Stephen Jackson played a pivotal role in the “We Believe” Warriors’ series victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Golden State Warriors had a magical first-round playoff series in 2007, and Stephen Jackson was at the center of it.
The Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games, and they are one of five teams in NBA history to take down a No. 1 seed. Jackson, who had been traded to the Warriors in the middle of the season, was playing his seventh year in the league.
He won a championship in 2003 with the San Antonio Spurs, and he had made three playoff appearances before joining Golden State.
His experience and quality play was pivotal for the Warriors’ historic victory. Jackson was second on the team in scoring, right behind Baron Davis.
That 2006-07 season was one of Davis’ best, as he averaged 20.1 points per game — the third-highest scoring average of his career — and he dished 8.1 assists a game.
Jackson had the highest 3-point percentage on the Warriors in that series, shooting at a 47.5% clip. Davis arguably was the team’s best player, averaging 25.0 points per game on 54.0% shooting.
But Jackson had two games where he was one of the top players on the floor.
Jackson scored a game-high 30 points during Game 2, and he grabbed three rebounds and shot 42.9% from the 3-point line. He had his best playoff game ever during the series’ elimination game. He scored a playoff career-high 33 points, and he shot 7-of-8 from the 3-point line.
He averaged 22.8 points per game, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists during the series. He also led the Warriors in steals per game (2.0), and was second in assists behind Davis.
With his first season in Golden State a success, Jackson built on it in the years after.
Playing a total of 14 seasons, Jackson had his best years in the Bay Area. He averaged 19.4 points per game with the Warriors, the highest scoring average of any team he played with. He also shot 34.8% from deep while with Golden State, the best he shot from the 3-point line with any team in his career.
Aside from his playoff success in the Bay, Jackson also enjoyed success there in the regular season.
He scored a game-high 41 points in February 2008, when the Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards, 120-117. Jackson shot 61.1% from the field and 44.4% from deep. He also made a career-high 15 free throws, only missing two of his 17 attempts from the line.
Though he ended his career a journeyman, playing for eight teams, Jackson should be remembered for what he accomplished with the Warriors.
The “We Believe” Warriors weren’t the juggernaut Golden State has been recently, but because of Jackson and others, they were surely an entertaining team to watch.
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