BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…April 7, 2010:
Anthony Tolliver, who had started his season as a member of the Idaho Stampede, picks a perfect time to register a career-high 34 points for the Golden State Warriors.
Tolliver’s performance in a 116-107 victory at Minnesota helped make the Warriors’ Don Nelson the winningest coach in NBA history with his 1,333rd win, surpassing Lenny Wilkens. Tolliver played 45 minutes and went 14-of-22 from the field. Nelson won two more games before retiring at the end of the season.
Nelson was in his second stint with Golden State, having first led the Warriors from 1988-95. He also coached the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. Nelson was a three-time NBA Coach of the Year, but he never won an NBA championship. We forget how clutch he was as a player, though.
Nelson was part of five championship teams during his 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics from 1965-76. The Celtics retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978. Nelson now lives in Maui, where he farms flowers, coffee and cannabis and hosts poker games. Not surprisingly, his guest list includes Willie Nelson and Woody Harrelson.
About four weeks ago, Nelson’s record finally went by the wayside, as San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich became the NBA’s all-time leader. As for Tolliver, he’s now 36 but hasn’t retired yet. Currently a free agent, Tolliver played 11 games last season with the Philadelphia 76ers, his 11th team in 14 seasons.
The Stampede were the last G League (then D League) team he played for before sticking in the NBA for good. He appeared in 14 games in 2009-10 and averaged 21.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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