mavericks.
In his eighth NBA season, Haslem returned from a foot injury to provide a significant boost off the bench in the conference finals against the Bulls. Miller also had his moments in the Heat-Bulls series.
As for Brewer, the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, his role in Dallas' run through the Western Conference playoffs has been limited to six games. Brewer's most notable contribution coming in Game 1 of the conference finals against the Lakers when he scored eight points and helped defend Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
The trio gives UF the most players from a single school in the NBA Finals since 2007 when three ex-Kansas players suited up in San Antonio's four-game sweep of Cleveland. Former Jayhawks Scot Pollard and Drew Gooden played for the Cavs while Jacque Vaughn earned a championship ring with the Spurs.
In this year's Finals, UNLV (Shawn Marion and Joel Anthony) and Arizona (Mike Bibby and Jason Terry) are the only other schools with multiple players represented in the Heat-Mavs series.
So which former Gator has had the best career? We'll let you decide by posting the college and NBA career stats of each.
Haslem: 130 games, 13.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists at UF; 530 regular-season games, 10.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists in eight NBA seasons.
Miller: 65 games, 13.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists at UF; 733 games, 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists in 11 NBA seasons.
Brewer: 108 games, 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists at UF; 245 games, 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists in four NBA seasons.
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