Follow The Leader

Written by wendell maxey | 19 April 2009

It was one of those nights, a night where something funky was in the air. David Stern was in the building. So was a very tan Ric Bucher from ESPN. Local, national and international media were in full force, but it wasn’t the normal aura we’ve all become accustomed to at the Rose Garden.

It was in a word: different.

Welcome to the NBA Playoffs.

Right before tip-off between Houston and Portland in Game 1, Brandon Roy ran over to the baseline and hugged someone decked out in a white shirt with yellow collar. It was Jamal Crawford, his close friend and mentor from the Golden State Warriors.

Somewhere around three hours and a 31 point Rockets pounding later, Roy and Crawford stood down the hallway from Portland’s locker room with a number of others gathered, listening to Roy breakdown the breakdown.

They laughed then. No one was laughing earlier. Brandon smiled. He wasn’t smiling earlier.

I couldn’t help but think about Roy and Crawford and their Seattle bond. They go back like Starsky and Hutch.

I got to know their story intimately for a story due out in the June issue of Sports Northwest Magazine. Back then, Brandon talked about Jamal. Jamal talked about Brandon. On Saturday night in Portland, the mentored was taught a hard playoff lesson and all anyone is talking about now is saying a playoff prayer for Portland.

Roy deeply wanted to put Game 1 behind him while sitting at the dais and answering postgame question.  It’s not that easy. That’s what happens when you are the leader. You have to take the heat.

With Roy in between fielding questions, I suddenly flashed back to the aforementioned story I did with Roy and Crawford. Before Brandon explained the story behind their brotherhood, he told a story he had with Nate McMillan weeks ago.

“He said, ‘who are they going to follow?’,” Roy remembered about that regular season conversation with Nate.

“And he’s right.”

Brandon should recall that conversation come Tuesday night and the others best follow the leader.

Compared to Game 1 that would be – in a word: different.

pic via: yahoosports.com