NBA notes: Deaths of prominent figures not lost on Iguodala

OAKLAND, CALIF. – Even amid the intensity of a championship series, the passing Friday of Muhammad Ali wasn't lost on forward Andre Iguodala, perhaps the Warriors' most thoughtful player.

"He was willing to stand his ground and not sell out, which is very rare in the history of our country, especially my people," Iguodala said "We had a few like that. It seems like they're passing now. Prince just passed, and he really stood for something.

"But it's good that we had those people. If you look back on what they did, they had a huge impact on how we got to where we are, and it's up to us to respect that and try to move it even more forward for the next generation."

This Warriors' playoff journey has been marked by these significant losses — as Iguodala noted, Prince died while the Warriors were in Houston for the first round, and they played his music before a practice.

"You have a job to do," Iguodala said, "but at the same time, when you see these passings, you try to embrace it more than anything.

"You embrace their lives, you embrace what they stood for, and you use that as motivation. Try to take the passion they had and what they were trying to do for you and use that on the court."

Few could have a better appreciation for the situation LeBron James finds himself in than Jerry West.

But West, who won only once in nine trips to the NBA Finals during his Hall of Fame playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, was incredulous at the thought of anyone criticizing James for reaching the pinnacle of his sport and falling short year after year.

"That's the most ridiculous thing," "If I were him, I'd probably want to strangle you guys.

"He's carried teams on his shoulders. He's been to the Finals six straight times," West, a member of Golden State's executive board, said Saturday. "How many times has he been the favorite? None. Zero. Grossly unfair to him.

"It's hard for me to believe someone doesn't recognize his greatness. This guy does everything. He's like a Swiss Army knife. He does everything, and he's competitive as hell. Frankly I wish people would leave him alone."

Despite the success West has had — as a first-ballot Hall of Famer but also becoming arguably the greatest executive in NBA history — he remains haunted by his Finals failures.

"In the playoffs, the best players are supposed to play better. I did. It made no difference. We weren't good enough."

James continues to add records to his playoff résumé.