By Andy Charles

Rafer Alston seems about ready to shed his bad boy Streetball image and take his game to the top level of the NBA after his performance in Game Three of the NBA Finals against the Lakers on Tuesday.

Alston was a legend in his early days as a baller, nicknamed ‘Skip To My Lou’ for his ability to skip while dribbling while thrilling his adoring fans in Jamaica, New York, before going on to be a star of the And1 Streetball Mix Tape Tour.

Many Streetballers have tried to make a go of it in the NBA but few have made it, and it looked as if Alston might go the same way when his early seasons produced little but frustration for his coaches and team-mates alike.

But that changed in Houston for the point guard, who seemed to knuckle down under the tutelage of hard taskmaster Jeff van Gundy, and he turned into one of the premier point guards in the Western Conference.

Trouble, though, continued to dog Alston with a pair of arrests after two altercations in Houston and New York, and a charge of driving while intoxicated would follow, eventually ending his stay in Houston under a cloud after a two-game suspension early this season.

However the trade to Orlando worked out perfectly for Alston, as he was handed a route straight back to the starting line-up by stud Jameer Nelson’s shoulder dislocation.

Playing in a team with huge assets in Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard he was not far off the offense Nelson brought, and provided a fine defensive presence, averaging 1.8 steals a game in his 29 regular season games.

Nelson’s return at the start of the finals, even in a limited role, seemed to catch Alston off guard, but he was reinserted into a 35+ minute role for Game Three and caught fire for 20 points as the red-hot shooting Magic restored hopes that this might just be the season to place a basketball bet that they win their first championship 20 years after they were born.

And Rafer hasn’t been in trouble…yet!

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