Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billupsis an American retired professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association. A star at the University of Colorado, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. A five-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA selection, Billups played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004...
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth25 September 1976
CityDenver, CO
We talked about it in the locker room before the game, that this was the game we needed. We felt they hadn't been tested in this postseason, they hadn't played against a team like us that plays defense, believes in itself and tries to control the tempo of the game. Yesterday was a good game to show them that.
We felt we had a chance to win this series, but nobody else felt that. We knew we were the only ones who believed in us.
It felt good - it was halfway down and it came out. That's to be expected when the night is going like that.
Basically, it was a high pick-and-roll. I knew they were going to help and I just slipped and lost control. I just tried to make a shot and got in a little finger roll. It actually felt good but it didn't go.
I would have felt a little disappointed if Rip wasn't a part of it. We're like one, man. We're like one.
We always knew a championship ring means way more than being an all-star, although we wanted to be all-stars. This is just secondary. It's not going to make me feel the same way as I felt when I was on that big stage in the finals when I won a championship. At the same time, it's going to be up there, because it's going to validate what I always felt about myself.
It was a big game. We looked forward to it because we felt like they are the other best team in the NBA.
That is something that you play for, to be recognized as one of the best. I've felt like I've played like that for a couple of years now and it's nice to finally get that validation.
It's a big win. It's a big win, but we'll see. It's one that we needed to get. I'm sure they felt the same way.
We've all got to get in there and help Ben. For so long here, we've kind of leaned on Ben and felt he was going to get every one of them. We've all got to make an effort.
I think it brings validation to my career and what I've felt about myself. That I could be one of the best at my position.
This is my first time, so I don't know how I would have felt if I made it four years ago as opposed to now. But the road I traveled was much tougher than a lot of these guys to make it to this game. It's special to me either way. It's a special weekend.
We just want to get another win. We let one slip away down there, and we want to get it back.
We just wanted to go out there and protect our home court. We knew they played a tough game last night, so we wanted to jump on them early and take care of business.