Justin Holiday Expresses Uncommon Humility And Appreciation After Break-Out Game At Las Vegas Summer League (Photo Credit: @letsgowarriors Instagram account)
Justin Holiday spent much of the evening following his breakout Las Vegas Summer League Performance thanking family, friends, and fans on Twitter who had congratulated him on his 29-point, 13-rebound performance in a 74-72 win against the Phoenix Suns.
[vimeo 100630861 w=500 h=281]Justin Holiday Post-Game after 74-72 Win vs Phoenix Suns from Ryan Brown on Vimeo.
No matter that he has to get ready for practice tomorrow morning, or that there are only so many hours in the day to visit with friends, family and former teammates also here at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The time Holiday took to reach out and express his appreciation to his followers wasn’t much, but it’s a wonderful thing to see the genuine appreciation he has for those who support him, even in small ways.
For Justin, it seems to come natural. The calm confidence and graciousness in his demeanor was clear as he spoke with media after the game.
“I wanted to make sure I came in and was aggressive on both sides,” Holiday said. “I wasn’t worried about just scoring, but getting my shots during the game and that’s what happened today and we ended up winning.”
While he managed to light up the box score the way Summer League players dream about, it’s arguable that the stats didn’t do justice to the game he played Saturday Night at Cox Pavilion.
In addition to game highs in points and rebounds, Holiday also scored the game-winning put-back layup off a missed three-pointer from Nemanja Nedovic with just 4 seconds to play, stretching the Golden State Warriors‘ LVSL winning streak to a record 16 games.
“I thought it was going to be short and hit the rim so I was going to try to tip-dunk it, but it ended up falling into my hands, just a simple layup,” Holiday said.
Throughout the night, the 25-year old guard brought Warriors fans to their feet, knocking down jump shots so regularly cheers rained down to the court before the ball dropped through the basket.
“It pretty much feels like you’re just out there floating around,” Holiday said of his stellar performance. “I was like ‘Okay, I have a chance to help today.’ Because, you know, last night I didn’t shoot to well.”
One particularly rousing put-back dunk managed to bring nearly everyone in the arena to their feet, part of a second-quarter scoring barrage that included two three-pointers and incited the ever-fitting “oohs” and “ahs” from the Las Vegas crowd.
“I think it came off a (James Michael) McAdoo ball-screen, but they wanted him to post up,” Holiday said. “Then when he went in I saw it was short again, ready to roll, tip dunk.”
Holiday played unselfishly, scoring his 29 points on just 15 field-goal attempts, and was aggressive defensively, twice meeting his opponent at the rim to record a block.
“I’m trying to continue to prove that I can defend, first of all. That’s whats going to keep me on the floor,” Holiday said. “But at the same time, when I get an open jump shot I’ve got knock it down. Hopefully, I can continue to do that.”
The former Washington Husky picked up the slack in a game where the other four starters scored just 28 points combined, going 9 of 32 from the floor.
Holiday was the key to Golden State’s 7-point halftime lead, and was looked to again when they fell down by as many as 8 points in the second half.
“The way coach Kerr coaches us is to play hard, never give up. I feel like the team did that today,” Holiday said. “When we got down, we didn’t need to step back, we fought back and won the game.”
By no stretch of the imagination was Holiday the biggest player on the floor, but he sure played like it.
The Suns played nearly the entire game with two players 6’11” or taller on the court, but the 6’6″ wing attacked the basket strong, drawing fouls, and going a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line.
Amidst the towers, Holiday managed a surprising 7 offensive rebounds to go along with 6 more on the defensive end, evidence of the hustle he showed throughout his 32 minutes on the floor.
It was the kind of night that leaves an impression on scouts. For a guy that’s been trying to play his way into the NBA since going undrafted out of the University of Washington in 2011, that should be a big deal.
For Holiday, it’s just proof. Proof that he can play on a bigger stage if given the chance.
“Every time I’ve came and tried out for something I’ve felt like I had a chance,” Holiday explained. “I have to have confidence when I go in there or I know it won’t be good for me.”
After the game, Head Coach Steve Kerr expressed high praise for the young man from Southern California.
“He’s got all the look of an NBA player. A good shooting stroke and length,” Kerr said. “He’s a great kid. He’s somebody I would love to have on my team, with his attitude and his talent.”
Upon hearing Kerr’s remarks, Holiday responded “I’ve got to tell him thank you. I appreciate that.”
At the end of all the excitement, they hype, the hoopla, it was still clear. Justin Holiday is just a young man looking to live his dream.
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