I’m sure you all know by now that Patty Mills and Aron Baynes are the newest Australian NBA Champions.
Baynes played a minor role for the Spurs in the five-game Finals series against the Heat, very similar to Mills’ role last year.
But this year was very different for Mills.
The 25-year-old played a pivotal role in downing the Heat and cemented himself as a San Antonio fan favourite. His energy and pure excitement coming off the bench was infectious for the rest of his teammates.
Mills played the biggest game of his career in Game 5, scoring 17 points, including five three pointers. He made the third quarter his own, scoring a huge 14 points.
It wasn’t always this way for Mills though. He was drafted with the 55th pick by the Portland Trailblazers in 2009. He was never able to fully push into their rotation and returned to Australia to play for the Melbourne Tigers in 2011 and then travelled to China.
He was picked up by the Spurs in March 2012 and while he wasn’t able to solidify his spot in the rotation until this season, you could tell he fitted in perfectly with the Spurs.
He loves to play for his teammates and is a great team player. This is what Spurs basketball is all about – putting the team first.
After the heartbreaking 2013 Finals loss to the Heat, Mills took his training and dieting to a whole new level. Everyone knew he was too heavy, including his coach Gregg Popovich, who said he was “a little fat ass”.
This commitment helped Mills take his game to a new level. His shooting from beyond the arc is now automatic and he shot a phenomenal 52 per cent from three point land in the Finals.
Defence was always the biggest deficiency in Mills’ game, but throughout the series he was commended for this side of his game. Followers of Mills’ early career would know just how much his defence has improved and it is a credit to him and the Spurs coaching staff.
Mills was forever known for his infamous towel waving on the sidelines, and some thought that’s all he would ever be, a benchwarmer.
While he still loves a good towel wave, Mills will now be remembered for his shooting, energy and that crazy third quarter in the Championship-clinching Game 5 of the 2014 NBA Finals.
As Australians, we should all be extremely proud of the way he has represented our country throughout this NBA season. He has single-handedly put Australian basketball back on the map.
Congratulations, Patty!
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