Millsanity haha
I reckon the move to San Antonio under Parker is the best thing that could have happened to him. Hope he gets some time in the playoffs.
You bloody ripper Patty! Knew he had this in him, hes got a big career ahead. Wish I chased all his cards earlier though Lucky I have one auto at least.
AUSTRALIAN basketballer Patty Mills is on fire in the American NBA, delivering 27 and 34 points in successive games for San Antonio Spurs.
The latter effort, which enabled the Spurs to beat Golden State Warriors 107-101 yesterday, was the highest score ever posted by an Australian in the world's best hoops league and was expanded by 12 assists.
Andrew Bogut, who recently joined the Warriors but is injured, held the previous record of 32 while playing for Milwaukee Bucks against Dallas in January, 2010.
With Bogut unavailable for the London Olympics, Mills' hot form is great news for Boomers coach Brett Brown, an assistant at the Spurs.
The 23-year-old indigenous point guard is suddenly on the way to creating a happy ending to a difficult year, which involved playing the first nine games of the Australian season with Melbourne Tigers while the NBA was shut down because of an industrial dispute.
He left to accept a lucrative offer to play in China with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, but after 12 games was sacked for allegedly faking a hamstring injury, which he hotly denied.
Having played two years with Portland Trail Blazers, he returned to the US and has since played 15 games with the Spurs, his game time strictly limited until this week.
But with the team's playoff spot determined, coach Gregg Popovich has rested several players.
Mills got 34 minutes against Phoenix on Wednesday, cashing in with 27 points, and his 42 minutes yesterday was the game of his career.
What was most encouraging, Brown said, was Mills' other stats. "What's going to be written is that he had 34 points, but what should be written is that he had 12 assists. He has done a fantastic job of fitting in on all levels from a playing performance to being a great teammate, a real positive addition to the program."
HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORING PERFORMANCES BY AUSTRALIANS IN THE NBA:
Patty Mills: 34 v Golden State Warriors, April 26, 2012
Andrew Bogut: 32 v Dallas, 2010 Patty Mills: 27 v Phoenix, April 25, 2012
Chris Anstey: 26 v Boston, 1998
Luc Longley: 24 v Milwaukee, 1998
David Andersen: 19 v Los Angeles Lakers, 2009
Nathan Jawai: 16 v Portland, 2009
Shane Heal: 15 v Seattle,1996