Remembering Nate Thurmond: No challenge too great

Partly because the Warriors thought so highly of Thurmond in the 1963-64 season, in which they reached the Finals against Russell’s Celtics, they traded Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers during the following season. Whether it was scoring, defending, rebounding, shot-blocking or attitude — the kind of team-first mentality so characteristic of today’s Warriors — Thurmond had it all. Thurmond was raw and rail-thin at the time, not truly blossoming until his senior year at Bowling Green State University, where he was named to the All-American team. Thurmond was selected to play in seven All-Star games, but if he didn’t always get proper credit, it’s that he was more about work ethic and consistency than eye-opening episodes. Thurmond was a two-way force in his prime with the Warriors, averaging at least 20 points per game for five straight seasons (1968-72) and averaging 25 points and 18 rebounds during the team’s five-game playoff loss to Kareem’s Milwaukee Bucks in ’72. By the summer of ’74, at 32, his production had diminished — and he was traded to the Chicago Bulls for a promising young center named Clifford Ray and a No. 1 draft pick that turned out to be Joe Bryant — who later became known as the father of Kobe. “That was tough, mentally,” he said of the Warriors winning that championship without him. Because you think, was I doing something to hold them back? [...] that Chicago team nearly upset Rick Barry’s Warriors in the ’75 Western Conference finals, taking a 3-2 series lead before the Warriors nailed down the Game 7 clincher in Oakland. The Bulls traded him to Cleveland in the early stages of the 1975-76 season., and having grown up “just six blocks from where LeBron grew up” in Akron, he was on familiar ground. The Cavaliers were 6-11 at the time of the deal, but they went 43-22 the rest of the way, winning a division title for the first time in their history, Thurmond sharing time with Jim Chones at center. “Nate gave coach Bill Fitch’s young squad something they were desperately missing — a veteran leader and seasoned big man in the middle,” wrote Joe Gabriele on cavs.com. With the emphasis shifting rapidly to the three-point shot, there are some impressive athletes down low, but none with Thurmond’s combination of two-way skills and court presence.