Saturday, June 10, 2017

Nate 'Tiny' Archibald - Kyrie Before Kyrie

Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald was a small point guard from the Bronx, NY.  At 6’0, Tiny was a smart, tough, and flashy point guard who groomed his game on the playgrounds of NY before taking his talents to Arizona Western College and then to UTEP.  In 1970, Tiny was drafted in the 2nd round by the Cincinnati Royals.  After playing so well coming off the bench, the Royals ended up trading starting point guard Norm Van Lier so that Tiny could run the show full time.

Early in his career, Tiny was unguardable offensively.  He was quick, ambidextrous, and could finish around the basket with creativity, much like Kyrie Irving today.  In his 3rd year in the league, he became the only player in history to lead the league in scoring and assist.  His 34 points per game broke the NBA record for a guard, and his 910 assists was an NBA record at that time.  Tiny was also named MVP that season.  He was very unselfish but knew when to take over the game.

Tiny was traded to the New York Nets in 1976 and then traded to the Buffalo Braves.


He then joined the Boston Celtics where he was the MVP of the 1981 NBA all-star game.  He played a key role on the Celtics 1981 championship team   Tiny changed the game by giving smaller guards hope that they could play and have an impact in the NBA game.  He now helps continue to grow the game, teaching and coaching in the New York area.


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